Michael Jai White has lived several lives: martial artist, action-film workhorse, and one of the few actors to bring real fighting ability to mainstream cinema. Despite nearly eight dozen films behind him, he came into the Asian World Film Festival this week and experienced something that definitely struck a different chord.

The kind of moment that pushes a man to look back at the kid he used to be, rather than the star he eventually became. For someone who has built his career on precision, discipline, and respect for the art, the accolade he received was more than just another industry pat on the back. It was something tied to the roots of why he started martial arts in the first place, something that hit deeper than trophies, titles, or Hollywood applause.

Michael Jai White wins the Bruce Lee Award

Only after stepping on stage did the night’s real significance unfold, as Shannon Lee, martial arts legend Bruce Lee‘s daughter, close friend, and old Wushu classmate, presented Michael Jai White with the Bruce Lee Award at the 2025 Asian World Film Festival (AWFF). The MMA icon, clearly touched by the experience, shared it on Instagram, posting a video of the ceremony alongside a photo of himself as a very young man standing next to a Bruce Lee poster on the wall.

The caption perfectly conveyed what the honor meant to him. He wrote, “Last night I was honored to receive the prestigious Bruce Lee Award at the AWFF! … This honor is the most heartfelt award I could ever receive! I don’t know who ‘Tony, Emmy, or Oscar’ were, but I damn sure know Bruce Lee!” White emphasized that he considered getting this award to be both personal and historic.

Coming from Bruce Lee’s own family, White has quietly gained the stamp of authenticity he earned over decades. Additionally, the timing also fits his career perfectly. Even after 78 films, Michael Jai White is still active, currently starring alongside Dolph Lundgren in the assassin thriller Exit Protocol.

His resume speaks for itself: Spawn, Undisputed 2, Blood and Bone, Black Dynamite, and Falcon Rising, films that established him as a force in action movies. Unlike many on-screen fighters who rely solely on choreography, White’s foundation is built on actual black belts in Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Taekwondo, Wushu, and other disciplines.

For years, fans have claimed that Michael Jai White is one of Hollywood’s most underrated action stars, a technician whose work frequently overwhelmed the fanfare surrounding him. This award, however, breaks that invisibility. It connects him directly to the legacy of a man who shaped the entire genre. And, based on his post, it appears that recognition was most important. As for fan appreciation, well, he’s truly earning that as well.

White’s Hostile Takeover finds success on streaming

And, while the Bruce Lee Award drew new attention to Michael Jai White, his project from earlier this year is doing the rest. Hostile Takeover, a crisp, fast-paced action comedy, debuted at No. 2 on STARZ, quietly confirming that White’s style of physical, stylish chaos continues to resonate with fans.

For the ones who are unaware of the movie and its plot, the film follows him as Pete Strykyr, a hitman whose quest for self-improvement turns into a full-fledged battle with a crime syndicate. It is precisely the type of role in which White shines, and viewers are responding. The reviews aren’t coming from critics but from viewers on Letterboxd and Rotten Tomatoes, and they confirm what lovers of White’s work have always known.

After decades of being called “underrated,” it appears that fans are now catching up. And Michael Jai White isn’t slowing down after this wave of momentum. Exit Protocol pairs him with Dolph Lundgren in a hitman-versus-hitman battle, and he already has other projects in the works, including The Hook, Drive Through Fire, Father, Where Art Thou?, and the wonderfully chaotic-sounding Karate Ghost.

It’s a loaded deck for a man who recently got the most meaningful honor of his life and now appears to be positioned, perhaps for the first time, exactly where fans believe he’s always belonged: receiving his due in both the martial arts world and the action-film universe he helped build.