I think a lot of the criticism of Van Damme comes down to jealousy. Lets face it, he had the looks, body and his kicks are probably more famous than any other movie star. I mean everyone was saying 'who's the next Bruce Lee', then it was 'who's the next Van Damme'. Do I think he was the best fighter in the world, not at all, but damn man you can tell he's good by the way he moves. And even today as he get older, he's still in great shape and seems to be a pretty decent human. He's honest about his past when he went of the rails and he came back from it. He's always been one of the guys who I tried to emulate when training, it was always 'we got to get that flexibility, 'I've got to kick like that'. It doesn't matter to me if he has a fantastic fight record, he influenced probably millions of people to take up martial arts and weights, and that is better than being the greatest fighter in the world.
Nah this is so wrong bro.. look at a guy like dk yoo for example, he moves like a skilled striker and incorporates master level mastery of form when punching statically, but under pressure it all crumbled in his recent fight. Van damme may be able to move like that but so can a ballerina, or a gymnast or anyone flexible enough to do so. But to put it all together in a fight is a whole different story
Personally, as a martial artist, I respect the artist who doesn't have to go out and prove himself to others. I watch Van Damme move, and it is undeniable the man has martial arts talent and is physically gifted. I don't need to see a fight record to recognize this. In his prime, that man could whoop a lot of ass. Guaranteed.
Unfortunately today's meta is 'if he doesn't have a record in UFC / K1 then he isn't a fighter' and I think it's too toxic and illogical. As you said it well, he and a lot of other fighters have the moves, the talents and the looks of a great fighter, who cares if they have a record that's recognized today but wasn't even a thing back then.
On Wikipedia is his fight record in the ring with names, dates and all. Somebody made this up? I don't think so. Besides a whole lot of semi contact karate tournaments he did kickboxing and fought in the ring about 20 times and only lost once.
Thank you for that comment. Not every martial artist needs to enter tournaments which are primarily for the entertainment of strangers just like not every talented ARTIST needs to display their work in a gallery, they might be a professional Surgeon that just likes painting... I was told at my start "If you are not willing to protect the weak from the evil strong, I will NOT train you" It's not all about the ring when the world in itself is an arena
The focus of htis video is JCVD 's "fight record"....whether or not it was all "Pt-fighting" or if there was actual "Kick-boxing' IN other videos someone said in Europe they had to call JCVD's "{t fighting" "Kickboxing" due to copyright issues in Europe. Shrug. Some people are interested. His fans and MA film fans. Does it really matter in the end if you enjoyed his films? No. They're "entertainment". Jackie Chan never competed nor did Brcue Lee. Nor did Segal. THough having said t hat it IS ODD there is no videos on YOuTube showing any of JCVD's "full-contact matches"....only I think one b/w of him in a clearly "Pt fighting (controlled)" fight. Would there not be lots of photos? More film clips?? Why would the Euro "Fighting league" not have televised the fights? Or had journallists there?? If we just do a Y ouTube search for Bill Wallace 's kickboxing fights there are many to be found. Same for Benny Uriquedez....though in all fairness....there aren't many potos of Chuck Norris' fights...One of two with Joe Lewis....and just one b/w video of Joe Lewis ....perhaps MA was so unpopular back then....the broadcasting stations didnt think it was worth their time to cover these matches... making it harder to dig up clips...thus the lack of on TH-cam?? Did JCVD have legit MA skills? Clearly yes. Easily seen in various interviews he did and in his films even th ough he did use "flashy moves" for entertainment sake. Not easy to get hte air he got doing his "propellar kick"...which his daugher Bree...can do too.. Had JACD been a "Pro kickboxer" in the PKA....even better...for his fans. A PLUS on his "resume"....but not essential to be a MA movie star... Interesting how lots of legit world kick boxing champions appeared in MA films but never became MA film stars (e.g. Bill Wallace and Benny Urquidez).. Not something they wanted I guess.
Off the subject of him actually fighting, one of my friends met JCVD in the 1990's as a kid and said that was the one of the best experiences of his life. He got autographs, they talked, and he asked my friends dad what he for a living. My friend said he wanted to be a fighter like him when he grew up, and JCVD told him to go for it and fight/train hard. In a few days, my friend will turn 40 and he still tells that story.
When i got back from Afghanistan, some friends and me went to Vegas. We ran into jvcd at a casino, and literally had a hangover movie like time with him. Great guy, and humble at that phase of his life (2003).
Van Damme's real name is Van Vaerenberg and I have seen his name in the results of Karate (Points fighting type) tournaments in old (Dutch) martial arts magazines so he did compete. Also I have met his former trainer Serge Goetz.
He never fought world ranked fighters! Point karate is not same as American kickboxing and it’s explained in this video . Point knockout not a Tyson knockout lol
@@jittboy1 Nobody says its the same, what I am saying is his martial arts achievements are respectable. Idont need a video to explain anything because I have fought all systems including points, continuous and full as well as K1 and Muaythai.
@@suchasin as amateur possibly I have 3 black belts also shaolin, jeet Kune and akido as well I have rolled with kimbo Fabre brown as well I think he was hyped up a little as well . For me not so much I don’t think he is that good. As the video shows he got kicked in the head by a nobody that should tell you something. That has never happened to me just saying
@@jittboy1 he got kicked TO the head not IN the head by somebody because he let him. I respect his skillset or at least what he has shown us in film as I respect everyone who has dedicated his life to martial arts.
It’s sad that guys like Van Damn were stuck in the time where everything wasn’t recorded and all of his achievements are on VHS in a cardboard box somewhere. HE DID KICKBOX. People are ignorant to what kickboxing is. Kickboxing is an umbrella term that means any combat sport in which you can punch and kick your opponent and it is not submission based. Therefore karate, taekwondo, American style kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate, Dutch style kickboxing, Sanda...etc are all forms of kickboxing. facts
@@TheJasoncash83 okay, I wanna keep this civil. Let me state my point. I already said what the websites I sent you before says as well as many other kickboxers, MMA fighters, and combat sports youtubers have said; kickboxing is an umbrella term that means any combat sport/style that allows you to punch and kick your opponent. Therefore that includes karate, TKD, Dutch, Savate, Sanda, Muay Thai, American style, K1...etc. You said that I was confusing the difference between a combat sport and a martial art when saying karate and TKD were kickboxing styles. I think you are wrong because not all styles of karate/TKD are martial arts. There are many forms of karate (Kyokishin, Shotokan, Ishin ryu, shrorie ryu, Ken po, Kem po, go ji ryu...etc) you want to know what one of those forms of karate is? SPORT/POINT KARATE. Sport is literally in the name making it a combat sport therefore a form of kickboxing (Jessie Enkamp agrees, Sensei Seth agrees, ramsey Dewey agrees...etc). Now for TKD, it is literally represented in the Olympics and last time I checked martial arts aren’t in the olympics sports are therefore olympic style TKD is a sport and form of kickboxing not a martial art. There’s no need for us to hurl insults and doubt each other credentials. This is the fact that I’ve picked up regarding kickboxing after 8 years of boxing, 6 years of various forms of kickboxing, 5 years of wrestling, 2 years of coaching, 2 black belts, and a 5-0 kickboxing record. That’s all I’m trying to say
Man Van Damme is the real deal. He knows how to train, he's a great teacher. A league of his own. The trouble is, there are and always have been so many associations, federations, unions etc.the European circuit back in the day and American circuit totally different. But research shows, he was and is the man.
Not a league of his own pal, Van Damme has limits! He's stuff in the deliveries of his kicks!! If the Bengay isn't around, he's keeping his feet on the ground
I only have to see what he could do in movies so i consider Van Damme a legit actor and martial artist,if he is a fighter that's another question. Martial arts were designed for war but there are specialties. You can train for competition fights,for war or self defense. Any one of those specialties can prepare you to act in action movies. People need to understand movies are not real but the skills of the people who are in movies are or they wouldn't be able to perform as action stars. Now if i have to compare Van Damme to other actions stars like Jackie Chan for example who jump around like monkeys and block every attacks but nodody gets killed i would have to say i would rather watch Van Damme because it seems more realistic and cool. But this is my preference,other people can disagree. But the skills of Van Damme or Jackie or any other action star of those golden years are real and i have no doubt of that.
but let’s be honest, even if he spar Chuck Norris. Both Chuck and Van Damme were mainly doing point sparring as what was mentioned in the video. Just his speeds are nowhere the legends like Don, Benny, Bill Wallace, Sugar Foot, Blinky and Joe Lewis. Chuck was an average Tangsoodo martial artist. People praise him because of his famous scene with Bruce Lee. Just he’s not good. He’s only good at kicking but punching nope. You need to be able to box and kick together. If you seen the Wheels on Meals movie that showed Jackie Chan fight scene with Benny, now that is a heck of a fight! They actually hit each other using full contact. Even Benny said himself Jackie wanted to get hit hard so they were going full blast on each other for real. That’s how Hong Kong movies are like. Yuen Biao had a scene with Bill Wallace. Same thing, he wanted Bill to literally fight him for real. Nothing is scripted in these movies. They didn’t even want to wear paddings. Now can JVCD pull this off? Heck no! Brad Allen that just passed away is an amazing fighter. You could see both him and Jackie were doing full contact for real. Why? Because that’s how Jackie wanted to be. JVCD lack boxing skills and he’s way too linear straightforward. He’s way overhyped. Yes he’s only been in point sparring but not full contact fight. Big difference. Even if they never been in rings. I wouldn’t hold against them because both Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao actually did full contact fight with these legend fighters and that tells you a lot. Also, let’s talk about Donnie Yen in Ipman 3 fight scene with Mike Tyson. That wasn’t even scripted. Donnie actually blocked Tyson’s hook with his Elbow and broke his pinky knuckle and the film had to be stopped. Donnie wanted Tyson to go full on with him according to Tyson’s interview. Tyson even asked him are you sure but Tyson praised Donnie’s skills and said he’s a legit fighter. You see? It just tells you that they’re humble. JCVD is a womanizer. He sexually molest women and harass them. He used drugs from fame. Just not a martial arts person I look up to. He’s definitely can kick but does the same spinning back kick or jump split kick but without using hands, he’s done for.
Best screen fighter of all time? A bit of a stretch when you have a ton of guys with better fight scenes. Scott Akins, Jackie Chan, yuen biao, Donnie yen, billy Chou, dick wei, Michael Kai white, Matt Mullins, Cynthia Rothrock, Mark dacoscos, Philip Rhree, Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee, Shannon Lee, sammo hung, Gary Daniels, lateef crowder, marko zorro, Tiger Chen, Tony jaa, Dan chapong, yushiki kurata, moon lee, Eric Jacobus, Dennis ruel, James lew, ikko wais, benny the Jet urquidez.... etc I could go on. If you think JCVD is the best screen fighter... you haven’t watched that much action movies. 😂
I grew up watching this dude, everyone forgets that van Dammme was a 2time champion kickboxer in B. France. And he is the real deal you can tell by the way he fights and his forms are too great, that’s not made up, he was taught how to fight.
Yeah the coolness level of Van Damme is beyond comprehension with his annoying accent and nothing but telegraphed high kicks against a bunch of no name Belgium waffles.
@@neotenylv09 hahaha sure! I mean I cracked up every time Van Damme dropped his mouth open and made his waaaaaaa!!... noises with his slow-mo strikes. 🤣🤣🤣 good one, I see whatcha did there with the Seagal footage 😉👍😎
@@rnkmode1876 I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a martial arts movie where they don’t telegraph kicks… Regular untrained people watch these movies because they are fun, and if you don’t like Van Damme or martial arts flicks, why comment on a video about Van Damme whose famous for doing those kinds of movies?
