Other real life names used to refer to the tournament include Vale Tudo, San Soo, No Holds-Barred, etc.
Myth buster cast that died in a crash movie#
In the movie Bloodsport, Kumite is the name given to the deadly, underground, full-contact fighting tournament to which the main character, Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), is clandestinely invited. Kumite is one of the three main areas of traditional Japanese karate training, along with kata and kihon (form and fundamentals). Translation of he Japanese word kumite means "free fighting" or roughly "sparring." The westeren sense of the word incorporates a broader meaning that includes "sparring" in boxing and even some forms of karate, like Shotokan.
It should be noted that the BDFS acknowledges Frank Dux's championship titles and world records, which are listed on their South African website.įrank's records also appear at the end of the Bloodsport movie, displayed as follows: The Black Dragon Fighting Society (BDFS) is a sponsor of the Kumite in the Bloodsport movie.
This might also help to explain why an online search for the I.F.A.A. has since disbanded and that the Black Dragon Fighting Society is a "derivative affiliate" of the former organization, which was still in existence when the 1980 Black Belt magazine article was written. In communications with Frank, he stated that the I.F.A.A. The website is run by one of Dux's former students, Sky Benson, who uses the website to help promote Dux's fighting system, FASST™/Dux Ryu. organization yields little evidence of its existence, other than a brief mention on the website. Considering that the Kumite took place nearly two decades before the emergence of the internet, coupled with the I.F.A.A.'s desire to remain out of the public eye, it is not hard to understand why an online search for the I.F.A.A. 28).īloodsport t-shirts, including the bestselling Kumite t-shirt, have helped fans celebrate the movie and the legendary tournament. The event is sponsored by the International Fighting Arts Association (I.F.A.A.) which, although not a publicity seeking organization, is far from secret." ( Black Belt Magazine, 1980, p. In our own correspondence with Frank, he named numerous organizations as acknowledging the existence of The Kumite, including the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame, The Alliance, Black Dragon Fighting Society, Shinjimatsu (Yokohama, Japan), Golden Globe International Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and Imperial, among others.īlack Belt magazine's November 1980 issue states the following, "The truth is that a full-contact kumite event is indeed held at a private location once every five years. Controversy has arisen around Dux's own past and his stories of The Kumite. However, according to Frank's accounts, "The Kumite" was held in Nassau, Bahamas in 1975, not in Hong Kong like we see in the film.
His experience became the inspiration for the onscreen events in the 1988 movie Bloodsport. In the 1988 film, we see Jean-Claude Van Damme, playing Frank Dux, triumphing over a ruthless fighter named Chong Li, portrayed by a then 50-year-old Bolo Yeung.Īs stated in the November 1980 Black Belt magazine interview, titled "Kumite: A Learning Experience," the real Frank Dux did in fact attend and win the 1975 Kumite, weighing in as a heavyweight. According to the movie, the Kumite tournament is a no-holds-barred mixed martial arts competition held in secret every five years. Frank Dux (right, circa 1975) shared a similar resemblance with his onscreen counterpart Jean-Claude Van Damme (left).
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