Bruce Lee & The

Popularity of Mixed

Martial Arts

Tournaments

By Jeramiah Giehl
 This research paper is about why mixed martial arts tournaments have become

popular in recent years. Mankind’s fascination with freestyle fighting championships has

been shown throughout history through a plethora of gladiatorial type tournaments. In

recent years we have seen the rise of popularity of mixed martial arts tournaments as a

sport due to the advancements of such martial arts pioneers as Carlos Gracie and Bruce

Lee. These pioneers had a major influence on such popular martial artist’s as Ed Parker

(the father of American Karate) and Chuck Norris (martial artist and movie star) along

with Christian Harfouche (founder of the ICKA). There is this sense of adventure and

suspense when two men enter a ring to fight for the rights of the title the toughest

fighter. This kind of event excites the heart and enthralls the mind.

To understand why mixed martial arts tournaments have become popular in recent

years we have to look at the history of mixed style fighting events. One of the earliest

forms of mixed martial arts or freestyle fighting, as we know it, was not as many may

suspect to be oriental in origin. Rather it was the Greek Olympic event called Pancrase.

According to the article ‘Pancrase - Hybrid Wrestling,’ “The ultimate goal and spirit of

Pancrase is the completion of ‘Total Fight’ a collection of the best of all styles of martial

arts in the world.” This style of fighting was very similar to our freestyle fighting or Vale

Tudo fighting championships that we see popping up all over these days. This type

freestyle-fighting concept is a total approach to self-defense efficiency.

The style of fighting known as Pancrase pre-dates the advent of Christ and it was

a hybrid mixture of stand up fighting and grappling. Pancrase was an Olympic event that

showcased the best fighters pitted against one another in an arena in a reality based

fight scenario. Pancration was added in 948 B.C. in the 33rd Olympiad. It is believed that

Theseus created Pancrase to defeat a mythical opponent in Greek folklore and

mythology. The Internet article ‘Pankration’ states that, “the great Attica, Theseus, who
combined wrestling and boxing together in order to defeat the fierce Minotaur in the

Labyrinth.” Theseus is said to have beaten the Minotaur using this combination of

fighting styles. Though its origins are mythical, the fighting was real and practical which

is very similar to our modern mixed martial art tournaments.

Pancrase was more than just a glorified WWE match. Pancrase was a real test of

fighting skill and prowess, which required the use and knowledge of multiple fighting

abilities. The opponents would start of by facing each other much like wrestlers do

today. According to the article ‘Pancration’ they contend that the Pancration

practitioners, “tried to bring one another violently to the ground by grappling, hitting,

kicking, leg sweeping, choking and joint locking.” There was truly no limit to what one

could do in a Pancrase competition, the possibilities where endless. As the article

‘Pancration’ states, “All the holds in wrestling and all the blows in boxing were allowed.

The only things forbidden were biting and gouging.” You can imagine with so few rules

or regulations that there truly were endless possibilities in combat the only limits where

the ones that the fighters put on themselves by only specializing in one aspect of

combat or another.

While looking to the past is good we must take a look at how this new

phenomenon called mixed martial arts tournaments came to exist as it does in its

present state. Born out of the vision from Helio Gracie: “November 12, 1993 a new pay

per view event makes its debut in America – the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The

concept was simple pit eight experts in different martial arts against each other in a

single elimination fight, with no rules and no time limits. To learn once and for all which

martial art is most effective in real life situations,” (Gracie, page 7) While it is may seem

like a new phenomenon it looks a lot like its forerunner’s such as Pancrase and the

fabled underground Kumite fights in China. One commentator had this to say about the
resurgence of mixed martial arts fighting events: “There is another popular sport that

incorporates boxing, a hint of professional wrestling and just about any other style of

fighting imaginable: mixed martial arts, reality fighting. And while the popularity of no

holds barred fighting continues to rise,” (Johnson, page 1). It is this kind of enthusiasm

that attracts many to watch and participate in MMA events.

Many politicians didn’t like the lack of rules and the pure barbarian image mixed

martial arts portrayed. Because of this many states passed laws that banned MMA

events from their states and the cable companies quit carrying the pay per view event.

This crippled the fledgling enterprise; they lost a lot of their fan base and sponsorship.

