Martial Artists, Mixed Martial Artists (MMA), Kickboxers, BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), vale tudo, luta livre fighters
MMA fighters, kickboxers, martial artists, other combat sports athletes and contemporary martial artists who have been influential.
MMA blends all these styles-Kickboxing, boxing, submission grappling, and wrestling-into one and a lot of athletes coming into the sport today are training in a way that combines them as well.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the hybrid Judo style taught by Mitsuyo Maeda, a naturalized Japanese-Brazilian citizen who was a 7th Dan in Kodokan Judo, to Carlos Gracie and his family during the early 20th century, it has become the dominant style of grappling taught to most MMA fighters.
Vale tudo had been on Brazilian TV for decades but the Gracie helped create the UFC as a way of showing the effectiveness of their family's martial art. Royce Gracie was picked by his father Helio to compete at the first UFC and won the tournament.
Luta Livre is a style of grappling that developed in Brazil, evolving from freestyle wrestling and Judo.
Catch, freestyle, folkstyle (collegiate) and Greco-Roman wrestling have all been seen in MMA as a number of high level college wrestlers and even some Olympians have competed in MMA and submission grappling. Catch wrestling refers to the catch-as-catch-can style of grappling that originated in England and spread across America after the Civil War, later finding it's way to Japan via Karl Gotch, a Belgian freestyle and Greco-Roman competitor-turned pro wrestler, who trained Japanese pro wrestlers that began the shoot style of pro wrestling that became immensely popular there.
Pro Wrestling played it's role, particularly in Japan where PRIDE FC was co-founded by pro wrestler Nobuhiko Takada and filled arenas in Japan with the series of Pro Wrestling vs. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grudge matches that played out there. Kazushi Sakuraba, a former collegiate wrestler-turned pro and catch wrestler, emerged as one of the biggest stars in his victories over different members of the Gracie family. His nickname was The Gracie Hunter and I.Q. Wrestler. He often fought at heavyweight and openweight against much larger opponents as well. Josh Barnett may be the most well known catch wrestling practitioner still competing in MMA today with his past appearances in PRIDE, UFC, and New Japan Pro Wrestling events.
Kickboxing is a hybrid of the popular full contact styles used in K-1, Glory, WKA, or WBC Muaythai-Boxing, Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Shootboxing, Wushu or Sanshou.
MMA weight classes as follows:
Atomweight-105 lbs
Strawweight-115 lbs
Flyweight-125 lbs
Bantamweight-135 lbs
Featherweight-145 lbs
Lightweight-155 lbs
Welterweight-170 lbs
Middleweight- 185 lbs
Light Heavyweight-205 lbs
Heavyweight-265 lbs
MMA blends all these styles-Kickboxing, boxing, submission grappling, and wrestling-into one and a lot of athletes coming into the sport today are training in a way that combines them as well.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the hybrid Judo style taught by Mitsuyo Maeda, a naturalized Japanese-Brazilian citizen who was a 7th Dan in Kodokan Judo, to Carlos Gracie and his family during the early 20th century, it has become the dominant style of grappling taught to most MMA fighters.
Vale tudo had been on Brazilian TV for decades but the Gracie helped create the UFC as a way of showing the effectiveness of their family's martial art. Royce Gracie was picked by his father Helio to compete at the first UFC and won the tournament.
Luta Livre is a style of grappling that developed in Brazil, evolving from freestyle wrestling and Judo.
Catch, freestyle, folkstyle (collegiate) and Greco-Roman wrestling have all been seen in MMA as a number of high level college wrestlers and even some Olympians have competed in MMA and submission grappling. Catch wrestling refers to the catch-as-catch-can style of grappling that originated in England and spread across America after the Civil War, later finding it's way to Japan via Karl Gotch, a Belgian freestyle and Greco-Roman competitor-turned pro wrestler, who trained Japanese pro wrestlers that began the shoot style of pro wrestling that became immensely popular there.
Pro Wrestling played it's role, particularly in Japan where PRIDE FC was co-founded by pro wrestler Nobuhiko Takada and filled arenas in Japan with the series of Pro Wrestling vs. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grudge matches that played out there. Kazushi Sakuraba, a former collegiate wrestler-turned pro and catch wrestler, emerged as one of the biggest stars in his victories over different members of the Gracie family. His nickname was The Gracie Hunter and I.Q. Wrestler. He often fought at heavyweight and openweight against much larger opponents as well. Josh Barnett may be the most well known catch wrestling practitioner still competing in MMA today with his past appearances in PRIDE, UFC, and New Japan Pro Wrestling events.
Kickboxing is a hybrid of the popular full contact styles used in K-1, Glory, WKA, or WBC Muaythai-Boxing, Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Shootboxing, Wushu or Sanshou.
MMA weight classes as follows:
Atomweight-105 lbs
Strawweight-115 lbs
Flyweight-125 lbs
Bantamweight-135 lbs
Featherweight-145 lbs
Lightweight-155 lbs
Welterweight-170 lbs
Middleweight- 185 lbs
Light Heavyweight-205 lbs
Heavyweight-265 lbs
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Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular media. Had it not been for Bruce Lee and his movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream North American and European cinema and audiences the way it has over the past four decades. The influence of East Asian martial arts cinema can be seen today in so many other film genres including comedies, action, drama, science fiction, horror and animation... and they all have their roots in the phenomenon that was Bruce Lee.
Lee was born Lee Jun Fan November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, the son of Lee Hoi Chuen, a singer with the Cantonese Opera. Approximately one year later, the family returned to Kowloon in Hong Kong and at the age of five, a young Bruce begins appearing in children's roles in minor films including The Birth of Mankind (1946) and Fu gui fu yun (1948). At the age of 12, Bruce commenced attending La Salle College. Bruce was later beaten up by a street gang, which inspired him to take up martial arts training under the tutelage of Sifu Yip Man who schooled Bruce in wing chun kung fu for a period of approximately five years. This was the only formalized martial arts training ever undertaken by Lee. The talented and athletic Bruce also took up cha-cha dancing and, at age 18, won a major dance championship in Hong Kong.
However, his temper and quick fists got him in trouble with the Hong Kong police on numerous occasions. His parents suggested that he head off to the United States. Lee landed in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1959 and worked in a close relative's restaurant. He eventually made his way to Seattle, Washington, where he enrolled at university to study philosophy and found the time to practice his beloved kung fu techniques. In 1963, Lee met Linda Lee Cadwell (aka Linda Emery) (later his wife) and also opened his first kung fu school at 4750 University Way. During the early half of the 1960s, Lee became associated with many key martial arts figures in the United States, including kenpo karate expert Ed Parker and tae kwon do master Jhoon Rhee. He made guest appearances at notable martial arts events including the Long Beach Nationals. Through one of these tournaments Bruce met Hollywood hair-stylist Jay Sebring who introduced him to television producer William Dozier. Based on the runaway success of Batman (1966), Dozier was keen to bring the cartoon character the Green Hornet to television and was on the lookout for an East Asian actor to play the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato. Around this time Bruce also opened a second kung fu school in Oakland, California and relocated to Oakland to be closer to Hollywood.
Bruce's screen test was successful, and The Green Hornet (1966) starring Van Williams aired in 1966-1967 with mixed success. His fight scenes were sometimes obscured by unrevealing camera angles, but his dedication was such that he insisted his character behave like a perfect bodyguard, keeping his eyes on whoever might be a threat to his employer except when the script made this impossible. The show was canceled after only one season (twenty-six episodes), but by this time Lee was receiving more fan mail than the series' nominal star. He then opened a third branch of his kung fu school in Los Angeles and began providing personalized martial arts training to celebrities including film stars Steve McQueen and James Coburn as well as screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. In addition he refined his prior knowledge of wing chun and incorporated aspects of other fighting styles such as traditional boxing and Okinawan karate. He also developed his own unique style Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist). Another film opportunity then came his way as he landed the small role of a stand over man named Winslow Wong who intimidates private eye James Garner in Marlowe (1969). Wong pays a visit to Garner and proceeds to demolish the investigator's office with his fists and feet, finishing off with a spectacular high kick that shatters the light fixture. With this further exposure of his talents, Bruce then scored several guest appearances as a martial arts instructor to blind private eye James Franciscus on the television series Longstreet (1971).
With his minor success in Hollywood and money in his pocket, Bruce returned for a visit to Hong Kong and was approached by film producer Raymond Chow who had recently started Golden Harvest productions. Chow was keen to utilize Lee's strong popularity amongst young Chinese fans, and offered him the lead role in The Big Boss (1971). In it, Lee plays a distant cousin coming to join relatives working at an ice house, where murder, corruption, and drug-running lead to his character's adventures and display of Kung-Fu expertise. The film was directed by Wei Lo, shot in Thailand on a very low budget and in terrible living conditions for cast and crew. However, when it opened in Hong Kong the film was an enormous hit. Chow knew he had struck box office gold with Lee and quickly assembled another script entitled Fist of Fury (1972). The second film (with a slightly bigger budget) was again directed by Wei Lo and was set in Shanghai in the year 1900, with Lee returning to his school to find that his beloved master has been poisoned by the local Japanese karate school. Once again he uncovers the evildoers and sets about seeking revenge on those responsible for murdering his teacher and intimidating his school. The film features several superb fight sequences and, at the film's conclusion, Lee refuses to surrender to the Japanese police and seemingly leaps to his death in a hail of police bullets.
Once more, Hong Kong streets were jammed with thousands of fervent Chinese movie fans who could not get enough of the fearless Bruce Lee, and his second film went on to break the box office records set by the first! Lee then set up his own production company, Concord Productions, and set about guiding his film career personally by writing, directing and acting in his next film, The Way of the Dragon (1972). A bigger budget meant better locations and opponents, with the new film set in Rome, Italy and additionally starring hapkido expert In-shik Hwang, karate legend Robert Wall and seven-time U.S. karate champion Chuck Norris. Bruce plays a seemingly simple country boy sent to assist at a cousin's restaurant in Rome and finds his cousins are being bullied by local thugs for protection.
By now, Lee's remarkable success in East Asia had come to the attention of Hollywood film executives and a script was hastily written pitching him as a secret agent penetrating an island fortress. Warner Bros. financed the film and also insisted on B-movie tough guy John Saxon starring alongside Lee to give the film wider appeal. The film culminates with another show-stopping fight sequence between Lee and the key villain, Han, in a maze of mirrors. Shooting was completed in and around Hong Kong in early 1973 and in the subsequent weeks Bruce was involved in completing overdubs and looping for the final cut. Various reports from friends and co-workers cite that he was not feeling well during this period and on July 20, 1973 he lay down at the apartment of actress Betty Ting Pei after taking a headache medicine called Equagesic and was later unable to be revived. A doctor was called and Lee was taken to hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead that evening. The official finding was death due to a cerebral edema, caused by a reaction to the headache tablet Equagesic.
Fans worldwide were shattered that their virile idol had passed at such a young age, and nearly thirty thousand fans filed past his coffin in Hong Kong. A second, much smaller ceremony was held in Seattle, Washington and Bruce was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetary in Seattle with pall bearers including Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Dan Inosanto. Enter the Dragon (1973) was later released in the mainland United States, and was a huge hit with audiences there, which then prompted National General films to actively distribute his three prior movies to U.S. theatres... each was a box office smash.
Fans throughout the world were still hungry for more Bruce Lee films and thus remaining footage (completed before his death) of Lee fighting several opponents including Dan Inosanto, Hugh O'Brian and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was crafted into another film titled Game of Death (1978). The film used a lookalike and shadowy camera work to be substituted for the real Lee in numerous scenes. The film is a poor addition to the line-up and is only saved by the final twenty minutes and the footage of the real Bruce Lee battling his way up the tower. Amazingly, this same shoddy process was used to create Game of Death II (1980), with a lookalike and more stunt doubles interwoven with a few brief minutes of footage of the real Bruce Lee.
Tragically, his son Brandon Lee, an actor and martial artist like his father, was killed in a freak accident on the set of The Crow (1994). Bruce Lee was not only an amazing athlete and martial artist but he possessed genuine superstar charisma and through a handful of films he left behind an indelible impression on the tapestry of modern cinema.The originator of the no style approach to martial arts and called "Godfather of MMA," martial arts teacher and philosopher, actor, director, martial arts choreographer, script writer and author, trained in Wing Chun by the also legendary teacher Ip Man during his youth, founder of Jeet Kune Do, star of The Big Boss, Enter the Dragon and Game of Death among other films, died of a mysterious illness in 1973 while shooting Game of Death, survived by his wife Linda, son Brandon, and daughter Linda. His son was also making an attempt at an acting career with films like Rapid Fire and the now cult classic The Crow. Brandon also died tragically during production of his last film, The Crow, after an accident with a misfired blank round.- Actor
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Anderson is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva was the UFC's longest reigning champion and also holds the longest winning and title defense streak in UFC history, with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses, and is the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world according to ESPN, Sherdog, Yahoo! Sports and other publications. Silva holds notable victories over former champions Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Chris Leben, Rich Franklin(x2), Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort. UFC president Dana White has called Silva "the greatest mixed martial artist ever. Anderson Silva was born April 14, 1975, a middle child of four. The son of a poverty stricken family, Silva spent the majority of his childhood with his aunt and uncle, an officer with the Curitiba police force. Silva has three sons and two daughters with his wife, Dayane. Silva appeared in Never Surrender in 2009 and a documentary about his life in the UFC called Like Water, released in 2011.
Silva first began training Jiu Jitsu with neighborhood kids who could afford lessons. By the age of 12, his family was able to set aside enough money to start him in Tae Kwon Do lessons, from which he moved on to Capoeira, before finally settling on Muay Thai at the age of 16.
