In this clip, Michael Jai White speaks on a prior statement he made in reference to being able to defeat Bruce Lee in a fight, saying that that statement was taken out of context and he regrets making it due to the deserved stature of Lee. He does clarify the intended point he was making, however, suggesting that his heavier weight class would ultimately make it an uneven fight, one that if done in the street would certainly be in his favor. From there, the actor speaks on his warrior mentality and the belief that he could defeat anyone, saying at one point “If I have to fight Thor, then Thor has to die.”

The transcript below is from the video “Michael Jai White Clarifies Saying He Could Beat Bruce Lee: Bruce Only Weighed 130” by djvlad.

djvlad (Vlad Lyubovny commonly known as DJ Vlad, is an American DJ, director, journalist and interviewer; YouTube Channel)

Vlad Lyubovny:

“You said that you could have beat Bruce Lee?”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Oh, I wish I didn’t say that shit.”

Vlad Lyubovny: 

“Well, you know what’s funny is you just randomly…  I was watching Enter the Dragon the other night.  I forgot how small Bruce Lee was.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Yes.  See the thing is, I made a mistake.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“What does he weight, like a hundred and sixty pounds or something?”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“No, 132.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“One thirty-two, there you go!”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“I mistakenly said that.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“I might be able to beat Bruce Lee.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Look…”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“I’ll tackle him first.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“The fact is, you know I’m one of these people who like a lot of action people, stars, martial art stars.  I benefit by the belief that martial arts, heroes can beat a whole slew of people.  I benefit.  My family gets fed behind that.  So I can’t hate on that very much.  So that illusion of a martial artist being able to do just beat up everybody.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Well, I think you said that at one point, you beat up five guys at once.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Yeah.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“So you know, it’s not all myth.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“It was a different thing.”

 Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“It’s a different thing.  I hit real fucking hard, you know what I mean?”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Okay.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“So I mean and most people are not used to that shit.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“You weigh how much?”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Two twenty-five.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah so…”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“And I’ve done it all my life.  So it’s a different thing.  So but, if I’d said that amongst fighters, they’d completely…  There’s not one real fighter that would dispute what I said.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Right.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Because you would know…”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Two hundred and twenty pounder versus a hundred and thirty pounder.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist): 

“Yeah.  At the time, I said I was 235 but it’s like…”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“A hundred plus pounds.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Exactly and then somebody’s who’s not a fighter.  So even if it’s amongst elite fighters…  Floyd Mayweather is and I’ll defend this with anybody, is the most advanced fighter who ever lived.  There should be no disputing that.  No disputing that but there’s no friggen way in the world, he’s going to beat Mike Tyson.  He could run across the street and dive off of a table and punch Mike Tyson with all he has, and it’s not going to affect him.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“It’s just physics.  So when I say, “Oh yeah, I could have beat Bruce Lee,” I wish I hadn’t said that because he’s my hero too.” 

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah.”

 Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist): 

“But I said that against people’s hero and they weren’t supposed to hear that.  The fact is, I should be able to say I could beat… even Thor!  Either way, I feel as like if I have to fight Thor, Thor’s got to die.  That’s my attitude.  So if Bruce Lee and anybody else, if from my perspective, they got to die.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Right, so if I were to ask you can you beat Floyd Mayweather right now?”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“What?  Come on, you know Floyd.  If you asked Floyd Mayweather if he could beat me, he would say no.  I mean he knows how to fight.  I mean Floyd, he did a great job with Conor McGregor.  That is the heaviest person he ever had to fight.”

Vlad Lyubovny

“Because Floyd went down…”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“There was real danger there, but Floyd just…  He outsmarted them.  I mean, I’m very fast.  I’m unusually fast for a big guy.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah, Floyd weighs a hundred and fifty pounds.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Yeah, yeah and Conor is like more like 175.  When you are under 200 pounds, that, man, five pounds makes a huge difference.  But unless you’re a fighter, you’re not going to understand that.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“It says that Conor McGregor is a hundred and fifty-four pounds.  Maybe he was heavier during that time?”

 Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“No, he was never heavier.  He was so much bigger than Floyd.  I mean look at the skeleton, you know what I mean?  Take the flesh away.  Look at the skeleton and the fighters.  That really shows you what’s really happening.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Okay, yeah.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“But yeah and he’s…  You know so, before he dismantled them, the real smart way before he was in real danger because he’s fighting a much bigger dude.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah, getting hit with the wrong punch and boom.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Yeah, for real.  It’s a different thing.  I mean, [it’s a full touch of a master?] [04:05].  But it’s different when you…  You know…”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Right.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“… got that much of a difference of a way.” 

Vlad Lyubovny: 

“So, on top of you being able to beat Bruce Lee or…”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“I shouldn’t have said that shit.  I should have said…”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Anybody but Floyd Mayweather.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“No, of course.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“This is the new comment.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Come on!  Come on!”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“I can beat Bruce Lee and Floyd Mayweather.  You might as well just say it at the same time.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“But why?  But Floyd wouldn’t say he beat Conor McGregor in a street fight!”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“He wouldn’t say that.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Yeah kicking and so forth as well.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Yeah because then you’re saying fight, you mean everything.  You know, it’s like “Come on!”  Man, like again, Floyd’s the best boxer who ever freaking lived!  I’m the biggest Floyd Mayweather fan.  I even in my choreography and “Never Back Down 3,” I’m doing Floyd Mayweather shit in there.  You know what I mean?  He’s influenced me so much, I start…  I will watch Floyd Mayweather on slow-motion like for an hour, like I’m a fight nerd.

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

That dude is just the most advanced ever.  I mean that whole Bruce Lee thing, if there’s something I could take back, I would have taken it back that statement because I just fucked with everybody’s hero, including mine!  Right so, I sound like an absolute asshole even though I’m…  Of course, it’s the truth.  If he had to fight anybody that was above 150, it’s you’re an actor fighting a real fighter.

Like we had to fight Benny Urquidez.  Oh my god, Benny Urquidez!  Fighting is not pretty.  It’s trading blows.  You know if you’re not used to getting hit, guess what’s going to happen?  So I hate that I said it but it is the truth, but I’m not saying it to make myself look better.  Shit, I’m talking about beating a guy of 132.  That’s some bully shit.  That’s not something I’m proud of.”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“Right.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“I thought I was just educating people on, “Hey, look use your common sense.”  No, this can’t happen.  Yep you know…”

Vlad Lyubovny:

“It is what it is.”

Michael Jai White (American actor, director, and martial artist):

“Yeah, yeah I hate that I said it.”