JCVD has beautiful kicks and I've always admired it. His Instructor in most of the documentaries made it clear that JCVD competed in Martial Art and could've gone far however he prefered to act in movies and it turned out to be great for all the fans who grew up watching him. Stay healthy Viking Samurai ✊🏼
@@shiz19 What "kickboxing" do you refer to, the only video of him doing anything was from 1979, from what was shown he was the one getting his ass kicked but ended up raising the trophy.
Throwing my 2 cents. I am french. Back in the 80's/ early 90's, you would mainly have 3 different styles of fighting options if you were not doing Judo or Boxing: Karate (points-based, where heavy hits were prohibited), Full-Contact (use of kicks and punches, hitting the opponent only ABOVE the waist. Elbows, and knees could not be used), and, as mentioned in the video, "American Boxing", Boxe Américaine, which allowed to kick and punch anywhere. Elbows and knees were not authorized but you could do spin punches!!). The only sport back then that would allow you to use elbow, knees, punches and kicks, on any part of the body, was Muay Thai, but it was really hard to find a club outside larger cities. From 1993 to 1997, while a student, I was in a "Full-Contact" club, and when inter clubs fights were organized, I could be registered for Full Contact fights on a weekend, and Kickboxing the next one. The same federation was managing both. The term "Kickboxing" was not really used and I remember my coaches saying it was just the American name for "boxe americaine". But I realized in 1997, when an exchange student in the US, that the rules were different. It was also the year I discovered the first Ultimate Fighting events in Native American reserves' casinos ;-). Still , in the early 90's we all knew JCVD and knew he was 100% legit...
@@joebostetter5849 there is the us kickboxing and the japanese kickboxing created around the 60s and based on the muy thai. Japan rename it, since any thai reference was prohibed. Savate is a diffèrent martial art from the xix century.
He is my hero too. The man inspired a whole generation of UFC champions, kickboxing champions, stunt performers, martial arts action stars, etc. I think the significance of JCVD was not that he had world class fighting skills but what he represented on the screen.
I been following Van Damme since 1986 as a kid, and I'm 42 years old. Believe me Van Damme is the real deal, and JCVD record is real. Also a lot of actors who wanted to do marital arts films like Van Damme, was jealous of Van Damme, because JCVD was handsome, nice looking, and women loved Van Damme as well.
Hell yeah! I remember watching Bloodsport. When Van Damme did his 'helicopter kick', I was in awe. It was the first time I had seen something like that.
@@firestream93 Yep, and you can't teach an actor to do that kick and plant the ball of their foot on another actor's face without legitimately knocking them out. The execution is literally perfect, and there hasn't been anyone in the business since to do it the way Van Damme does it.
My problem with Don "The Dragon" Wilson is why is he making it so personal. I get Wilson is a legend in the ring and all, but why does he care so much even to today? Does it affect his legacy or anything? No. It sounds more like jealousy to me. He never became as popular as Van Damme and I think that bothers him. But, in my opinion, Don's movies were terrible. Except Red Sun Rising was legit. It takes a whole lot more than being a world class fighter to be a star beyond that.
maybe it isn't a "beef" with van damm per say so much as I think too many people here still would love to believe but more so he just takes his past profession a little too serious maybe even for his own good. it is like the new guy that shows up and has to prove his worth to the old guys in the playground type thing before they accept him.
@@psilva2462 And it's really unnecessary. I don't get it. I'd get if JCVD was always going around bragging and putting others down, but, even despite his imperfections, I just don't see him do that. Never came off that way to me.
No he was not a “pro kickboxer” as Don Wilson puts it, no one is disputing that, but he did compete in many karate competitions and he is a genuine shotokan black belt, for anyone to dispute that is just ridiculous
@@Docinaplane that wasn’t point karate. That was full contact karate referred to as the “blood and guts era” where you actually hit each other at “full contact” that’s not point tag. That’s was basically “kickboxing” before the gloves. That didnt exist in Europe. Especially by the time JCVD was competing. They already had PKA kickboxing by then. And Savate was already a thing in France too. So bad analogy. 😂
@@dardrex777 I never said it was actual fighting or combat, people question that he is a actual martial artist and competitor, getting into fights doesn’t make you a martial artist, any asshole can get into a fight, that’s not what being a martial artist is about
I have personally trained with JCVD, a couple hours of informal instruction backside of an event...I thought I knew how to fight and handle myself, and JCVD taught me some lessons I'll never forget, mostly by terribly humilating me in front of the other students before helping me up off the ground, kissing me on both cheeks, and explaining in simple language exactly what he just did to me, and then a slightly different technique better suiting my size/strength. He's pretty weird, and can come off as rude or curt to some people, but it's just his intensity and focus combined with unfamiliar (to most Americans) European manners and custom
@@dakken74 blocking anything like this will get your hurt very badly. You have to keep your arm close to your body to keep your arm from coming back and hitting you in the head.
Van Damme is legit and anyone who says otherwise is a hater. I would think in this day and age they could track down some of the people he fought and interview them. I saw an interview with his coach years back that showed his trophies. Not to mention anyone that has studied any type of art can see his technique is completely legit even back in the No Retreat days
Totally Agreed! Like the haters who dare talk smack about Bruce Lee. If you do Martial Arts. You know form, speed and precision. Van Dam and Bruce Lee are lightning fast with sharp precision. Ego is a funny delusional thing. If someone can get past your block and stop his foot an inch from touching you. What makes you think he can't connect?;)
Name some of the legit world champion kickboxers he fought then? Lmfao! Not about hating its about reality and he is an actor who trained in martial arts. He is not a legit fighter. When he had the chance to fight a guy he cried and didn't even fight him that was in his reality show days with his family. lol
Van Damme is a badass fighter with a great agility, flexibility and skills. His fighting record is also quite impressive - 18 wins in kickboxing (and all of 18 wins was via knockout, and only 1 fight was a loss) isn't a joke!
Dude, In the 70’s JCVD competed in the Euro Karate scene in Light contact & Semi-contact…. , which was is nowhere near the standard of today. Yeah he was passionate & took part in a very benign non-aggressive style of karate and then dabbled in kickboxing. I’m pretty sure his opponents in kickboxing where of a very low standard. So yeah JCVD was definitely NOT a baddass ring fighter.
Van Damme was European Middleweight Karate champion and had a 44-4 fight record in semi-contact karate and an 18-1 (18 k.o) record in kickboxing. His only loss in kickboxing was by D.Q. Also,remember that kickboxing in the 70's wasn't like kickboxing is today.If you watch early kickboxing matches,even Bill 'Superfoot' wallace fought 'kickboxing' on the mat sometimes and not in a ring.That was when full contact karate was transitioning into kickboxing. He's a legit martial artist.If people can't see that,they're blind.
I can testify that this is true; for back in 2012, I sparred with a man from France; and he called himself, (in a very strong French accent,) "an American Boxer." My Savate coach explained to me that "American Boxing" is what we call Kickboxing in French; English Boxing in French is International Boxing, Thai-Boxing, of course, is Muay Thai; and Savate in French is known as French Boxing. When I asked him what would they call Kickboxing in French, he said that it would be Karate style tournaments.
I did see JCVD fight for Belgium in the 1970s,at Crystal Palace Sports Center.He was very good.He does know the sport and on that day he won all of his fights.
yes But you saw him compete in point stop karate NOT KICKBOXING, please please is there anyone here besides myself that knows anything about martial arts ? ive been repeating myself over and over, and yes its kinda like shouting at a brick wall. im a black belt, been involved in martial arts for over 32 yrs, A kickboxing coach under the PKA. Ive trained in tang soo doo, tai kwon do, muay thai, lau gar, boxing, kickboxing judo and krav maga, yes ive been around you could say, and i know a punch from a kick. I dont care if van dame was a champion. he competed in ONLY POINTSTOP KARATE, look at it as a game of tag if you will. it was NOT CONTINUOS COMBAT, each time someone gets as much as simply tapped the bout is stopped a point is awarded and then the bout is restarted, like i said childs play. Kickboxing is very different, its basically a boxing match with kicks thrown it, points are accumulated like in a boxing match unless of course there is a knockout or stoppage exactly like in a boxing match. it is way for intensive and hardcore than point stop karate. former karate and kickboxing legend Joe lewis who was himself a karate champion felt very strongly that karate did n ot at all challenge him and so along with a couple other famous martial artist one who was named Bruce came up with the concept of kickboxing. being massive fans of boxing they decided it would be great to combine the kicks with boxing. Joe lewis was infact involved with the very 1st televised kickboxing match that was indeed sanctioned by the PKA. ABIT OF HISTORY THERE FOR YOU , jean claude NEVER WAS A KICKBOXER he competed in poinstop karate in europe and yes proved to be good but that doesnt mean that he would be any good in the ring going full contact kickboxing with benny the jett, will wallace or DON THE DRAGON WILSON, all these guys fought in kickboxing and were world champions . van dame would probably been beaten up badly by a guy who wasnt even a pro fighter.
@@rancedavis5106 We all know everything you just wrote. But you're assuming because he competed in point tournaments that was the limit of his fighting knowledge. I've known guys that fight point tournaments but they understand its not real combat, and have been in real life fights too. You're undermining Van Damme's skills because he only competed in what was available to him at the time. You need to relax. There are others of us who have competed and trained various methods and styles our whole lives and know how to fight, we just love Van Damme and his movies, just take it easy.
@@TheRogueSquid my friend i never said he wasnt a good martial artist, van dame is very good, his technique and posture is great im not disputing that, infact its the reason why he was a bigger movie star than don wilson because he had that something else, he can do all the flashy stuff that looks great on camara. don never really had that. what im saying is ive seen how van dame moves. now his kicks are great but his hands would completely let him down in a kickboxing match, the man himself has admitted real full contact wasnt for him he was all about the point stop scene, a guy on here met him twice and said those words came from jean claude himself, im not getting worked up its simply alot of so called experienced guys on here clearly arnt experienc ed enough to know the difference between a karateka competitor and a kickboxer. anyway end of the day who cares, van dame is long retired and simply trying to rejuvenate his movie career so good luck to the guy
@@rancedavis5106 I hear you brother, I apologise if I came of combative in my reply. I respect that you do clearly know of what you speak in regards to fighting. I just enjoy his movies haha. All the best to you mate, I appreciate the conversation with someone who knows what they are talking about. All that aside, I heard Don Wilson and Hulk Hogan used to bounce at the same place when they were young? No idea if its true, but imagine a tv show about that haha. That would be awesome.
JCVD (among others like Jackie, Sammo and Yuen) was the reason for me becoming a Kung Fu and Kickboxing instructor. I had huge legs and was known for my power kicks. That was because I emulated him and trained hard. Every afternoon I was out kicking a banana tree, elbowing logs wrapped in rope and using iron palm on sand bags, bricks and concrete blocks. I could do the splits and I pumped iron for 2 1/2 hours a night. I don't care what anyone says about Van Damme. He had perfect kicking technique. Did he have Bruce's hands? No. He didn't need them. In his prime his legs were lethal and he had perfect control over them. If he kicked you, you'd be going down.