Before he began his career as a professional fighter, Silva worked at McDonalds, and also as a file clerk. He also considers Spider-Man a personal hero, and has a stated love of comic books and comic book heroes. Film and television is one of his greatest passions and he can see himself heavily immersed in the industry in the future.Former UFC Middleweight Champion, black belts in BJJ, Muay Thai and Taekwondo, yellow rope in Capoeira, had a 15 fight win streak and 10 consecutive title defenses, currently has the most consecutive wins in UFC history, recently lost his title to "All-American" Chris Weidman, 33-6 MMA record, rematched Weidman at UFC 168 and lost after a gruesome leg injury resulting from a checked leg kick.- Georges St-Pierre was born on 19 May 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Cartels (2016) and Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016).2x former UFC Welterweight Champion, vacated his title and is currently taking a sabbatical from MMA claiming he will return to the sport after straightening out some personal issues, 9 fight winning streak, black belts in BJJ, Shotokan and Kyokushin Karate, and Gaidojutsu (which is MMA trainer to the UFC stars Greg Jackson's own personally developed hybrid martial arts style), was the no. 1 ranked welterweight fighter and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA for 5 years, successfully defended his title though in a somewhat controversial fashion with a split decision over former All-American and national champion collegiate wrestler Johny "Big Rigg" Hendricks, improved his record to 24-2 in MMA, appeared as Batroc the Leaper-a savate using supervillain in upcoming Capt. America: The Winter Soldier due out in 2014, denied false rumors posted by TMZ about an unwanted pregnancy with an unnamed woman and father's supposed terminal illness through spokesman (I'd consider suing for libel and slander if I were GSP), currently embroiled in a multimillion dollar lawsuit with former manager Shari Spencer after splitting in 2010.
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Chris Weidman was born on 17 June 1984 in Baldwin, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Grace Point (2023), Kevin Can Wait (2016) and A Day in Fight Camp: Chris Weidman (2013). He is married to Marivi. They have three children.Current UFC World Middleweight Champion, NCAA D-1 All-American @ Hofstra University and ironically nicknamed "All-American," Brown Belt in BJJ under former UFC Welteweight Champion Matt Serra, trains with Serra-Longo Fight Team, first fighter to beat Anderson Silva in over 6 years by KO to win title, holds MMA wins over Anderson Silva (2X), Mark Munoz, and Tom Lawlor, 11-0 MMA record.- Anthony Pettis is known for WI MMA Today (2012), UFC on Fox (2011) and TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004).Current UFC Lightweight Champion and last WEC Lightweight Champ, BJJ Purple Belt and 3rd Dan in Taekwondo, UFC 2x KO of the Night Winner, WEC 2x KO of the Night, 1x Submission of the Night and 1x Fight of the Night winner, 2010 MMA Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, his win over Ben Henderson featuring his off the cage "Showtime Kick" became an instant viral sensation, has a 17-2 MMA record with wins over Donald Cerrone, Jeremy Stephens, Anthony Pettis, Ben Henderson and Danny Castillo, was booked to fight UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo but was pulled due to MCL injury, rematched Ben Henderson and won UFC Lightweight (155lb.) Championship with a technical submission due to an armbar.
- Demetrious Johnson is an American mixed martial artist. Johnson began his career in mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2007 and won his professional debut via first-round knockout. Johnson then appeared on multiple local shows and won his next 8 fights, including four in a row by submission. Johnson fought at the Alaska Fighting Championships in Anchorage and won via head kick KO, which earned him a deal with the WEC.First and Current UFC Flyweight World Champion, winner of UFC Flyweight Championship Tournament, known for his speed and wrestling, nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" due to his 5' 4" height, trains at AMC Pankration with UFC veteran Matt Hume, placed at Washington State Wrestling Championships in high school, was a top 10 ranked bantamweight before dropping to flyweight where he's the no. 1 fighter in the world according to Sherdog and SBNation MMA rankings, has made 3 successful defenses of his belt, UFC Fight of the Night (2x) and Submission and Knockout of the Night (1x each) Award Winner, has last title defense was a brutal second round knockout over no. 2 flyweight Joe Benavidez, 19-2-1 MMA record, currently on a 5 fight win streak with wins Joe Benavidez, John Moraga, John Dodson and Ian McCall.
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Rickson Gracie is considered one of the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters in history. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he comes from the legendary fighting Gracie family. Along with brothers Royce, Royler, and Rorion Gracie, and his father Hélio, Rickson Gracie has won countless tournaments and championships. A master at submissions, Rickson has defeated such fighters as Japanese jiu-jitsu champion Yoshinori Nishi, kick boxing champion Bud Smith, Pankration champion Masakatsu Funaki, and Japanese wrestling champion Nobuhiko Takada. In 1980, Rickson became a legend by defeating famed vale tudo fighter Rei Zulu, who had an alleged record of 140-0. Rickson is said to have a record of 410 wins and no defeats. However, this record is not without controversy. Gracie is reported to have been defeated in the early 1990s in Oklahoma City losing to Dr. Ron Tripp in a Sambo tournament. In addition, critics often cite the fact he has failed to face any recent champions or truly credible opponents. Regardless, Rickson Gracie will always be ranked among the great jiu-jitsu practitioners. He just may be the greatest jiu-jitsu fighter in history, only time will tell.12-0 in MMA, 8th degree red and black belt in BJJ, black belt in judo and aikido, claims to have gone undefeated in over 300 other MMA, vale tudo and competition matches. His only loss came via uchi-mata in 1993 at the US Sambo Championships to Dr. Ron Tripp, a judo and world sambo champion, which was due in part to a misunderstanding of the tournament rules.- Actor
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Randy Couture is a collegiate wrestler and fighter turned actor from Everett, Washington. He served as a four time US Olympic wrestling team alternate as a soldier in the U.S. Army, and is also a 6 time world heavyweight and light heavyweight UFC champion and Hall of Famer. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's degree in foreign language literature and is also fluent in German. Randy's current girlfriend is actress Mindy Robinson. He is best known for starring in all three of The Expendables, Ambushed, and The Scorpion King 2.Former 3x NCAA D-1 All-American at OSU and two-time NCAA title tournament runner-up, 3x Olympic team alternate, 1991 Pan American Games Gold Medalist in Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling at 90kg, Former three-time UFC Heavyweight and two-time Light Heavyweight UFC Champion, UFC 13 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner, 19-11 MMA record.- Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko (born September 28, 1976) Fedor is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He is the current World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion and the last holder of the Pride Heavyweight Championship, Pride 2004 Grand Prix winner, four time World Combat Sambo champion. Fighting out of Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia, from Red Devil Sport Club team. Fedor is #1 Heavyweight fighter in the world.Pride FC Heavyweight Champion, multiple time World Combat Sambo Champion, undefeated for 10 years in MMA, No. 1 ranked heavyweight and pound-for-pound MMA fighter for years, floundered somewhat in the last two years of his career after his first true MMA loss to Fabricio Werdum, recently retired after his final MMA win over Pedro Rizzo, 34-4 MMA record, is a devout Orthodox Christian and was married in a ceremony in 2010, his fame and success have gained the admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin as well.
- José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior, commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Bantamweight division. He also competed at Featherweight, and was the fourth and final WEC Featherweight Champion. He became the first UFC Featherweight Champion following the UFC/WEC merger.UFC World Featherweight Champion, BJJ Black Belt, 24-1 MMA record, is a proficient Muay Thai striker and an accomplished grappler, well known for his devastating knee strikes and punishing leg kicks, hasn't lost in MMA in over 9 years, trains at Nova Uniao with fellow UFC Champion Renan Barao, has wins over Chad Mendes, Ricardo Lamas and Urijah Faber in MMA competition.
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Kenny Florian was born on 26 May 1976 in Westwood, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor, known for The Son of No One (2011), BattleBots (2015) and The Roots of Fight (2012).Retired UFC fighter of Peruvian descent, serves as an analyst and commentator for UFC events, 2nd Dan in BJJ, operates Florian Martial Arts in Boston, MA with brother Keith, a fellow black belt, MMA record 14-6, wins over Joe Stevenson, Joe Lauzon, Diego Nunes, Sam Stout, Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi, fought for 3 championship titles, fought in four different weight divisions (Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight and Featherweight) in UFC, original The Ultimate Fighter cast member (TUF) and 185 lb. tournament runner-up.- Actor
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Rorion Gracie is the oldest son of Helio Gracie. Helio, and his oldest sibling, Carlos Gracie, had helped spread the family's reputation in their native Brazil with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), a ground-based martial art they successfully modified from Japanese jujutsu. Helio taught his children, and, with Carlos, the Gracie family members would challenge practitioners of other martial arts with "The Gracie Challenge", and often won. At age seventeen in December 1969, Rorion Gracie traveled to the United States for the first time on vacation, and for a year he toured New York, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. Gracie had kept cash and return trip airline tickets at a YMCA in Hollywood, California. When his money and airline tickets were stolen, he worked in a restaurant, and later at a construction site where he would often sleep. When he became destitute, he begged for money on the streets until he was able to return to Brazil in 1970. He spent five years studying law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and earned a degree.
In 1979, Rorion Gracie returned to the United States and settled in Torrance, California. He trademarked and started using the term "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" to prevent confusion with that of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. Gracie brought his version of "The Gracie Challenge", which included a $100,000 prize to opponents who could beat him with their fighting style. Gracie met noted kick-boxer Benny Urquidez and demonstrated Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in practice sessions. Gracie challenged Urquidez to a fight, however it did not happen because the two could not settle on terms. While teaching out of his garage, Gracie did various jobs, including cleaning homes. While on a house cleaning job, he met a woman whose husband was a television and film producer. She recommended that Gracie become an actor. It was while working as a background actor on set of Lethal Weapon (1987) that he caught the attention of director Richard Donner, to whom he gave lessons. Donner had seen a video of Gracie fighting and defeating Ralph Alegria, a kick-boxer, and asked Gracie to choreograph fights scenes in the movie.
In 1989, Gracie created the Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California. He gave an interview published in Playboy magazine touting the Gracie Challenge. The article got the attention of Art Davie, a marketing professional. Davie was based in Los Angeles and employed by J &P Marketing, and sought new ideas on what to market. Davie met Rorion at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California. They met again when Rorion invited Davie to watch Gracie Jiu-Jitsu being used on visiting karate opponents. Davie met film director and screenwriter John Milius, while witnessing Royler Gracie defeating karate opponents. Gracie and Davie became business partners, seeking a large media platform for Gracie Jiu Jitsu. They formed WOW Promotions on May 12, 1993, to seek investors. Davie received interest from Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) when he sent them fight videos of the Gracies. SEG programmer Campbell McLaren convinced his boss SEG President Robert B. Meyrowitz to invest. There was early friction between Gracie and Meyrowitz. Gracie was a purist in wanting the bouts to emulate real street fights as much as possible without rules or time limits. Meyrowitz, a veteran producer of radio and television content, was conscious of timing and presentation. On November 12, 1993, UFC 1: The Beginning (1993) was held and aired live on Pay-Per-View. Rorion's brother, Royce Gracie, competed in the tournament and defeated Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau to become UFC's first ever tournament champion. Royce's victory also validated the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu against traditional martial arts. Royce would become tournament winner of UFC 2: No Way Out (1994) and UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors (1994). Seeking to capitalize on Royce Gracie's dominance and popularity, Robert B. Meyrowitz arranged a meeting for him to act in movies and merchandise be made based on him. Meyrowitz wanted a financial share in any such ventures, which Rorion opposed. This further heightened tension between Meyrowitz and Rorion. Rorion later sold his stake in UFC, and Royce stopped competing in the promotion. Rorion continued his family's legacy of teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy.Co-founder of the UFC, 9th degree red abd black belt in BJJ, eldest son of Helio Gracie, first Gracie family member to teach BJJ in the US, and trained actors like Mel Gibson, who uses a triangle choke in Lethal Weapon to beat Gary Busey, and Ed O'Neil, who has a BJJ black belt from Rorion.- Actor
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Royce Gracie, of the legendary Gracie family, is one of the most prolific and influential MMA fighters in history. He became an 'underdog' hero while changing the landscape of combat sports and revolutionizing martial arts forever. After winning the first UFC Tournament(s) (UFC1, UFC2, UFC4), he proved that with the knowledge of his father's fighting style (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) a "David" could beat a "Goliath". Royce is the only fighter in history to defeat four opponents in the same night; unlike today, these tournaments had no weight divisions, no time limits and no real rules. In Brazil they were called "Vale Todo" in America it became 'no-holds-barred' and was quickly ruled illegal throughout most of the U.S. In 2003, Royce was the first fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. His record of 'victories via submissions' remain untouched. Today he's considered an icon, a pioneer, and "The Godfather" of a sport that will be celebrating it's 20th anniversary, November 12th 2013.Winner of the first 4 UFC tournaments, UFC Hall of Fame member, 7th degree red and black belt in BJJ, half-brother of Rickson and Rorion Gracie, and picked specifically by his father Helio to participate in the early UFC events, 14-2 MMA record.- Frankie Edgar was born on 16 October 1981 in Toms River, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for The Bastard Sons (2023), UFC 200 Greatest Fighters of All Time (2016) and UFC on Fox (2011).Former UFC Lightweight Champion, 1st Dan in BJJ under Ricardo Almeida, NCAA D-1 All-American @ Clarion University, Reality Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion, 6x Fight of the Night Winner, 1x KO of the Night Winner, Fight of the Year Winner (shared with Gray Maynard), ESPY Award Upset of the Year 2010 winner (for wins over B.J. Penn), 15-4 MMA record.
