There exist an argument that it is impossible for the Bloodsport film to have happen just based on math involved. More specifically, there exist a misleading allegation that it is mathematically impossible for Frank Dux to have fought sixty opponents in a single tournament to win the legendary no-holds-barred martial art contest as this would require thousands of participants.

The persons making this claim betray they are incompetent to speak on such matters or, more likely, being deceptive.

The based on true events in life of Frank Dux classic martial art film, Bloodsport, has made Dux a target of professional envy, jealousy and trade libel. So says Kumite To MMA: America’s Underground History of The Origins Of Mixed Martial Arts ISBN-13:978-1519282842  author  MMA Pioneer Dr. Joshua “Cherokee” J.F. Westmiller, Ph.D./D.Sc./Ma.Sc.

 “A number of individuals have tried to defame Dux for one reason or another. These critics include right wing extremists placed on a watch list by the Anti-Defamation League, business competitors, disgruntled ex-employees and martial art students of Dux who couldn’t make the grade, former business associates who breached their agreements, failures jealous of others’ success, a journalist acquaintance of Dux’s ex-wife, and internet bullies who just don’t have anything meaningful to do with their time.” — Dr. Joshua J.F. Westmiller, Ph.D./D.Sc./Ma.Sc..

Westmiller isn’t the first MMA pioneer authority to take notice of how deliberate misinformation is being spread about the film Bloodsport, Frank Dux and Kumite NOW in need of correction. Westmiller identifies: “Aaron Banks, Bill Ryusaki, the late John Denora, Charles Fisher, Ed Parker and any number of great masters who have talked about the kumite event for decades now — before Dux”

Corroborating Westmiller assertions is the martial art trade journal Black Belt magazine in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, amongst other credible sources, like Dr. Martha Nieves who is former director of Sports Psychology for Mexico. Neives was commissioned by the Mexican government to profile the precursor MMA fighters and interviewed so many she proclaims she became acquainted with the legendary Full Contact Kumite sport fighter Frank Dux long before the film Bloodsport was made or when Dux was debuted.  The Editor of Katana magazine, Alonso Rosado also corroborates that Frank Dux skills and exploits in Full Contact Kumite were world renown, made known to his magazine and him long before the existence of Bloodsport.

Black Belt magazine in a Nov. 1980 magazine issues states that before ever meeting Dux they were hearing of the underground Kumite event as well as Frank Dux exploits and had attempted over a considerable amount of time, several years, to agree to be interviewed.  Only made possible by extraordinary efforts on part of a graphic artist for Rainbow Publications (that published Black Belt), named Tim Chapman.  He’d enrolled in Dux North Hollywood school, in 1980, made curious and wanting verify many of the bigger than life stories surrounding Dux to satisfy the magazine and his own curiosity.

These stories include tales of Frank Dux possessing heard of but never seen before legendary skills as is portrayed in the movie Bloodsport. Like Dux actually having the ability of selectively breaking any brick in a stack of bricks while leaving the others still intact. Dux demonstrating the infamous death touch by breaking the bottom one only. Other stories includes Dux incredible capability of fighting someone totally sight impaired, blindfolded; and also being so quick as to snatch a coin from the palm of your hand and switch it with a penny before you could close it from 20 ft away. All of which would be portrayed in the film Bloodsport, eight years later.

Seeing this done for himself, being convinced Dux was absolutely the quintessential real deal martial art legend because of it and more, Chapman, comes forward and identifies himself and his purpose for enrolling in Dux school to Dux — who declined his doing an interview.

In time, over a period of several months, Tim Chapman and Black Belt’s editor John Stewart eventually persuaded Dux to allow the magazine with the permission of the IFAA/Black Dragon Society aka Society of the Dragon aka Black Dragon Fighting Society (which isn’t a registered business but a close knit fraternity) to make himself and other members, like David German, Big Jim McCune, Dr. Day, Michael Felkoff, Ernie Reynolds, Ed Parker, available to them.  This arrangement included sharing private and rare fight footage and photos, several which appear in the magazine.  Included is a picture of Dux holding his trophy taken shortly after the event by Black Belt photographer, in late December 1975, archived trying to do a story then.

