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1/22/08 12:49:19PM
I'm sure everyone around here knows by now that UFC commentator Joe Rogan was a US Open Tae Kwon Do champion, but did you also know that...

Novelist John Irving, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, college professor, and author of "The World According to Garp", "The Hotel New Hampshire", and "The Cider House Rules" is also a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Actress Kelly Hu ("The Scorpion King", "X-Men 2") holds a Black Belt in kanzen budo kai karate. I'd never heard of that style before, but I read somewhere that it's an offshoot of Shotokan.

Tony- and Oscar-nominated playwright, screenwriter, and director David Mamet ("Wag the Dog", "Spartan", "The Spanish Prisoner") studies Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He's currently working on a film titled "Redbelt", starring Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Dirty Pretty Things", "Serenity").

Film director Guy Ritchie ("Snatch", "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels") is a student of Renzo Gracie.

You probably already know that President of Russia, Vladimir Putin holds a Black Belt in judo and sambo, but did you know that former President of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln was a noted catch-as-catch-can wrestler? "Catch wrestling", as it's more commonly known today, is a submission-fighting form of wrestling, whose most notable practitioner today is Josh Barnett.

I'm sure there are others. Fire away...
1/22/08 1:31:47PM
Elvis Presley was a black belt in karate.

Ed O'Neil (Al Bundy) is a black belt in BJJ

Mario Lopez boxes, wrestles and does BJJ
1/22/08 1:36:34PM
Ed Oneil (Married with Children): After being introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by his friend, writer/director John Milius, O'Neill has now trained in BJJ for 15 years under the mentoring of Rorion Gracie and is now a Black Belt.

Edit: Fullerene beat me to it
1/22/08 1:56:54PM
Kareem Abdul Jabar trained with Bruce Lee and Paul Walker trains in BJJ and boxing.
1/22/08 3:05:45PM
love the info keep it coming
1/22/08 3:46:14PM
i dont know what kind of belts he holds or if any, but Kevin james from King of queens, i know he is really into MMA, and likes training MMA, there is a video of him training with randy couture, and i remember back a while ago, on his show it featured a bar fight that had rampage, hendo, randy, and a few more fighters....
1/22/08 4:01:58PM
Van Damme has won that Bloodsport tournament before. I guess that is not a surprise though. Even Fedor let's Jean-Claude have his way with him.
1/22/08 4:06:14PM

Posted by roadking95th


Not only that, but hes also avenged his crippled brother in a no holds barred kick boxing match. Luckily someone was good enough to get it all on camera, they made millions.... such is the power of van damm

...Teddy Roosevelt was either a brown belt or black belt in Judo
1/22/08 5:22:23PM
Chuck Norris is a........never mind if I tell you he will kill me!
1/23/08 4:42:43AM
George Washington was actually supposed to be the best collar and elbow catch wrestler in the colonies.

Andrew Jackson, aside from being an amazing general, pistol shooter and knife fighter, was also a great collar and elbow catch wrestler. Hes also the only president to beat an attempted assassin unconcious.

Abraham Lincoln was probably the best wrestler out of all the presidents and he only ever lost one match in his life. He actually stopped a boat hijacking by wrestling the hijackers and throwing them all overboard.

Zachary Taylor was a catch wrestler as well and as a general, wanted wrestling to be compulsary for army training.

Teddy Roosevelt was also an avid boxer in college, and was so into wrestling, he'd actually wrestle in his office as governor of New York.

Taft was a heavyweight wrestling champion at Yale.

Theres probably some more wrestler and combative presidents, but those are the only ones I remember offhand.
1/23/08 5:28:54AM
Putin is an expert in Judo (BB, I think)
EDIT: Steve McQueen and James Coburn also studied under Bruce Lee

I see if I can dig up some others. Great thread idea
1/23/08 5:48:42AM
Ronnie Lott trained under TKD champ George Chung

Senator Milton Young of ND used his TKD training to perform a demo at a campaign stop to answer critics who thought the 77 year old wouldn't be energetic enough for the office (He won, btw)

Teddy Roosevelt, although a wrestler, began judo studies after watching judo pioneer Yoshiaki Yamashita defeat the Navy wrestling coach, eventually earning a brown belt

Sen. Campbell of CO was a 3-time US Judo Champion

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