10 Famous Musicians Who Are High-Level Mixed Martial Artists

6. Jean-Jacques Burnel

Notting Hill, London's own Jean-Jacques Burnel made a name for himself as the longtime bass guitarist for The Stranglers, a group he also co-founded. Along with his bandmates, The 68-year-old rocker is the man behind popular songs like 'Strange Little Girl' and 'Always the Sun.'

The talented bassist also knows karate — quite a lot of it, in fact.

Burnel has been training martial arts, particularly Shidokan Karate, since he was 19 years of age. He is currently a 7th-degree black belt in the discipline. The Englishman has also been a chief instructor for Shidokan GB (a karate organization) since the early-1990s.

Back in 2005, The Strangler even made the cover of Traditional Karate magazine. Unfortunately, his last name was misspelled (Burneli), but it was definitely him. In other words, he's a pretty big deal in the karate world and also happens to be a very successful musician.

Contributor
Contributor

From 1999-2003 Jacques performed on the Florida independent pro wrestling circuit. He also has an amateur wrestling background and currently holds a certification in Krav Maga. Jacques graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2003, with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. Follow him on twitter @goodeals79.