Gene LeBell

LeBell, whom many credit for bringing judo into the MMA space, served as a mentor to former UFC champion Ronda Rousey throughout her MMA run, but his roots run ...

LeBell even has an officially recorded MMA fight. He defeated boxer Milo Savage in a mixed-rules contest in December 1963 in what some consider to be the first legitimate MMA fight. Although his notoriety was partially racked out by his work as a trainer and motivator, LeBell had a decorated run as a top-tier amateur judoka in the 1950s.

Professional wrestler Bas Rutten announced LeBell's death via Facebook, writing, “You will be greatly missed Gene, I love you my friend, till we meet again!”.

His talent in his field was known worldwide and those that got to know him knew he had a heart that matched that talent. The Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures sent a statement to Variety that said, “It is with a heavy heart that we recognize our past member and friend, Mr. Gene LeBell, has passed on. Writing for Black Belt Magazine, LeBell recalled, “He was the best martial artist of his time.

Gene LeBell, legendary stuntman, actor, wrestler and martial artist, has died at 89. Lebell worked with everyone from Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris to Ronda ...

"Gene LeBell remained a towering figure in the history and expansion of mixed martial arts and sports entertainment," HHH wrote. On Wednesday, Ronda posted a photo of her and Gene together ... captioning the pic, "Legend." Gene trained Rousey (a former Judo star) ... and he also worked with WWE legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, the inspiration for the "Rowdy Ronda" character. The legendary "Judo" Gene LeBell -- possibly the most badass man to ever walk the earth -- has died at the age of 89, and some of the biggest sports stars in the world are showing love in light of his passing. Gene and Bruce first met during filming of the TV show "The Green Hornet" ... and became friends, often training together. Legendary Martial Artist and Stuntman Gene LeBell Dead At 89

Former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten announced LeBell's death on Facebook amid a lengthy tribute to the titan, who also made his indelible mark in sports ...

"In pro wrestling, he ran NWA's Los Angeles territory, NWA Hollywood Wrestling, from 1968 through 1982. IMDB.com lists him as having 252 stunt credits and 156 acting credits. Heartbreaking, he was a friend and one of the best people I have ever known. #RipGeneLebell #GeneLebell pic.twitter.com/LpKMBj8uwT I enjoyed the times I got to chat and laugh with him over the years. I LOST every R-E-E-L fight I ever had and made millions” — Judo Gene trying to convince me to quit fighting and go into Hollywood stunt work.

I’m still calling it a double wrist lock, just so you know. “I won every R-E-A-L fight I ever had & was penniless. It is through those memories his legacy will become legendary and forever remembered. 🙏🏽 Judo Gene Lebell impacted so many lives through his kind, caring, and loving soul. From The Beverly Hillbillies & The Munsters to Taxi and Rush Hour, an insane side-legacy. Gene LeBell remained a towering figure in the history and expansion of mixed martial arts and sports entertainment. pic.twitter.com/93GL6QP0fw

Dubbed "The Godfather of Grappling," LeBell faced off onscreen against Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Lee.

Gene LeBell remained a towering figure in the history and expansion of mixed martial arts and sports entertainment. A teacher to many of the sport’s greats, his influence is felt throughout— Triple H (@TripleH) @WWEto this day. In the end, the ever-curious Lee had LeBell train him in various wrestling moves, which he incorporated into his style. The duo worked together on The Green Hornet in the mid-1960s when, the story goes, Lebell was brought in because Lee was beating up all the stuntmen. When talking about Cliff Booth, director Quentin Tarantino has been careful to both give LeBell his due credit and also stress that Booth is a fictional character unto himself. Dubbed “The Godfather of Grappling,” he faced off onscreen against Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Lee. He refereed Muhammad Ali’s infamous fight against Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki. Holding a 10th degree red belt in Judo and a 9th degree black belt in Ju-jitsu, helped train everyone from Lee to Norris to “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Ronda Rousey.

American grappling pioneer Gene LeBell passed away this week at the age of 89. The news was confirmed by his close family friends earlier this morning, ...

He worked on stunts for several episodes of The Green Hornet, leading to a deep friendship with fellow martial arts legend Bruce Lee, and acted on screen alongside Elvis Presley for three pictures. Alongside his former student and MMA legend Gokor Chivichyan, LeBell would coach both grappling and MMA to the best of the best for decades. LeBell’s first major gift to the martial arts world was his participation in a mixed-style bout against boxer Milo Savage in 1963.

Gene LeBell has died. A legend among martial artists and Hollywood stunt performers, LeBell reportedly worked on as many as 1,000 productions across his ...

(And here’s where we should probably, briefly, get into the other big similarity between him and Hollywood’s Cliff Booth: LeBell was tried for murder in 1979, for the death of private investigator Robert Duke Hall. He was acquitted of murder in the case, but convicted on being an accessory, with the latter charge ultimately overturned on appeal. Meanwhile, LeBell began making inroads into Hollywood. His first credited role was as a “hood” on The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet in 1961; his other on-camera roles would typically come with similarly non-descript and thug-adjacent names—although he also carved out a niche for himself as a go-to referee for TV shows and films going for a bit of verisimilitude when depicting wrestling matches. LeBell’s life was a colorful one, with many of the details gleaned from his own authorized autobiography, The Godfather Of Grappling, which he wrote with biographers Bob Calhoun, George Foon, and Noelle Kim and published in 2005.

As well as being a behind-the-scenes diety in the world of film, Gene LeBell was responsible for introducing Bruce Lee to the art of grappling.

LeBell was born in 1932 and took to martial arts at a young age. He even met Bruce Lee during a run on The Green Hornet. Apparently, the pair traded ideas on grappling and discussed Lee’s Jeet Kune Do discipline. Decades later, LeBell was introduced to former Aikido trainer-cum- Hollywood actor Steven Seagal. The story goes that Seagal claimed he could not be choked out due to his long history of martial artistry. It’s a hell of a thing.” As well as being a behind-the-scenes diety in the worlds of film, combat sport and professional wrestling, LeBell was responsible for introducing Bruce Lee to the art of grappling. Elvis Presley, Chuck Norris, Roddy Ripper, Ronda Rousey and Steven Segal were all his students at one time, the latter of whom learned about his legendary chokehold technique first-hand.

The world-renowned stuntman taught Bruce Lee and served as the inspiration for Brad Pitt's character in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

LeBell, who spent much of his later years overseeing the National Wrestling Alliance in Los Angeles, was even charged with murder when private investigator Robert Duke Hall was killed in 1976. We worked out about 10 to 12 times at his place in Los Angeles’ Chinatown and at my place.” “His talent in his field was known worldwide and those that got to know him knew he had a heart that matched that talent,” the group’s statement added. He taught fighters like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Chuck Norris, and Ronda Rousey how to grapple — and regularly trained Bruce Lee. Stunt coordinator Bennie Dobbins begged LeBell to humble Lee, who allegedly beat up on his stuntmen throughout the show’s production. “It is with a heavy heart that we recognize our past member and friend, Mr. Gene LeBell, has passed on.