If asked who I would pick, of all the martial artists who ever lived, to have on my side in a fight for my life, I would choose Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Not just because of his unrivaled skill, but because of his warrior's heart, tenacity, determination, mental toughness, competativeness, and courage. He was the first and only individual to come into my head when deciding who to first feature as "Martial Artist of the Month".
Biography:
It's hard to imagine how Benny Urquidez could not have become a great fighter. His father was a boxer and his mother was a wrestler. At the age of five, he was already competing in Pee Wee Boxing tournaments. At the age of fourteen, Urquidez shocked the martial arts community upon passing his two day black belt exam under the instruction of his older brother and professional karate competitior Arnold Urquidez and renowned Kempo pioneer, Ed Parker. Capturing the public's eye with his impressive wins in Belgium and England as a member of Ed Parker's International Karate Team in 1974, it was clear that he was the fighting star of the Elvis Presely produced martial arts documentary, The New Gladiators, which covered these events. After participating in the greatest point karate match in the sport's history against John Natividad, Urquidez was offered a new venture to develope his fighting skill: full contact karate or "kickboxing". Fighting anyone he could, Urquidez, now nicknamed "The Jet" after his fantastic spinning back kick, won the championship under every sanctioning body for which he fought. Retiring in the early nineties with a record of 58-0-1 (very contraversial last digit), Urquidez had already co-starred in several films with martial arts cinema legends such as Jackie Chan and Samo Hung. Urquidez was also added to the Black Belt Hall of Fame as "Fighter of the Year" in 1978. He now teaches his own martial arts curriculum Ukidokan, which means "A Way of Life".
Why So Great?
Benny "Ther Jet" isn't just great, he's phenominal. Here are the reasons "The Jet" makes my number one choice for Martial Artist of the Month.
(1) He would fight anyone. Not almost anyone, but anyone. Urquidez showed what it takes to be a true world champion. And that is to prove your worth against anyone in the world that you claim to be champion of. Urquidez was the first American fighter to seek bouts over seas, fighting with the Japanese champions and crossing over into the Muay Thai arena also. No other fighter of his caliber would take on a bout without knowing the oponent but Urquidez would often be promised one opponent only to have a switch pulled, forcing him to fight bigger and stronger oponents than expected. No problem for "The Jet" though, he beat them anyway. In some instances, Urquidez beat multiple fighters the same night, one right after the next.
(2) He would fight under any rules. Not almost any rules, but any rules. Urquidez would accept challenges from any fighter who issued one and agree to fight under their set of rules and even in their hometown. Having trained in a variety of martial arts discelplines certainly helped, but it was unprecedented and still unmatched. The Gracies claim to accept all challenges, but not under any rules. Urquidez was unique in that way. There are even unproven rumors that Urquidez accepted a challenge from the Gracie family but that they pulled out upon learning he held a black belt under grappling master, Gene LeBell.
(3) Size was no obstacle. I'm a small guy and so is Urquidez. I can relate to the pressure of fighting a bigger man and never was there a little guy who beat on the bigger oponents like Benny Urquidez did. In 1974, Urquidez, who is five feet six, took on six feet one Dana Goodson in Hawaii. Urquidez fought his heart out and dominated the larger oponent, earning the nickname "The Giant Killer" in Hawaii. It wasn't just size though, Urquidez would fight faster men, stonger men, more experienced men, and would beat them all.
(4) He embrassed the old and the new. Many fighters will stubornly hold fast to either classical or newer methods, never willing to try the other. Not Urquidez, he used both. Urquidez holds multiple black belts in classical styles but always worked to adapt the techniques when necessary. Watching his full contact bouts, you can see how he draws from karate, judo, kung fu and more, integrating the older arts with the new sport. Myself having come froma classical Tae Kwon Do background and now practicing mixed martial arts, I can relate to Urquidez and admire him for this reason.
Overall:
In the end, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez exhibits all the traits of greatness. His never-quit-attitude, willingness to engage any oponent, practice of traddition, acceptance and mastery of new methods, adaptability, and deep understanding of philosophy and human nature solidify him as a true martial artist and warrior, no matter which perspective you may have. His influence in the fight game will be forever felt and generations upon generations of martial artists will look up to him for inspiration. Here he may be "Martial Artist of the Month" but in our hearts, he may be Martial Artist of A Lifetime.
Here is a great clip about Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50HDAMmAGLc
No comments:
Post a Comment