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Bruce Lee
SportHong Kong

Bruce Lee death, 45 years on: One Championship stars pay tribute to ‘father of MMA’ and kung fu icon

Fighters from Asian mixed martial arts organisation say Hong Kong icon laid a foundation for the sport, as world marks 45th anniversary of his passing

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A statue of Bruce Lee on display at the Avenue of Stars by Victoria Harbour in East Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Winson Wong
Mathew Scott

Asia’s top mixed martial arts stars have joined the outpouring of emotional tributes to Bruce Lee as the world continues to mark the 45th anniversary of the Hong Kong superstar’s death.

“The guy had it all – and seeing him in MMA gloves just once inspired me,” said Vietnamese-Australian Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, holder of the One Championship world featherweight and lightweight titles.
The region’s leading fighters have gathered in Manila this week for the One Championship’s Reign of Kings card where Nguyen (11-2) will face Kevin “The Silencer” Belington (18-5) for the interim world bantamweight title.
An image at a Bruce Lee exhibition held at Prince Edward. Photo: Winson Wong
An image at a Bruce Lee exhibition held at Prince Edward. Photo: Winson Wong
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Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Nguyen said Lee had laid down a template for how martial artists should train and live.

“What you saw him do and heard him say had just rubbed off on generations since,” said Nguyen. “From fighting Chuck Norris one moment to Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] the next really does show that with martial arts anything is possible. His legacy is absolutely astonishing.”

One’s reigning world heavyweight champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera said Lee gave Asian kids a hero when they had few.

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