Yuen Biao was one of my favorites as well. And I used go out in the woods and kick dogwood trees when I was kid. I excelled in Lung Fu Do but have been out of practice for many years because of back issues. But Yuen is amazing. Dude doesn’t get enough credit over here in the states
@@LanceOMG Yuen Biao is so underated. He's every bit Jackie's equal and his acrobatic and fight skills are second to none. My favourite films were the early to mid 80's films. Dragons Forever, Wheels on Meals, Project A and Eastern Condors are some of the best Hong Kong films I've ever seen. He wasn't just a great martial artist. The guy could act as well. Sorry to hear about your back. I'm in the same boat. I have two metal rods in mine and can no longer practice martial arts.
I was a martial arts fanatic before JCVD movies. I could do the side and front splits. I could really kick with either foot. But JCVD kicking was another level so I had to emulate him. His advancing side kick could hit you in the neck and lift up your whole body. So fast. So strong. I think he is a legit fighter.
@@LanceOMG Dragons would have to be my favourite Yuen Biao film. And that fight between Jackie and Benny the Jet was something else. Right up there with my favourite fight sequences. The end fight in King of the Kickboxers, with Loren Avedon and Billy Blanks is up there too. Along with JCVD and Abdul Qissi in Lionheart.
You could tell that JCVD knew how to handle himself in a fight on the movies. His moves were calculated and well placed and looked natural. Steve McDojo belly Segal on the other hand was mess with his moves. Always took on dudes who looked like they just walked out of a all you can eat buffet puffing a cigar. For Segal to even attempt to call Van Damme’ a phony is the most absurd thing I’ve heard in a long time.
In 1980, I was fighting out of a UFAF Tang Soo Do studio (Norris was president) and we went to the Ed Parker Invitational in Spokane which was technically a point tournament but, I can tell you first hand that once we got past the first few rounds, the refs were letting the contact fly with no "excessive contact" penalties, whatsoever. In the early rounds, there are a lot of beginners and people without a lot of tournament experience and they want to protect those people. But, once they got "weeded out," it was another story. When the advanced players were going at it, you'd hear the slaps and thumps, no problem.
I don't get all the hate toward Van Damme unless it's because he became an easy target. He got himself cleaned up and sorted his life out from where he was, he deserves credit and respect for that. Don't know how well he'd fare, but it can't be disputed that unlike a lot of action stars he does have a genuine fight record. Nothing but respect to the people who step on the mat/into a ring/cage to try their skill. Another good vid, buddy.
Wow man, this is fucking awesome. This is better than a top wrestling promo. The rumor going around in the 90s was that Don The Dragon, challenged not only Van Damme's fight record, but also challenged Van Damme to a fight, so for him to say he has not had a pro match is like rehashing old times. God I love this channel so much, you spoil us with this shit Viking Samurai. Thank you for these videos man, the amount of research you do is off the wall.
I love Van Damme..and even though he had some poing fights back in his youth...i would care less if he was Not a real ring fighter. Whats really matters is.... he became a way bigger star than Segal or Don the Dragon Wilson! To me its all about making iconic movies and taking them checks to the bank!
That´s bullshit. Van Damme was in his prime not as big as Seagal at the Box Office. That´s a fact. Seagal had much more number 1 hits and even a blockbuster with "Under Siege". Only in your dreams was van Damme the bigger star.
@@Katzenhase ...lets ask Viking Samurai who was on top! Every kid in high school and Tkwdo class were Van Danme fans and saw all his movies...as for segal...the only movie anyone went to see was Out for Justice. I still think Van Damme was the bigger star
He was not a way bigger star then Seagal, Seagal's movies grossed way more than Van Damme's just saying. I believe Viking Samurai has brought that up before.
@@robd1329 Van Damme was not half as good and half as charismatic as Seagal was in "Out for Justice". The fight scenes were so innovative and brutal. Van Damme is an amateur in comparison to a prime Seagal.
@@robd1329 I'm a bigger JCVD fan myself, but Seagal's highest grossing movie outperformed JCVD's highest grossing movie by $50M. Also Seagal's last theatrically released movie was in 2003 whereas JCVD's was in 1999.
I mean anyone with eyes could see that the dude could fight legit, if he needed to, and the Ballet was beneficial for his flexibility, and power, believe it or not.
anyone with eyes and a computer can look up the videos of him going to dojos to do celebrity training with kids. Look at the techniques he's teaching. Blocking head kicks without holding your arm close to your head? Thats asking for an injury. Did isnt and wasnt a legit fighter. at. all.
I did tae kwon do in the late 80s through to the 90s and although it was point fighting each tournament there would always be some guy getting kicked out of the fighting area through chairs. Point fighting maybe frowned upon but look at how well Stephen "wonderboy" Thompson used it in MMA
Wonderboy is a legit fighter and Van Damme isn't and its mma and that's why Wonderboy is not a champion don't get me wrong Wonderboy is good but his ground game is not where it needs to be but Van Damme is a joke. Wonderboy also gets beat up in the standup not as much as he does on the ground. Like i said Wonderboy i have much respect for but Van Damme is not on his level at all.
@@DrunkSince1973 To say van damme us a joke is unfair from the record books he was well versed in his area of martial arts in the era he was from. I will point out this was before the popularity of mma which started around 1985 i believe in Japan. Before fully taking of in the early 90s. Yeah van damme as he is now would get destroyed but if he was young now in this era and trained in all the arts who knows what he may have become. Also wonderboy cannot have been that bad as he fought for the title twice i think ....he suffered the exact same thing most fighters do the game passed him by and he hasn't evolved.
@@alroygardner5436 Wonderboy is a warrior no doubt but for being a great striker he just let Tyron stand around and not make Tryon work when Tyron only had the right hand. Wonderboy is a great guy and no doubt should have won the belt. Then he would have lost it to Usman anyway but he should have tasted gold. You can make up all these different scenarios of what Van Damme would have become but from what i seen his mentality alone he would have never made it. He had manic depression and he was a cokehead later in his 30's. The guy would have gotten his face smashed in. Mickey Rourke went from acting to boxing and got his face rearranged. Van Damme is an actor who had training no more no less.
It turns out JCVD was the real Karate Kid..who fought for points but youd wind up getting kicked and punched to be knocked out and you had to fight for real to win.
Don Wilson saying anything negative about van damme is just the product of envy. Wilson is highly overrated as a fighter and he was pretty awful as an action star. no agility or grace in his movements and absolutely no charisma as an actor.
@@dassolosyndikat5113 Dennis Alexio in his prime, Jerry Trimble, or Rick Roufus would have destroyed Wilson. There is no doubt in my mind that Van Damme would have had no trouble beating him either.
@@Liquidcadmus Some serious Don Wilson haters in here. You don't know anything about him haha if you did you'd know Wilson fought and beat a "prime" Dennis Alexio. Research is your friend.
@@williamwest7008 Who's Dennis Alexio??? People like Wilson wouldn't last 5min with a Muay Thai champ, even if the Thai guy was in a lighter weight class. People like Wilson could not make it in a boxing ring or in an octogon.
@@kaihuang4970 1. You couldn't google any of this crap you're talking? 2. Dennis Alexio is only one of the greatest kickboxers of all time 3. Don Wilson fought thai fighters under full muay thai rules which included elbows and he did great, look it up 4. As previously stated you people know nothing about Wilson.
Not really. Any person could duck or grab his leg. He kicks so slow and awkward. Take anyone with a high school wrestling background and he’d end up on his head. Happens to karate guys that actually have fought 😂
I am a JCVD fan, spent years watching his films, amazing, then to hear his record was fake, I did not believe it, but that seed of doubt had been planted, I was gutted, JCVD was, well is, an inspiration in the martial arts industry certainly was for me, bit of a hero in a strange way. Basically I am saying a massive thank you for the resrsrch to finally put this to rest. 💯👌
Millions of people watching this video, liking, commenting ..just because of one name JC Van Damme... All other so-called champions of their own eras and times got a chance to get some role in movies ....become famous ...to be inviewed today....just because of one name ...JCVD... Hats off to Him...many joined SFs, many learnt Karate, kick boxing.... Because of JCVD ...Offcourse after Bruce Lee... Respect and love for him.. was, is and always will be.
Hello, Viking Samurai. Jean Claude Van Damme is a beast. This guy has some of the best kicks I've seen, in terms of execution of those kicks. The things humans remember about Van Damme is, his kicks, his body and certain films. Not sure how much he competed, but he obviously knows Martial Arts. TERRANCE OUT
Thanks Viking Samurai for This JCVD legitimate fighting records video. As one Big JCVD fan to another, We knew in our Hearts that JCVD is the Real Deal. There's Always plp that will Disagree and that's fine, but The Evidence is All there! Thanks for Bey Logan & Lambert for clearing things up .
The Evidence is all there? Really? As in film footage or even magazine or newspaper articles, maybe photographic evidence? Sure, there's a few seconds of footage of JCVD competing in point karate tournaments, but as for any full-contact competition at all, what actual evidence is there? Not some unconfirmed "record" someone put together on the internet, but actual evidence. There's footage of Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Benny Urquidez, hell, even Dolph Lundgren competing, full matches, some of them full-contact, going all the way back to the 1960s, but with Jean Claude, not so much. I can appreciate the effort put into this video, but it still doesn't present anything that could pass for real evidence.
@@BRUCEJJ66 Well in the States everything gets Pumped up . Well not over here. Belgium had the best Judoka's in the 70s 80s from middle weight to havy weights Female and Male, But a fight was seldom broadcasted on TV exept the Olympics
Thanks for a great video and for getting to the bottom of this controversial topic. It was pretty much as I thought it would be, hopefully people ease up on him a little now. Jean Claude is still the best movie martial artist in my mind, a true originator!
You could have just asked someone from Belgium. He is one of the few action star who actually knows how to fight. From the age of 15 to 18 he did shotokan karate with a record of 44 wins and 4 losses. Afterwards he did 8 years of full contact karateka wich resulted in 18 ko´s and 1 loss
Really? People like Seagal and Dux accusing him of lying lol Regardless of JCVD actual record, you can tell he’s legit by the way he throws those kicks To this day I haven’t seen anybody throw kicks with that solid form and accuracy
Exactly, to me Dux and Segal talking shit means he is legit, I take their words to mean the opposite of whatever they say. Don the Dragon can talk shit about pretty much anyone in the film industry, hell, he could probably talk shit to most fighters too. That guy is legit and I can see why he might think it's not fair Van Damme and other even less legit fighters had more success than he. But you gotta know the looks count for a lot in the movies, and Van Damme had the looks.
@@DrunkSince1973 No one said anything about world champion. Crediting his martial arts skills combined with the fight record we have is simply a counter arguement to anyone saying he is an actor and not a fighter, he trained, sparred, and has proof of competitive level fights. Just because he isnt involved in relevant competitions of todays standards doesnt mean he isnt/wasnt a fighter...
Yeah lol that gave me a chuckle. Frank Dux has the absolute most wild "world records" and yet there still hasnt been proof of the Kumite, nor has he ever demonstrated any of his feats- 72mph kick, and millisecond punch. Steven Segall is another story. I never looked much into him but find it funny that as much as he "consults" mma fighters, we never see his techniques or training really credited or showcased from the fighters he trains.
I remember that time when Sly Stallone was having a party and said JCVD was going after Steven Segal for all his crap talking against him...Sly said tough guy Segal wanted noooooo part of JCVD and ran away
Van damme movies got me into Kickboxing. I was a points fighter as a youth until the early 2000s and Ive been full contact to this day. I turn 35 in a week. Having competed under both rulesets both on the mats and in a ring I can attest to points fighting being a 'real' fight, my broken nose, cracked orbital and deviated septum are living receipts 😂
The movie Billy Jack got me into martial arts. I actually met my grand master Bong Soo Han at a tournament in 1977 in Kansas City. That was a great honor.
