Few figures have left as indelible a mark as Bruce Lee. While many remember him for his lightning-fast strikes and iconic films, Rigan Machado, a legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner from the renowned Machado family, offers a compelling perspective on Lee’s deeper contribution to martial arts as the world’s first true mixed martial artist.
During a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Machado reflected on Lee’s revolutionary approach to combat:
“I think the number one guy who is the base for all this change was Bruce Lee who come out of grappling… he is training everybody.”
Machado emphasized that Lee integrated various disciplines before “mixed martial arts” was even a concept.
What set Lee apart, according to Machado, was his willingness to break from tradition and incorporate elements from multiple fighting systems.
“You see Bruce Lee doing choke doing some crucifixion enter the dragon or the some ears nobody was doing it back then,” Machado noted, highlighting Lee’s inclusion of grappling techniques in his fight choreography and personal training methodology.
Lee’s visionary approach extended beyond just combining techniques. Machado pointed out that Lee anticipated modern MMA equipment developments:
“He speed have the gloves… He was so ahead his time.”
This observation speaks to Lee’s foresight in understanding that specialized equipment would be necessary for the full-contact, cross-disciplinary training that would eventually become standard in mixed martial arts.
When asked if Lee was the first mixed martial artist, Machado responded with an unequivocal “Yes,” comparing Lee’s impact to that of the Gracie, who transformed the martial arts world through his vision and methodology.
Machado sees parallels between Lee’s philosophy and the evolution of modern MMA:
“The mixed martial arts is the same basic idea. Mixed martial arts brought Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrestling boxing kickboxing everything to one style… And I think the vision of Bruce Lee was the beginning of everything.”
Rather than viewing Lee primarily as a fighter who might have competed in today’s UFC, Machado sees him as a revolutionary thinker whose contributions transcended competition:
“I see Bruce Lee almost like more like a master for sure. He’s a great athlete… But I don’t see him like a fighter. I see him as a guy who changed the martial arts and the history when we need at the time.”
Lee’s Jeet Kune Do philosophy, which emphasized adaptability and drawing from multiple fighting systems, laid the groundwork for what would eventually become modern MMA. As Machado put it,
“He mixed multiple martial arts… his vision is a mix of things.”
In the decades since Lee’s passing, his forward-thinking approach has been validated by the explosive growth of mixed martial arts as a global sport. The UFC, which began as a showcase for different fighting styles to compete against one another, evolved into a proving ground for well-rounded fighters proficient in multiple disciplines—precisely the kind of martial artist Lee advocated for decades earlier.
Some claim Bruce Lee was the first true mixed martial artist because of his philosophy and choreography during Enter the Dragon, which began filming in early 1973. However, Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki arguably beat him to the punch—literally and historically. Their 1976 exhibition in Tokyo wasn’t just a publicity stunt; it was a collision of boxing and professional wrestling that predated the modern MMA blueprint. While Lee was pioneering concepts on film, Ali and Inoki were testing them in the ring, under scrutiny and with global attention. Unlike Lee’s controlled movie set, their bout was a raw, rule-bending experiment in real combat between styles. In that sense, Ali and Inoki didn’t just theorize martial arts evolution—they lived it, three years after Lee’s death but in a form that embodied what MMA would become.
Bruce Lee’s early recognition that the most effective martial artist would be one who draws from many traditions rather than adhering to just one remains his most enduring legacy—truly making him, as Rigan Machado asserts, the first true mixed martial artist.
