Is Jeet Kune Do MMA?

When we hear Jeet Kune Do, we usually know that it is a combination of Multiple Martial arts. But that sounds like Mixed Martial Arts or MMA. I also had the same questions and made some research. Thus, I present the fruits of my research and will answer if Jeet Kune Do is MMA.

In theory, Jeet Kune Do is MMA simply because Jeet Kune Do is a mix of martial arts. However, because MMA is a sport, they have some rules which are well-implemented. This makes some moves of Jeet Kune Do unusable in MMA since some of the JKD moves don’t follow MMA Rules.

That’s why Jeet Kune Do can’t really be seen as a main martial art in MMA. However, Jeet Kune Do can be seen as a complimentary martial art as we can see later. We will also answer if JKD is good or effective in MMA.

Is Jeet Kune Do effective in MMA?

Jeet Kune Do is effective in MMA as a supplement to another martial art because some of Jeet Kune Do’s moves are not allowed in MMA. For this reason, a person who only uses Jeet Kune Do will have a hard time abiding by the rules of the sport.

Thus, while Jeet Kune Do is effective in actual combat, it is only good as a supplement to another martial art.

To explain this properly, let me first explain the basic principles of Jeet Kune Do.

Jeet Kune Do emphasizes the importance of keeping things simple.

Do not waste any time or movement. Energy efficiency is important.

The ultimate goal is to attain the highest levels of efficiency, clarity, and simplicity possible. This allows the combatant to save time and energy while maximizing force and fast ending the encounter.

According to Bruce Lee, JKD’s founder, most other methods created a false sense of security by employing showy and flowery techniques that appeared to be helpful but were ultimately ineffective.

Thus, he made a martial art that is really effective in real-life scenarios such as defending yourself against armed opponents.

Jeet Kune Do techniques are based on their effectiveness in real life.

And in an actual real-life scenario, there are no rules. That’s why some of Jeet Kune Do’s moves are illegal in MMA.

This makes a JKD practitioner confused about MMA fights simply because they have to think of what move to do since they need to abide by the rules.

Even if it is really effective in real life, MMA is a sport that has numerous rules that should be followed no matter what.

That’s why Jeet Kune Do is good martial art to have as a supplement. That way, the user can omit the moves that aren’t allowed and only use the moves that are allowed in an MMA fight.

Do any MMA fighters use Jeet Kune Do?

Jerome Le Banner and Ben Saunders are some MMA fighters who use Jeet Kune Do in MMA fights. However, take note that they only use Jeet Kune Do as a compliment to their fighting skills. The reason for this is that MMA has rules that aren’t in Jee Kune Do.

Mixed martial arts, or MMA, is a fighting sport in which two contestants use three broad methods to gain dominance over one another: striking, finishing holds, and control.

Since it is a contest, there are some rules that needed to be followed.

Punches, kicks, joint-locks, chokes, takedowns, and throws are the martial arts techniques allowed under regulations.

Because MMA has constraints and laws, Jeet Kune Do is not used in the sport because there are no restrictions in Jeet Kune Do.

In short, some JKD moves are illegal.

However, you can see some MMA fighters use Jeet Kune Do.

Notable are Jerome Le Banner and Ben Saunders who claims to have a background in Jeet Kune Do.

Well, you can easily see it as they are users of the southpaw stance.

The southpaw stance is the stance that Bruce Lee, founder of JKD, actually used.

There are multiple reasons why Bruce Lee decided to use the Southpaw and one of which is just that most enemies are unfamiliar with how to deal with the southpaw.

Another is that it is just effective.

And one of the basic concepts of Jeet Kune Do is it should be effective.

Lastly, In Southpaw, you put your right arm forward which makes it easier to hit enemies since your dominant arm is already in front.

Putting your arms in front is also good in blocking or defending yourself.

But here is the point.

Jeet Kune Do is used in MMA and some MMA fighters really use Jeet Kune Do since it is effective in actual combat which includes MMA.

However, only some moves, and we will discuss some of these illegal moves in the next section.

Why is Jeet Kune Do not popular/used in MMA?

Jeet Kune Do is not popular in MMA since it’s just a mix of techniques from other martial arts. Furthermore, Jeet Kune Do involves a lot of tactics and moves that aren’t allowed in MMA. But there are some martial artists who use JKD in MMA fights but only as a supplement to their current martial arts

As I said earlier, Jeet Kune Do is a combination of multiple martial arts which technically is MMA.

However, you will actually see in MMA that fighters will show their martial arts specialty such as BJJ, Taekwondo, and many more.

It is close to impossible to see somebody that will have Jeet Kune Do.

I believe one reason for this is that Jeet Kune Do is not standardized. What I mean by this is that there is no governing body for Jeet Kune Do.

Governing bodies are the ones developing the skills needed to achieve a black belt, or formulating a standard set of lessons for people learning a martial art.

That’s why in Jeet Kune Do, there are numerous schools claiming they are authentic.

To give more insights, Taekwondo has World Taekwondo Federation or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.

I might add that BJJ has no official governing body which is one of the reasons they aren’t in the Olympics but at least they have at least some governing bodies.

In Jeet Kune Do, they don’t have any which means that there might be a chance that a black belter in Jeet Kune Do will not be recognized by other schools.

Because of this, it will be rare to see someone admit that they are JKD specialized in fights.

Furthermore, Jeet Kune Do’s popularity is based on Bruce Lee’s popularity.

Since Bruce Lee’s popularity is not being waned because of time, JKD is also becoming not popular. Fewer and fewer people are just not being aware of it.

Of course, as I already repeated multiple times, there are moves in JKD not allowed in MMA such as finger jabs that hit the eyes which are not allowed in MMA.

Lastly, is purpose.

JKD was never intended to be a sport. It was meant to be a way of breaking free from all rules.

Now combine breaking free from rules in MMA, then you get the whole picture.

JKD is designed to stay away from rules such as getting away from traditional moves which aren’t effective in real life.

It’s designed to get you ready for real-life street fighting which has no rules.

For these reasons, JKD isn’t exactly suitable for MMA.