Why Michael Jai White Regrets Saying He Could Beat Bruce Lee in A Fight
Michael Jai White is a decorated martial artist as well as an action star. Like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, White calls on his combat experience and athleticism to add to his roles. A while back, the Black Dynamite actor made what many saw as a bold claim. He claimed in an interview that he’d be able to beat Bruce Lee in a fight.
Not too long ago, White revealed how and why he regretted his statements on the martial arts legend.
Michael Jai White once said he can beat Bruce Lee in a fight
Spawn star Michael Jai White, who has extensive experience in combat sports in his own right, explained how he would beat Bruce Lee in a one-on-one. In an interview with Dish Nation, White believed that Lee wouldn’t be a match for him if the two were to come to blows.
“Bruce Lee is 132 pounds. I outweigh him by 100 pounds,” White clarified. “Size matters a great deal, it’s too big of a discrepancy. He could run across the street and I wouldn’t feel it.”
Michael Jai White regrets saying he could beat Bruce Lee in a fight
The remark caused a bit of an uproar from those who are die-hard fans of Bruce Lee. The backlash White received for his comments motivated him to pen an apology to Lee on his Instagram, explaining where his comments came from.
oHowever, On White’s Facebook, where White also posted his apology, he was still met with backlash and criticism for his remarks.
“You are a liar You do this only to win hearts and love the audience of Bruce Lee Shame On,” one follower wrote to White on Facebook.
“It’s not what you think you know , it’s what you can prove… Join UFC, see the fighter that you are,” another follower chimed in.
In an interview with MIC, White opened up about how much he regretted saying he could take down the Enter The Dragon legend.
“Probably the thing I most regret ever saying in my life was telling non-fighters about me fighting Bruce Lee, a personal hero of mine and millions of people,” White said. “Real fighting is not like movie fighting. It would be very hard for Bruce Lee to fight a real fighter above 150 pounds. A 135-pound fighter will not beat a 235-pound fighter of similar skill. That’s crazy.”
White went on to clarify his comments further in an interview with DJ Vlad. Although he still hates that he made those claims, he asserts that him beating Lee is a realistic outcome.
“I’m not saying it to make myself look better,” White said. “I thought I was just educating people on, hey, use your common sense. This can’t happen.”
Michael Jai White is an accomplished martial artist
Michael Jai White’s words come from his expertise in martial arts. He began practicing combat sports from a young age, and credits his initial passion for the sport as a means of expression when he was younger.
“I had a lot of angst growing up, and martial arts just felt natural to me,” White said according to Blackbeltmag.
He started karate at the age of 7. According to his official website, MichaelJaiWhite.com, White was already earning money as a Karate teacher by the time he was 14.
“Discipline has helped me in all facets of life,” he later told Blackbeltmag. “You can pretty much do anything if you have discipline. When you push yourself, you realize you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.”
Michael Jai White didn’t like how Quentin Tarantino portrayed Bruce Lee
In another interview with DJ Vlad, Michael Jai White discussed his grievances with Quentin Tarantino’s take on Bruce Lee.
“It did bug me a little, yeah,” White admitted. “It speaks of a white supremacy thing that kind of bugs me. I know he’s looking at it as, hey, it’s fictitious. He’s taken dramatic license with even other historical things, but there’s a brush that’s being painted.”
Although White understands why Tarantino might’ve done it, and knows the director personally, he wishes Tarantino didn’t use an icon to bolster his own fictional character.
However, White also claimed he heard that Tarantino contemplated using another action star in Jim Brown as a substitute for Lee. That would’ve created an even bigger problem for The Dark Knight star.
“I heard Quentin say he was gonna have that be Bruce Lee or Jim Brown,” White said. “It would really mess with me if it was Jim Brown.”
