The transcript below is from the video “Michael Jai White & Vlad Debate Who Would Win a Fight: Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan? (Part 15)” by Djvlad.

Vlad:

Here is an interesting question because in the past, you said that you could beat Bruce Lee in a fight just because there’s a sheer size difference, right? What if you and Bruce Lee were the exact same size, based on technique?

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

If he was just as big and heavy as you? I hate to say right now. Let me take me out of the situation. If Bruce Lee were to fight a professional fighter that’s his size, it’d be very difficult for him to beat that person. It would be very difficult for him to beat that person because Bruce Lee was not a fighter. That’s not his skill set.

Vlad:

He was an actor.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Yeah, he’s a martial artist, the greatest martial artist who ever lived, theoretically everything, the way he lived but he was not a fighter. I’m sorry. It’s a whole different skill set. It’s ugly. You trade blows. You see people who are 132 pounds fight each other, it’s like Ren and Stimpy. They beat the sh*t out of each other and nobody falls out. They hit each other a hundred times in a round. You understand? That sh*t’s ugly, right? So you can’t tell what’s going to happen. It’s just not fair for me to say to a professional fighter, who’s been hit in the head thousands of times okay and fight a guy who doesn’t, and say that you guys are equal.

Vlad:

Okay, so here’s another one. Here’s another one. An actual fight between Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

An actual fight, what I would think?

Vlad:

Yeah, who would win that fight?

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

I think Jackie Chan.

Vlad:

Jackie Chan? I mean, he is not a professional fighter but he is a…

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

I was a betting man, I’d say Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan was bigger.

Vlad:

Okay, just because it was physical size. Have you met Jackie Chan before?

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Briefly, yeah.

Vlad:

How tall is he?

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

He’s not a small guy. I would say Jackie Chan’s about 5’8” ?

Vlad:

5’9”

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Yeah, 5’8” and he’s durable. That’s a tough dude.

Vlad:

143 pounds. Kind of on the light side

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Yeah, that’s a lot heavier than Bruce Lee. That’s a major difference in a fight game. A major difference and as far as ability, …

Vlad:

Bruce is 5’8” – same height.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

I don’t think that’s correct. I think that they said that he’s 5’8” but I don’t believe so.

Vlad:

Yeah, I also see 5’7” and a quarter

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

But I mean, you know, I would say because I know a lot of people who trained with Bruce Lee and knew Bruce Lee, like literally, on my birthday a few weeks ago, I’m training with Bill Wallace yet again who was one of my instructors. These guys, they know Joe Lewis, there’s so many people who’ve trained with Bruce Lee and sparred with him and all that. So I know about his abilities of fighting because these people, they wouldn’t lie and they love Bruce Lee as well. You know, it is what it is. There were people like Benny Urquidez around, like Bruce Lee couldn’t fight Benny Urquidez, that would be terrible. Benny Urquidez is a badass fighter, like a real fighter, like who can, you know, walk through you and I mean like I said, fighting is… it’s just different. And when I try to explain the weight difference to people who are, you know, super fans, they’re not gonna understand that then. They’re not gonna get it because thankfully, like the lore of somebody small beating everybody is fun.

Vlad:

Well, I mean, look at Mayweather versus Logan Paul. Logan Paul was physically a lot bigger. Mayweather clearly won that fight. Right?

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Yeah. So you you have instances of smaller guys beating physically much bigger guys with technique. But technique is far different. I mean, Mayweather’s the greatest, I think he is the most talented boxer who’s ever lived.

Vlad:

I agree.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

He’s got talents that nobody has. He may not be my favorite but there’s no arguing of his dominance.

Vlad:

And look at his record. No one has a record like his.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Right, yeah

Vlad:

for a reason… it’s not like he ducked everyone.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

No but you know, so Mayweather fighting a guy, it’s going to be very difficult for him to knock him out because he’s too big. That plays into what I’m saying.

Vlad:

Mayweather rarely knocks anyone out, even people in his own weight class

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

No people in his weight class, he may choose…
Vlad:

He has knocked out a few people but most Mayweather fights do not end in knockouts.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Yeah I think that was a choice of it. You know, in the early days of Mayweather, he steamrolled over a major badass people like… So but again, is he gonna knock out a guy that Heavy? It’s hard. And then you’re talking about real fights and everything else and you talk about kicking and it becomes different. You got these pillows on your hands, right? It’s a bit different.

Vlad:

Well, in professional fights, those are very thin pillows.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

In Boxing those are pretty big. As opposed to martial arts where I’m using my fist.

Vlad:

Okay, you’re right. I mean, a UFC glove is definitely way less padded than a Boxing glove. I’ve put on real boxing gloves those motherf*ckersare kind of thin, man.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Have you ever been kicked by a shin or foot?

Vlad:

No.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

It’s very different. It’s very different. You know, a shin to your skull, it’s pretty damn different. It’s a lot different than a Boxing though.

Vlad:

I feel you.

Michael Jai White (Actor, Director & Martial Artist):

Yeah…