JCVD style is French Kick Boxing, rightfully called ("Savate"). "Savate, also known as boxe française, savate boxing, French boxing or French footfighting, is a French kickboxing combat sport that uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of English boxing with graceful kicking techniques"
Hello, Viking Samurai. Don "The Dragon" Wilson is one of the best fighters I've ever seen. This guy was a kickboxing world champion, time and time again, dominating the sport for decades. He has some cool films as well. TERRANCE OUT
Jean Claude Van Damme is clearly legitimate. You can see from his movements that he is a very competent martial artist. Had he chosen to pursue that route im certain he would have done well for himself. What takes the piss out of me is the irrational dislike and disparaging of the man by others in the industry. I expect nothing less from social media keyboard warriors. They're generally uninspired mediocre malcontents who have varying issues. But from within the industry I would think that there was some form of mutual respect for a peer. I guess I was sadly mistaken.
One of my friends was telling me years ago in the Fall of 1994 that he met Jean Claude Van Damme in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania and they had drinks at a bar and Van Damme told him he was filming an action movie titled Sudden Death!! I didnt believe him, but in the summer of 1995 they showed promotion of it (Sudden Death) coming soon to theaters in December 1995, so he was telling the truth!!
U got sonny from lionheart.. thats his name right.. lol. I he sounds like the character he played.. meaning he sounds pretty close to real.. he remind me of the late bill paxton. Enjoying every single video.
In the late 70's we had karate tournaments that were organized by karate organizations, where students from many schools and styles would come to fight. They were full contact but the fighters were required to wear protective gear. I had the honor of meeting my grand master Bong Soo Han at one of these tournaments. Also there were sponsored karate fights organized by the karate officials and you p[aid admission to come watch the scheduled fights. At one such fight there was a champion fighter (who i honestly had never heard of), scheduled to fight. He came out to the ring and was throwing all these fantastic looking kicks and things that really looked impressive (at least it was what we expected to see in the movies). His opponent was a guy no one had heard of. He came quietly out to the ring wearing a plain dark robe with a hood on it. got in the ring , didn't do anything fancy or even say anything. When the round started, this unknown fighter caught this champion with a spinning back kick, knocking him back against the ropes, as the champ came off the ropes the fighter kicked him with another spinning back kick in the opposite direction. The champ hit the floor unconscious. This match was not a scheduled title match. His opponent put his robe back on and left the ring without saying ta word. The whole place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was thinking, WHO WAS THAT GUY? The champ had a title match scheduled for the next month and had to cancel because he had two broken jaws. This was the type of fight you loved to see happen.
I lost interest in point sparring when I saw how often guys who couldn't really fight would win against guys they couldn't beat on the street. But that's not always the case. However, now I just think getting into fist fights as an adult is stupid lol
He did ballet then karate… competed in karate tournaments. Then opened his own gym. Before coming to the USA. A business man from way back. With a dream and a vision
I was competing in full-contact, point karate tournaments in the 90's here in the USA. Literally anyone could be a champion. We used to compete against 3-5 people in a tournament so you could rack up a record pretty fast. I was a champion in several local tournaments that are basically meaningless today lol. I don't even think they kept any sort of record for them. We got trophies but that was it. IMO, it doesn't much matter what VanDamme's actual record was because he obviously has talent and training and he inspired so many people to practice the arts.
Everybody that has just a little knowledge about martial arts or fighting sports in general, can immediately spot that Jean Claude van Damme is exceptionally skilled. I truly believe he is a champion in the martial art that he has practiced in. Never doubted that. In a true street fight it is something entirely different.. There I can believe he is a very tough opponent to beat but not unbeatable, since he is hanging too much on his own style and the techniques that he learned.
Imagine Arnold schwazenegger competed in some bodybuilding and got into Hollywood before reaching the Mr Olympia competitions. People will say Arnold was never a pro bodybuilder just a buff actor. I think It's like that with van Damme. He trained for pro fighing but found success in Hollywood before reaching those pro fighting competitions.
No, because there would still be all the magazine articles dating back to the late 1960s, there would still be solid evidence. That doesn't seem to exist as far as Van Damme competing in any kind of full-contact matches is concerned.
@@BRUCEJJ66 Arnold was competing on the biggest stages in the 1960s. In Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. You can't compare that to being part of a karate team as a kid and coming back home to train for kickboxing. Don Wilson was also competing on the largest stages of kickboxing. There's not a lot of footage of him competing before that as a kid.
Your channel is amazing bud love your knowledge when it comes to all the story's I away look forward to seeing the next video and the next😉Van Damme is definitely a great role model keep it up with the great videos😉😉
While you looked at his own listing of fights and saying it's legit. Is it possible to contact some of the people he fought or someone from the so of the fight? I am not sure why we are chasing opinions rather than chasing down folks that can validate Vandamme's record. I am a fan of Vandamm, and don't care if he was a fighter or not, but am tired of this controversy, so why not chase down people who were directly involved in his fights?
The one American he fought has talked about it and he says dropped Van Damme with a left hook and Van Damme got up and KO'd him with a kick. That sounds as full contact as it gets. Actually sounds more like kickboxing than karate.
These van Damme fights were probably like PKA events. How organized was kickboxing as we know it today during the 70s? I'm under the impression that many different promotions had different rulesets.
I met Van Damme on two occasions. On both he was very down to earth and seemed a bit flamboyant but nothing like the weirdo seagal whom I've also met and...yeah..the second time I spoke to JCVD was a quiet relaxed situation where about 10 of us were talking about this new thing ( ultimate fighting championship ) he was quick to say that he wouldn't fair well in the cage because he's an actor not an athlete and that his tournament fights were structured VERY differently somewhere between point sparing and "full contact" ( he made quotations with his hands ) he seemed humble, genuine,...honestly alittle sad. In any case I enjoyed many of his movies.
thanks forthat information, right there he himself is explaining that he was simply a point stop karate guy not a full contact kickboxer or mma that level of competingb is out of his league, im glad he was honest and humble enougth to admit this. clearly a decent gent.
Thanks for proving what I already knew to be true that Jean Claude van Damme is a real martial artist with an actual fighting record those specialised kicks on the screen I've not seen ANYONE else do them
@VAN DAMME THE BEST yeah but van bakker is more of a dick than a male porn star uses and more of a prick than a steroid injection weightlifting champion
waaaay better movies how i know because ive never seen a don wilson movie because they're worthless and a waste of time i know without even watching them
JCVD is a legend and he's a big reason why I started training martial arts. My favorite action star hands down. I doubt we'll ever get anything close to him again.
I think a lot of the criticism of Van Damme comes down to jealousy. Lets face it, he had the looks, body and his kicks are probably more famous than any other movie star. I mean everyone was saying 'who's the next Bruce Lee', then it was 'who's the next Van Damme'. Do I think he was the best fighter in the world, not at all, but damn man you can tell he's good by the way he moves. And even today as he get older, he's still in great shape and seems to be a pretty decent human. He's honest about his past when he went of the rails and he came back from it. He's always been one of the guys who I tried to emulate when training, it was always 'we got to get that flexibility, 'I've got to kick like that'. It doesn't matter to me if he has a fantastic fight record, he influenced probably millions of people to take up martial arts and weights, and that is better than being the greatest fighter in the world.
Only thing Segal ever influenced anyone to pick up was a 6er and a bakers dozen
Those kicks were his taekwondo skills in action.
Nah this is so wrong bro.. look at a guy like dk yoo for example, he moves like a skilled striker and incorporates master level mastery of form when punching statically, but under pressure it all crumbled in his recent fight. Van damme may be able to move like that but so can a ballerina, or a gymnast or anyone flexible enough to do so. But to put it all together in a fight is a whole different story
@@somebodysson227 Except Van Damme did have real fights unlike Steven Seagal projecting on Van Damme..
@@edstar83 bro we’re talking about actual skill. Regardless of what segal said, van damme isn’t a fighter. Neither of them are
Personally, as a martial artist, I respect the artist who doesn't have to go out and prove himself to others. I watch Van Damme move, and it is undeniable the man has martial arts talent and is physically gifted. I don't need to see a fight record to recognize this. In his prime, that man could whoop a lot of ass. Guaranteed.
Unfortunately today's meta is 'if he doesn't have a record in UFC / K1 then he isn't a fighter' and I think it's too toxic and illogical. As you said it well, he and a lot of other fighters have the moves, the talents and the looks of a great fighter, who cares if they have a record that's recognized today but wasn't even a thing back then.
On Wikipedia is his fight record in the ring with names, dates and all. Somebody made this up? I don't think so.
Besides a whole lot of semi contact karate tournaments he did kickboxing and fought in the ring about 20 times and only lost once.
Thank you for that comment. Not every martial artist needs to enter tournaments which are primarily for the entertainment of strangers just like not every talented ARTIST needs to display their work in a gallery, they might be a professional Surgeon that just likes painting...
I was told at my start "If you are not willing to protect the weak from the evil strong, I will NOT train you"
It's not all about the ring when the world in itself is an arena
The focus of htis video is JCVD 's "fight record"....whether or not it was all "Pt-fighting" or if there was actual "Kick-boxing' IN other videos someone said in Europe they had to call JCVD's "{t fighting" "Kickboxing" due to copyright issues in Europe. Shrug. Some people are interested. His fans and MA film fans. Does it really matter in the end if you enjoyed his films? No. They're "entertainment". Jackie Chan never competed nor did Brcue Lee. Nor did Segal.
THough having said t hat it IS ODD there is no videos on YOuTube showing any of JCVD's "full-contact matches"....only I think one b/w of him in a clearly "Pt fighting (controlled)" fight. Would there not be lots of photos? More film clips?? Why would the Euro "Fighting league" not have televised the fights? Or had journallists there??
If we just do a Y ouTube search for Bill Wallace 's kickboxing fights there are many to be found. Same for Benny Uriquedez....though in all fairness....there aren't many potos of Chuck Norris' fights...One of two with Joe Lewis....and just one b/w video of Joe Lewis ....perhaps MA was so unpopular back then....the broadcasting stations didnt think it was worth their time to cover these matches... making it harder to dig up clips...thus the lack of on TH-cam??
Did JCVD have legit MA skills? Clearly yes. Easily seen in various interviews he did and in his films even th ough he did use "flashy moves" for entertainment sake. Not easy to get hte air he got doing his "propellar kick"...which his daugher Bree...can do too.. Had JACD been a "Pro kickboxer" in the PKA....even better...for his fans. A PLUS on his "resume"....but not essential to be a MA movie star...
Interesting how lots of legit world kick boxing champions appeared in MA films but never became MA film stars (e.g. Bill Wallace and Benny Urquidez).. Not something they wanted I guess.
@notfiveo said nuff😀
Off the subject of him actually fighting, one of my friends met JCVD in the 1990's as a kid and said that was the one of the best experiences of his life. He got autographs, they talked, and he asked my friends dad what he for a living. My friend said he wanted to be a fighter like him when he grew up, and JCVD told him to go for it and fight/train hard.
In a few days, my friend will turn 40 and he still tells that story.
I heard some storys that he is a real gentle and friendly guy, not a big mouthed brawler or a "Glam Star of Hollywood".
Awesome story!