- Wanderlei Silva was born on 3 July 1976 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. He is an actor, known for Here Comes the Boom (2012), Abestalhados 2 (2022) and Detetive Madeinusa (2021).Nicknamed The Axe Murderer due to aggressive style and proficient use of the Thai clinch to deliver knee strikes, Black Belts in Muay Thai and BJJ, PRIDE FC Middleweight (205 lb.) Champion and 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix Winner, 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Prix Runner-Up, went undefeated in 20 fights, MMA record 35-12, formerly a member of the famed Chute Boxe Academy, came from the infamous No Holds Barred promotion of International Vale Tudo Championship where he was LHW Champion, holds MMA wins over Kazushi Sakuraba, Quinton Jackson (twice), Guy Mezger, Ricardo Arona, Cung Le, Michael Bisping, Dan Henderson and Hidehiko Yoshida, runs Wand Fight Team in Las Vegas.
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"Judo" Gene LeBell the "Godfather of Grappling" was both a renowned ex-world champion in both wrestling/judo, and one of Hollywood's busiest stuntmen. He is highly respected by many martial artists all over the world, and considered a groundbreaker in many aspects of the art of grappling.
Gene started training in judo at a young age, and at the age of 20 in 1954, he won National AAU Heavyweight Judo Championship and the USA Overall Judo Championship title. He went on to win the both the Heavyweight and overall champion title 1955 as well. After an illustrious judo career, he tried his hand at professional wrestling, and actually won the heavyweight title in Amarillo, Texas. However, in his excitement, Gene swung the title belt around his head, which accidentally hit one of the wrestling commissioners on the head, causing a nasty gash. The belt was immediately seized from the shocked Gene, which in later years would cause him to comment, "Well, at least I was the champ for 12 seconds and I retired as champion."
Gene went on to fight numerous opponents over the years including practitioners from other fighting arts that scoffed at his prowess, however they learned the hard way that Gene's superb grappling skills were the real deal. He has trained with numerous other world champion martial artists including Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, and Benny Urquidez.
He acted and contributed stunt work to Hollywood productions for over fifty years. He can be seen in TV shows including Mission: Impossible (1966), I Spy (1965), The Wild Wild West (1965), Baretta (1975), Married... with Children (1987), and Baywatch (1989). His feature film appearances include Raging Bull (1980), Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985), Bad Guys (1986), Ed Wood (1994), and Men in Black II (2002).
LeBell was still teaching grappling and doing stunts in his 70s. He was a Nevada and California Athletic Commission judge. He judged UFC 74 (Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga) plus he had a highly popular website visited by martial arts and film fans all over the globe.
Gene LeBell had three children including stuntman son David LeBell and FBI agent daughter Monica LeBell Pandis. He also had 8 grandchildren.Judoka, actor, stuntman, early MMA pioneer, and pro wrestler. Gene Lebell has done it all. He's a 9th Dan in Kodokan Judo and a 10th Dan in Jiujitsu. He's well known for his pink gi and his demonstrations where he chokes a volunteer unconscious. He was an AAU National Judo Champion in 1954 and '55. He owns a victory over boxer Milo Savage in an early mixed rules bout. He was the ref in the bizarre mixed rules fight between Antonio Inoki and Muhammad Ali. Gene also allegedly choked Steven Seagal out as a lesson about courtesy during an aikido demonstration. Gene ran the NWA Hollywood Wrestling promotion from 1968-82. He received the Karl Gotch Award and is an honorary member of the Cauliflower Alley Club with the likes of James Cagney, Kirk Douglas and Karl Malden. He also teaches at Hayastan Studio in Hollywood, CA working with MMA instuctor and LeBell student Gokor Chivichyan to help train fighters like UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, Karo Parysian, & Manny Gamburyan.- Born in Hounslow, England, Alistair Cees Overeem spent most of his life in Holland. Along with his older brother, Valentijn Overeem, Alistair was brought by his mother to Holland at age 6 after she and their father divorced. Alistair's interest in combat sports began at 15, when Valentijn took him to a gym to learn self-defense.
Overeem's first time in combat sports competition happened in a 1997 kick-boxing bout, under K-1 rules. His first professional kick-boxing bout was in March 1999 with a decision win over Paul Hordijk. Another first happened that year: he fought in a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bout that October against Ricardo Fyeet, winning by a first round submission. His second MMA fight happened with Japan's Rings organization. Although he lost the decision to Yuriy Kochkine, he was offered a Rings contract.
In his second Rings fight, he defeated Chris Watts by TKO. Overeem had several fights in the Dutch promotion 2 Hot 2 Handle. Later in his first fight with Pride Fighting Championships (2006), he defeated Yusuke Imamura by TKO within a minute. Overeem would experience two more victories in Pride, before a knock loss to Chuck Liddell in 2003. Overeem recovered from the defeat with victories in 2 Hot 2 Handle and Pride, but would get submitted by Maurício Rua in his third bout during the 2005 Pride light-heavyweight Grand Prix.
Overeem's first fight for Strikeforce (2006) happened at the 2006 event named "Revenge," where he won a unanimous decision over Vitor Belfort, an opponent whom he had previously defeated in Pride. It was his last win before Overeem would endure a career setback--later attributed to "private circumstance"--by decisively losing to three successive opponents in Pride: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, and Maurício Rua. Although he had intended to start his career at light-heavyweight then become a heavyweight, it was these losses that Overeem permanently moved to heavyweight. He said it was due to difficulties in cutting and maintaining weight as a light heavyweight fighter. However, his massive weight and muscle gain lead to speculation among some fans that it was the results of using banned substances. Furthermore, the speculation was compounded by his lengthy absence from the American-based Strikeforce (2006),with allegations by that he was avoiding American athletic commissions which conducts stringent testing of fighters not present in Japan and Europe.
In 2007, Overeem returned to competition as a heavyweight in two mixed martial arts bouts held by K-1 with a win then a loss--submitting Michael Knapp then getting knocked out by Sergei Kharitonov. Despite the loss, Overeem was invited for a second Strikeforce (2006) fight, putting him against Paul Buentello at the 2007 event "Four Men Enter, One Man Survives" to crown its first heavyweight champion. Overeem won the Strikeforce heavyweight championship after submitting Buentello by knee strikes in the second round. Due to the non-exclusivity of Strikeforce's contracts--and the dearth of opponents in its heavyweight division--Overeem fought in the Japanese organization Dream, which has a business relationship with Strikeforce (2006).
In Dream fights held in 2008, Overeem defeated Tae-Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt and fought Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic to a "No Contest" as a result of illegal groin strikes by Overeem. The winner may have faced Fedor Emelianenko however the fight's outcome removed it from consideration. That year Overeem fought in Ultimate Glory with a submission victory against Gary Goodridge. A month later in December 2008, Overeem fought Badr Hari in a K-1 kick-boxing fight.
A rivalry had developed between Hari and Overeem after Overeem's Dream 6 fight with Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic. Hari, who was in the audience, entered the ring thereafter and challenged Overeem to a kick-boxing fight, which Overeem refused. Instead, Overeem wanted to fight Hari under MMA rules, which Hari declined. That December at the 2008 K-1 World Grand Prix Final, Hari was disqualified for illegally attacking Remy Bonjasky on the ground in a kick-boxing fight, making Bonjasky the tournament champion. It was Overeem who then challenged Hari to a mixed martial arts fight, however, Hari wanted a kick-boxing bout. Overeem decided he would face Hari first in kick-boxing, if Hari would agree to a later MMA fight, which Hari accepted. They fought later that month at Dynamite 2008!! in Saitama, Japan, where Overeem earned his biggest K-1 kick-boxing victory at the time by knocking out Hari in first round. In March 2009, Overeem lost a K-1 decision to Remy Bonjasky.
After losing to Bonjasky, Overeem withdrew from a scheduled MMA title fight against Fabricio Werdum at the 2009 event Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg (2009), due to a hand injury sustained in an altercation at a club. This furthered his absence from Strikeforce and invited further criticisms--with suggestions that company founder and CEO Scott Coker should crown a new Strikeforce (2006) heavyweight champion.
Overeem returned to competition in September 2009 as a kick-boxer in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 tournament. Despite his decision loss to Remy Bonjasky earlier in the year, he was selected in a fan vote to compete in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16 in South Korea. He won the decision over the legendary Peter Aerts, also of Holland. The following month he had a second MMA appearance in Ultimate Glory where he submitted Tony Sylvester. A few days later at Dream 12, he submitted James Thompson. In December he resumed the K-1 competition and knocked out Ewerton Teixeira to meet Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic again in the semifinals. Hari won the rematch by a first round TKO, ending Overeem's prospects of winning that year's K-1 World Grand Prix Final.
A few weeks later, Overeem returned to MMA, and fought at "K-1/Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2009" against Kazuyuki Fujita. He won by knock out in the first round. After Fedor Emelianenko signed with Strikeforce and defeated Brett Rogers at CBS Strikeforce M-1 Global Saturday Night Fights (2009) in November 2009, he was expected to be Overeem's first title challenger. However a renegotiation of Emelianenko's contract by his M-1 Global management company put a stop to speculations of a title fight with Overeem.
In the ensuing months, Strikeforce (2006) made a controversial decision and declared Brett Rogers-- after losing his last fight to Emelianenko--the contender for the title held by Overeem. A month before fighting Rogers, Overeem competed at the the K-1 World Grand Prix event in Yokohama, knocking out Dzevad Poturak in round one. At Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery (2010),Overeem dominated Rogers to win by technical knockout in the first round. Soon after, Overeem was in attendance at Strikeforce M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum (2010), where the bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum would determine Overeem's next title challenger. Overeem looked forward to a victory by Emelianenko, whom he had publicly challenged several times. After what was considered a significant submission upset of Emelianenko by Werdum, uncertainty loomed after Werdum's elbow surgery removed him from competition for the remainder of 2010.
Further complicating matters were Werdum's suggestion he was more interested in a rematch with Emelianenko than a title fight with Overeem, whom he defeated by submission in a 2006 Pride fight. Meanwhile, Emelianenko--who had one fight left with Strikeforce--entered into further contract negotiations, leaving his return date uncertain. After nothing became of a proposed Dream bout between Overeem and Ricco Rodriguez, Overeem committed himself to compete in the K-1 World Grand Prix kick-boxing tournament.
In October, he defeated Ben Edwards at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final 16 in South Korea to advance to the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix tournament at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan. In a competitive first fight, Overeem won a decision over Tyrone Spong. Overeem then got by Gökhan Saki in the first round due to injury. Within 67 seconds of the final bout, Overeem hurt legendary K-1 fighter Peter Aerts leading to a fight stoppage and being declared the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. Overeem made combat sports history by holding major championships in kick-boxing and mixed martial arts. Overeem successes would continue as he remained in Japan for his second MMA fight that year. At "K-1 Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2010," Overeem won Dream's interim heavyweight championship by knocking out Todd Duffee in 19 seconds.
In June 2011, Alistair Overeem returned to Strikeforce as a competitor in its Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. In a quarter-final bout, Overeem fought Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum (2011). Overeem won by unanimous decision, advanced, and was scheduled for a later meeting against Antonio Silva in a semi-final bout. Overeem was replaced by Daniel Cormier after being released from his contract by Zuffa. Zuffa, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), had purchased Strikeforce in March 2011. Zuffa took the action due to a dispute with Overeem's management team, Golden Glory. After separating from Golden Glory, Overeem signed a contract with UFC that same year. In his UFC debut, Overeem fought Brock Lesnar at UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem (2011). Overeem defeated Lesnar in the first round as a result of a kick followed up by punches.2010 K-1 Grand Prix Champion, Former DREAM and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, 36-13 (1) in MMA and 10-4 in kickboxing, owns wins over Sergei Kharitonav, Brock Lesnar, and Vitor Belfort in MMA and Tyrone Spong, Badr Hari, Peter Aerts and Remy Bonjasky in kickboxing, suspended for failing a pre-fight drug test after showing highly elevated testosterone levels but successfully reapplied for MMA license. Suffered brutal KO losses to Antonio "Pezao" Silva and Travis "Hapa" Browne in MMA after return from suspension, defeated Frank Mir by decision. - Kazushi Sakuraba was born on 14 July 1968 in Japan. He is an actor, known for Nagurimono (2005), Wrestle-1 Events (2013) and Baton (2009).Former amateur and professional wrestler for All Japan Pro Westling, UWFi, and Kingdom Pro Wrestling, trained extensively in the art of catch wrestling, fought in the UFC, Pride FC, and K-1 Hero's, defeated Royler, Renzo, Ryan, and Royce Gracie in a series of "pro wrestling vs. Brazilian Jiu Jistu" MMA fights which earned him "The Gracie Hunter" nickname, his fight with Royce lasted nearly 90 minutes and he broke Renzo's arm with a kimura armlock, 28-14 MMA record, he also holds MMA victories over Vitor Belfort, Ken Shamrock, Masakatsu Funaki, Ken Shamrock, and Quinton Jackson, won the UFC Ultimate Japan Heavyweight Tournament and was a semi-finalist in the 2000 Pride Openweight Grand Prix.
- Penn was born to Jay Dee Penn, an Irish American and Loraine Shin, a third generation Korean-American. At the age of seventeen, Penn began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after being introduced to it by his neighbor, Tom Callos. Callos had put up fliers in local gyms looking for people to train with, and B.J.'s father Jay Dee Penn had called Callos and said his boys were interested. Callos then taught B.J. and his brother what he knew. Shortly thereafter, B.J. moved to San Jose, California to begin training at AKA with Dave Camarillo and Bob Cooke, who he lived with and became close friends with. It was here during his time in San Jose that he decided to pursue a career in martial arts (albeit not mixed martial arts at the time).Black belt in BJJ from Nova Uniao, World BJJ Champion (Mundials), received his BJJ black belt after 3 years of training, former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight Champion, 16-9 MMA record, holds MMA wins over Takanori Gomi, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk, Din Thomas, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson.
