Gene LeBell

Gene LeBell
Born	(1932-10-09) 9 October 1932 Los Angeles, California
Style	Catch wrestling, Judo, Jujutsu
Rank	10th degree red belt in Judo   9th degree black belt in Jujutsu
Mixed martial arts record
Total	1
Wins	1
By submission	1
Losses	0
Notable students	Gokor Chivichyan, Karo Parisyan, Neil Melanson, Bob Wall, Ed Parker, Manny Gamburyan, John Donehue, Ronda Rousey
Website	www.genelebell.com

Ivan Gene LeBell (born October 9, 1932) is an American martial artist, instructor, stunt performer, and professional wrestler born in Los Angeles, California. LeBell has also worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows and has authored a number of books.

In 2000, the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF) promoted him to 9th Dan in jujitsu and taihojutsu. On August 7, 2004, the World Martial Arts Masters Association promoted LeBell to 10th Degree and in February 2005, he was promoted to 9th Dan in Traditional Kodokan Judo by the USJJF.

Career

Competing in the heavyweight division, LeBell won the AAU National Judo Championships (both heavyweight and overall) in 1954 and 1955. On December 2, 1963 in Salt Lake City, Utah, LeBell participated in a match with former top ranked middleweight boxer Milo Savage in a special challenge match. The bout came after writer Jim Beck made a challenge to any judoka that if they could defeat a boxer he would award them $1000 of his own money.

The agreed upon time limit for the match was five three-minute rounds. The rules allowed the "out-primed" Savage to use any type of punch, while LeBell could use any judo or karate technique except kicking. Furthermore, the agreement allowed Savage to wear a pair of special speed bag gloves, but in return, he was required to wear a judogi to make him easier to grip. The fight lasted four rounds with LeBell failing to takedown Savage on many attempts. Once the boxer was tired however, LeBell successfully executed a left side harai-goshi on Savage, before landing on his opponent and choking him out. Within seconds, Savage was unconscious and LeBell declared the winner. With the hometown favorite Savage having lost, the crowd began to react adversely, throwing bottles, chairs, and other debris into the ring. To prevent a full-blown riot, hometown hero and rated professional boxer Jay Fullmer (brother of boxers Gene and Don Fullmer) entered the ring to congratulate LeBell. In his final fight, LeBell lost a boxing match to the infamous Jon North, but not before LeBell's sidekick Andy Blevins knocked North out with one boxing glove. He also has a wrestling technique named after him, Daniel Bryan's (wrestler) finishing move, the LeBell Lock (which was later retitled the NO! lock).

Following his combat sports career, LeBell, along with his brother Mike, ran the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles territory, NWA Hollywood Wrestling from 1968 to 1982. In June 1976, LeBell refereed the infamous boxing-versus-wrestling contest between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, Japan. LeBell was selected from over 200 other applicants to referee the bout. LeBell has opened two martial art schools in cooperation with others and has touted his 1963 match with Milo Savage as the first televised MMA fight in America, where he claimed the deceased boxer, Milo Savage, had used brass knuckles on his gloves and greased himself in vaseline, making it more difficult to grip the boxer.

Along with the awards received for feats in Judo and grappling, LeBell was the 2005 recipient of the Frank Gotch Award in celebration of the positive recognition he brought to the sport of wrestling, the Cauliflower Alley Club presented the award. On March 18, 1995, the Cauliflower Alley Club's again honored LeBell by presenting him with the "Iron Mike Mazurki" award; presented by one of his teachers, professional wrestling champion Lou Thesz.

Television and film work

LeBell has worked on over 1,000 films, TV shows and commercials as a stuntman or stunt co-ordinator, and as an actor (including multiple appearances as himself.) LeBell appeared in three Elvis Presley movies as a minor character who starts a fight with the character played by Presley. In addition he also worked on the set of the Green Hornet TV show, and claimed to have an encounter with Bruce Lee that led them to becoming friends and exchanging ideas and sharing various fighting techniques.

LeBell also appeared in "The World of Martial Arts - Budojujitsu". This 1982 homevideo production, introduced by Chuck Norris and narrated by John Saxon, featured LeBell as a car thief and mugger who (in the prologue) accosts Mitsuru Yamashita and Budojujitsu creator Al Thomas...much to LeBell's regret. The program featured several other martial arts legends: Graciela Casilas, Karen Sheperd, Victor Ledbetter, Steve Sanders, brothers Benny and Reuben Urquidez, and Dave Vaden.

