Last month I had the honor and privilege to interview Don “The Dragon” Wilson. Don started taking martial arts at the age of seventeen at Chuck Merriman Goju, while he was attending the coast guard academy. He was also fortunate to learn Kung Fu from his brother. I asked Don who was his mentor. As far as kick boxing was concerned it was Bill Wallace. Don trained with Bill in 1978. Bill suggested to Don to take up boxing. Besides boxing Bill showed Don how to use his lead leg when fighting. Don was able to incorporate Bill’s style of fighting into his own.
As far as the movie business is concerned, Chuck Norris was his mentor. Chuck was a fighter who turned into an entertainer. It was Chuck who suggested to Don when he is ready to retire he should try acting. Don packed his bags and moved from Coco Beach Florida to Los Angeles. Looking back when he was a kick boxer Don never thought he would be acting.
I asked Don what he thought about Mixed Martial Arts. He likes it as a sport.
Point Fighting is what I was born to do. MMA is a little bit later than my athletic prime.”
Don was a wrestler in college. As a wrestler he loves the ground game, but as a self defense point of view the ground game is not his style.
I want to be able to strike and escape. I don’t want to grab and roll around. I’d rather be on my feet punch, kick then run. The ground game is important but the preferable way for me would be strike and escape”.
I asked Don how he made the transition from point fighting to kick boxing. Don was an MVP in basketball and football in high school. He loved sports and he saw kick boxing as just another sport. From a sport it became a profession, past time and hobby. One of Don’s most memorable match was when he fought Panya Sornnoi in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong the Thai fighters were considered the best kick boxers in the world. Don defeated Panya at his home turf proving otherwise. Another memorable match was when he fought Jean-Yves Theriault in Canada and the fight was called a Draw. I asked Don if he would like to see any changes in the world of martial arts. As far as the sport of martial arts, Don would like to see a change in the tough guy persona people are showing. He remembers that he and Bill Wallace would try to be a good example for the youth. Don believes the fighters of today aren’t even trying to be that way.
I asked Don if he could make a movie with another actor who would it be? He told me it would be pretty cool if he could do a movie with Chuck Norris. I certainly would pay a movie ticket to see them together. Hey you never know. It could happen!
Hector Feliciano is the founder and Editor of the Martial Arts Times. A fighting enthusiast, He looks forward to sharing his experiences with readers and interacting in the wonderful world of Martial Arts. 