Made confident by Black Belt magazine’s extensive due diligence, Black Belt magazine’s editor John Stewart published its findings in its November 1980 issue, declares it has a strict policy of verification and staff invested considerable time corroborating that facts over several months that produced the article titled: Kumite: A Learning Experience.

The Kumite organizers expressing interest in commercializing the event made them a competitive threat to the Professional Kickboxing Association scene, Sport Karate Point Fighter scene and what becomes the Ninja monopoly.  Previous to this time Dux had appeared in Black Belt magazine an unprecedented three month’s in a row (Sept – Nov 1980 issues) before Dux ends up visibly pigeon holed due to what a number of Kumite authorities, like Westmiller, expose as unlawful if not unethical business practices.

Frank Dux relates he received a call from Tim Chapman and John Stewart that PKA /Sport Karate celebrity Joe Lewis’s top student, Jerry Smith, had come to their offices defaming Dux. While making threats that Lewis and the Kickboxers would boycott the magazine. John Stewart feeling the pressure complied to never feature Dux again and even telephone Dux requesting him to take down letters of verification hanging in his school wall written by Stewart as the editor of Black Belt magazine.

The rub with Lewis being he had been promoting himself as undefeated but Official Karate Magazine and Dux knew Joe Lewis was defeated by United States Karate Association World Champion Victor Moore (also blackballed because of it) who says Dux is only man he could not defeat and people would assume by this Dux is better than Lewis and other martial art stars of the era defeated by Moore, that includes Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Mike Stone, etc.

Prior to the invention of the Internet the Kumite fighters and event were blackballed from mention by those who control the information gateways for this niche market of Martial Arts  — two major publishers Mito O’Hare, Rainbow Publications, and Curtis Wong, Unique Publications.  Between them they owned all the leading martial art trade journals that are biased and act more like mail order catalogs … use the magazines to enhance book and products sold by them under different corporate identities — masks their conflict of interest.

The monopolization of information outlets by these special interest groups made it possible for a campaign of misinformation to take form without opposition.  Deliberately, we see the mischaracterization of Full Contact Kumite and Dux.  Such as, by misrepresenting the Kumite format to be a single bracket elimination event as in the sport of Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai and MMA, the claim 60 fights fought in a tournament as Frank Dux had done and as is portrayed in Bloodsport this would require 3,600 participants.  Allege by this Bloodsport and Dux are a fraud.

The rub here is Full Contact Kumite is not a western cultural based competition – linear in how it is conducted but reflects the Asian culture and its martial arts — circular in its thinking.

Imagine a circle of sixty participants being paired off to fight. After each fight, win, lose or draw, each contestant steps to their left to fight another match until everyone has cycled through the entire circle. Fighting only 20 opponents per day over the span of three days… makes possible one person fighting 60 opponents without the tournament having to have thousands of participants or requiring thousands of man hours, as well.

It was well publicized Martial Art Legend Mas Oyama fought a hundred-man bare knuckle Kumite over the course of a single day, three times in his life. Other Karate-ka do this all over the world and is popular with YouTuber’s producing documentaries on it

The deceivers make no distinction between the terminology being used in Full Contact Kumite versus Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai and MMA, either.

In Full Contact Kumite, forcing the opponent out of bounds (as in Japanese sumo wrestling the Kumite event has sumo participants) or causing an opponent to fall forcefully to the matt or injure an opponent to where they are unable to continue can qualify as being declared “a knock out.”

Choking an opponent unconscious may or may not be declared “a knock out” as that call is at discretion of Full Contact Kumite tournament host/judges. In the Kyokoshinkai Challenge and Sabaki Kumite, you are not allowed to even hold an opponent.