On March 23, 1991, LeBell was awarded the Honorary "Reel" Membership by the Ring of Friendship of the Cauliflower Alley Club. This is award that is only given to a select few. Other awardees have been James Cagney, Kirk Douglas, Karl Malden, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney, and Sylvester Stallone (movie stars that also did boxing and wrestling).

Conflict with Steven Seagal

A 2002 Vanity Fair article claimed that LeBell choked out martial arts actor Steven Seagal as part of an informal aikido exhibition. Seagal was said to have lost control of his bowels during his unconsciousness.

Despite this claim, LeBell never publicly confirmed this story. On March 6, 2012, Gene LeBell was with Ariel Helwani on his MMA hour show, where Gene LeBell was asked by Ariel to confirm if the story had really happened, but Gene LeBell continued to dance around the subject by frequently talking off-topic and eventually gave a rather disjointed account of his previous version about the story.

Steven Seagal was on the same show later and he described Gene LeBell as a scumbag and a pathological liar if Gene had really made that story himself. Despite this accusation, Gene LeBell has still not publicly answered whether he really choked out Steven Seagal after he was asked to talk about it on many public events over the years following the release of that article. The host of this show, Ariel Helwani also spoke out at the end of the show saying that Gene LeBell should be ashamed after listening to both accounts of the story.

In Oct 2012, Gene LeBell appeared in a private interview, not associated with any formal organisation or TV show, where he was asked again to discuss the story and give a response about being accused as a patholoagical liar by Steven Seagal, but he still avoided to give a direct answer and implicated that he's restricted from speaking about it by a legal gag order. But so far no independent witness or court record is found that could support his implication that he really choked out Seagal and had the case settled out with Steven Seagal in court. However, he did as before switch into another subject saying that his student Ronda Rousey would have easily beaten him.

Influence

Teaching

LeBell has made himself the nicknames "Judo" Gene LeBell, "the Godfather of Grappling" and also "the toughest man alive" for his participation in combat sports. He has trained with or taught grappling skills to many well-known wrestlers and martial artists, including: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Karo Parisyan, Mando Guerrero, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, Gokor Chivichyan, Bob Wall, Ed Parker, and Manny Gamburyan. He also has a wrestling technique named after him, Daniel Bryan's (wrestler) finishing move, the LeBell Lock (which was later renamed to the YES! lock).

The pink colored Judo Gi became a trademark of LeBell and was a result of a laundry mixup while preparing for a competition in Japan. A pair of red shorts were mixed into the laundry that contained his Gi and turned the uniform a shade of pink. He was set to compete the following day, and being a Saturday evening when he received the now colored uniform, he had to compete in the pink uniform. This set the Japanese crowd livid (it was considered very insulting). LeBell claimed that he went on to win his division.

LeBell is associated with Gokor Chivichyan's Hayastan MMA Academy where he teaches grappling classes. He also does interviews for magazines, newspapers, and radio as well as judging fights.

LeBell has been spotted in the corner of former US Olympic judoka and current mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey, often seen standing next to Ronda Rousey to celebrate her victory.

Self-Declared - The Grandfather of MMA

Gene Lebell is one of the cast on the 'I am Bruce Lee' documentary about the life of the martial arts legend, Bruce Lee, but there he referred Bruce Lee as an athlete rather than a martial artist. In that documentary, Gene Lebell was seen to be provoked when the UFC president, Dana White, and other UFC fighters talking Bruce Lee's contribution and influence on modern MMA, and were adamant that Bruce Lee was The Father of MMA.

Later in the show, Gene LeBell professes, in a close-up shot on screen:

"They say that Bruce Lee was the father of mixed martial arts, that bothers me, if he's the father of mixed martial arts, I'm the grand father of mixed martial arts, and if you don't believe me, I'll choke you. Cause you've got a nice neck for choking".