- Peter Aerts was born on 25 December 1970 in Netherlands. He is an actor, known for New Kids Nitro (2011), New Kids Turbo (2010) and De Familie Slim (2017).2x K-1 World Grand Prix Winner, Multiple time K-1 Grand Prix runner-up, K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas Tournament Winner, IKBF World Heavyweight Champion, MTBN World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship, 1994 The Night of the Stars tournament champion, WMTA World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship and Super Heavyweight Champion, Mr. K-1.
- Junior Dos Santos is known for Vai que Cola: O Filme (2015), UFC 25 Years in Short (2018) and UFC on Fox (2011).Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, BJJ Black Belt, No. 2 MMA Heavyweight in the world, 3x KO of the Night Winner, has longest Heavyweight win streak in UFC history at nine in a row, 2008 Fight! Magazine Upset of the Year Winner for TKO win over Fabricio Werdum, holds MMA wins over Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, and Roy Nelson.
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Bas Rutten is a world-renowned mixed martial artist who has also made a name for himself outside the ring as an actor, host, and television personality.
As an actor Rutten can be seen co-starring in the Kevin James feature film Here Comes the Boom (2012) for Columbia Pictures. Rutten previously appeared in Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and lent his talents to the voice cast of Zookeeper (2011).
Rutten is the co-host of the weekly MMA news program Inside MMA on HDNet, and he can be seen this fall hosting the self-defense show Punk Payback for Fuel TV. Rutten has provided color commentary for several fight organizations including the former Pride Fighting Championships.
Rutten is a former three-time King of Pancrase World Champion and UFC Heavyweight Champion. Born and raised in Holland, his devotion to martial arts began after sneaking into a movie screening of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. First known as a devastating stand up striker with 11 career wins by knockout, Rutten also dominated with 14 wins by submission and went undefeated in his final 22 fights.UFC Heavyweight Champion and Openweight King of Pancrase, 2nd degree black belts in Kyokushin Karate and Taekwando, Former Pride commentator, Host of Inside MMA and commentator for AXS TV Fights with Kenny Rice and Punk Payback, 28-4 MMA and 14-2 Muay Thai kickboxing records, holds MMA victories over Masakatsu Funaki, Frank Shamrock and Kevin Randelman.- Actress
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From pioneering women's MMA to blazing a trail in movies, GINA CARANO is one of Hollywood's most unique rising stars. Carano began her training with Muay Thai to competitive MMA, where she competed in Strikeforce and EliteXC. Her popularity led to her being called the "Face of Women's MMA" and she was the fastest-rising search on Google and third-most-searched person on Yahoo and ranked 5th on a list of the "Top 10 Influential Women" of 2008. In August 2009, Carano fought Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, the first time two women headlined a major MMA event and at the time was the highest rated fight in Showtime history. Carano compiled a competitive record of 12-1-1 in Muay Thai and a 7-1 in women's MMA.[4]
Outside the ring, Carano served as a mentor to aspiring fighters in the 2007 Oxygen reality series Fight Girls and performed as 'Crush' in the revamped television series American Gladiators before her breakout performance in Steven Soderbergh's film HAYWIRE, holding her own against the likes of Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton and Antonio Banderas. Gina's authenticity to making the Action look real earned her performance a Critics Choice Award Nomination for Best Actress in an action film. Hot on the heels came a role in the worldwide hit FAST AND FURIOUS 6 for Universal Pictures opposite Dwayne Johnson furthering her appeal as an Action Star. Next up, she co-starred alongside Robert DeNiro, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Dave Bautista in Lionsgate's film HEIST followed by the role of 'Angel Dust' in the smash hit MARVEL/FOX film DEADPOOL opposite Ryan Reynolds based on the popular comic book. The film grossed over $870 Million dollars at the Box Office. After starring in the independent films DAUGHTER OF THE WOLF opposite Richard Dreyfuss and the dark comedy MADNESS IN THE METHOD with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, Gina had secured a lead role in Jon Favreau's highly reviewed Star Wars TV show THE MANDALORIAN for Disney +. Gina played 'Cara Dune', a former Rebel Shock Trooper in the series. However, after sharing a controversial post on social media, Gina was fired by Lucas Film and her character was written out of the show.
Carano was born in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Dana Joy (née Cason) and professional football player Glenn Carano who played for the Dallas Cowboys and was the backup quarterback to Roger Staubach. She has two sisters, one older and one younger.
*Gina became the first recipient of ActionFest's Chuck Norris (Best Female Action Star) Award, given to the female action star of the year.
*Gina received the Artemis Action Warrior Award for her contributions to the female action genre and women's MMA. The award was presented to her by Action legend Zoe Bell12-1-1 as a Muay Thai kickboxer, 7-1 MMA record, in her last fight she was defeated via TKO by Cristian 'Cyborg' Justino for the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Championship in 2009, appeared in ESPN Magazine's Body Issue, starred in 'Haywire' with Antonio Banderas and Michael Fassbender and is currently pursuing acting. Is now appearing in Deadpool.- Actor
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Pat Miletich was born on 9 March 1968 in Bettendorf, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Bobby Z (2007), Combat Fighting Championships (2007) and Strikeforce Challengers (2009).Black belt in BJJ and 3rd degree black belt in Shuri-ryu Karate, Former and 1st UFC Welterweight Champion, founder of Miletich Fighting Systems and former coach of Tim Sylvia, Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler and Jens Pulver. Former commentator for Strikeforce on Showtime and current commentator for AXS TV Fights. National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum 1st Annual George Tragos Award recipient.- Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kick-boxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and other combat sports. A member of the UFC Hall of Fame, Shamrock is widely regarded as icon and pioneer of the sport. He has headlined over 15 main events and co-main events in the UFC and Pride FC and set numerous MMA pay-per-view records. In the early part of his UFC career, Shamrock was named "The World's Most Dangerous Man" by ABC News in a special called "The World's Most Dangerous Things". The moniker has stuck as his nickname.Former Openweight King of Pancrase, UFC Superfight (Openweight) Champion and Hall of Fame member, learned the lost art of catch wrestling from Masakatsu Funaki in a tradition going back to the great Karl Gotch, and a former WWE and TNA pro wrestler. He's something of a sad cautionary tale in MMA, having made and lost a fortune and was busted for steroids. Despite his past problems, he's currently headlining in Bellator having lost to former street fighter Kimbo and Slice and is rematching Royce Gracie in Feb. 19.
- Fabricio Werdum was born on 30 July 1977 in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He is an actor, known for Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016), Kickboxer: Armageddon and Detetive Madeinusa (2021).Black Belts in BJJ, Judo and Muay Thai, Multiple time IBJJF, Pan American, and ADCC World Champion, first fighter to truly beat the great MMA Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko by submission. Current UFC Champion, having made a comeback defeating former champion Cain Velasquez by submission.
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Frank Shamrock is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired a four-time defending undefeated champion. Shamrock was the No. 1 ranked pound for pound UFC fighter in the world during his reign as the UFC Middleweight Champion. Shamrock has won numerous titles in other martial arts organizations, including the interim King of Pancrase title, the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Shamrock is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, as well as one of the first complete mixed martial artists, adapting his game from a grounded style of fighting to a more complete, well-rounded, and versatile style that included always improving striking to go along with his skilled ground game.Former King of Pancrase, first UFC Light Heavyweight (then Middleweight) Champion, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, younger adopted brother of Ken Shamrock. He was initially trained by his brother but the two had a falling out over training methods and family disagreements. Retired in 1999 but fought sporadically and came back to MMA in 2006 full time. Retired again in 2010 due to injuries, 23-10 MMA record.- Miesha Tate was born on 18 August 1986 in Tacoma, Washington, USA. She is an actress, known for Here Without You, Pursued and Fight Valley (2016).Former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight (135 lbs.) Champion, 2008 silver medalist at FILA World Grappling Championship @ 72 kg. (No gi), has a 13-4 MMA record with wins over Marloes Coenen and Zoila Frausto-Gurgel, trains at Team Alpha Male Gym along side UFC fighters Urijah Faber, Joe Benavidez, Bryan Caraway, and Danny Castillo.
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Charles David Liddell is an American former mixed martial artist who was the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Liddell had 23 fights in the UFC. He is widely credited with helping bring MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. On July 10, 2009, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Liddell was born in Santa Barbara, California, of partial Irish descent. He was raised by his single mother and maternal grandfather, who taught Liddell and his siblings boxing techniques from a very young age. Liddell began studying Koeikan karate at the age of 12; the tattoo on his scalp reads "Koei-Kan".Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, former NCAA D-1 wrestler at Cal-Poly Tech University where he graduated with a degree in accounting, black belts in Kenpo and Koei-Kan Karate, IKF Amateur International Rules U.S. Super Heavyweight Champion, USMTA Amateur Muay Thai North American Heavyweight Champion, 20-2 in kickboxing and 21-8 in MMA, owns 2 wins each over Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz, retired in 2010 and is currently with the UFC as an Executive Vice President.- Matt Hughes was born on 13 October 1973 in Hillsboro, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Kingdom (2014), UFC 25 Years in Short (2018) and UFC 200 Greatest Fighters of All Time (2016).National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American at Lincoln College and a NCAA Division 1 All-American at Eastern Illinois University, has a UFC record of 18-7, won UFC Welterweight Championship 2x and defended it 9x, UFC Hall of Fame member, recently inducted into NJCAA Hall of Fame, 45-9 MMA record.
- Shinya Aoki is known for Here Comes the Evil (2010), EA Sports MMA (2010) and Bellator Fighting Championships (2009).1st Dan in Judo and BJJ, Class A Shootist, DREAM and One FC Lightweight Champion, Former Shooto 168 lb. champion, holds MMA wins over Eddie Alvarez, Joachim Hansen and Tatsuya Kawagiri, 35-6 MMA (22 Subs., 1 KO/TKO, 9 Dec.), successfully made 145 lb. MMA debut in October.
- Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira was born in Salvador, Brazil. Better known as Minotauro, is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He won most of his fights via submissions.Nicknamed Minotauro and Big Nog, 4th dan in BJJ and black belt in Judo, 34-8-1 MMA record, fights in UFC as as Heavyweight where he was Interim Champion, holds MMA wins over Josh Barnett, Randy Couture, and Dan Henderson, PRIDE FC HW and Interim HW Champion, accomplished grappler placing at CBJJ World Championships numerous times and winning once.
- Semmy Schilt was born on 27 October 1973 in Zuidlaren, Drenthe, Netherlands. He is an actor, known for Transporter 3 (2008), Flikken Maastricht (2007) and Black Out (2012).4x K-1 World Grand Prix Winner, K-1 World Grand Prix in Paris Tournament Winner, K-1 Super Heavyweight Champion, Former Openweight King of Pancrase, winner of 2012 Glory Grand Slam Heavyweight Tournament, 6th dan in Ashihara kaikan karate, 26-14-1 in MMA and 37-6-1 in kickboxing, nicknamed 'Hightower' because of his 6'11" height, recently retired from kickboxing to a diagnosed heart condition.
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was born on 2 June 1976 in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. He is an actor, known for The Expendables (2010), The Law and the Crime (2009) and Death Corner (2017).Nicknamed Minotoro, twin brother of Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, called "Little Nog" by fans, Black belts in BJJ (2nd dan) and Judo; Amateur Boxing-2006 & 2007 Brazilian Super-Heavyweight Amateur Boxing Champion, Gold Medalist at Super-Heavyweight @ 2006 South American Games & Bronze Medalist at Super-Heavyweight @ 2007 Pan-American Games; fights in UFC as a Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.), 21-5 MMA record with wins over Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem, #10 Light Heavyweight in MMA according to Sherdog.com.
- Vítor Vieira Belfort is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. He is the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, as well as the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Champion. Known for his explosive knockout power, Belfort is tied for third for the most finishes in UFC history with 14. Belfort has also competed for MMA promotions Pride FC, Strikeforce, Affliction, and Cage Rage.Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Winner, 2001 ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship Absolute Division (ADCC) Bronze Medalist, Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion, 4x UFC Knockout of the Night Winner, BJJ Black Belt and Shotokan Karate Purple Belt, 24-10 MMA record.