@@drhkleinert8241 yes he s a soft gay guy and loves men and dogs
When i got back from Afghanistan, some friends and me went to Vegas. We ran into jvcd at a casino, and literally had a hangover movie like time with him. Great guy, and humble at that phase of his life (2003).
Van Damme's real name is Van Vaerenberg and I have seen his name in the results of Karate (Points fighting type) tournaments in old (Dutch) martial arts magazines so he did compete. Also I have met his former trainer Serge Goetz.
Cool. And yeah, he's from Belgium, also known as "The muscles from Brussels". 😁😁
He never fought world ranked fighters! Point karate is not same as American kickboxing and it’s explained in this video . Point knockout not a Tyson knockout lol
@@jittboy1 Nobody says its the same, what I am saying is his martial arts achievements are respectable. Idont need a video to explain anything because I have fought all systems including points, continuous and full as well as K1 and Muaythai.
@@suchasin as amateur possibly I have 3 black belts also shaolin, jeet
Kune and akido as well I have rolled with kimbo Fabre brown as well I think he was hyped up a little as well . For me not so much I don’t think he is that good. As the video shows he got kicked in the head by a nobody that should tell you something. That has never happened to me just saying
@@jittboy1 he got kicked TO the head not IN the head by somebody because he let him. I respect his skillset or at least what he has shown us in film as I respect everyone who has dedicated his life to martial arts.
It’s sad that guys like Van Damn were stuck in the time where everything wasn’t recorded and all of his achievements are on VHS in a cardboard box somewhere. HE DID KICKBOX. People are ignorant to what kickboxing is. Kickboxing is an umbrella term that means any combat sport in which you can punch and kick your opponent and it is not submission based. Therefore karate, taekwondo, American style kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate, Dutch style kickboxing, Sanda...etc are all forms of kickboxing. facts
lmao confusing a style with a sport....again. This is funny
not to mention that the guy WHO TAUGHT HIM SAID HE ONLY POINTED FOUGHT AND QUIT TO MAKE MOVIES
@@TheJasoncash83 Hey genius, there’s literally something called sport karate. Almost every martial arts/combat sports TH-camr or has talked about it
@@nicholasmessina6406 lmao and he didnt kickbox. He did point fighting
@@TheJasoncash83 okay, I wanna keep this civil. Let me state my point. I already said what the websites I sent you before says as well as many other kickboxers, MMA fighters, and combat sports youtubers have said; kickboxing is an umbrella term that means any combat sport/style that allows you to punch and kick your opponent. Therefore that includes karate, TKD, Dutch, Savate, Sanda, Muay Thai, American style, K1...etc. You said that I was confusing the difference between a combat sport and a martial art when saying karate and TKD were kickboxing styles. I think you are wrong because not all styles of karate/TKD are martial arts. There are many forms of karate (Kyokishin, Shotokan, Ishin ryu, shrorie ryu, Ken po, Kem po, go ji ryu...etc) you want to know what one of those forms of karate is? SPORT/POINT KARATE. Sport is literally in the name making it a combat sport therefore a form of kickboxing (Jessie Enkamp agrees, Sensei Seth agrees, ramsey Dewey agrees...etc). Now for TKD, it is literally represented in the Olympics and last time I checked martial arts aren’t in the olympics sports are therefore olympic style TKD is a sport and form of kickboxing not a martial art. There’s no need for us to hurl insults and doubt each other credentials. This is the fact that I’ve picked up regarding kickboxing after 8 years of boxing, 6 years of various forms of kickboxing, 5 years of wrestling, 2 years of coaching, 2 black belts, and a 5-0 kickboxing record. That’s all I’m trying to say
Man Van Damme is the real deal. He knows how to train, he's a great teacher. A league of his own. The trouble is, there are and always have been so many associations, federations, unions etc.the European circuit back in the day and American circuit totally different. But research shows, he was and is the man.
Not a league of his own pal, Van Damme has limits! He's stuff in the deliveries of his kicks!! If the Bengay isn't around, he's keeping his feet on the ground
@@jdjjdjd2667 Your ability to write a coherent sentence also seems to have its limits….
I only have to see what he could do in movies so i consider Van Damme a legit actor and martial artist,if he is a fighter that's another question.
Martial arts were designed for war but there are specialties.
You can train for competition fights,for war or self defense.
Any one of those specialties can prepare you to act in action movies.
People need to understand movies are not real but the skills of the people who are in movies are or they wouldn't be able to perform as action stars.
Now if i have to compare Van Damme to other actions stars like Jackie Chan for example who jump around like monkeys and block every attacks but nodody gets killed i would have to say i would rather watch Van Damme because it seems more realistic and cool.
But this is my preference,other people can disagree.
But the skills of Van Damme or Jackie or any other action star of those golden years are real and i have no doubt of that.
Main catch with Jan Claude Van Daum was the changing of his name.
but let’s be honest, even if he spar Chuck Norris. Both Chuck and Van Damme were mainly doing point sparring as what was mentioned in the video. Just his speeds are nowhere the legends like Don, Benny, Bill Wallace, Sugar Foot, Blinky and Joe Lewis. Chuck was an average Tangsoodo martial artist. People praise him because of his famous scene with Bruce Lee. Just he’s not good. He’s only good at kicking but punching nope. You need to be able to box and kick together. If you seen the Wheels on Meals movie that showed Jackie Chan fight scene with Benny, now that is a heck of a fight! They actually hit each other using full contact. Even Benny said himself Jackie wanted to get hit hard so they were going full blast on each other for real. That’s how Hong Kong movies are like. Yuen Biao had a scene with Bill Wallace. Same thing, he wanted Bill to literally fight him for real. Nothing is scripted in these movies. They didn’t even want to wear paddings. Now can JVCD pull this off? Heck no! Brad Allen that just passed away is an amazing fighter. You could see both him and Jackie were doing full contact for real. Why? Because that’s how Jackie wanted to be. JVCD lack boxing skills and he’s way too linear straightforward. He’s way overhyped. Yes he’s only been in point sparring but not full contact fight. Big difference. Even if they never been in rings. I wouldn’t hold against them because both Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao actually did full contact fight with these legend fighters and that tells you a lot.
Also, let’s talk about Donnie Yen in Ipman 3 fight scene with Mike Tyson. That wasn’t even scripted. Donnie actually blocked Tyson’s hook with his Elbow and broke his pinky knuckle and the film had to be stopped. Donnie wanted Tyson to go full on with him according to Tyson’s interview. Tyson even asked him are you sure but Tyson praised Donnie’s skills and said he’s a legit fighter. You see? It just tells you that they’re humble.
JCVD is a womanizer. He sexually molest women and harass them. He used drugs from fame. Just not a martial arts person I look up to. He’s definitely can kick but does the same spinning back kick or jump split kick but without using hands, he’s done for.
Who cares if Bruce Springsteen is his shidoshi? All I know is that he is the best screen fighter of all time.
😂
Best screen fighter of all time? A bit of a stretch when you have a ton of guys with better fight scenes.
Scott Akins, Jackie Chan, yuen biao, Donnie yen, billy Chou, dick wei, Michael Kai white, Matt Mullins, Cynthia Rothrock, Mark dacoscos, Philip Rhree, Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee, Shannon Lee, sammo hung, Gary Daniels, lateef crowder, marko zorro, Tiger Chen, Tony jaa, Dan chapong, yushiki kurata, moon lee, Eric Jacobus, Dennis ruel, James lew, ikko wais, benny the Jet urquidez.... etc I could go on. If you think JCVD is the best screen fighter... you haven’t watched that much action movies. 😂
Are you serious best sfreen fighter of All time??? Hahahah
@@bkamara1 Absolutely. Though if someone wanted to add "non-Asian" to that, I'd understand.
@@dardrex777 I've seen so many martial arts films, it's frustrating to read this comment 😂
But I'll suck it up like a big boy.
The best part about this is Dux accusing JCVD of faking his fight record lol
Glass houses 😂
All part of his con.
FIGHT TO SURVIVE - KUMITE KUMITE
🤣🤣🤣
@Jewishlady Runsyoutube Frank's fights were against girl scouts.
I grew up watching this dude, everyone forgets that van Dammme was a 2time champion kickboxer in B. France. And he is the real deal you can tell by the way he fights and his forms are too great, that’s not made up, he was taught how to fight.
This. Actors don't exhibit the kind of technique he does.
@@billywashere6965 Tom Hardy......?
@@dustencross357 Tom Hardy is a BJJ champion.
@@billywashere6965 he is still good
Yeah no.
Sounds pretty legit to me.
People just like to hate because JCVD is cooler than they are.
Yeah the coolness level of Van Damme is beyond comprehension with his annoying accent and nothing but telegraphed high kicks against a bunch of no name Belgium waffles.
@RNKMode can I laugh in your face?
@@neotenylv09 hahaha sure! I mean I cracked up every time Van Damme dropped his mouth open and made his waaaaaaa!!... noises with his slow-mo strikes. 🤣🤣🤣 good one, I see whatcha did there with the Seagal footage 😉👍😎
@@rnkmode1876 I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a martial arts movie where they don’t telegraph kicks…
Regular untrained people watch these movies because they are fun, and if you don’t like Van Damme or martial arts flicks, why comment on a video about Van Damme whose famous for doing those kinds of movies?
@RNKMode Fairy enough, not everyone has to like Van Damme. And good thing you have sense of humour 🍻😂
JCVD has beautiful kicks and I've always admired it. His Instructor in most of the documentaries made it clear that JCVD competed in Martial Art and could've gone far however he prefered to act in movies and it turned out to be great for all the fans who grew up watching him. Stay healthy Viking Samurai ✊🏼
Indeed. I've seen that interview, as well. His instructor was actually pretty disappointed, too, for not pursuing a martial artist's career.
Pretty kicks is all it was, he was just a poser
@@noirnoble1181 Ke knocked out alot of his opponents in kickboxing, his record is available online. Check it out.
@@shiz19 Sorry, im not that naive, I don't fall for regurgitating & shady narratives.
@@shiz19 What "kickboxing" do you refer to, the only video of him doing anything was from 1979, from what was shown he was the one getting his ass kicked but ended up raising the trophy.
Throwing my 2 cents. I am french. Back in the 80's/ early 90's, you would mainly have 3 different styles of fighting options if you were not doing Judo or Boxing: Karate (points-based, where heavy hits were prohibited), Full-Contact (use of kicks and punches, hitting the opponent only ABOVE the waist. Elbows, and knees could not be used), and, as mentioned in the video, "American Boxing", Boxe Américaine, which allowed to kick and punch anywhere. Elbows and knees were not authorized but you could do spin punches!!). The only sport back then that would allow you to use elbow, knees, punches and kicks, on any part of the body, was Muay Thai, but it was really hard to find a club outside larger cities.
From 1993 to 1997, while a student, I was in a "Full-Contact" club, and when inter clubs fights were organized, I could be registered for Full Contact fights on a weekend, and Kickboxing the next one. The same federation was managing both. The term "Kickboxing" was not really used and I remember my coaches saying it was just the American name for "boxe americaine". But I realized in 1997, when an exchange student in the US, that the rules were different. It was also the year I discovered the first Ultimate Fighting events in Native American reserves' casinos ;-). Still , in the early 90's we all knew JCVD and knew he was 100% legit...
Thanks for sharing.
I thought Savate was a French form of kickboxing?
@@joebostetter5849 there is the us kickboxing and the japanese kickboxing created around the 60s and based on the muy thai. Japan rename it, since any thai reference was prohibed. Savate is a diffèrent martial art from the xix century.
