Was Chuck Norris A True Karate Champion?
Ah, Chuck Norris! The bearded, roundhouse-kicking Texas Ranger who sparked a thousand memes (or 'facts', if you will). The respected martial artist with six black belts and enough combat credibility to face Bruce Lee onscreen and come across as a legitimate threat. The revered martial arts teacher and founder of the United Fighting Arts Federation. Mr. Norris is a man of many talents and multiple accolades, but one of his main things has always been Karate, and how extremely good he's supposed to be at it. Yet, as Mixed Martial Arts tells us, Norris holds "only" a 5th degree black belt in that particular martial art, as opposed to his 10th degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do, 9th degree in Tang Soo Do and 8th in Tae Kwon Do. Has... has Norris been all about those 'Do' disciplines all along? Is he really a Karate champion at all?
Spoiler: Yes. Yes, he is.
Chuck Norris is a true Karate champion many times over
Chuck Norris didn't exactly start as a great champion. According to Vintage News, he lost all ten of his official fights before the year 1968. However, after his tenth defeat he apparently Hulked out (Chuck-ed out?), and completely and utterly refused to lose another official fight. His first ten embarrassing defeats included, his total fight record is reportedly 168 wins, two ties... and ten defeats.
For years, Norris roamed the earth, picking up martial arts-themed awards and championships pretty much wherever he deemed to raise his leg in a kicking motion. His most notorious Karate accomplishments are the six World Professional Middleweight Karate Championships he won in six consecutive years before deciding to retire in 1974 as the reigning champion, as Biography tells us. All of this means it's probably fair to say that Chuck Norris is not only a true Karate champion – in many ways, he's the Karate champion.