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Masato was born in March 1979 in Japan. He is an actor, known for Izo (2004), Buyûden (2003) and Gwan gai (2007).K-1 Max World Champion, Multiple time K-1 Max Tournament Runner-up, 2000 ISKA Oriental World Welterweight Champion, 1999 AJKF Welterweight Champion, worked as model/actor, currently working in promotion for kickboxing.- Actor
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Ernesto Hoost is known for Vechtershart (2015), K-1 Star Wars '96 (1996) and K-1 Grand Prix 2001 (2001).Nicknamed Mr. Perfect, 4x K-1 World Prix Winner, Dutch Muay Thai Champion, WMTA Heavyweight World Kickboxing Champion, Savate European and World Champion, ISKA Full Contact Heavyweight World Champion, WKA & WMTA World Light Heavywight Champion, Kickboxing 97-21 (62 KO/TKO).- Actor
- Producer
Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic was born on 10 September 1974 in Vinkovci, Croatia, Yugoslavia [now Croatia]. He is an actor and producer, known for Ultimate Force (2005), UFC on Fox (2011) and Exchange office (2005).Member of elite Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit in Croatia that earned him him the nickname "Cro Cop," member of Croatian Parliament from 2004-2007, black belt in Taekwondo and brown belt in BJJ, 1999 K-1 World Grand Prix Runner-Up, K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka Runner-Up, K-1 Braves '99 3rd Place, IKBF World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion, most head kick knockouts in Pride FC history, 2006 Pride FC Open-Weight Grand Prix Winner, 28-11-2 MMA record and 18-7 kickboxing record, hold MMA wins over Josh Barnett, Aleksander Emelianenko, Igor Vovchanchyn, and Wanderlei Silva and kickboxing wins over Mark Hunt, Peter Aerts and Jerome Le Banner, fighting Remy Bonjasky in his hometown of Zagreb, Croatia for Glory kickboxing organization in a rematch of a K-1 bout which he won 2002.- Actor
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Josh Barnett was born on 10 November 1977 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Chuck Hank and the San Diego Twins, Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016) and Absolution (2015).Openweight King of Pancrase (last fighter to hold this title), UFC Heavyweight Champion, BJJ Black Belt, expert in catch wrestling having trained under Erik Paulson, 2006 Pride FC Openweight Grand Prix Finalist, 2011 Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Finalist, resigned with the UFC and defeated fellow HW grappler Frank Mir by TKO due to a knee and punches, 33-7 MMA record, lost by KO to Travis Browne in most recent fight.- Actor
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Daniel Cormier, a relatively short Heavyweight, has met success against bigger opponents in freestyle wrestling and later in Mixed Martial Arts. Cormier was raised in Lafayette, Louisiana where he was raised by his mother and stepfather. Cormier became a pro wrestling fan by age 10, which he watched on TV often. When he was 11, a coach introduced him to wrestling after breaking up a parking lot fight with him and a friend. He attended Louisiana High School where he won his first medals, thrice winning a Division I All-American and State championships. Cormier also played the linebacker position in football, and was offered a scholarship to play at Louisiana State University. He chose wrestling instead, and in 1997 he went to Colby Junior College in Kansas where he attended for two years, then transferred to Oklahoma State University (OSU). It was at OSU that he became a roommate and friend of King Mo. In 2001 he was a runner-up in the NCAA Division I Collegiate Championship and NCAA Big 12 Conference. Cormier won a gold medal at the 2002 at the Pan American Games, and another in 2003 during the Pan American Games. In 2007, he won bronze medals at the FILA Wrestling World Championships, and the FILA Wrestling World Championships.
While preparing to audition for the Olympics team, Cormier's 3 1/2 month daughter,Kaedyn Imri Cormier , died in a car accident on June 14, 2003 in Austin, Texas. The car she was in was hit by a 18 wheeler truck. Severely afflicted by the loss, Cormier stopped wrestling. After some time off, he made the 2004 US Olympics team in Athens, where he finished 4th. Cormier declined an offer from World Wrestling Entertaiment, and to try for the Olympics again. Due to a kidney failure he sustained from cutting weight to 211.5 pounds, Cormier withdrew from the US Olympic wrestling team in 2008, a day before he was to compete in the Beijing Olympics. Cormier could not train for a year, which ended his wrestling career.
In 2009, Cormier started to train in Mixed Martial Arts out of San Jose's American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) , training with King Mo, Cain Velasquez, and Luke Rockhold. Injuring his ribs a week before, Cormier fought fellow OSU alumni, Gary Frazier, in his first bout at Strikeforce Challengers 3 (2009). Cormier kept the fight standing by defending a takedown, landing a knee and taking control of Frazier's back and dominating him on the ground for a portion of the round. After exchanging punches in the second round, Cormier failed to get the takedown after numerous attempts when Frazier held the fence. Cormier gets the better of the stand-up by landing right punches and uppercuts. Frazier missed a knee strike and slipped, which Cormier took advantage of and gets top to land multiple punches to the head and won by TKO. Cormier got his first knockout at Strikeforce Challengers 7 (2010), defeating John Devine in the first round.
Cormier remained active outside of Strikeforce (2006) in July 2010, initiating the busiest weeks of his MMA career by taking a fight against Lucas Browne in the Australian promotion Xtreme MMA, replacing injuring teammate Mike Kyle with two days notice. In a bout for the XMMA Heavyweight Championship, Cormier took Brown e to the ground early, and won with devastating striking in four and a half minutes, resulting in Browne receiving up to one hundred stitches. Cormier returned to the United States two weeks later to challenge Tony Johnson Jr. for the King of the Cage Heavyweight Championship, instead of competing at Strikeforce Challengers 10 (2010) as planned. Johnson attacked with punches which put Cormier on the defensive. To stop Johnson's offense, Cormier clinches with him and held him against the cage. Johnson gets a double-leg takedown and is reversed with Cormier on top. Cormier controls Johnson on the ground, controlling his back and going for his neck. Johnson struggled to get Cormier off his back until the rear-naked choke is completely secured for the submission win. It was Cormier's second championship win in two weeks. Eight days after winning the King of the Cage title, Cormier fought Jason Riley at Strikeforce: Houston (2010). Riley defended a single-leg take-down by Cormier then clinched with him against the fence. Cormier went for another take-down which Riley evaded. A right hand from Cormier stuns Riley and he was easily taken to the ground via double-leg. Further strikes forced Riley to submit by tapping the mat with his right hand. Cormier won the bout in just over a minute, making it his quickest fight.
Cormier returned to Sydney, Australia to defend the Xtremme MMA Heavyweight Championship against Soa Palelei at XMMA 3 in November 2010. It was a successful title defense for Cormier, who submitted Palelei by way of punches. Cormier took on Devin Cole at Strikeforce Challengers 13 (2011). He tossed Cole to the ground in round one, and landed an assortment of kicks, including a powerful overhand right, more kicks and a take-down trip to the ground. Cormier hit Cole with a leg kick in the second round, then a hip toss which Cole quickly stood up from. Cormier quickly defended against his grounded opponent and got full mount. Cole briefly stood up before he was taken down by Cormier again, who attempted a rear-naked choke. Cole attacked from his back with an attempted kimura on Cormier's left arm until the round ended. Cormier landed a leg kick, then battled for position against the cage while on the feet. The fighters were separated and Cormier defended a takedown try by Cole. Cormier controlled his grounded opponent who stood up at they fought against the fence again. Cormier took Cole to the ground with a body lock and landed punches until the round expired, and won by unanimous decision.
Cormier was to have fought Shane Del Rosario in an alternate bout for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, but injuries from a car accident took Del Rosario from the fight. Jeff Monson replaced him at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum (2011). Cormier and Monson engaged with punches in round one, and Cormier connected with kicks and more punches. Cormier landed more kicks in round two, and did not follow Monson--known for his submission abilities--to the ground. Cormier reversed against the cage, landed more strikes and tossed his opponent to the ground and backed away. In the final round, a determined Monson tried taking down Cormier, whom instead struck with punches, knees, and a leg trip. Cormier won by unanimous decision. In August 2011, with his recent win over Monson, Cormier was promoted from alternate to compete in Strikeforce's Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament by replacing Alistair Overeem. Cormier proceeded to Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov (2011) where he met Antonio Silva in a semi-final Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix fight.
Silva hit his body with a right kick and Cormier reacted with a right leg kick. Silva threw a barrage of punches, some of which connected on Cormier. Cormier hit Silva with a overhand right, allowed him to stand and defended against a takedown attempt which lead to Silva on his back again. The fight was stood up and Cormier connected with a left jab and "Bigfoot" Silva hit him with punches. Silva is put down for a second time when Cormier caught a right leg kick from him, then kicks away his left leg. Cormier backs away for the second time to allow Silva up, hit him with left jabs and a right uppercut which stunned him. Cormier finishes with a right hammer-fist then a left hammer-fist to win by knockout in the first round. Cormier advanced to the tournament finals with Josh Barnett, who submitted Sergei Kharitonov in the main event of the same card. Cormier re-injured his right hand fighting Silva in September 2011--then hurt it again in December 2012--postponing the final Grand Prix from March to May 2012.
Cormier fought Barnett for the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Championship at Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix Final (2012). He evaded Barnett's jabs and countered with kicks. Barnett struck him with a knee. Cormier him with a barrage of punches. Barnett lands left knee to side of Cormier's face to end the round. In round two Barnett hit Cormier with a left low kick, Cormier punches him in the face. Barnett pushes forward and Cormier hits him with a right uppercut. He gets a single-leg takedown on Barnett who tries a triangle choke and Cormier easily avoids it then an arm-bar. Cormier walks out of a leg-lock submission then landed more punches and elbows from the top. Barnett pushes Cormier against the fence after round three started. Cormier defends the takedown attempts, then grabs Barnett's left leg and picks him up and slams him to the ground on his back. Cormier gets side control but Barnett manages to get up. Cormier lands more punches, then later hit Barnett with a right head kick after a failed takedown. He hit Barnett with knees to end the round. Barnett started of championship round four by hitting Cormier with a left knee, who retaliates with a left hook. Cormier connects with left and right head kicks then get a takedown by holding a leg and tripping Barnett's other one. Barnett attempts submissions on Cormier's right leg/foot. Cormier escapes and control the action from top. In the fifth and final round, an aggressive Barnett hits a right body kick and continued with knees and punches on Cormier against the fence. Barnett lands another knee and a punch when the fight is resumed off the fence. Barnett lands a left hook, body kick and more punches. Cormier connects with two punches and Barnett misses a spinning back fist. Cormier takes him to the ground, and Barnett fought his way to the feet and prevented being slammed by Cormier. Cormier won unanimously on all the judge's score cards to be crowned the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament Champion.
As the tournament champion, Cormier was obligated by Strikeforce (2006) 's TV partner, Showtime Networks, to have one more bout in the promotion. UFC fighter Frank Mir agreed to fight Cormier until a knee injury a month before forced him out of the scheduled November 2012 card. The entire card was cancelled after an injury prevented Strikeforce Middleweight World Champion Luke Rockhold from defending the title against Lorenz Larkin. Cormier was later matched against Dutch fighter Dion Staring at the promotion's final event, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine (2013). Cormier controlled Staring for much of the first round after tripping him twice and landing strikes from the full mounted position to end the round. Staring went after Cormier with punches in the second round and both fought for control against the fence. Cormier resumed his dominance when he tripped Staring with his left leg and controlled him on the ground and attacked from various angles with punches until a technical knockout stoppage with under a minute left in the round. Cormier remained undefeated in all 11 of his MMA fights, with 8 of those wins happening in Strikeforce (2006).UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight; Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Winner, former Division 1 and Olympic Wrestler; Xtreme MMA and King of the Cage Heavyweight Champion, All-American and Division 1 National Championship Runner-up at OSU, winner of numerous USA Wrestling and FILA Senior level events and championships, captain of the US wrestling team at Beijing Olympics; NJCAA All-American and National Champion, and Wrestling Hall of Fame member; BJJ Brown Belt under Dave Camarillo; holds MMA wins against Josh Barnett, Antonio Silva, and Frank Mir, 13-0 MMA record.- Actress
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Ronda Rousey burst onto the women's MMA scene in August of 2010. Born in Riverside County, California on February 1, 1987 to parents Ron Rousey and AnnMaria DeMars, little Ronda was born with an umbilical cord wrapped around her neck that damaged her vocal cords. She didn't speak coherently until the age of six. Ronda was a self-professed tomboy and swam from the ages of 6 to 10. She competed on the Jr. Olympic swim team where she placed in the state level.
Because of her mother, a 7th degree black belt and 1984 World Judo Champion, Ronda took up the sport. She had a hard time socializing with other kids and found that Judo gave her confidence. She holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art.
Ronda's Judo career is a storied one. At 17 she became the youngest judoka in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. That same year she won a gold medal at the World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, and in 2006 she became the first U.S. female in almost 10 years to win an A-Level tournament going 5-0 to clench the gold at the World Cup in Great Britain. At 19 she won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships. She is the first U.S. athlete to win two Junior World Medals. In 2007 she added a silver at the World Judo Championships and a gold at the Pan American Games. The pinnacle of her Judo career was a bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Rousey became the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's Judo since it became an Olympic sport in 1992.
After medaling in the Olympics, Ronda's career hit a dead end. She did some bartending to make ends meet and tried to find a better paying job, but it was tough finding anyone that needed her particular skill set. Throwing people down and putting them in armbars aren't really something you can put on a resume. By chance Ronda caught the Gina Carano vs. Julie Kedzie fight on television and things changed.