This comment right here... right on the head! Awesome info and insight sir! Oss
@@joebostetter5849 It is. But not widely practiced. Not even in France.
JCVD is still my Hero/inspiration in my Martial art journey ever since i was a kid and saw his movies… great video !
He is my hero too. The man inspired a whole generation of UFC champions, kickboxing champions, stunt performers, martial arts action stars, etc. I think the significance of JCVD was not that he had world class fighting skills but what he represented on the screen.
I been following Van Damme since 1986 as a kid, and I'm 42 years old. Believe me Van Damme is the real deal, and JCVD record is real. Also a lot of actors who wanted to do marital arts films like Van Damme, was jealous of Van Damme, because JCVD was handsome, nice looking, and women loved Van Damme as well.
Seagal trolls the net hating
Until he met cocaine that is
Hell yeah!
I remember watching Bloodsport. When Van Damme did his 'helicopter kick', I was in awe. It was the first time I had seen something like that.
@@firestream93 Yep, and you can't teach an actor to do that kick and plant the ball of their foot on another actor's face without legitimately knocking them out. The execution is literally perfect, and there hasn't been anyone in the business since to do it the way Van Damme does it.
@@billywashere6965 Van Damme is the man!
I've been watching him since the 80's.
My problem with Don "The Dragon" Wilson is why is he making it so personal. I get Wilson is a legend in the ring and all, but why does he care so much even to today? Does it affect his legacy or anything? No. It sounds more like jealousy to me. He never became as popular as Van Damme and I think that bothers him. But, in my opinion, Don's movies were terrible. Except Red Sun Rising was legit. It takes a whole lot more than being a world class fighter to be a star beyond that.
maybe it isn't a "beef" with van damm per say so much as I think too many people here still would love to believe but more so he just takes his past profession a little too serious maybe even for his own good. it is like the new guy that shows up and has to prove his worth to the old guys in the playground type thing before they accept him.
Wilson desperately wants to get Van Damme to have a celebrity fight with so he can make money. So he talks trash.
He seems bitter. His fb stuff is pretty petty
@@psilva2462 And it's really unnecessary. I don't get it. I'd get if JCVD was always going around bragging and putting others down, but, even despite his imperfections, I just don't see him do that. Never came off that way to me.
Because Don Wilson is the greatest kickboxer to ever live and he's tired of actors pretending to be real fighters.
No he was not a “pro kickboxer” as Don Wilson puts it, no one is disputing that, but he did compete in many karate competitions and he is a genuine shotokan black belt, for anyone to dispute that is just ridiculous
Facts
Point karate doesn’t equal being a fighter. It means you played tag 😂
@@dardrex777 Not back in the day it didn't. Watch Fred Wren versus Jim Harrison. They were both in the hospital after that fight.
@@Docinaplane that wasn’t point karate. That was full contact karate referred to as the “blood and guts era” where you actually hit each other at “full contact” that’s not point tag. That’s was basically “kickboxing” before the gloves.
That didnt exist in Europe. Especially by the time JCVD was competing. They already had PKA kickboxing by then. And Savate was already a thing in France too.
So bad analogy. 😂
@@dardrex777 I never said it was actual fighting or combat, people question that he is a actual martial artist and competitor, getting into fights doesn’t make you a martial artist, any asshole can get into a fight, that’s not what being a martial artist is about
I have personally trained with JCVD, a couple hours of informal instruction backside of an event...I thought I knew how to fight and handle myself, and JCVD taught me some lessons I'll never forget, mostly by terribly humilating me in front of the other students before helping me up off the ground, kissing me on both cheeks, and explaining in simple language exactly what he just did to me, and then a slightly different technique better suiting my size/strength.
He's pretty weird, and can come off as rude or curt to some people, but it's just his intensity and focus combined with unfamiliar (to most Americans) European manners and custom
lmao he has no actual martial arts skill
@@TheJasoncash83 prove it.
@@dakken74 th-cam.com/video/e5vlTuwRbMs/w-d-xo.html
@@dakken74 blocking anything like this will get your hurt very badly. You have to keep your arm close to your body to keep your arm from coming back and hitting you in the head.
@@TheJasoncash83 that's 2020 and MMA, has nothing to with what Van Dam was doing in the 70s
Van Damme is legit and anyone who says otherwise is a hater. I would think in this day and age they could track down some of the people he fought and interview them. I saw an interview with his coach years back that showed his trophies. Not to mention anyone that has studied any type of art can see his technique is completely legit even back in the No Retreat days
Totally Agreed! Like the haters who dare talk smack about Bruce Lee.
If you do Martial Arts. You know form, speed and precision. Van Dam and Bruce Lee are lightning fast with sharp precision.
Ego is a funny delusional thing.
If someone can get past your block and stop his foot an inch from touching you. What makes you think he can't connect?;)
@@hellahung He busted a UFC fighters lip by accident so clearly his kicks have power and are accurate
@@hellahung That's total bullshit about Van Damme and Bruce Lee had lightning fast with sharp precision. They weren't real fighters. At all!!
Name some of the legit world champion kickboxers he fought then? Lmfao!
Not about hating its about reality and he is an actor who trained in martial arts. He is not a legit fighter. When he had the chance to fight a guy he cried and didn't even fight him that was in his reality show days with his family. lol
@@DrunkSince1973 His bouts and opponents are all listed. Stop hating...
Van Damme is a badass fighter with a great agility, flexibility and skills. His fighting record is also quite impressive - 18 wins in kickboxing (and all of 18 wins was via knockout, and only 1 fight was a loss) isn't a joke!
Dude, In the 70’s JCVD competed in the Euro Karate scene in Light contact & Semi-contact…. , which was is nowhere near the standard of today. Yeah he was passionate & took part in a very benign non-aggressive style of karate and then dabbled in kickboxing. I’m pretty sure his opponents in kickboxing where of a very low standard.
So yeah JCVD was definitely NOT a baddass ring fighter.
@@doubledragan VD was just a ballet hes my frlend
@@doubledragan cool how many wins you got... name so we can check on your record
@@doubledraganEven if they were low standard but he was a fighter.
Jean Claude Van Damme was faster and more skilled than any of his haters. He was also a great actor too. Poor guy just had so many jealous haters.
They can hate but i don't think any tarnished his image in any way.
Dux saying anyone lied about his fight experience is just hilarious.
Right, if Dux and Segal call you a liar for your fight record that is a solid endorsement to your skills.
Van Damme was European Middleweight Karate champion and had a 44-4 fight record in semi-contact karate and an 18-1 (18 k.o) record in kickboxing.
His only loss in kickboxing was by D.Q.
Also,remember that kickboxing in the 70's wasn't like kickboxing is today.If you watch early kickboxing matches,even Bill 'Superfoot' wallace fought 'kickboxing' on the mat sometimes and not in a ring.That was when full contact karate was transitioning into kickboxing.
He's a legit martial artist.If people can't see that,they're blind.
Hear what his best friend growing up has to say th-cam.com/video/8bMxowFV-ZY/w-d-xo.html
VD was never a champion
no he wasnt
@@wpn-k8dThat doesn't mean he is legit martial artist
I can testify that this is true; for back in 2012, I sparred with a man from France; and he called himself, (in a very strong French accent,) "an American Boxer." My Savate coach explained to me that "American Boxing" is what we call Kickboxing in French; English Boxing in French is International Boxing, Thai-Boxing, of course, is Muay Thai; and Savate in French is known as French Boxing. When I asked him what would they call Kickboxing in French, he said that it would be Karate style tournaments.
I did see JCVD fight for Belgium in the 1970s,at Crystal Palace Sports Center.He was very good.He does know the sport and on that day he won all of his fights.
He put the Van Dammage on them, nice
yes But you saw him compete in point stop karate NOT KICKBOXING, please please is there anyone here besides myself that knows anything about martial arts ? ive been repeating myself over and over, and yes its kinda like shouting at a brick wall. im a black belt, been involved in martial arts for over 32 yrs, A kickboxing coach under the PKA.
Ive trained in tang soo doo, tai kwon do, muay thai, lau gar, boxing, kickboxing judo and krav maga,
yes ive been around you could say, and i know a punch from a kick.
I dont care if van dame was a champion. he competed in ONLY POINTSTOP KARATE, look at it as a game of tag if you will. it was NOT CONTINUOS COMBAT, each time someone gets as much as simply tapped the bout is stopped a point is awarded and then the bout is restarted, like i said childs play.
Kickboxing is very different, its basically a boxing match with kicks thrown it, points are accumulated like in a boxing match unless of course there is a knockout or stoppage exactly like in a boxing match. it is way for intensive and hardcore than point stop karate. former karate and kickboxing legend Joe lewis who was himself a karate champion felt very strongly that karate did n ot at all challenge him and so along with a couple other famous martial artist one who was named Bruce came up with the concept of kickboxing. being massive fans of boxing they decided it would be great to combine the kicks with boxing. Joe lewis was infact involved with the very 1st televised kickboxing match that was indeed sanctioned by the PKA.
ABIT OF HISTORY THERE FOR YOU ,
jean claude NEVER WAS A KICKBOXER he competed in poinstop karate in europe and yes proved to be good but that doesnt mean that he would be any good in the ring going full contact kickboxing with benny the jett, will wallace or DON THE DRAGON WILSON, all these guys fought in kickboxing and were world champions . van dame would probably been beaten up badly by a guy who wasnt even a pro fighter.
@@rancedavis5106 We all know everything you just wrote. But you're assuming because he competed in point tournaments that was the limit of his fighting knowledge. I've known guys that fight point tournaments but they understand its not real combat, and have been in real life fights too. You're undermining Van Damme's skills because he only competed in what was available to him at the time. You need to relax. There are others of us who have competed and trained various methods and styles our whole lives and know how to fight, we just love Van Damme and his movies, just take it easy.
@@TheRogueSquid my friend i never said he wasnt a good martial artist, van dame is very good, his technique and posture is great im not disputing that, infact its the reason why he was a bigger movie star than don wilson because he had that something else, he can do all the flashy stuff that looks great on camara. don never really had that. what im saying is ive seen how van dame moves. now his kicks are great but his hands would completely let him down in a kickboxing match, the man himself has admitted real full contact wasnt for him he was all about the point stop scene, a guy on here met him twice and said those words came from jean claude himself, im not getting worked up its simply alot of so called experienced guys on here clearly arnt experienc ed enough to know the difference between a karateka competitor and a kickboxer. anyway end of the day who cares, van dame is long retired and simply trying to rejuvenate his movie career so good luck to the guy
@@rancedavis5106 I hear you brother, I apologise if I came of combative in my reply. I respect that you do clearly know of what you speak in regards to fighting. I just enjoy his movies haha. All the best to you mate, I appreciate the conversation with someone who knows what they are talking about.
All that aside, I heard Don Wilson and Hulk Hogan used to bounce at the same place when they were young? No idea if its true, but imagine a tv show about that haha. That would be awesome.
JCVD (among others like Jackie, Sammo and Yuen) was the reason for me becoming a Kung Fu and Kickboxing instructor. I had huge legs and was known for my power kicks. That was because I emulated him and trained hard. Every afternoon I was out kicking a banana tree, elbowing logs wrapped in rope and using iron palm on sand bags, bricks and concrete blocks. I could do the splits and I pumped iron for 2 1/2 hours a night. I don't care what anyone says about Van Damme. He had perfect kicking technique. Did he have Bruce's hands? No. He didn't need them. In his prime his legs were lethal and he had perfect control over them. If he kicked you, you'd be going down.
