Judo legend Gene LeBell passes away aged 89 years old

Today, the Judo world woke up to sad news that the legendary Gene ‘Judo’ LeBell had passed away. He was 89 years old but had still been active in the public eye in recent years and considering his age, seemed to be in good health.

Gene was hugely influential in the spread of Judo to the western world and was also known for his wit and humor. Loved by many MMA fighters, he also trained and cornered Ronda Rousey during her peak UFC days were she became UFC champion.

Before this, he also had an infamous run-in with Steven Seagal which became a thing of martial arts legend, had one of the first ever MMA fights in history when he beat Milo Savage in 1963 by choke and was even meant to have beaten Bruce Lee in a fight.

In other words, it wasn’t just Judo that LeBell influenced. He was a true mixed martial artist who was equally as skilled in catch wrestling and had trained with the likes of Chuck Norris who is known as a specialist in Karate.

After retiring from competitive Judo, he went on to enjoy a successful media career and starred in over 1000 movies, and was often employed as a stuntman. During this time, he still trained and taught Judo well into his 80s.

Put simply, LeBell had a deservedly beloved reputation and it’s fair to say that the martial arts world would look vastly different without him.