She made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur in 2010. Since then she has never lost a fight, winning the majority in the first round by armbar submission. Ronda took it upon herself to chase after and demand attention so that the UFC could no longer ignore women fighters. UFC President Dana White had publicly stated that women would never be allowed to fight in the UFC, but on February 23, 2013, Ronda did just that. She won the fight against Liz Carmouche in the first round with her signature armbar and became the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
In 2014, Ronda appeared in her first motion picture - The Expendables 3 (2014). Other projects are Furious 7 (2015) and The Athena Project as well as Entourage (2015).First woman ever signed with the UFC and is the organization's first World Women's Bantamweight Champion, nicknamed "Rowdy" after her admiration for retired pro wrestler Roderick "Rowdy Roddy Piper" Toombs (also a judo black belt and an MMA fan) with his blessing, has helped pave the way for Women's MMA in the world's largest fight promotion and gained mainstream attention like a role in the latest Fast and Furious film as well as a Maxim photo spread, 4th dan in Judo, bronze medalist at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, silver medalist at 2007 World Judo Championships, gold medalist at 2007 Pan American Games, gold medalist in 2004-2005 and silver medalist in 2006 at Pan American Judo Championship, her mother is also a judoka and world champion in the sport, 8-0 (7 Subs.) as a pro and 4-0 (4 Subs.) as an amateur in MMA, holds wins over Julia Budd, Sarah D'Alelio and Miesha Tate, was the last Strikeforce Bantamweight Women's World Champion, successfully defended her title against Liz Carmouche, and coached the first Ultimate Fighter season with women's bantamweight fighters competing for a contract against fellow coach Miesha Tate, defeated Tate again by armbar submission in rematch of Strikeforce bout.- Actor
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Dan "The Beast" Severn is a legend in amateur and professional wrestling and Martial Arts. Born in Coldwater, Michigan, on June 9, 1959, he excelled in wrestling in both high school and college. A winner of over 500 amateur victories and numerous titles, he was an alternate on the USA Olympic Wrestling team. Severn turned to professional Wrestling and captured the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title; a title which he held for 10 years. In the early 1990s, he entered the world of Mixed Martial Arts. He excelled, winning numerous world championships. Severn defeated such greats as Ken Shamrock, Conan Silvera, David Abbott, Oleg Taktarov, Anthony Macias, and Bart Vale. His mixed martial arts record is 77-11-7. He is a noted barnstormer and has been defeating opponents on a monthly basis for the past three years.UFC Superfight Champion, has had over 100 pro MMA victories, the original member of the elite Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in Arizona, Summer Olympic Team Alternate in 84-92, 13 Amateur Athletic Union National Titles, 5th Dan in Judo, 2x All-American at Arizona State, successful pro wrestler having won the NWA Heavyweight World Title.- Actor
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Don Frye dominated the world of mixed martial arts for 6 straight years. A former pro boxer and a licensed firefighter, Don Frye made an impressive professional fight debut by knocking out 6'1", 410 pound Thomas Ramirez in 8 seconds. Frye captured his first Ultimate Fighting Championship on Feb. 16, 1996 defeating Ramirez and two other opponents. On May 17, 1996, Frye defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion Amaury Bitetti in a wild brawl. After losing his tile to Mark Coleman, Frye went undefeated for the next 8 years, beating among others Ken Shamrock and Tank Abbott. However, age and injuries caught up to Frye, and after going 15-1 in MMA, he retired 20-8-1 (1 no-contest).Former NCAA Division 1 wrestler at Arizona State and Oklahoma State, won freestyle and Greco-Roman events at 1987 Olympic qualifier, 2nd dan in Judo, winner of UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate '96 tournaments, holds MMA wins over Gilbert Yvel, Ken Shamrock, Gary Goodridge and David "Tank" Abbott, MMA record 20-9 (7 KO/TKO, 11 Subs, 1 Dec.).- Actor
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Mark Coleman was born on 20 December 1964 in Fremont, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for R.I.O.T.: The Movie (1996), The Call (2002) and Pit Fight (2004).Nicknamed "The Hammer," NCAA Division 1 National Champion, First UFC Heavyweight Champion, 2000 Pride Openweight Grand Prix Champion, has MMA victories over Igor Vovchanchyn, Don Frye and Dan Severn, called the "Godfather of Ground and Pound, 15-10 MMA record."- Actor
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Mark Kerr was born on 21 December 1968 in Ohio, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Smashing Machine (2025), Strange and Rich (1994) and This Is Harry Lehman (1999).Nicknamed the "The Smashing Machine," NCAA Division 1 National Champion, 1994 USA Senior Freestyle Champion @ 220 lbs., 1999 Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Submission Wrestling Champion at 99 kg & 2000 at 99 kg and Absolute, World Vale Tudo Championship 3 Heavyweight Tournament winner, UFC 14 & 15 Heavyweight Tournament winner. He's faced a rapid decline since the early 2000's and had a well documented battle with painkillers as seen in The Smashing Machine documentary. Still an early pioneer of no holds barred MMA, 15-10 MMA record.- Ben Henderson was born on 16 November 1983 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. He is married to Maria Magana. They have two children.Former WEC & UFC Lightweight Champion, NAIA All-American Wrestler, 1st Dan in BJJ and Taekwondo, was #1 ranked MMA Lightweight in the world by Sherdog from Dec. 2012 until recent loss to Anthony Pettis, proud Korean-American, 2x Fight of the Night Winner in the UFC and WEC and Submission of the Night Winner in the WEC, 2012 MMA Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year Winner in '09 and '10 (shared with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Anthony "Showtime" Pettis repsectively); MMA record 19-3 (2 KO/TKO, 8 Subs., 9 Dec.).
- 2003 K-1 World Grand Prix Preliminary USA runner up, 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix Preliminary USA runner up, 1999 I.K.F. International Rules Heavyweight World Champion, 1998 K-1 USA Grand Prix '98 champion, 1996 ISKA Full Contact Heavyweight World champion, 1994 IKF Full Contact Light Heavyweight World Champion,
1991-94 PKC Light Heavyweight World champion, 1991-94 ISKA Full Contact Light Heavyweight World champion, 1990 FFKA Light Heavyweight World champion, 1989 FFKA Super Middleweight World champion, 1987 KICK Super Middleweight World champion, 1986-89 PKC Middleweight U.S champion, 1986 PKC Light Middleweight U.S champion, 1996 WBC Continental Americas Cruiserweight champion (boxing); 65-4 Kickboxing, 4-6 MMA, 13-5 Boxing. - Actor
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Duke Roufus is known for The Breakout (2008), WI MMA Today (2012) and UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 (2023).Former world champion kickboxer; younger brother of Rick 'The Jet' Roufus; considered one of the world's foremost Western experts in Muay Thai; founder and head coach of Roufusport Gym, trainer of MMA fighters like UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis and his brother Sergio, Alan Belcher, Pat Berry, Bellator Welterweight Champion and Olympian Ben Askren, Matt Mitrione, and Erik Koch; kickboxing record of 36-8 (26 Knockouts), Kickboxing Titles and Achievements-1998 IKF World Super Heavyweight Champion, 1997 KICK World Super Heavyweight Champion, 1996 WKBA World Super Heavyweight Champion, 1995 WAKO World Super Heavyweight Champion, 1995 ISKA World Super Heavyweight Champion, 1995 WKA World Super Heavyweight Champion, 1993 WKA North American Super Heavyweight Champion, 1991 WAKO World Championships in London Bronze Medalist in 84+ kg Light-contact.- Actor
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Ray Sefo is a semi-retired New Zealand kickboxer, boxer, mixed martial artist, fight promoter and former actor. He was born of Samoan descent on February 15, 1971 in Auckland, New Zealand. He is a six-time Muay Thai World Champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant. Sefo is the president of the MMA promotion World Series of Fighting. He made a brief run in acting, beginning in 1995 in an episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995). Nine years later, he made a cameo with fellow mixed martial artist Gary Goodridge in the Japanese cult movie favorite Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) (Godzilla: Final Wars) as a pair of comical watchmen assigned guard duty over an imprisoned Godzilla...before ordered to awaken and release the iconic movie monster to save the world from aliens. Four years after that, Sefo appeared in the action/crime/thriller Bad Guys (2008). Four years after that, he made his professional wrestling debut at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2012 (2012) where he and his tag team partner Hiromi Amada were defeated by Atsushi Sawada & Hideki Suzuki. Since retiring from mixed arts competitions in 2015, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he continues to train out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts.New Zealander of Samoan descent; 56-21 kickboxing, 5-1 boxing, & 2-2 MMA; striking coach at Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas, President of World Series of Fighting MMA, Kickboxing Titles and Achievements-2000 K-1 World Grand Prix Heavyweight Runner-Up, 1997 WKA Super-Heavyweight World Champion, 1996 WMTF World Super-Heavyweight Champion, 1994-1996 ISKA World Super Cruiserweight, Cruiserweight, and Light Cruiserweight Champion, 1992 WMTF World LHW Champion, 1992 South Pacific Cruiserweight Champion, 1991 New Zealand Cruiserweight Champion, 1990 New Zealand HW Champion.- Jérôme Le Banner was born on 26 December 1972 in Le Havre, France. He is an actor, known for Babylon A.D. (2008), Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008) and Le jardinier.Nicknamed Geronimo and Hyper Battle Cyborg; Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate; 76-21 Kickboxing record with 61 KO's & TKO's, 3-2 MMA record; has appeared in 13 major motion pictures; Kickboxing Titles & Achievements-1990 Full Contact French Junior Champion in Gymnase Japy, 1992 FFUBADA French Cup Full Contact Champion (-91 kg), 1992 I.S.K.A. Full Contact French Super Heavyweight Champion, 1994 I.S.K.A. Full Contact European Super Heavyweight Champion, I.S.K.A. Full Contact Intercontinental Super Heavyweight Champion, 1994 R.C.F.A. World Super Heavyweight Champion, 1995 K-1 World Grand Prix Final Runner Up, 1996 I.S.K.A. Muaythai World Super Heavyweight Champion (title defense in 1997), 1998 W.K.N. Muaythai World Super Heavyweight Champion (3 title defenses), 1999 K-1 World Grand Prix Final 3rd Place, 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix in Nagoya Champion, 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix in Osaka Champion, 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix Final Runner Up, 2007 K-1 World Grand Prix Final 3rd Place, 2010 W.P.M.F. Muaythai World Super Heavyweight Champion, 2011 I.S.K.A. Freestyle Kickboxing World Super Heavyweight Champion (current), 2011 World Pro League Kickboxing Super Heavyweight Champion (current), 2012 W.K.N. Kickboxing Oriental World Super Heavyweight Champion (current champ with 2 title defenses), 1997 Karaté Bushido Magazine Gold Katana of the best Muaythai fighter at 12th Martial arts Festival, Paris, Bercy, 1997 Fuji Television and Special Ringside Magazine Best fight of the K-1 Grand Prix '97 1st Round in Osaka vs Rick Roufus, 1999 Fuji Television Best fight of the K-1 World GP 1999 Final vs Peter Aerts, 2007 K-1 World GP 2007 Final MVP and best fight of the tournament vs Hong-Man Choi, 2009 Pantheon of Sports and Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Tokyo, Japan; Pro Wrestling-2011-2012 IGF Super Luxurious 200 Million Yen Belt Champion.
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Timothy Fred Kennedy grew up the second son of three children in San Luis Obispo, California. As a youth, Kennedy's mother placed him in cooking and piano lessons. To offset her influence on him, Kennedy's father enrolled Tim and his brother in shooting schools, boxing lessons, wrestling teams, and Japanese jujitsu classes. Tim Kennedy attended Eagle Academy private high school, graduating in 1998. He then attended Columbia College of Missouri earning a BA in Criminal Justice in 2002. Kennedy began competing in sanctioned mixed martial arts fights while still in college, but after graduation he joined the United States Army, enlisting in the elite Special Forces in 2004. However, he continued to compete in MMA while serving as a Green Beret. When the Army instituted a service-wide Combatives (hand-to-hand fighting) tournament in 2005, Kennedy entered and won the tournament in the light heavyweight division. He achieved this goal three years in a row.
Military career Tim Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army on January 4, 2004 and attended Basic Combat Training, Advanced Individual Training, Basic Airborne Course and the Special Forces Qualification Course. Tim was featured in Dick Couch's book about Green Beret selection called "Chosen Soldier" under the moniker "Tom Kendall". In 2007, he completed Ranger School[2] and was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group, where he served on Operational Detachment Alphas. During this time he was also a sniper, sniper instructor, the principal combatives instructor for C Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group. Kennedy deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom multiple times.[4] Among Kennedy's multiple awards are the Army's Bronze Star Medal with V device, which was awarded for valor under fire.
Mixed martial arts career Early career Kennedy began training at Dokan School of Martial Arts in Atascadero, California under Terry Kelly, and Barry Smith. He began his MMA training in 1999, training with Anita Baker, Adan S, Chuck Liddell, Jake Shields, Gan McGee, and John Hackleman at The Pit in San Luis Obispo.
Kennedy first started fighting in 1996 and had 31 amateur fights, amassing a record of 30-1 before his first professional fight in 2001. In 2003 he entered and won a one-night tournament at Extreme Challenge 50, winning all three of his fights. In 2004 he joined the Army. Kennedy only fought once in 2006. He then fought for the now defunct International Fight League in 2007, and did not fight in 2008 due to Army deployments overseas. During this time he wrote a three part series of "Letters from a Foreign Land" that chronicled his time in combat.
Timothy Kennedy now resides in Austin, TX with his wife and children.United States Army Special Forces Sniper, currently holds rank of Staff Sergeant (E-6) and member of 7th Special Forces Group, Bronze Star Recipient (HOO-RAH!!), completed courses in Basic Combat, Advanced Individual Training, Airborne School, Special Forces Requirement Courses, holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Columbia College of Missouri; holds Black Belts in Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Modern Army Combatives; MMA record of 16-4 with wins over Melvin Manhoef, Robbie Lawler, Rafael Natal and Roger Gracie.- MMA fighter and Muay Thai World Champion; Nicknamed Duane "Bang" Ludwig; Head Coach of Team Alpha Gym which includes UFC fighters and veterans Urijah Faber, T.J. Dilishaw, Joe Benavidez, Bryan Caraway, Chad Mendes, Andre Fili, Meisha Tate, Justin Bucholz and Danny Castillo; holds UFC Record for fastest KO ever with a four second win over Jonathan Goulet; also runs Bang Muay Thai out of Alpha Male Gym; Kickboxing record 48-7 (9 KO's & TKO's), amateur kickboxing record of 12-2, MMA Record 21-14 (10 KO's & TKO's); Kickboxing Titles-K-1 2002 World MAX USA Champion -70 kg, I.S.K.A. 2004 Muay Thai Light Middleweight World Champion -72.5 kg, W.K.A. 2000 Muay Thai Super Middleweight USA title -76 kg, I.K.F. 1999 Muay Thai Light Middleweight U.S Amateur Tournament Champion -72.5 kg, I.K.F. 1999 Muay Thai Super Middleweight U.S Amateur Champion -78 kg, I.K.F. 1999 Regional Middleweight Muay Thai Champion, I.K.F. 1999 Fighter of the Year, I.M.T.C. 2001 Muay Thai Super Middleweight North American Champion -76 kg, MMA Titles- 2003 TKO Major League MMA UCC World Lightweight Champion 70 kg., 2000 Extreme Shoot Fighting Lightweight Champion.