Yuen Biao was one of my favorites as well. And I used go out in the woods and kick dogwood trees when I was kid. I excelled in Lung Fu Do but have been out of practice for many years because of back issues. But Yuen is amazing. Dude doesn’t get enough credit over here in the states
@@LanceOMG Yuen Biao is so underated. He's every bit Jackie's equal and his acrobatic and fight skills are second to none. My favourite films were the early to mid 80's films. Dragons Forever, Wheels on Meals, Project A and Eastern Condors are some of the best Hong Kong films I've ever seen. He wasn't just a great martial artist. The guy could act as well. Sorry to hear about your back. I'm in the same boat. I have two metal rods in mine and can no longer practice martial arts.
I was a martial arts fanatic before JCVD movies. I could do the side and front splits. I could really kick with either foot. But JCVD kicking was another level so I had to emulate him.
His advancing side kick could hit you in the neck and lift up your whole body. So fast. So strong. I think he is a legit fighter.
@@RuthlessMojo love Dragons Forever. And Yuen’s character in that film. So hilarious and awesome at the same time.
@@LanceOMG Dragons would have to be my favourite Yuen Biao film. And that fight between Jackie and Benny the Jet was something else. Right up there with my favourite fight sequences. The end fight in King of the Kickboxers, with Loren Avedon and Billy Blanks is up there too. Along with JCVD and Abdul Qissi in Lionheart.
I don't care what anybody says Van Damme's movies are legendary. He's what inspired me to take martial arts as a kid
You could tell that JCVD knew how to handle himself in a fight on the movies. His moves were calculated and well placed and looked natural. Steve McDojo belly Segal on the other hand was mess with his moves. Always took on dudes who looked like they just walked out of a all you can eat buffet puffing a cigar. For Segal to even attempt to call Van Damme’ a phony is the most absurd thing I’ve heard in a long time.
More absurd than Duxe calling him a phony?????? 😕
Segal always runs like a girl if you notice
I think Segal lost all credibility when he claimed he fought Bruce Lee.
I first noticed Van Damme's kicking abilities in No Retreat No Surrender and was blown away how impressive it looked.
In 1980, I was fighting out of a UFAF Tang Soo Do studio (Norris was president) and we went to the Ed Parker Invitational in Spokane which was technically a point tournament but, I can tell you first hand that once we got past the first few rounds, the refs were letting the contact fly with no "excessive contact" penalties, whatsoever. In the early rounds, there are a lot of beginners and people without a lot of tournament experience and they want to protect those people. But, once they got "weeded out," it was another story. When the advanced players were going at it, you'd hear the slaps and thumps, no problem.
Thanks for clearing this up Viking. Yes, I have too been hearing the controversies over the years. I as well feel that Van Damme was a legit fighter.
I don't get all the hate toward Van Damme unless it's because he became an easy target. He got himself cleaned up and sorted his life out from where he was, he deserves credit and respect for that. Don't know how well he'd fare, but it can't be disputed that unlike a lot of action stars he does have a genuine fight record. Nothing but respect to the people who step on the mat/into a ring/cage to try their skill. Another good vid, buddy.
Van damme is a Hard Target though.
Wow man, this is fucking awesome. This is better than a top wrestling promo. The rumor going around in the 90s was that Don The Dragon, challenged not only Van Damme's fight record, but also challenged Van Damme to a fight, so for him to say he has not had a pro match is like rehashing old times. God I love this channel so much, you spoil us with this shit Viking Samurai. Thank you for these videos man, the amount of research you do is off the wall.
I love Van Damme..and even though he had some poing fights back in his youth...i would care less if he was Not a real ring fighter. Whats really matters is.... he became a way bigger star than Segal or Don the Dragon Wilson! To me its all about making iconic movies and taking them checks to the bank!
That´s bullshit. Van Damme was in his prime not as big as Seagal at the Box Office. That´s a fact. Seagal had much more number 1 hits and even a blockbuster with "Under Siege". Only in your dreams was van Damme the bigger star.
@@Katzenhase ...lets ask Viking Samurai who was on top! Every kid in high school and Tkwdo class were Van Danme fans and saw all his movies...as for segal...the only movie anyone went to see was Out for Justice. I still think Van Damme was the bigger star
He was not a way bigger star then Seagal, Seagal's movies grossed way more than Van Damme's just saying. I believe Viking Samurai has brought that up before.
@@robd1329 Van Damme was not half as good and half as charismatic as Seagal was in "Out for Justice". The fight scenes were so innovative and brutal. Van Damme is an amateur in comparison to a prime Seagal.
@@robd1329 I'm a bigger JCVD fan myself, but Seagal's highest grossing movie outperformed JCVD's highest grossing movie by $50M. Also Seagal's last theatrically released movie was in 2003 whereas JCVD's was in 1999.
Bro I'm surprised van dam him self hasn't appeared on ur show yet. Keep up the great work bro love all ur episodes
I mean anyone with eyes could see that the dude could fight legit, if he needed to, and the Ballet was beneficial for his flexibility, and power, believe it or not.
anyone with eyes and a computer can look up the videos of him going to dojos to do celebrity training with kids. Look at the techniques he's teaching. Blocking head kicks without holding your arm close to your head? Thats asking for an injury. Did isnt and wasnt a legit fighter. at. all.
I did tae kwon do in the late 80s through to the 90s and although it was point fighting each tournament there would always be some guy getting kicked out of the fighting area through chairs.
Point fighting maybe frowned upon but look at how well Stephen "wonderboy" Thompson used it in MMA
Wonderboy is a legit fighter and Van Damme isn't and its mma and that's why Wonderboy is not a champion don't get me wrong Wonderboy is good but his ground game is not where it needs to be but Van Damme is a joke. Wonderboy also gets beat up in the standup not as much as he does on the ground. Like i said Wonderboy i have much respect for but Van Damme is not on his level at all.
@@DrunkSince1973
To say van damme us a joke is unfair from the record books he was well versed in his area of martial arts in the era he was from.
I will point out this was before the popularity of mma which started around 1985 i believe in Japan. Before fully taking of in the early 90s.
Yeah van damme as he is now would get destroyed but if he was young now in this era and trained in all the arts who knows what he may have become.
Also wonderboy cannot have been that bad as he fought for the title twice i think ....he suffered the exact same thing most fighters do the game passed him by and he hasn't evolved.
@@alroygardner5436 Wonderboy is a warrior no doubt but for being a great striker he just let Tyron stand around and not make Tryon work when Tyron only had the right hand. Wonderboy is a great guy and no doubt should have won the belt. Then he would have lost it to Usman anyway but he should have tasted gold.
You can make up all these different scenarios of what Van Damme would have become but from what i seen his mentality alone he would have never made it. He had manic depression and he was a cokehead later in his 30's. The guy would have gotten his face smashed in.
Mickey Rourke went from acting to boxing and got his face rearranged. Van Damme is an actor who had training no more no less.
It turns out JCVD was the real Karate Kid..who fought for points but youd wind up getting kicked and punched to be knocked out and you had to fight for real to win.
Don Wilson saying anything negative about van damme is just the product of envy. Wilson is highly overrated as a fighter and he was pretty awful as an action star. no agility or grace in his movements and absolutely no charisma as an actor.
Factual!
@@dassolosyndikat5113 Dennis Alexio in his prime, Jerry Trimble, or Rick Roufus would have destroyed Wilson.
There is no doubt in my mind that Van Damme would have had no trouble beating him either.
@@Liquidcadmus Some serious Don Wilson haters in here. You don't know anything about him haha if you did you'd know Wilson fought and beat a "prime" Dennis Alexio. Research is your friend.
@@williamwest7008 Who's Dennis Alexio??? People like Wilson wouldn't last 5min with a Muay Thai champ, even if the Thai guy was in a lighter weight class. People like Wilson could not make it in a boxing ring or in an octogon.
@@kaihuang4970 1. You couldn't google any of this crap you're talking?
2. Dennis Alexio is only one of the greatest kickboxers of all time
3. Don Wilson fought thai fighters under full muay thai rules which included elbows and he did great, look it up
4. As previously stated you people know nothing about Wilson.
Steven Segal questioning anyones martial arts credentials I'd hilarious
No retreat no surrender my favorite Jcvd movie his fight choreography was superb
Yeah, he nailed that character pretty well. It took me time to separate him from that.
Any of them kicks wud take the head of any man. Jcvd living legend. My 1 and only true idol
@The Crazy Amateur Runner haha
Not really. Any person could duck or grab his leg. He kicks so slow and awkward. Take anyone with a high school wrestling background and he’d end up on his head. Happens to karate guys that actually have fought 😂
I am suprised Frank Dux didn't claim that was him fighting in a kumite in Van Damme's video.
I am a JCVD fan, spent years watching his films, amazing, then to hear his record was fake, I did not believe it, but that seed of doubt had been planted, I was gutted, JCVD was, well is, an inspiration in the martial arts industry certainly was for me, bit of a hero in a strange way. Basically I am saying a massive thank you for the resrsrch to finally put this to rest. 💯👌
Millions of people watching this video, liking, commenting ..just because of one name JC Van Damme... All other so-called champions of their own eras and times got a chance to get some role in movies ....become famous ...to be inviewed today....just because of one name ...JCVD... Hats off to Him...many joined SFs, many learnt Karate, kick boxing....
Because of JCVD ...Offcourse after Bruce Lee... Respect and love for him.. was, is and always will be.
Hello, Viking Samurai. Jean Claude Van Damme is a beast. This guy has some of the best kicks I've seen, in terms of execution of those kicks. The things humans remember about Van Damme is, his kicks, his body and certain films. Not sure how much he competed, but he obviously knows Martial Arts.
TERRANCE OUT
Respect to the warriors that have shared their skills and influence. All of them. They inspire us, make us better.
The most nerve Segal ever showed in his life is saying Van Damme was fake. That's like a clown calling someone in jeans and a t-shirt a clown.
Galling indeed.
Seagull can't even run like a man, let alone fight like one.
Steven Seagal is a registered legit Aikido master in japan
where jcvd s registered ? lol
Thank you for offering accurate research and information instead of b.s. and unfounded opinion. Good video.
I don't know if he is legit or not, but I know I would NOT want him to kick me in the face!
Weren't there some more current actual kickboxing fight for him too? I think I remember seeing him actually fight in Thailand.
Thanks Viking Samurai for This JCVD legitimate fighting records video. As one Big JCVD fan to another, We knew in our Hearts that JCVD is the Real Deal. There's Always plp that will Disagree and that's fine, but The Evidence is All there! Thanks for Bey Logan & Lambert for clearing things up .
The Evidence is all there? Really? As in film footage or even magazine or newspaper articles, maybe photographic evidence? Sure, there's a few seconds of footage of JCVD competing in point karate tournaments, but as for any full-contact competition at all, what actual evidence is there? Not some unconfirmed "record" someone put together on the internet, but actual evidence. There's footage of Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Benny Urquidez, hell, even Dolph Lundgren competing, full matches, some of them full-contact, going all the way back to the 1960s, but with Jean Claude, not so much. I can appreciate the effort put into this video, but it still doesn't present anything that could pass for real evidence.
@@BRUCEJJ66 Well in the States everything gets Pumped up . Well not over here. Belgium had the best Judoka's in the 70s 80s from middle weight to havy weights Female and Male, But a fight was seldom broadcasted on TV exept the Olympics
Thanks for a great video and for getting to the bottom of this controversial topic. It was pretty much as I thought it would be, hopefully people ease up on him a little now. Jean Claude is still the best movie martial artist in my mind, a true originator!