When Kumite Fighters use the term “he goes home” in tournament settings this means a losing fighter gets a moment of respite (return to their corner or quarters), stops fighting that day to avoid serious bodily injury or death. Fighters who are so tired they cannot maintain a guard position are often told “go home” only to return later, even the next day when they recover.  They forfeit schedule matches when stopped — unable to complete the full 60 bouts.

“Kumite matches are more of a right of passage than a sport competition – a cultural test of courage, skill and endurance encapsulating a tapestry of violence and Zen like meditation threaded in many different colors, styles, customs, and practices. Like water you have to swim in it, taste it, not just stare at it — NOT to fully grasp what it is” says Frank Dux

With the event hosted throughout the world and being several Centuries old, this explains why Kumite goes by many different names and makes use of a variety of formats – Vale Tudo, San Sao, Sabaki, Kokuryukai, just to name some.

Because of cultural diversity there does not exist a single regulation format except the one the host promoter may choose. The event environment is not permanent as is the case in boxing that uses a regulation ring, MMA the cage, all of which is made clear by Dux in the Nov. 1980 article published by Black Belt.  This environmental difference is reflected in the classic Martial Art film Bloodsport, where each fight day’s platform configuration appears changed

 “Not knowing is the best way to test your metal” represents Big Jim McCune who was on hand as was VP of Warner Bros. Joe Sinda and former Head of Black Dragon Fighting Society Lawrence Day; all of whom refusing to be intimidated by special interest groups have stepped forward and gone on the record as witnesses to Frank Dux winning Kumite Nassau event, in 1975, the basis of the film Bloodsport.

The following is a few examples of the Full Contact Kumite / Martial Art tournaments formats made use of for four centuies that proves it is NOT A MATHEMATICAL IMPROBABILITY to fight sixty fights as Dux had done and as is portrayed, in Bloodsport:

THE RANDORI aka NO ELIMINATION FORMAT QUALIFIER

Whether employed in a school environment as a training exercise o in a competition tournament setting, the Randori format makes use of no elimination bouts. Here nay number of participants may fight each other “one on one”. The person with the most wins wins. The total number of fights can also, due to injuries, drop significantly because there is only one man left standing.  For instance there may exist 60 fighters, each fight each other making a total of 60 matches that each fighter could potentially fight.

Likewise, thirty (30) fighters fight each other twice (2x) makes for sixty (60) fights. Twenty (20) fighters may fight each other three (3x) times over the course of three (3) days makes for total of sixty (60) matches.

Contestants Fighting No Elimination Format

60 contestants x 1 = 60

30 contestants x 2 = 60

20 contestants x 3 = 60

THE 100 MAN KUMITE FORMAT

Contestants must fight a100 different fighters one at a time. Many attempt this but few are able complete the challenge. Two competitors can be a thousand miles apart.  One succeeds by fighting all while his opponent does not for example.  Most times the only contestant is oneself as Kumite is as Frank Dux states a learning experience.

THE 20 MAN KUMITE FORMAT

Like the 100 man Kumite here one contestant fights twenty fresh fighters one after the other. They repeat this over the span of three days.

1 Contestant x 20 matches per day x 3 days = 60 fights.

THE KUMITE SAN SAO aka BLOODSPORT aka JADE CIRCLE RANDORI aka NO ELIMINATION QUALIFIER FORMAT

Every four to five years there exist “THE KUMITE” aka “Kumite San Sao” aka “Bloodsport” aka Jade Circle Randori where a fighter must fight elimination matches as a qualifier and win consistently enough to be selected to go onto the Semi Finals aka Jade Circle that is typically reserved for top eight fighters who will fight single elimination matches where one will prevail World Champion.   There are times when the 20 Man three day Kumite Format is used as a way to qualify fighters before competing in single bracket or double elimination matches by which to determine the winner.

THE JADE CIRCLE

This format gets its name because jade is believed to preserve the body after death as well as have healing properties. Those fighters selected after competing in qualifier matches are traditionally given a jade bracelet or amulet for that purpose. Unless the participant dies in the ring (then they are to be buried with it) each fighter is honor bound to give the jade gift to the person they feel most responsible for leading them to this moment or pick a random person in need of assistance, anchoring them to the knowledge serving their higher purpose is what leads them to compete in Kumite.

