Ron Van Clief
Biography
Ron "The Black Dragon" Van Clief is a martial arts legend. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943, he started martial arts training in his early teens. At 5 feet 10 inches and 190 pounds, Van Clief was fast, powerful, and tough. He won 10 New York State Full-Contact Karate Championships. He won multiple Karate Point-Fighting Titles. By the early 1970s he had earned his 10th Degree Black Belt. His karate record was reported to be 110-8. In 1994 at age 51, he launched a comeback on December 16, 1994 fighting former World JuJitsu Lightheavyweight and Ultimate Fighting World Champion Royce Gracie. The Black Dragon landed one good punch, but was taken to the canvas where after a valiant battle was choked into submission, thus ending one of the greatest fighting careers in martial arts history.
Top Filmography
Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks
2019 // MOVIE
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
1980 // MOVIE
Death by Misadventure: The Mysterious Life of Bruce Lee
1993 // MOVIE
Enter the Clones of Bruce
2023 // MOVIE
Top Fighter
1995 // MOVIE
Kung Fu Fever
1979 // MOVIE
The Squeeze
1978 // MOVIE
UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors
1994 // MOVIE
Black Dragon's Revenge
1975 // MOVIE
The Black Dragon
1974 // MOVIE
Way of the Black Dragon
1978 // MOVIE
The Hanged Man: The Story of Ron Van Clief
2020 // MOVIE
Blazin'
2001 // MOVIE
The Black Kung Fu Experience
2012 // MOVIE
Bamboo Trap
1975 // MOVIE