Out of this the Pride fighting championship was born with a similar concept to pit “the

top fighters from different combative sports: wrestling, karate, judo, kickboxing, and

others – all fighting in one ring under the same rules,” (PrideFC.com, page 1). They

added more restrictive rules, weight classes and time limits in order to appease some of

the politicians and cable companies concerns. This brought an increased enthusiasm in

mixed martial arts events making them not appear so ominous and foreboding. The

owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship got a hold of this idea and decided to

revamp their fighting competition. They repackaged their event and tried to capitalize

upon the popularity of already popular sanctioned martial arts disciplines. Quote: “Mixed

Martial Arts is an amalgam of already popular sports like boxing, wrestling, judo and

karate,” (White, page 1). Not only did they repackage the event itself that added more

restrictive rules and got the national boxing commission to regulate it. “SEG maintained

hope that with more restrictive rules and a history of no significant injuries, cable

companies would relent… the UFC debuted in the Taj Mahal in November 2000… more

than 4,500 spectators, many new to mixed style fighting cheered and applauded,”

(Rossen, page 74).

 Bruce Lee has been a major force behind the mixed martial arts revolution. In an

interview with Frank Shamrock the four time King of Pancrase and five time UFC

Champion had this to say about Bruce lee; “Hakan: Who were your first influences in

martial arts? Frank Shamrock: Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. Bruce Lee’s philosophies on

taking what works adapting it, also staying on the forefront of knowledge has had a

tremendous impact on me.” The progress that Bruce Lee made in the martial arts and in

movies paved the way for the mixed martial arts craze that is sweeping through

America. If it weren’t for the advancements that Bruce Lee made in martial arts we

wouldn’t have a lot of the free exchange of knowledge, training and fighting ability that

we have today.

To name Bruce Lee as a key factor in the martial arts revolution we must find out

what made Bruce Lee the revolutionary that he was. Growing up in Hong Kong naturally

Bruce Lee learned martial arts. “Bruce Lee began studying Wing Chun Gung Fu at age

13. Over the next 19 years, he transformed his martial art into a science, an art, a

philosophy and a way of life,” (Kent, page 5). Bruce Lee was dedicated to the Martial

arts; he studied very hard, practiced feverishly and became very proficient in Wing

Chun. When Bruce turned 18 he decided to move to the United States of America.

Bruce Lee finished High School in the states and started studying at a local college. To

pay for school he decided to teach Martial Arts. When Bruce Lee exploded on the scene

he overwhelmed his new students with his raw power and talent. “Controlling opponents

offensive/defensive ability by trapping and sticking to their arms was unheard of by

either a professional or a street fighter. Although his early students were very tough

from a street fighting perspective, they were totally ineffective against Bruce’s speed

and trapping techniques,” (WingChunDo.com, page 1). Bruce very quickly made a name

for his self and established himself as a martial artist and a scholar.
 He had a strong desire to be the best. “Bruce Lee wanted to become the best

fighter in the world, not just good, but the best… He quickly surrounded himself with

students who had extensive martial arts backgrounds or who were rough and tumble

street fighters,” (WingChunDo.com, page 1). This strong desire to be the best was a

driving force, a motivation to think outside the box and try new things to become the

very best at what he did. It was a passion he pursued with all his being. “Lee

Constantly studied, analyzed, adapted and modified all the relative information he could

get his hands on. This was done through his personal library of over 2,000 books… and

through his friendships and associations with many top martial artist of the time such as

Ed Parker and Jhoon Rhee,” (Kent, page 5). Bruce would settle for nothing less than the

best. He strove for utter perfection in technique, knowledge and form.

Probably one of Bruce Lee crowning achievements was the total liberation from

what he called ‘the classical mess.’ “His studies of Taoism, Japanese Zen and the

liberation philosophy taught by Jiddu Krishnamurti to liberate humanity for all cages led

Lee to back up his fighting method with a revolutionary philosophy of personal freedom,”

(Fraguas, page 12). This revelation led him to realize that there was more to the martial

science’s than just classical techniques bound by the walls of tradition. Bruce Lee taught

his students to “’Use no way as a way, no limitation as a limitation’… Bruce Lee… JKD is

unbound; JKD is freedom. IT possesses everything, yet in itself it is possessed by

nothing… his concept was to free his followers from clinging to any set style, pattern or

mold… he never hesitated to say, ‘your truth is not my truth; my truth is not yours,’”

(Innosanto, page 1). Freedom from the classical mess is what gave Bruce Lee the

freedom to branch out and do what no one in his time was doing namely teaching non-

Chinese Gung Fu and studying and blending other styles. During this time of personal
exploration Bruce Lee started to develop the principles that would make up the style he

created named Jeet Kune Do.

