HOW BRUCE LEE INSPIRED THE EVOLUTION OF COMBAT SPORTS

IN A NEW EPISODE OF THE COMBAT SHOW ON THE FREE BLACK BELT MAGAZINE CHANNEL ON JUNGO PLUS, GEORGE CHUNG INTERVIEWS SCOTT COKER, FOUNDER OF STRIKEFORCE AND CURRENT PRESIDENT OF BELLATOR MMA. COKER HAS BEEN A MARTIAL ARTIST FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. THAT, COUPLED WITH INSIDER ACCESS AT HIS FIGHT SHOWS, HAS GIVEN HIM A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMBAT SPORTS. BEFORE WE BEGIN, HERE ARE A FEW OF THE CHANNEL'S HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE COMING MONTHS.

Legend of the 8 Samurai

This Japanese flick was released in 1983. Hiroko Yakushimaru and Hiroyuki Sanada share the screen with the one and only Sonny Chiba.

Rivals of the Silver Fox

This Hong Kong-South Korea joint venture is from 1982. It also goes by the title Odaegwanmun and stars Ho Wang, Phillip Ko and In-Ha Yoon.

Raiders of Buddhist Kung Fu

Also from 1982, this film is another product of South Korea and Hong Kong. The cast includes Chia-Hui Liu (aka Gordon Liu), Ryong Wang and Ki-joo Kim.

Nonfiction

If you're in the mood for some MMA history, tune in to The Matt Hughes Story. Wanna learn technique? Check out Lisa King, who's been in Black Belt, teaching muay Thai or Ross Levine, who was our 2022 Competitor of the Year, teaching the bo.

And The Combat Show, in addition to featuring the aforementioned Scott Coker, also has episodes with Benny Urquidez, Michael Jai White and Billy Blanks. If you lean toward controversy, click on the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship!

UP CLOSE: SCOTT COKER

FEATURED ON: The Combat Show

BORN: South Korea 

MOTHER: A Korean singer. "She had her own albums and was on different TV shows," Coker says. "You could say maybe she was one of the first K-pop artists back in the day."

FATHER: U.S. military, then a Korea-based importer/exporter

In addition to your career as an MMA and kickboxing promoter, you have an amazing martial arts lineage. Can you talk a bit about your upbringing in martial arts?