- Marco Ruas was born on 23 January 1961 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is an actor, known for The Eliminator (2004), Kickboxer 3: The Art of War (1992) and Where Are They Now? (2016).Nicknamed King of the Streets, black belts in BJJ and Luta Livre, UFC 7 Tournament Winner, 9-4-2 MMA record, Head coach of Ruas Vale Tudo, trained UFC veterans (and No. 1 Light Heavyweight Contender) Glover Teixeira, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo.
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Maurice Smith was born on 13 December 1961 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor, known for Blood and Bone (2009), Sci-Fighter (2004) and Gutshot Straight (2014).nicknamed Mo; 13-13 MMA, 53-13 Kickboxing, 1-1 Boxing; Kickboxing Titles and Achievements-W.K.C. Light-Heavyweight World Champion (1983), W.K.A. World Kickboxing Heavyweight Champion (1983), K-1 World Grand Prix '93 Tournament Semifinalist,
I.S.K.A. World Muay Thai Heavyweight Champion (1996), 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix Preliminary USA winner; MMA Titles and Achievements-UFC World Heavyweight Champion, Extreme Fighting Heavyweight Championship 3 tournament winner over Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Extreme Fighting Heavyweight Championship 4 tournament winner over Murakami Kazanari, 1997 Most Outstanding Fighter & 1997 Fight of the Year vs. Mark Coleman according to Wrestling Observer, 2001 Full-Contact Fighter of the Year according to Black Belt Magazine, holds MMA wins over Marco Ruas, Mark Coleman and Conan Silveira.- Dale Cook was born on 24 November 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He is an actor, known for Eternal Fist (1992), Blood Ring (1991) and Blood Ring 2 (1995).Nicknamed Apollo, black belts in Tae Kwan Do (7th Dan) and Karate, runs Xtreme Fight Night MMA out of Tulsa Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, operates "Apollo's Karate" martial arts school in Tulsa, 19-2 Boxing and 94-4 Kickboxing, Kickboxing-WKA World Super Middleweight (-76 kg/167.6 lb) Championship, WKA World Middleweight (-72.5 kg/159.8 lb) Championship, PKA World Middleweight Championship, PKA United States Welterweight Championship, WSBA World Shootbox Championship.
- Nick Diaz was born on 2 August 1983 in Stockton, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Darkness of Man (2024), Ballers (2015) and Countdown to UFC (2011).1st Dan in BJJ, Strikeforce, IFC, and WEC Welterweight Champion; Cesar Gracie Fight Team member with Nate Diaz, Jake Shields, and Gil Melendez; former UFC Welterweight (6-4 UFC record); holds MMA wins over BJ Penn, Takanori Gomi, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, and Frank Shamrock, and defended Strikeforce belt 3x; 2005 IBJJ Gold Medalist in Brown Belt Division @ Middleweight, 2004 Gold Medalist at US Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open in Purple Belt Division, promoted to BJJ Black Belt by Cesar Gracie in 2007, 26-9 (1) MMA and 1-0 Boxing, currently inactive.
- Nate Diaz was born on 16 April 1985 in Stockton, California, USA.1st Dan in BJJ, UFC Lightweight, MMA record 16-9, The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 winner, 5x Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night Winner; holds MMA wins over Takanori Gomi, Melvin Guillard, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller, Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino; #8 Lightweight MMA Fighter in the World according Sherdog as of Sept. 2013, like his brother he has an incredible submission game from his back and has no fear being taken down but has lost decisions to wrestling-based grapplers who can avoid submissions and control the pace and position of a fight.
- Mike Pyle is known for Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009), Men in Black³ (2012) and Safe (2012).nicknamed Quicksand, co-founder and coach @ Syndicate MMA, UFC Welterweight, 26-9 MMA record, BJJ Brown Belt, WEC Welterweight Champion, holds MMA wins over Rick Story, Josh Neer, Ricardo Almeida and Dan Hornbuckle, 1x UFC KO of the Night Winner.
- Ian Freeman was born on 10 November 1966 in Sunderland, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Sucker Punch (2008), Hell to Pay (2005) and Celebrity Wrestling (2005).Nicknamed "The Machine," 20-7-1 MMA record, pioneer of British MMA, Cage Rage British Light Heavyweight Champion, fought for UFC, Cage Rage, M-1 Global, and It's Showtime MMA promotions, holds MMA wins over former UFC Champions Frank Mir and Ricco Rodriguez, fought in Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions, retired due to age and health concerns in 2013, operates MMA gym Machine MMA.
- UFC Light Heavyweight No. 1 contender, 2nd Dan in BJJ, trains with John Hackleman, 22-2 MMA record, proficient submission grappler having competed at numerous NAGA (North American Grappling Association) & Grappler's Quest events, and ADCC Trials, holds a win over ADCC medalist and fellow UFC vet Dean Lister in grappling competition, Shooto Americas 220lb. Champion, has MMA wins over Ryan Bader, Quinton Jackson, former BJJ world champion Marcio Cruz, Kyle Kingsbury, Ricco Rodriguez, Marvin Eastman, James Te Huna and former IFL Middleweight Champion Matt "Suave" Horwich.
- Jens Pulver was born on 6 December 1974 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor, known for Border Runs Red, Jens Pulver: Driven (2011) and The Breakout (2008).nicknamed Little Evil, MMA record of 27-19, Purple Belt in BJJ, 1st UFC Lightweight Champion with 2 defenses, holds MMA wins over BJ Penn, Cub Swanson, Dennis Hallman, and Caol Uno, NJCAA All-American in Collegiate Wrestling out of Highline Community College, holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Boise State University, currently fighting in Singapore-based MMA promotion One FC as a Flyweight (125 lb.).
- Melendez, a Mexican-American, is from Santa Ana, California, and wrestled during high school. Melendez always enjoyed combat sports and competition, but did not start training in MMA until after college when he was introduced to the sport by his good friend and MMA fighter Jake Shields. Melendez attended San Francisco State University and was studying in liberal arts, he anticipated becoming a teacher but did not finish his college education and get a degree, on account of training for MMA and working outside of college. He has stated that someday he plans on finishing his college education.Nicknamed El Nino, BJJ Brown Belt under Cesar Gracie and trains with Diaz Bros., Jake Shields, and Ronda Rousey, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion, MMA record 22-3, holds MMA wins over Katsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki, Josh Thomson, and Mitsuhiro Ishida, currently a UFC Lightweight and got his first win in the promotion against Diego Sanchez, debuted in UFC in a title fight to a narrow split-decision loss to former UFC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson, runs Skrap Pack MMA team.
- Igor Vovchanchyn was born on 6 August 1973 in Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Kharkiv, Ukraine].nicknamed Ice Cold, MMA record of 55-10 and 61-2 Kickboxing record, winner of numerous single night MMA tournaments fighting 3-4 times a night often, 2000 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix Runner-Up, 1997 Absolute Fighting Championship Heavyweight Tournament Winner, World Vale Tudo Superfight and WVC 5 tournament winner, IFC 1 tournament winner, holds MMA wins over Mark Kerr, Kazushi Sakuraba, Enson Inoue, and Gilbert Yvel.
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Urijah Faber is an American actor and producer, born on May 14, 1979 in Isla Vista, California, to Theo and Suzanne Faber. He was an outstanding athlete in high school, earning all-league football accolades as a corner and running back, and excelling as a wrestler. Now he is playing different characters in Hollywood films.Nicknamed California Kid, BJJ Brown Belt, NCAA D-1 wrestler @ UC Davis where he got a B.A. in Human Development, founder of Team Alpha Male Gym where UFC contenders Chad Mendes, Joe Benavidez, T.J. Dilishaw, Meisha Tate and Brian Caraway train, former King of the Cage, Gladiator Challenge and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) MMA Featherweight (145 lb.) World Champion, defended WEC title for over two years, current UFC Bantamweight (135 lb.), #3 Bantamweight in the world according to Sherdog, holds MMA wins over Jens Pulver, Scott Jorgensen, Brian Bowles, current UFC BW champ Dominick Cruz, Ivan Menjivar, Bibiano Fernandes, and Jeff Curran, 29-6 MMA record.- Actor
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Cited by film producer Jeff Most as "The next Vin Diesel", Tito delivers the audience as well as the sheer acting talent. The most electrifying Ultimate Fighting competitor alive today, as intimidating as Tito is in the ring, outside he is an unparalleled fan favorite. A dynamic speaker, Tito's popularity with the fans made for a natural move into other media. He frequently appears on talk shows and in magazine articles and stars in the popular video game, "UFC: Tapout" on Xbox. Having made a cameo appearance in Jet Li's Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), Tito recently delivered a breakout performance with his first starring role, opposite Edward Furlong, David Boreanaz, and Dennis Hopper, in The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005), scheduled for release in early 2005.
But life for "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" wasn't always this good, and even as he soars to the top, Tito has never forgotten his roots. The child of two drug-addicted parents, in high school Tito chose wrestling over drugs and gangs, and excelled. He went on to compete at the college level and earned two consecutive titles as California State Wrestling Champion before making the shift to Ultimate Fighting...where he became the world champion less than two years after entering the sport.
Today, as he balances his time between fighting, acting, running his clothing line, "Punishment Athletics", and developing his new game for Xbox, Tito also regularly prioritizes working with inner city children; motivating kids to stay in school, to stay away from drugs and gangs, and to pursue their dreams, no matter what their current situation; and, through his foundation, Tito supports children's charity initiatives and raises money to establish better after-school athletic programs in neighborhoods like the one he came from.Former UFC Light Heavyweight World Champion, defended that title 5 times, UFC Hall of Famer, UFC 18 Tournament Winner, 15-11 MMA record, has victories over Ken Shamrock, Evan Tanner, Ryan Bader, Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort, Patrick Cote and Yuki Kondo, runs Team Punishment MMA out of Punishment Training Center in Big Bear, CA, christened himself "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy," is an accomplished grappler, winning a bronze medal at 2000 ADCC World Combat Submission Championships, and winning NJCAA championships in college. He's booked to face Alexander "Storm" Shlemenko for the Bellator 185 lb. title at a pay-per-view on May 17 if he stays healthy. His life has been tabloid fodder due to his volatile relationship with Jenna Jameson, with whom he has two children.- Gokhan Saki, sportsman, actor and trainer. Born on October 19, 1983, in Schiedam, The Netherlands, from Turkish origin. He became Glory Light Heavyweight World Champion kick-boxing in April 2014 and fought in the USA in 2013 for the Heavyweight Belt. Gokhan is two-time Dutch and European Muay Thai champion and has 7 world titles on his name. He is known for Amsterdam Heavy (2011). Last year he played a Nike commercial and played in a Dutch Movie Pilot.nicknamed The Rebel, Dutch and Turkish descent, Dutch and Euro Muay Thai champ, 2003 World Muay Thai champion, 2006 K-1 World Grand Prix in Amsterdam runner up, 2008 WFCA World Thaiboxing Super Heavyweight (+95 kg) title, 2008 K-1 World GP in Hawaii champion, 2008 K-1 World Grand Prix Final 3rd place, 2009 K-1 Heavyweight (−100 kg) tournament runner up, 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Final 3rd place, 2010–2011 United Glory World Series heavyweight tournament champion, 79-17 Kickboxing record.
- Rulon Gardner was born on 16 August 1971 in Afton, Wyoming, USA. He is an actor, known for Sydney 2000: Games of the XXVII Olympiad (2000), Nash Bridges (1996) and The R.M. (2003). He has been married to Lisa Nichols since 23 July 2004.Yes, the Olympic and World Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion was an MMA fighter, for one fight against fellow Olympic Gold Medalist Judoka (Barcelona 1992) Hidehiko Yoshida at a PRIDE FC event in 2004, he won via decision, his one fight MMA record can be seen on Sherdog's Fight Finder here: http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Rulon-Gardner-11813 ; actual highlights of the fight are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGQqgWd1w6s
- Brian Stann was born on 24 September 1980 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. He has been married to Teressa since 2006. They have two children.Former UFC Middleweight, currently retired from MMA, Former US Marine Captain in command of 2nd Mobile Assault Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, Silver Star Recipient for Bravery in Combat during Operation Matador, Afghanistan War on Terror, graduate of the Naval Academy @ Annapolis, MD, where he played football for the NCAA D-1 Midshipmen, Analyst for numerous UFC events, holds MMA wins over Alessio Sakara, Chris Leben, Steve Cantwell and Doug Marshall, Black Belt in USMC Combatives and Blue Belt in BJJ, currently a college football analyst.
- Yoel Romero Palacio is a Cuban mixed martial artist (MMA) and former World Champion and Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling. He made his UFC debut against Clifford Starks on April 20, 2013 at UFC on Fox 7. He won the fight via KO in the first round. He did also compete in the now-defunct Strikeforce organization.Cuban Olympic wrestler and MMA fighter, signed to UFC's Middleweight Division where he has amassed 3 wins, 7-1 MMA record, 2000 Sydney Silver Medalist in Freestyle Wrestling @ 85kg, 1999 World Champion @ 85kg, 2003 Pan American Games Champion @ 85kg, various Silver and Bronze Medal placings @ Pan American Games and World Championships from 1998-2003, currently trains @ American Top Team with fellow Cuban Olympian Hector Lombard and BJJ Black Belt Thiago Silva.
