Meet Michael Jai White, the ultimate celebrity-martial artist

When it comes to celebrity martial artists, some of them have a fierce reputation that doesn’t quite match reality. In other words, there are a lot of celebrities involved in combat sports, yet many of them are bogus or fast-tracked through the grading process. Thankfully, this is not the case for Michael Jai White who is as legit as they come. Trained in various striking arts such as Wing Chun and Taekwondo, he is mostly known for his prowess in Karate. The result is that he has several black belts in various Karate variants, but is apparently most skilled in Kyokushin.

However, it isn’t just Wushu that White is trained in. He also practiced Ju Jitsu from a young age and has also dabbled in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This means that he is an incredibly well-rounded fighter who is skilled both in striking and on the ground. Even more impressive is his physique and size, boasting ripped abs and huge biceps…even if he is in his 50s, you wouldn’t realize it. As all martial artists will know that have sparred, power and strength are just as important as technique, and White has all of these in abundance.

Is Michael Jai White a Boxer?

Although Michael Jai White is best known for his Karate, he has also trained the likes of Muay Thai and Boxing too. In 1995, White played Mike Tyson in the HBO movie ‘Tyson’, here he trained boxing to prepare for the role. At this point, White was already an accomplished striker. However, he trained boxing to get the movements and footwork right whilst he mimicked the role of Mike Tyson.

So, it’s fair to say that whilst Jai White does know a bit of boxing, this isn’t his main martial art. For the most part, he specializes in more traditional martial arts instead. Regardless, it still wouldn’t be particularly pleasant having to fight Jai White in a boxing bout.

Is Michael Jai White a Grandmaster?

The term ‘Grandmaster’ is usually given to martial artists who are given the role due to honorary status. In other words, it may be given as a life-long achievement, or even due to celebrity status. As it happens, Grandmaster is also a status that is used in Sambo too. For example, the legendary fighter Fedor Emelianenko is a Grandmaster of Sambo, and also a Master of Judo.

However, these titles aren’t used in Karate, nor are they very common in martial arts in general. With this said, Michael Jai White is not a Grandmaster. In his time as a Karateka, he won various, regional competitions which proves his legitimacy. Nonetheless, he does not have the status of Grandmaster. Due to its rarity and his work commitments with films, the reality is that he will probably never be awarded this status.

Who trained Michael Jai White?

Michael Jai White was trained under Master Eddie Morales in Goju Ryu Karate. As stated earlier, White has various black belts under various Karate disciplines. Not as much is known about his other belts or ranks in the other martial arts that he trains. It is also not known who awarded White some of his other Karate belts. However, if you’re an experienced black belt in one variant, you will probably fare well in other types of Karate.

Interestingly, he has gone on record to state that Kyokushin is the only traditional martial art that remains free from being watered down. It’s no secret that Kyokushin is considered the most brutal form of Karate. A lot of this is due to it involving sparring and tough conditioning, which is sometimes missing in other Karate types.

Is Michael Jai White legit?

As mentioned in the introduction and title, the martial arts skills of Michael Jai White are no joke. Taekwondo black belt and ex-Taekwondo champion Joe Rogan said“100% I watched him do a hopping side kick at a bag and the chain broke, he fought some Kyokushin fights. He’s a legit black belt in Kyokushin. Nobodies a bigger kick critic than me, his kicks are perfect.”

There are other videos out there that show White’s skills. A good description is that Michael Jai White is not an actor who got into martial arts, instead he was a martial artist who became an actor. Combined with a lifetime of training, physical strength, and conditioning, it’s safe to say that White is definitely legitimate by anyone’s standards.

Based on this, there is one lingering issue that some fans have with Jai White. Despite his skills, he never fought in MMA. Sadly, this is a tale of what could have been, with some speculating he could have been a UFC champion back in the day, whereas others are less certain. Unfortunately, we’ll never get to know.