Issue 108

December 2013

The daughter of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, tells FO what her father would think of mixed martial arts.

You were just four years old when your father passed away in 1973 – what are your most vivid memories of him? 

“I have some memories, but most of them are just fleeting images. I do remember a lot from our time in Hong Kong, such as visiting him on the set of Golden Harvest Studios. But the most interesting thing that I recall is just the feeling of him. His presence, his sense of playfulness, and also his energy, because when he focused on you it was like being hit by a laser beam. It was quite scary! But mostly I just remember him as being this larger-than-life figure during the early years of my life.”

Bruce Lee is frequently credited as being a pioneer of MMA. Would you agree with that? 

“Yeah, I definitely see a relationship there, but I’m not sure if I would characterize him as being a pioneer; although I certainly don’t have a problem with it. Jeet kune do is not the same thing as MMA, but there is a relationship. MMA is about an accumulation of technique while jeet kune do is about throwing it away. It’s about letting your arms and legs express themselves and finding whatever works for you. My dad’s fighting art was essentially no-holds-barred street fighting while MMA is a sport.” 

Do you think the all-roundedness of MMA might have tempted him to compete, were he a young man today? 

“Well, he definitely wasn’t against the idea of competition. He loved to watch boxing and I’ve no doubt that he would love to watch the UFC and all the other outlets of MMA. But I think the reason he was against competing was philosophical. His own philosophy was very much grounded in the manner of traditional martial arts as a way of life. He also considered things like touch-tournaments as just plain silly. But who knows? Maybe he would have looked at the UFC and thought that this is as close as it gets to the real thing. Or maybe he would’ve coached because he loved sharing his knowledge of the martial arts. At the very least, he would’ve loved watching.”  

What do you think of the UFC’s expansion into Asia?

“It’s great and it’s very interesting. When the UFC first came to Asia with Cung Le as the headliner, they used that ghost-like image of my father on the official poster, specifically to stir the interest of the Asian market. It’s terrific but it’s important to remember that it’s a very different culture out there. 

“The interest in Asia is undoubtedly strong, but it’s more centered on traditional martial arts and it’s a question of whether MMA will be accepted. I’m sure it will be because if you’re interested in combat there’s no better thing to watch. But these things take time.” 

The UFC and the Bruce Lee Foundation have worked together in the past, what kind of things have you co-operated on?

“The UFC has been incredibly supportive of both the Bruce Lee Foundation and Bruce Lee Enterprises. They’ve been particularly supportive of the foundation, which is a public charity, and in the past they’ve helped with fundraising, and most recently with our aim of building a museum. They’ve also been supportive in other ways such as selling Bruce Lee T-shirts in their stores worldwide.”

Finally, had your father lived these last 40 years, what else might he have achieved, do you think?

“He might have leaned towards comedy. He had a huge sense of humor and when you watch Way of the Dragon, which was his baby, you can see that humor was a big part of the equation there. But I also believe he would have continued to write, star and direct in his own films. He would have certainly evolved as a martial artist also, which was so important to him.”