Was The Kumite A Big Hoax?
For those of you who don’t know what the ‘The Kumite’ is/was then I am about to explain. The Kumite was the name of a freestyle single elimination full-contact fighting tournament held in secret every four years. Only the world’s finest martial artists and fighters were invited. It became more known thanks to a movie called Bloodsport starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van Damme portrayed a guy called Frank Dux who claimed to have participated in a real Kumite tournament.
Personally, I think it was all a hoax. There is no evidence that it ever took place and the only person to ever come forward saying they took part was Frank Dux. However, Dux’s credibility has been questioned on several occasions. He claims to have won it and also hold many world records (such as fastest knockout etc) but there is no one to back up his claims! He also happened to buy his Kumite trophy from a local shop in California…
Frank Dux also claimed to be in the CIA which again hasn’t been proved (and never will be)! I think the guy is an average martial artist but has an overactive imagination!
Good post.
It was all a hoax, yes. I wrote a piece on Frank W. Dux and all the crap he pulled at my site (which is linked above.)
That doesn’t take anything away from Bloodsport being the greatest martial arts film ever made, naturally!