Gene Lebell also claimed to have had a close relationship as a training partner with Bruce Lee, for example:

i) Gene LeBell posted a story on his website that on the set of the Green Hornet, when the stunt coordinator Benny Dobbins called him and told him to go put Bruce in a headlock or something, he then put Bruce on his shoulder in a fireman's carry kind of thing, and then ran down the length of the set and back again, and this encounter led them to becoming friends and working out together and teaching each other techniques. But for so many years, nobody ever heard from Benny Dobbins that there was such incident before Dobbins died in 1988.

ii) In a separate interview with David Tadman, Gene LeBell is referred to have told others again that on the set of The Green Hornet he used to pick up Bruce Lee and sling him over his shoulder and claimed that he has a tape of it somewhere in his house. But David Tadman said: "For years, Gene says he has this footage, but no one I have known, who knows him, has seen this footage.", although he also says that he believes Gene regardless.

iii) Gene LeBell claims to have taught Bruce Lee a judo grappling armbar that Lee used in the opening scene with Sammo Hung in Enter the Dragon, but that technique is actually called Crucifix, . The Crucifix is a submission hold and not an armbar.

iv) Gene LeBell was on Inside MMA (episode 431-July 30, 2010) with King Mo, Sarah Kaufman and Bas Rutten, where he told other guests that Bruce Lee offered him to play the Bob Wall scene in 'Enter the Dragon', but he rejected this offer for the reason that he didn't want to go to China for the filming. But according to George Tan, a Bruce Lee historian, and many Bruce Lee's co-workers, Bob Baker was the original pick for Bob Wall's role in this movie before Warner Bros changed the plan, because Bruce Lee was not satisfied with Bob Wall's kicking skills and movements. None of them mentioned anything that Gene LeBell had ever received an invitation to take part in the filming by Bruce Lee.

v) In another interview, Gene Lebell talked about his training with Bruce Lee, where he mentioned something: "We ended up becoming friends and would work out together and teach each other techniques. I liked working out with Bruce, but I kept getting sick from that stinky incense he burned in his gym. I told him I wouldn't go there because his dojo smelled worse than a Chinese laundry house." But no praying-cabinet with a pot for burning incense is ever seen in any picture taken inside Bruce Lee's dojo. Those could be expected to be seen in place if burning incense is a customary practice.

Despite Gene Lebell having made many claims that he had a relationship and influence on Bruce Lee's grappling, Gene Lebell was not even mentioned once in a while by Bruce Lee anywhere, and his claims are often seen to be exaggerated and lack of proof.

Personal life

LeBell's mother was the influential boxing promoter Aileen Eaton who is the first, and currently only, female member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has a son named David. Gene has been married seven times. He is currently married to Eleanor Smerch.

Works

LeBell has authored at least twelve books, including:

• The Handbook of Judo: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide to Winning Sport Judo by Gene LeBell and Lauri C. Coughran. 1962, 1963, 1969, 1971, 1975, 1996.
• Your Personal Handbook of Self-defense by Gene LeBell. 1964, 1976.
• Judo and Self-defense for the Young Adult by Gene LeBell. 1971.
• Pro-Wrestling Finishing Holds by "Judo" Gene LeBell. 1985, 1990.
• Grappling Master: Combat for Street Defense and Competition by Gene LeBell. 1992.
• Gene LeBell's Handbook of Self-Defense by Gene LeBell. 1996.
• Gene LeBell - The Grappling Club Master by Gene LeBell, Ben Springer, and Steve Kim. 1999.
• Grappling and Self-Defense for the Young Adult by Gene LeBell and Bob Ryder. 2002.
• How to Break Into Pro Wrestling: "Judo" Gene LeBell's Insider Guide to the Biz by Gene Lebell and Mark Jacobs. 2003.
• Gene LeBell's Grappling World: The Encyclopedia of Finishing Holds by Gene LeBell. 1998, 2000(2nd expanded edition), 2005(3rd edition).
• The Godfather of Grappling (authorised biography of LeBell) by "Judo" Gene LeBell, Bob Calhoun, George Foon, and Noelle Kim. 2005.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

1 match	1 win	0 losses
By knockout	0	0
By submission	1	0
By decision	0	0

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	1–0	Milo Savage	Technical submission (choke)	IE - Independent Event	December 2, 1963	4	N/A	Salt Lake City, Utah, United States	First sanctioned MMA match in American History.

Championships and accomplishments

Judo

Amateur Athletic Union

• AAU National Judo Championship (1954)
• AAU National Judo Championship (1955)

Professional wrestling

• Cauliflower Alley Club

• Iron Mike Mazurki Award (1995)

• Central States Wrestling

• NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• National Wrestling Alliance

• NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2011)

• NWA Hollywood Wrestling

• NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chino Chou

• NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions

• NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• NWA Western States Sports

• NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time)

• George Tragos / Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

• Frank Gotch Award (2005)

References

• Corcoran, John (1983). Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. Gallery Books. ISBN 0-8317-5805-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Official website
• Gene LeBell at Memory Alpha
• Gene LeBell at IMDb
• USMAF Biography