Bruce Lee 264 62.56%

Mike Tyson 158 37.44%

Yep, because Ray Mercer knew just how to trip up Couture, boxers are just great at getting the best martial artists of all time on the ground for some whuppin.

Tyson doesn't get his mitts on Bruce, and if he does... he better hope it doesn't go to the ground, because Lee used early submission techniques as well.
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I could have swore I read an article about him and his older brother Rorion pretty much choosing the contestants. Either way, even though Royce beat those guys despite being at a huge weight disadvantage, I doubt any of the fighters then were monsters like tyson.

I'm just trying to debunk this notion that Lee could somehow nullify the size advantage.
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We've had decades since he lost control of the UFC for the other martial arts to prove that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not good.

They have failed to do that so spectacularly, that its now just accepted that every fighter needs to AT LEAST be a blue belt in jiu jitsu to have any chance of being competitive. (For the men's divisions anyway) It doesn't have to be your primary style of fighting, but if you don't know what you are doing on the ground, you are going to lose a lot of fights.
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Yeah, my argument was not against BJJ. BJJ is great.

I was responding to someone that cited Gracie as an example for overcoming a weight disadvantage. I just wanted to point out that it was a poor example.
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When did Mercer fight a 140 pound martial artist? What the fuck does he have to do with this thread? :-)
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Its not going to the ground. Once Tyson clinches Lee, he's going to punch his face in.
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Agreed.

Lee would just stand still and take it, locked up in a muy thai clinch by a guy trained as a boxer.

Its all so easy, isn't it?
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Lee would not stand still and take it, but he would be physically incapable of reliably getting out of Tyson's clinch.

edit: it would be a boxing clinch, obviously. Not sure why you think Muay Thai invented it
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:-)
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People have no idea how hard it is to take someone who is 5'9 220 of solid muscle to the ground. Tyson was lightning quick, had perfect footwork, and weighed nearly 100 pounds more than the actor he would be fighting against.

MMA fights are standup fights. They nearly never end because one fighter kicked the other fighter and knocked him down. There is also a reason that weight classes exist. This argument is ridicuous.

I boxed for a couple of years. My main training partner had 40 pounds on me. It was very difficult for him to hit me...but I wouldn't have stood a chance against him. If we had fought 100 times, he would have been 100-0. Size is an enormous weapon. Height is as well. Having to attack upwards is both exhausting and power-robbing. Even if I had been allowed to throw kicks, it wouldn't have made a damned bit of difference. For a smaller opponent to throw a kick, he'd have to be in close. The larger opponent would be able to bear hug the kicker and slam the shit out of him.
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Remember the last time some boxer not only controlled, but threw the MMA Originator, the Master around like a rag doll... just grabbed him up long enough to land a big ol uppercut?

Yeah, me neither.
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Yeah, I think you'd have to have quite the imagination to believe it was real...but read the comments on youtube...many believe it.
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But...but...Ray Mercer....uh...video games....err....Kung Fu movies. Dude fatality blow!!!
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I feel like we're trying to patiently explain that Santa Claus is not real to an audience who grew up on Santa Claus movies and just won't accept it.
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Remember when elite professional boxers went slumming to compete in MMA tournaments to win $100k? Me neither.

Matt Mitrione is an old friend of mine. He would last about 10 seconds against Tyson in his prime.
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