Steven Seagal recently appeared on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour and discussed debatably the greatest fighter in Mixed Martial Arts history Anderson Silva (“he either fears me pretends to fear me”) and debatably the father of mixed martial arts Gene LeBell (“if he said that he’s a sick, pathological, scumbag, a—–, liar, I did not poop my pants.”)
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Unconfirmed rumor has it that Steven Seagal is a creep. As former Pride commentator and fight coordinator Stephen Quadros relates I had heard all the horror stories about how he would hurt actors and stunt performers, dislocated shoulders, kick guys in the nuts to see if they were wearing cups, etc. I had heard about Gene LeBell.”
The LeBell rumor is legend.
As the story goes, in 1991, Gene LeBell was working as a stunt coordinator on Out for Justice. At some point Seagal announced that due to his Aikido training, he was immune to chokes. When then 58-year-old LeBell heard about the claim, he gave Seagal the opportunity to test it.
As the story goes, LeBell set the choke up, Seagal said “Go” and Seagal promptly went. As the story goes, Seagal went out and went #1 and #2, in his pants.
Ever since, either because of a rumored legal gag order (see action figure :-), or because in the stunt business what happens on the set stays on the set, or because it never happened, LeBell has never fully confirmed the story.
On The MMA Hour, Seagal vehemently denied the Gene LeBell dookie pants story.
I don’t even know if (Gene LeBell) is still alive,” said Seagal. “Is he still alive? I never knew this about him – either he is a pathological liar or he had somebody making up these stories. He came over to my trailer and I was with a guy called Conrad Palmisano who is still a legend, one of the greatest stunt co-ordinators in the history of Hollywood.
[LeBell and I] were standing there talking about moves and stuff like that and we were just doing some stretching and he was showing me how you can stretch … he wanted to stretch my back and then I kind of flipped over the top of him and said ‘thank you for that.’
There was never any confrontation with him ever. In any way, shape or form. And I swear to god on my children – and they are the most precious thing in my life – if he is saying that he is a pathological scumbag liar. I keep answering that. Either he made up this lie or someone made it up.
When I first heard it was dumbfounded and so was Conrad Palmisano, who you are welcome to talk to, he was standing right there. He’s probably the most famous stunt co-ordinator in our business and a Vietnam veteran, a great salt of the earth and an honest, upright non-lying man.
Gene Le Bell has never even said anything impolite to me. When he has seen me he has been extremely polite to me and just acted like a friend. I think you know the truth here and everyone else knows the truth and if Gene is saying s— like that he should be ashamed of himself.
And after I heard this I did start to think of some other things he had said, like he said to me he had beat the shit out of Bruce Lee and I started to think well maybe this guy is a pathological liar. He should never make up these kind of sick… you know… It just makes him look like a total a——. It makes him look like a demented child.
Seagal also discussed Anderson Silva.
“With me he’s already been very, very, very humble,” said Seagal. “He either fears me pretends to fear me. He’s a consummate gentleman, a great student and a great friend. To me he’s the way I’d want any of my students or friends to be.”
Seagal has referred to Silva and former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida as his sons. His sons offered their own take on the lessons from dad.
