When someone talks about Steven Seagal, his critics and those who defend him almost naturally appear. And it is that the American actor has an edge in his career that is synonymous with controversy and his relationship with martial arts.
Seagal obtained the degree of master black belt, seventh dan in the traditional Japanese martial art of aikido, and was also the first Westerner in history to found, open and direct his own school or dōjō of said specialty in Japan itself; the Tenshin Dojo, which is now run by his ex-wife, also an aikido teacher, Miyako Fujitani.
In addition, the American actor has extensive knowledge of kenjutsu and kendo (classical Japanese fencing styles), and of the disciplines of karate and judo, although according to his critics, he has never practiced any martial art and only limits himself to rehearsing choreographies.
But without a doubt, there is an episode that marked Steven Seagal and lovers of mixed martial arts and it was with one of the most famous moves in UFC history… We are referring to Anderson Silva’s front kick on Vitor Belfort.
In February 2011, UFC fans got ready to watch middleweight champion Anderson Silva take on Vitor Belfort. At the time, Silva was widely considered the best mixed martial artist on the planet, and in the first round, he knocked out Belfort with a front kick to the face. It was one of the most iconic moments in UFC history…and days later, Seagal was taking all the credit.
According to Seagal, he was the man who taught Anderson Silva how to use that particular kick. In fact, Seagal even claimed that he invented that kick. While many assumed Seagal was lying, the actor had accompanied Silva to the ring on that historic night. And a few events later, Lyoto Machida knocked out the legendary Randy Couture with a Karate Kid style kick. Once again, Seagal took credit for the film, this time on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
While Anderson Silva seemed to enjoy the joke at first, the champion finally decided to speak up, explaining how he had been practicing the front kick long before he met Seagal. In his famous English, Silva admitted: “Seagal is a good man. He is not my coach. He doesn’t train me. He is a good man. He is a good person. That’s all”.
Other athletes were much less likeable. When Seagal tried to go backstage at UFC 135 to advise light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, the fighter turned him down. Ronda Rousey once claimed that she could “beat the crap out of the actor. Seagal even challenged former two-time champion Randy Couture to a fight…as long as there were no witnesses. When asked about the matchup, Couture said he wasn’t surprised Seagal wanted to fight “in a private, remote location where no one could see him.”