You could have just asked someone from Belgium. He is one of the few action star who actually knows how to fight. From the age of 15 to 18 he did shotokan karate with a record of 44 wins and 4 losses. Afterwards he did 8 years of full contact karateka wich resulted in 18 ko´s and 1 loss
Van damme is legit you can see his technique the way hi kick and moves...great video bro
Really? People like Seagal and Dux accusing him of lying lol
Regardless of JCVD actual record, you can tell he’s legit by the way he throws those kicks
To this day I haven’t seen anybody throw kicks with that solid form and accuracy
Legit kicks doesn't mean he is a legit fighter. He done legit training but that doesn't make him a world champion if he hasn't fought the best.
Exactly, to me Dux and Segal talking shit means he is legit, I take their words to mean the opposite of whatever they say.
Don the Dragon can talk shit about pretty much anyone in the film industry, hell, he could probably talk shit to most fighters too. That guy is legit and I can see why he might think it's not fair Van Damme and other even less legit fighters had more success than he. But you gotta know the looks count for a lot in the movies, and Van Damme had the looks.
@@DrunkSince1973 No one said anything about world champion. Crediting his martial arts skills combined with the fight record we have is simply a counter arguement to anyone saying he is an actor and not a fighter, he trained, sparred, and has proof of competitive level fights.
Just because he isnt involved in relevant competitions of todays standards doesnt mean he isnt/wasnt a fighter...
Yeah lol that gave me a chuckle. Frank Dux has the absolute most wild "world records" and yet there still hasnt been proof of the Kumite, nor has he ever demonstrated any of his feats- 72mph kick, and millisecond punch.
Steven Segall is another story. I never looked much into him but find it funny that as much as he "consults" mma fighters, we never see his techniques or training really credited or showcased from the fighters he trains.
great video my friend. keep them coming. i love these interviews.
I remember that time when Sly Stallone was having a party and said JCVD was going after Steven Segal for all his crap talking against him...Sly said tough guy Segal wanted noooooo part of JCVD and ran away
Great video, I enjoyed the balanced reporting of facts, AND the opinions in the interviews!
I remember when when Van Damme was about to kick Seagal’s ass at Sylvester Stallone’s house 😂
Facts
Ya but fat Ass ran away..😂
Don just jealous because his movies never made it to the big screen, that's his real beef with JCVD.
Van damme movies got me into Kickboxing. I was a points fighter as a youth until the early 2000s and Ive been full contact to this day. I turn 35 in a week. Having competed under both rulesets both on the mats and in a ring I can attest to points fighting being a 'real' fight, my broken nose, cracked orbital and deviated septum are living receipts 😂
The movie Billy Jack got me into martial arts. I actually met my grand master Bong Soo Han at a tournament in 1977 in Kansas City. That was a great honor.
JCVD style is French Kick Boxing, rightfully called ("Savate"). "Savate, also known as boxe française, savate boxing, French boxing or French footfighting, is a French kickboxing combat sport that uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of English boxing with graceful kicking techniques"
Hello, Viking Samurai. Don "The Dragon" Wilson is one of the best fighters I've ever seen. This guy was a kickboxing world champion, time and time again, dominating the sport for decades. He has some cool films as well.
TERRANCE OUT
I saw the Big Trouble in Little China on your shelf. Good Man!
Ok so it was technially karate points fighting and full contact. But because of a copyright issue in europe it was called kickboxing
Streets Of Rage! Sweet collection bruh!
I love love how everybody hates on van Damme it says they secretly hold him in high value and jealous
Great video! I like the explanation about why it was important to begin with!
Jean Claude Van Damme is clearly legitimate. You can see from his movements that he is a very competent martial artist. Had he chosen to pursue that route im certain he would have done well for himself. What takes the piss out of me is the irrational dislike and disparaging of the man by others in the industry. I expect nothing less from social media keyboard warriors. They're generally uninspired mediocre malcontents who have varying issues. But from within the industry I would think that there was some form of mutual respect for a peer. I guess I was sadly mistaken.
Interesting to hear about the naming issue. This would definitely explain the discrepancies.
JEFF LANGTON!!! THAT GUY IS GREAT!!! Hes awesome in Final Impact with Lorenzo Lamas and Maximum Force, two PM Entertainment flicks.
He got a 3 picture deal with PM Entertainment after Lionheart.
Love every video you do man!
I became an American full contact kickboxer partly because of JCVD, All of those guys were my heroes, even Steven Seagal. :/
I appreciate you making this video. Thank you ☺️
“Dis is for you Shidoshi”
Can you find any of the opponents and get an interview with them?
One of my friends was telling me years ago in the Fall of 1994 that he met Jean Claude Van Damme in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania and they had drinks at a bar and Van Damme told him he was filming an action movie titled Sudden Death!!
I didnt believe him, but in the summer of 1995 they showed promotion of it (Sudden Death) coming soon to theaters in December 1995, so he was telling the truth!!
Very well put together video. Keep up the good work.
U got sonny from lionheart.. thats his name right.. lol. I he sounds like the character he played.. meaning he sounds pretty close to real.. he remind me of the late bill paxton. Enjoying every single video.
In the late 70's we had karate tournaments that were organized by karate organizations, where students from many schools and styles would come to fight. They were full contact but the fighters were required to wear protective gear. I had the honor of meeting my grand master Bong Soo Han at one of these tournaments. Also there were sponsored karate fights organized by the karate officials and you p[aid admission to come watch the scheduled fights. At one such fight there was a champion fighter (who i honestly had never heard of), scheduled to fight. He came out to the ring and was throwing all these fantastic looking kicks and things that really looked impressive (at least it was what we expected to see in the movies). His opponent was a guy no one had heard of. He came quietly out to the ring wearing a plain dark robe with a hood on it. got in the ring , didn't do anything fancy or even say anything. When the round started, this unknown fighter caught this champion with a spinning back kick, knocking him back against the ropes, as the champ came off the ropes the fighter kicked him with another spinning back kick in the opposite direction. The champ hit the floor unconscious. This match was not a scheduled title match. His opponent put his robe back on and left the ring without saying ta word. The whole place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was thinking, WHO WAS THAT GUY? The champ had a title match scheduled for the next month and had to cancel because he had two broken jaws. This was the type of fight you loved to see happen.
I lost interest in point sparring when I saw how often guys who couldn't really fight would win against guys they couldn't beat on the street. But that's not always the case. However, now I just think getting into fist fights as an adult is stupid lol
Love this! Thank you!
His feet are really fast and fully controlled. You don't want to get into any fight with anyone with those tools.
what i find fascinating is that there is a video about JCVD's actual fight record and that I am watching it, this world is awesome man, just awesome.
He did ballet then karate… competed in karate tournaments. Then opened his own gym. Before coming to the USA. A business man from way back. With a dream and a vision
European kickboxing similar to point karate but different
I’m hooked on your videos brother
I was competing in full-contact, point karate tournaments in the 90's here in the USA. Literally anyone could be a champion. We used to compete against 3-5 people in a tournament so you could rack up a record pretty fast. I was a champion in several local tournaments that are basically meaningless today lol. I don't even think they kept any sort of record for them. We got trophies but that was it. IMO, it doesn't much matter what VanDamme's actual record was because he obviously has talent and training and he inspired so many people to practice the arts.
Everybody that has just a little knowledge about martial arts or fighting sports in general, can immediately spot that Jean Claude van Damme is exceptionally skilled. I truly believe he is a champion in the martial art that he has practiced in. Never doubted that. In a true street fight it is something entirely different.. There I can believe he is a very tough opponent to beat but not unbeatable, since he is hanging too much on his own style and the techniques that he learned.
Imagine Arnold schwazenegger competed in some bodybuilding and got into Hollywood before reaching the Mr Olympia competitions. People will say Arnold was never a pro bodybuilder just a buff actor. I think It's like that with van Damme. He trained for pro fighing but found success in Hollywood before reaching those pro fighting competitions.
No, because there would still be all the magazine articles dating back to the late 1960s, there would still be solid evidence. That doesn't seem to exist as far as Van Damme competing in any kind of full-contact matches is concerned.
@@BRUCEJJ66 Arnold was competing on the biggest stages in the 1960s. In Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. You can't compare that to being part of a karate team as a kid and coming back home to train for kickboxing. Don Wilson was also competing on the largest stages of kickboxing. There's not a lot of footage of him competing before that as a kid.
Your channel is amazing bud love your knowledge when it comes to all the story's I away look forward to seeing the next video and the next😉Van Damme is definitely a great role model keep it up with the great videos😉😉
"Real" fighter or not, JCVD is the real deal. He just kicks ass.....
While you looked at his own listing of fights and saying it's legit. Is it possible to contact some of the people he fought or someone from the so of the fight? I am not sure why we are chasing opinions rather than chasing down folks that can validate Vandamme's record. I am a fan of Vandamm, and don't care if he was a fighter or not, but am tired of this controversy, so why not chase down people who were directly involved in his fights?
The one American he fought has talked about it and he says dropped Van Damme with a left hook and Van Damme got up and KO'd him with a kick. That sounds as full contact as it gets. Actually sounds more like kickboxing than karate.
I seem to remember reading that a guy who Jean Claude fought died in a car accident a long time ago. Could be false memory on my part.
@@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252 I know one of them died of a heart attack.
@@wantutosigh1117 That was Sherman 'Big Train' Bergman. He also fought Gary Daniels and Mickey Rourke during his career.
These van Damme fights were probably like PKA events. How organized was kickboxing as we know it today during the 70s? I'm under the impression that many different promotions had different rulesets.
Kickboxer and Bloodsport are all the proof we need lol
great journalism, well done
I met Van Damme on two occasions. On both he was very down to earth and seemed a bit flamboyant but nothing like the weirdo seagal whom I've also met and...yeah..the second time I spoke to JCVD was a quiet relaxed situation where about 10 of us were talking about this new thing ( ultimate fighting championship ) he was quick to say that he wouldn't fair well in the cage because he's an actor not an athlete and that his tournament fights were structured VERY differently somewhere between point sparing and "full contact"
( he made quotations with his hands ) he seemed humble, genuine,...honestly alittle sad. In any case I enjoyed many of his movies.
thanks forthat information, right there he himself is explaining that he was simply a point stop karate guy not a full contact kickboxer or mma that level of competingb is out of his league, im glad he was honest and humble enougth to admit this. clearly a decent gent.
Thanks for proving what I already knew to be true that Jean Claude van Damme is a real martial artist with an actual fighting record those specialised kicks on the screen I've not seen ANYONE else do them
👌🏼😃 And still there's people like aj van bakker talking shit about him
@VAN DAMME THE BEST yeah but van bakker is more of a dick than a male porn star uses and more of a prick than a steroid injection weightlifting champion
Don Wilson is being a hater cuz JCVD had better movies
waaaay better movies how i know because ive never seen a don wilson movie because they're worthless and a waste of time i know without even watching them
@@dassolosyndikat5113 i sat thru black belt not to long ago. Got bad, not great... not van damme
@@dassolosyndikat5113 Without seeing them your opinion is worthless and a waste of time
Don wilson is a horrible fuckin actor
Talk about Chuck Norris's fight record too
JCVD is a legend and he's a big reason why I started training martial arts. My favorite action star hands down. I doubt we'll ever get anything close to him again.