Bruce Lee strived to be a well-rounded fighter; he embraced all ranges of combat

and styles of fighting. “Bruce emphasized the importance of being well-rounded in all

ranges… We like to use weapons in long range, boxing strikes and kicking in middle

range, and grappling and trapping up close. You have to know all ranges to be good at

self defense,” (Bingham, page 71). This sounds a lot like the Pancrase fighter of old.

Bruce Lee emphasized that it is important to master all ranges of fighting and not just

specialize in one aspect of combat. He taught that if you specialized in one aspect of

fighting that would become your weakness because a fighter that was well rounded

could use that against you by fighting in ranges that you are not used to.

Bruce Lee taught martial arts as a way of life. “The Jeet Kune Do Concept is more

than punching and kicking. It is a way of developing yourself in every area of your life,”

(Richardson, page 6). “It is this Philosophical foundation that separates Jeet Kune Do

from the plethora of ‘eclectic’ martial arts systems that are popping up everywhere

these days,” (Kent, page 3). “The idea is for the individual to take responsibility and

develop himself or herself towards their unlimited potential. By training in the martial

arts, we have guidelines for training in any other area of our life from business to

relationships,” (Richardson, page 6). Bruce Lee’s holistic approach to martial arts

training was a concept way ahead of his time. It is because of this concept that we have

a variety of mixed martial arts.

The search for truth in combat was essential to Bruce Lee’s teaching. “Lee taught

us to ‘seek truth in combat’… this concept and related lessons on how to search for truth

are probably Lee’s greatest gift to the martial art world. They have opened the door for

countless traditional and eclectic martial artist’s to experience personal freedom and self
expression,” (O’Dell, page 1). Coupled with seeking truth in combat is understanding

who you are and who your opponent is. “The core philosophy of Bruce Lee was to ‘know

yourself’… as the great Suntzu said, ‘when you know yourself and your opponent, you

will win every time’… Lee, said: ‘we must understand ourselves in order to know

anything and to understand and solve problems,” (Bingham, page 74).

When talking about the revolution in American martial arts you cannot touch this

topic with out discussing Ed Parker another pioneer in the Martial arts world. Ed Parker

is considered the father of American Kenpo Karate. “Having a few Judo and Boxing skills,

parker began investigating the martial arts more thoroughly, but was dissatisfied with

what he saw. ‘I felt that a lot of the systems weren’t applicable in an American

environment,’ Parker says, ‘Even though they appeared to be on the surface,’” About

this time Ed Parker met William Chow who would become and powerful influence in his

life. (Frank, page 1).“One thing that especially intrigued Parker was Chows balance

between linear and circular movements. Chow was leading Parker toward the goal of

logical and practical motion, which was what Parker was searching for,” (Frank, page 1).

Ed Parker was building on a strong foundation that would only get stronger once he met

Bruce Lee a man who would change his life.

Ed Parker decided to start an international tournament that would showcase the

best talent in the martial art world. “In 1964, Mr. Parker held his first ‘Long-beach

International Karate Championship,’ which became the largest martial arts tournament

in the U.S. for many years. It was at this tournament that he introduced Bruce Lee to

the American public who became enamored with him,” (JerseyKenpo.com, page 1). It

was through this tournament that Bruce Lee received much notoriety and was able to

land a role in the television show the Hornet because of his skillful and eloquent

demonstration at this event. Bruce Lee and Ed Parker made a strong friendship and
share a lot of ideas and fighting concepts. They not only shared ideas they shared

students. Talking about Larry Hartsel BruceandBrandon.com says, “Hartsel studied with

Bruce from 1967 to 1970, along with Dan Innosanto, and also taught at Ed Parkers,”

(page 1). Beyond sharing people they spent a considerable amount of time together

sharing philosophies. “Throughout the time spent together Ed Parker and Bruce Lee

exchanged many ideas about the arts, comparing and analyzing ways in which to

improve concepts and principles involved in a street fight,” (JerseyKenpo.com, page 1).

It was through this relationship that Bruce and Ed developed strong philosophies of

progressive fighting methods that would be effective in real life situations.

The first Long Beach International Karate tournament also brought to light another

future martial art star, Chuck Norris. “In 1964, at a demonstration in Long Beach, he

met the man who would go on to change his life, Bruce Lee… in 1972 invited by Bruce

Lee, Chuck costarred as the fighting villain in ‘The Way of the Dragon,’” (The Legend of

Chuck Norris, Page 1). And the rest is history as they say. Bruce and Chuck spent a lot

of time sparring and perfecting their technique. It was through this relationship that

Bruce Lee adapted his fighting style to include kicks above the waste.

