Fact or fiction, why Bruce Lee never had a fight with Chuck Norris

One of the oldest myths in martial arts is whether Bruce Lee fought Chuck Norris or not. Since the beginning of the internet in particular, this has circulated around forums and social media. Obviously, this tale was created long before the internet was even made though.

Perhaps the reason for this is that the two are so iconic in the martial arts scene. Whilst Bruce Lee created Jeet Kune Do and helped merge styles together, Chuck Norris pushed Karate and similar styles into the mainstream. Basically, it’s fair to say that these two changed martial arts forever. As they both crossed paths a few times, it’s understandable that martial arts fans have wondered whether they’d ever fought. Not only this but people have also speculated on what would happen if the two fought in their prime.

In this article, we shall look at whether Bruce Lee ever did fight Chuck Norris. As well, we’ll also be looking at who would win if the two did happen to face each other in combat.

Bruce Lee never fought Chuck Norris

We’re sorry to announce that Bruce Lee never fought Chuck Norris in a proper fight. Actually, the two were friends and worked on a couple of movies together. They both featured in Wrecking Crew (the first ever movie appearance of Chuck Norris), as well as The Way Of The Dragon. During this time, they struck up mutual respect for one another and traded fighting tips.

For instance, after training together, Bruce Lee incorporated certain aspects of Norris’s kicks from Karate. Similarly, Norris was also complimentary of Bruce Lee’s blended style which mixed various parts of Kung Fu and other disciplines together.

As you can imagine, two friends would not fight. Although they did have a fight scene in The Way Of The Dragon, this was obviously acting. Aside from this, the pair did train together and may have sparred with each other at some point. Obviously though, there’s a huge difference between sparring someone in the gym and actually fighting them. Psychologically, there’s a big difference between the two and typically, training partners will share a close bond based on mutual respect. As it’s never been documented that the pair fell out, the reality is that Bruce Lee never had a fight with Chuck Norris.

Who would win in a fight, Bruce Lee Vs. Chuck Norris?

Whilst reality shows that the pair never fought, it’s still fun to speculate. Remember, this is purely opinion at this point so please don’t be offended. At the same time, we have researched this and these are our findings.

Bruce Lee loses to Chuck Norris in a formal setting

During his lifetime, Bruce Lee didn’t have much of a formal fighting record. For the most part, his martial arts were based on self-defense which was typical of its time. These days, many martial arts no take place in a competition setting. However, it’s important to remember that back then this wasn’t always the case.

So, in terms of a Karate competition, Chuck Norris would have won. This is because Chuck Norris was a Karate world champion at the time and had an excellent record. In other words, you’d have to be incredible to be able to beat Chuck Norris in his own domain. Whilst Bruce Lee was undoubtedly a great martial artist, his style was suited to the streets.

With rules in place (such as an MMA fight), Norris would have won. Interestingly, Norris also went on to get a black belt in BJJ and Judo. So, if the two were to fight in an MMA setting then Chuck Norris would probably be the victor. In fact, as Karate tournaments were the closest thing at the time to MMA – you could go as far to say that Chuck Norris was the equivalent of a UFC champion of his time.

Bruce Lee may have beaten Chuck Norris in a street fight

At the same time, Bruce Lee may have been the favorite in a street fight. As mentioned, the reason for this is based on his combative style which was literally made for fighting dirty. In Jeet Kune Do, he taught eye gouges, groin strikes, oblique kicks, and even weapons.

In other words, where laws and rules were absent, Bruce Lee would most likely have the edge. For instance, if they were both armed then Bruce Lee would probably win due to having superior weapons knowledge compared to Chuck Norris. Similarly, he would know dirty moves that work in street fights that are banned from formal competitions.

Still, it wouldn’t be a clear-cut win for Bruce Lee either. Due to Chuck Norris having superior Karate, this would test Bruce Lee and force him to be at his best.

Size matters

For most of his adult life, Bruce Lee walked around at under 60KG, whereas Chuck Norris was over 75KG. This would put them in different weight categories as far as combat is concerned. If you’ve ever fought in a martial art then you will understand that 15KG is a huge weight discrepancy to give up. This would only advantage Chuck Norris, either in a street fight or in a competitive bout.

Even if Bruce Lee was technically superior in most areas of martial arts, the 15KG weight difference may still be enough to give Chuck Norris the edge if it came down to it. For example, his kicks may not have to be as technical if he could replace speed and angles with the sheer power that is provided by muscular strength.

Bruce Lee’s fighting style Vs. Chuck Norris’s fighting style

Bruce Lee was best known for Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun. For those wondering, Jeet Kune Do was kind of like MMA of its time. Here, Bruce Lee collected various techniques from multiple disciplines and put them together. The result was Jeet Kune Do.

Elsewhere, Wing Chun is based on striking from close range. This relies on trapping and intercepting the opponent’s strikes with your forearms and retaliating with punches and chops of your own.

On the other hand, Chuck Norris was more of a Karate specialist at the time. This meant he would use a combination of punches, blocks and kicks whilst fighting. Ultimately, both of their styles revolved around striking which was the main trend at the time.

However, within the realm of striking, they both had different styles and philosophies of their own. Overall, you could argue that Bruce Lee was a better fighter from close range, whereas Chuck Norris was a better fighter from distance.

Chuck Norris teaches Bruce Lee high kicks

In one interview after Bruce Lee’s death, Chuck Norris claimed that he taught Bruce Lee how to perform a high kick. Apparently, at the time Bruce Lee didn’t believe in the reality of kicking above the waist (instead he preferred calf kicks).

However, after talking to Chuck Norris, he changed his mind. This shows the open-minded approach to martial arts that Bruce Lee had. In short, he was a true innovator and didn’t get blinded by his own ego or pride. It also shows just how good Chuck Norris was as well. If you can convince Bruce Lee to throw certain types of kicks, then this shows just how effective your technique was as well.

Who taught Chuck Norris how to fight?

Despite being a Karate black belt and champion, the main martial art that Chuck Norris studied was Tang So Do. This was a Korean martial art that was stylistically very similar to Karate. Whilst stationed in South Korea with the US military, Norris started training Tang So Do with its founder, Master Jae Chul Shin. Here, he trained for hours every day and this ultimately led to his lifelong interest in martial arts and fighting.

Who taught Bruce Lee how to fight?

Bruce Lee was taught Wing Chun by master Ip Man. This was back in Hong Kong where he grew up. Apparently, Bruce Lee was a naturally gifted and dedicated student. Throughout his life, Bruce Lee was open to learning other styles and even invented Jeet Kune Do. Nonetheless, he is best known for his Wing Chun. In fairness, it wasn’t just Ip Man either. If you know the full story, you’ll also understand that Wong Shun Leung was credited for teaching Bruce Lee a lot about the martial art.

Conclusion

Although Chuck Norris would never fight Bruce Lee, it hasn’t stopped people from believing it happened. As mentioned earlier, it would have been a historic event that could have changed martial arts entirely. However, it wasn’t to be and as a result, we’re now left with pure speculation.

Arguably, the best way to look at the pair when comparing is that Bruce Lee was superior in terms of martial arts innovations, culture, and his overall legacy. This differs compared to Chuck Norris who wasn’t as innovative yet was more renowned for his competitive prowess and fighting record at the time.

This brings us to our final point, that we should try and appreciate both Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee in their own right. Whilst it’s fun to compare, sometimes it’s quite unfair due to the massive differences between the two. In the case of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, this is probably one of those times.

If you’d like to learn more about Bruce Lee’s fighting style then check out his Jeet Kune Do book here.