The semi finalist eight competitors are divided into four separate single elimination matches producing a total of four winners. Those four competitors are divided into two separate single elimination matches producing a total of two finalists. The judging panel has the option to make the final match a single or double elimination match. Double elimination is used because a fighter accidentally falls off the platform. Not a true win.

NO HOLDS BARRED 

Take away the Full Contact Kumite qualifier elimination rounds this is how the very first UFC was conducted aka Jade Circle then became a man versus man event.

KUMITE AS A TRAINING TOOL

Since the word “kumite” refers to forms of sparring, it covers a vast range of activities. In traditional Karate generally the first type of kumite for beginners is Gohon Kumite – here the defender steps back each time blocking the attacks and performing counterattack after the last block. This activity looks nothing like  Jiyu Kumite (or “free sparring”) practiced by more advanced practitioners.

Traditional Types:

• Ippon kumite – one step sparring, typically used for self-defense drills
• Sanbon kumite – three-step sparring, typically used to develop speed, strength, and technique[4][5][6]
• Gohon kumite – five-step sparring, pre-arranged attack and counter exercises
• Kiso kumite – structured sparring drawn from a kata
• Jiyu kumite – free sparring
• Jiyu ippon kumite – one step semi-free sparring

Major Difference Between Full Contact Kumite And NHB / MMA

Qualifier match requirements are put in place to determine who is the superior fighter based on overall consistency. It prevents a shady promoter from cherry picking the competition to orchestrate a predetermined winner — which is what the Gracie clan stands accused of with them being the owner / organizers of the first UFC.

Its only natural the Gracie family and Art Davies by establishing a permanent setting as the Octagon Cage it rightfully renames what otherwise could be construed as Jade Circle Full Contact Kumite — No Holds Barred.

Likewise, when Dana White had the brilliant vision of incorporating boxing and wrestling rules and regulations, like weight divisions, and rounds, that change the paradigm of NHB it is only natural the event be renamed Mixed Martial Arts aka MMA.

The Mathematical Difference Between Kumite and Other Full Contact Fighting Sports Events At A Glance

Full Contact Kumite

Format: No Elimination 60 Match Qualifier / 8 Finalist Single Elimination

Total Fights To Win (63)

Format: 100 Man Kumite No Elimination / One Contestant

Total Fights To Win (100)

No Holds Barred / UFC 1 +

Format: Tournament Single Elimination Bracket 8 Contestants

Total Fights to Win (3)

Format: Single Elimination 2 Contestants

Total Fights to Win (1)

Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA

Format: Single Elimination 2 Contestants

Total Fights to Win (1)

The film Bloodsport features a montage sequence that Frank Dux says was intended to reflect the qualifier elimination process. From that point on the film makes use of the single bracket elimination format. One must be vigilant to keep in mind just like in the movie the Full Contact Kumite circuit is an exclusive club activity and not a commercial “put butts in seats cash cow” business as is true for the sport of: Boxing, MMA, and most all other pugilistic sports that are structured to maximize profitability.

The International Fighting Arts Association Official Black Dragon Fighting Society maintains a website listing its members and Dux’s accomplishments as well as members in a Grand Masters Registry.  Fighting one sixty fight (60) Kumite tournament per year from 1975 to 1980 for five years (5) would account for 300 fights and if done also incorporating Jade Circle finalist elimination format that would be and additional 15 opponents. Therefore, the Dux IFAA/OBDFS published 329 win fight record is far from being inconceivable for Frank Dux

Even in single elimination bracket style fighting as in boxing world there exist Sam Langford with over 300 matches he fought in his career.

Since 1980, Frank Dux has consistently emphasized Kumite is a test — “A Learning Experience” where only members of this closed knit society fought for honor and knowledge — not trade passion for gold and glory.