Bloodsport is supposedly based on a true story about a man who competes in an underground martial arts tournament, but there are many who doubt that any of it ever actually happened. Bloodsport, which released on Netflix this week, is one of the most popular and iconic martial arts movies from the 1980s, and it turned Jean-Claude Van Damme into a huge action movie star.
Released in 1988, Bloodsport tells the story of Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a captain in the U.S. Army and an experienced martial artist, who ignores his superiors and competes in an illegal martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. During the tournament, Dux battles an array of international fighters from various schools of martial arts. The film received praise for the fight choreography - which was handled by the real-life Dux - and Van Damme's performance is the action icon's most celebrated role.
Bloodsport, which also features Forest Whitaker and Bolo Yeung, is considered one of the most influential martial arts movies of all time, as it's packed with intense fight scenes, a large and diverse number of fighting styles, a spectacular training montage, and a memorable soundtrack. At the end of the movie, the credits notes that Bloodsport is based on a true story, but Bloodsport's source material may have been embellished.
Bloodsport's Story Explained
In Bloodsport, as a boy, Frank Dux was trained by a Japanese ninjutsu master named Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao). After Tanaka's son dies, Tanaka makes Dux a member of the clan and trains him as if he were his own son. Years later, Dux is in the military when he has a chance to enter an illegal tournament called the Kumite using the invitation given to Tanaka's son. Defying the Army's orders, Dux attempts to win the Kumite on behalf of the Tanaka clan. Meanwhile, he also gets romantically involved with Janice (Leah Ayres), a journalist investigating the Kumite.
Over the course of the movie, Dux befriends American wrestler Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) and battles it out with experts in Muay Thai, kickboxing, Sumo wrestling, and more. It all leads to a dramatic showdown with Chong Li, played by Bolo Yeung, the same actor who portrayed the main villain of Enter the Dragon. The massive and muscular defending champion, Chong Li is depicted as a ruthless fighter who enjoys inflicting pain on his opponents. Despite Li's skill, strength, and attempts to cheat his way to a victory, Dux defeats him and wins the tournament for the Tanaka clan.
Frank Dux's Kumite Story Explained
Bloodsport's plot is based on Dux's own account that was originally published in Black Belt magazine by writer John Stewart. Dux, who was actually in the Marines rather than the Army, told Black Belt that he was trained by a Japanese martial artist named Tanaka who, when he was a young man, competed in an event called the Kumite, an extremely secretive martial arts tournament held every five years. Just like the movie, the Kumite supposedly goes by an unspoken set of rules that allows its fighters to use excessive force. Thanks to Tanaka's training, Dux was able to get his own invitation to the Kumite in the Bahamas in 1975; apparently, the location constantly changes so that the tournament can maintain its secrecy. The tournament consisted of 60 matches that played out over three days. In the end, Dux says he won the Kumite and earned a trophy for his victory. Dux also claims that Bloodsport's Chong Li is based on a real competitor whom he fought in the Kumite, and he claims the movie's depiction of the fight is accurate. As for why he's even allowed to talk publicly about such a secretive tournament, Dux explained that he's been allowed to act as a spokesman in an effort to attract more competitors.
Frank Dux May Have Lied About The Kumite
Conflicting statements and an overall lack of evidence have called Frank Dux's story into question. Many have disputed Dux's statements about his history in the military and the awards he claims to have received. A photo of Dux's uniforms shows him with an award from the wrong branch of the military and other awards arranged in the wrong order, but Dux later said that this was only a Halloween costume. In response to other disputes about his military achievements, Dux claims the military has sabotaged his records.
Concerns that he may have lied about what he did in the military and the honors he's received cast further doubt on his account of the Kumite. Experts have said that an event on the scale of the Kumite is unlikely to have existed, considering the number of fighters involved. John Stewart, the original author of the Black Belt article, later admitted to having regrets about printing Dux's account, even though the article had a disclaimer pointing out that due to the nature of the tournament, the events described by Dux were impossible to verify. Stewart says that information was brought to his attention that made him question Dux's credibility. Sheldon Lettich, who co-wrote the script for Bloodsport, says the only alleged witness of Dux's participation in the Kumite later confessed to him that he was told what to say by Dux. Lettich said that the premise of Bloodsport came from Dux's "tall tales."
Tanaka, Dux's purported trainer, has never been found. Dux says he has passed away, and to this day there is no record that he ever actually existed. Richard Robinson, the inspiration for the Ray Jackson character in Bloodsport, was said to have met Dux at the Kumite, but it was eventually reported that Robinson was Dux's former classmate, prompting many to believe that Robinson had been asked to lie in order to corroborate Dux's story.
So did this illegal tournament ever actually happen? There's no evidence that it did, so it's hard to say how much, if any, of Frank Dux's story is true. Information about the organization that allegedly hosted the Kumite, the International Fighting Arts Association, is difficult to track down. Though it is possible that Dux did take part and possibly win some sort of martial arts event, Bloodsport's depiction of the Kumite is impossible to verify.