Who is Chuck Norris? Many know that he did action movies and was a martial

artist but what is his story. “After joining the air force, Chuck was sent to Korea, where

he encountered local Tang Son Do (later known as Karate) for the first time in his life

and began training… 1962 Chuck returned to the U.S. and started teaching Karate,”

(The Legend of Chuck Norris, Page 1). Chuck was an avid learner and very dedicated.

“During a period from 1964 to 1968, Chuck won numerous titles in Karate competition

and became a national champion. In 1968 he became the professional world

middleweight karate champion, he would have held the title undefeated until he retired

in 1974,” (The Legend of Chuck Norris, Page 1). If you think about it if Ed Parker and
Bruce Lee hadn’t had the influence on Chuck Norris we may have never be able to see

“Delta Force” or any of Chuck’s other well know movies.

Another contributing factor to today’s modern mixed martial arts is, Christian

Harfouche. Harfouche a Christian minister who stumbled on a martial arts book while in

Lebanon as a teenager that got him interested in Martial Arts. “Harfouche ran into David

German, and his entire concept of karate was about to be turned on its ear. German had

fused grappling techniques into Ed Parkers American Kenpo and Various forms of Kung

Fu to create a system name Tai Jutsu,” (Kogan, page 84). “The concept for the new art

called Shorite Ryu Tai Jitsu began to take shape when he earned his sixth degree black

belt in Tai Jitsu in 1984… although Harfouche had already earned dan rankings in Budo

Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Kyokoshin Karate and breakthroughs he made in his own

research… after receiving his 10th dan in 1999 he branched out from German… and

unleashed Shorite Ryu Tai Jitsu,” (Kogan, page 84). Harfouche created an acronym to

describe the ranges of fighting that he adapted from the Jeet Kune Do ranges of

fighting. “Naturally, Shorite Ryu Tai Jitsu teaches techniques for all ranges of combat.

Harfouche uses the acronym F.I.G.H.T.I.N.G. – Floating, Intercepting, Giving (yielding),

Holding (the clinch and Chin-Na), Trapping, Invading (closing the gap), Negating and

Grappling – to clarify the strategies for each phase of an encounter.”

Spirituality and martial arts have always had a close connection; from the Shaolin

Temple in China who the Buddhist monks to the Samurai in Japan. The Spiritual aspect

can’t be over looked in an unbalance world religion is the pendulum that balances

between good and evil. That said they are the dark side of spiritualism in martial arts it

is important to note that Christian Harfouche tries to balance Christianity and the martial

arts. He says, “The Spiritual side of Shorite Ryu Tai Jitsu’s training must not be

overlooked. Harfouche, who holds doctorate degrees in ministry and theology, stresses
that while Christianity is an important part of his life, martial art technique, not religion,

is the focus of his teaching in the dojo,” (Kogan, page 118). Christianity teaches us to

honor, value and respect life. Harfouche goes on to say, “On its most basic level, the

spiritual component of Shorite Ryu admonishes practitioners to endeavor to do the right

thing, show respect and stand up for what’s right. Harfouche says, “if the spiritual

aspect is neglected, a person can end up a detriment to the martial art and society,”

(Kogan, page 118).

One of the final and most important links that has fostered this spirit of mixed

style fighting is the fighting art Brazilian JiuJitsu. “The Introduction of Jiu Jitsu to Brazil

is largely credited to Mitsuyo Maeda, who immigrated to Brazil in the 1920’ and taught

Juijitsu to Carlos Gracie of Rio de Janeiro,” (KickBoxing.com, page 1). BJJ was made a

household due to the advent of the UFC. “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu really caught on with the

advent of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1995. The UFC promoted by the

Helio Gracie clan, was billed as the first tournament to pit practitioners of various martial

arts against each other in an almost no-holds-barred setting,” (KickBoxing.com, page

1).“ Royce Gracie made a name for himself by showing his style was more effective than

all others. “The fact that Helio Gracie’s son Royce won three of the first four

tournaments using his family’s brand of JiuJitsu as an art demanding serious

consideration,” (KickBoxing.com, page 1). Brazillian JiuJitsu has been tested and proven

to be effective over and over in no holds barred competitions.

As we have seen the rise of popularity of mixed martial arts tournaments as a

sport due to the advancements of such martial arts pioneers as Bruce Lee and others.

Mixed martial art tournaments are here to stay.