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Don "The Dragon" Wilson is considered the greatest kick-boxing champion in the sport's history. A native of South Florida, Wilson began fighting in the late 1970s. In a career which spanned 4 decades, he won 11 world kick-boxing championships, among them the WKA, STAR, WKC, PKO Lightheavyweight World Championships, WKA, STAR, ISKA World Cruiserweight Titles, and the WKA and STAR Super-Lightheavyweight World Championships. He posted a record of 72-5-2 with 47 wins by knockout. Wilson defeated such world champions as Dennis Alexio, Oaktree Edwards, and Dick Kimber. He retired from the sport in 1990, but launched a comeback on May 14, 1999. Since his return he has knocked-out Dick Kimber and defeated Dewey Cooper.World Champion Kickboxer, Star of the popular "Bloodfist" series and many B-action movies, studied Goju-Ryu Karate and Pai Lum Tao Kung Fu as well as Kickboxing, has won Kickboxing Championships in KICK, STAR, IKF, PKA, ISKA, WKA, and PKO organizations, he owns victories against former champions Maurice Smith and Dennis Alexio, record 72-5-2- Actor
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Rigan is one of five brothers of the Machado family. He began training at the age of 5 with his cousins, "The Gracie Family". In an interview, when asked about his exact relationship with the Gracies, Rigan said "My mother's sister married the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie." Like all children he took it more as a game than really as something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He started to take training and competing more seriously at the age of 14. This is the time where Rigan would start to train everyday. From the age of 14 through 21, he won the Brazilian National Championships every year and every belt division. He amassed a record of 365 wins and 2 losses in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition. He also created a record by having 19 matches in one day and finishing all of them by submission. He remains unbeaten in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in more than 13 years of competition. His training sessions were all very technical and intensive under the eye of his two instructors Rolls Gracie and Carlos Gracie Jr.
Rigan Machado was awarded the first black belt under Gracie Barra founder Carlos Gracie Jr. and is one of the original teachers who taught in the garage of Rorion Gracie in the early days of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in America. He also trained with his other cousins such Rickson Gracie, Rorion Gracie, Rillion Gracie, his uncle Carlos Gracie Sr, and his brothers. He now has an 8th degree red and black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jits.
He is widely regarded as one of the top competitors in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu history. He also competed and won many tournaments in judo, Sambo, and wrestling. Rigan Machado teaches at his school, "The Academy Beverly Hills", located in Beverly Hills, California. Rigan is sponsored by a sporting goods brand called Sanabul and has an official Rigan Machado product line within the company. He is also the commissioner of Jiu Jitsu World League.8th Degree Red and Black Belt in BJJ under Carlos Gracie, Jr., has trained Chuck Norris and Erik Paulsen, ADCC Bronze Medalist in 2000 and Pan American champion in 1996-97 in Absolute (openweight) and over 100kg divisions, has appeared in 9 motion pictures and several documentaries.- Actor
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With his funky Afro hairstyle, super cool attitude and superb karate skills, Jim Kelly was instantly identifiable, and one of the top martial arts film stars of the early 1970s. After appearing in a minor film role, Kelly's second screen effort was as one of the invited guests to the deadly Han's Island in Enter the Dragon (1973). Kelly quickly cropped up in several more martial arts influenced "blaxploitation" films including Three the Hard Way (1974), Golden Needles (1974) and Black Belt Jones (1974), with its interesting fight finale in a soap filled car wash! He then appeared in several other action films of the late seventies, however since 1980, Kelly has only cropped up in two minor roles. A talented athlete, winning ranked titles both in tennis and karate, Jim Kelly was an integral part of the African-American & martial arts cinematic explosion of the 1970s.Identifiable for his tall afro, cool tough guy persona and his attitude of Black Power, starred with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon as Williams and the cult classic Black Belt Jones, trained in Okinawan Karate and was 1971 World Middleweight Karate Champion at the Long Beach Karate Championships organized by martial arts pioneer and fellow karate practitioner Ed Parker, also worked as a stunt choreographer/teacher at his dojo on Crenshaw, starred in Three the Hard Way with Fred Williamson and Black Samurai, was the partial inspiration for the 2002 Undercover Brother film starring Eddie Griffin and even had a deleted cameo in it, passed on June 29, 2013 from cancer.- Matt Wiman was born on 19 September 1983 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.UFC Lightweight, raised in Tulsa and initially trained with UFC veteran Mikey Burnett, member of The Ultimate Fighter 5 cast with UFC vets Nate Diaz and Joe Lauzon, MMA record 15-7, owns victories over Michihiro Omigawa, Thiago Tavares, Mac Danzig, and Paul Sass, won 4 Fight of the Night and 1 Submission of the Night bonus awards.
- Henry Cejudo was born on 9 February 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. He is a producer, known for In Full Bloom (2019), Sasuke (1997) and Countdown to UFC (2011). He has been married to Ana Karolina since 17 September 2021. They have one child.Olympic Gold Medalist @ 2008 Beijing Games, 5-0 as an MMA fighter, Winner of US Olympic Team Trials, youngest American Olympic Champion ever at 21, skipped college and went straight to Olympic Training Center at age 17, Pan American Gold Medalist and placed at World and Junior Championships, retired from competitive freestyle wrestling in 2012, supports numerous charities including Make-a-Wish, Warrior Games, Phoenix Children's Hospital and State Games of America, trains at Fight Ready MMA in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
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Renzo Gracie is known for Once Upon a Time in Brazil, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Born a Champion (2021).Cousin of Royce and Rickson Gracie, grandson of Carlos Gracie, Sr., grandnephew of Helio Gracie, trainer of fighters Matt Serra (Former UFC Welterweight Champion and his first American student promoted to black belt), Ricardo Almeida, Frankie Edgar and Chris Weidman, both of the last whom were also UFC Champions, 6th Dan in BJJ and 1st Dan in Judo, MMA record 13-7-1, wins over Oleg Taktarov and Maurice Smith, operates Renzo Gracie Combat Team MMA out of NYC.- Ryan Gracie was born on 14 August 1974 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was married to Elaine Caparroz. He died on 15 December 2007 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.Brother of Renzo Gracie, the "Bad Boy" of the Gracie Family, MMA 5-2, wins over Shungo Oyama and Ikuhisa Minowa, 4th Dan in BJJ, was found dead in a jail cell in 2007 after an arrest and accidentally overdosing on prescribed medicine and prescribing doctor was later found guilty of negligence.
- 1st Dan in BJJ from Nova Uniao, fights at 135 lb. in Bellator FC, Grappler's Quest, Brazilian National and World BJJ Champion, Bellator Season 6 135 lb. Tournament Winner, MMA record 15-6-1, wins over Louis Nogueira, former WEC Champion Chase Beebe and Travis Marx.
- Joseph Benavidez born on July 31, 1984 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Joseph is married to UFC reporter Megan Olivi. He is of Mexican descent. He worked Screenprinter at GSI graphic services in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He attended Las Cruces High School, where he began training boxing, kickboxing, but at the age of 16 he began training wrestling. He won state wrestling champion of New Mexico in 2000. Joined up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in 2007.UFC Flyweight (125 lb.) No. 1 contender, top 10 ranked flyweight and bantamweight fighter, New Mexico State Wrestling Champ @ 103 lbs. in high school, wrestled collegiately @ William Penn University, trains out of Team Alpha Male with Urijah Faber and Meisha, 19-3 MMA record (6 KO's, 8 Sub., 5 Dec.), rematched Demetrious Johnson for 125 lb. title at UFC on Fox 9 and lost via KO, has wins over Eddie Wineland, Ian McCall, Yasuhiro Urshi-tani, Miguel Torres, and Rani Yahya.
- T.J. Dillashaw was born on 7 February 1986 in Sonora, California, USA. He has been married to Rebecca Dillashaw since 2014. They have one child.Wrestled at Cal-State Fullerton, placed at many Pac 10 duals, competes as a bantamweight in the UFC, trains out of Team Alpha Male, 7-2 MMA record, wins over Vaughan Lee, Issei Timura, and Hugo Viana, no. 9 ranked MMA bantamweight according to Sherdog.
- wrestled at Central State University in Washington state, UFC bantamweight, trains at Alpha Male Gym, MMA record 18-6, wins over Johnny Bedford and Mitch Gagnon, boyfriend and assistant coach of Meisha Tate on The Ultimate Fighter 18 season.
- Rafael Cordeiro is known for Here Comes the Boom (2012), Fontanarrosa, a Real Idol (2017) and Countdown to UFC (2011).4-2 MMA record, former MMA and Muay Thai fighter, nicknamed Mestre which is Portuguese for Master or sensei, black belt in BJJ, former trainer at Chute Boxe and current head trainer at Kings' MMA, trained Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Fabricio Werdum and Jason Miller.
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Jean Jacques Machado is known for Redbelt (2008), Brazilian Brawl (2003) and Force of the Spirit (2005).World champion grappler, nephew and student of Carlos Gracie, Sr., 7th Dan Red and Black Belt in BJJ, medaled in many BJJ and grappling competitions including ADCC Combat Submission Wrestling Championships, trainer of Eddie Bravo and Joe Rogan.- Jorge Patino is known for A Key for a Buck (2022), Strikeforce: Houston (2010) and Platinum Ring of Fire (2007).Black belts in Judo (2nd Dan) and BJJ (5th Dan), decorated grappler and MMA fighter, 35-15-1 MMA record, has competed in MMA since 1995, fought at UFC 18 against MMA champion Pat Miletich for welterweight title, has held Legacy Fighting Championships Lightweight and Welterweight titles, operates Macaco Gold Team out of Houston, TX, USA and Brazil, trainer of UFC veteran Charles "do Bronx" Oliveira, recently lost to fellow MMA veteran Luis Palomino in MMA World Series of Fighting.
- Tatsuya Kawajiri is known for MONSTERZ: Monsutâzu (2014), UFC on Fox (2011) and EA Sports MMA (2010).Former 154 lb. Shooto World Champion, Class-A Shootist, currently a UFC featherweight, called "Crusher" due to his strong wrestling and ground and pound, Dream and Pride FC Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinalist, 32-7-1 MMA records with wins over Joachim Hansen, Luiz Firmino, Josh Thomson, Drew Fickett, Gesias Cavalcante and Yves Edwards.
- Kyokushin Karate and Judo Black Belt, Former DEEP Lightweight Champion and 2009 DEEP Lightweight Grand Prix Winner, owner of a devastating crescent kick and awkward karate-based striking style that makes him especially dangerous, has competed in Dream and DEEP mainly, signed to the UFC in November 2013, MMA record 21-5-2 with wins over Daisuke Nakamura and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.
- Eddie Alvarez was born on 1 November 1984 in Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for ONE Championship on TNT (2021), TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004) and New York Mixed Martial Arts (2011).Current 2x Bellator World Lightweight Champion, Bodog Welterweight Champion, Prep School All-American, from Kensington, Philly, of Irish-Puerto Rican ethnicity, Dream Lightweight Grand Prix Finalist, Bellator Season 1 Lightweight Tournament Winner, trains out of Blackzilians Camp with Rashad Evans and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, his style is a potent mix of wrestling and boxing, MMA record 25-3 with wins over Michael Chandler, Patricky "Pitbull" Freire, Roger Huerta, Derrick Noble, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Katsunori Kikuno, Shinya Aoki, and Joachim Hansen.
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MARK MUÑOZ is best known as a former professional mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Extreme Fighting (WEC), guest sports commentator on UFC Tonight. Known for being the nicest guy in the UFC, Mark was a middleweight contender who went by the moniker "The Filipino Wrecking Machine." Mark was also an MMA consultant on the set of Here Comes the Boom (2012) starring Kevin James. He's the founder of REIGN wrestling and West Coast Wrestling Camps. He directs both technique and intensive camps each summer and promotes the sport of wrestling through the USA Wrestling organization.
Mark will be making his action lead role debut in LUMPIA WITH A VENGEANCE as the silent avenger Kuya.Former Division 1 National Wrestling Champion and All-American @ OSU, BJJ Purple Belt, of Filipino descent hence the nickname "Filipino Wrecking Machine," top 10 185 lb. fighter, has UFC wins over CB Dolloway, Chris Leben, and Demian Maia, has had a rough patch lately and was KO'd brutally by Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machido in his last two of three fights.- Actor
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John Wayne Parr is known for The Violent (2010), The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition (2021) and The Contender Asia (2008).Australian Muay Thai World Champion, arguably most successful Western Thai Boxer ever, has held numerous championships and fought in WKN, K-1 Max, and The Contender Asia, 83-31 kickboxing record with 38 KO's.- Actor
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Christopher Haueter is known for Captain Fantastic (2016), Combat Base Club (2020) and Beyond the Ring (2008).4th Dan in BJJ under Rigan Machado, one of the first Americans to earn a BJJ black belt, trainer and grappler, also practices Jeet Kune Do, and coaches.- Stunts
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Noted Filipino-American martial arts practitioner, who studied "jeet kune do" from fellow martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. Always seeking to improve his knowledge, Inosanto holds numerous belts in various martial arts including Asian, American & Brazilian disciplines such as Muay Thai, Pentjak Silat & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. An accomplished weapons practitioner, he has showcased his skills in Game of Death (1978) fighting Bruce Lee, he gave detective Burt Reynolds a grisly "manicure" before being speared to death in Sharky's Machine (1981), appeared in the John Carpenter fantasy - martial arts adventure Big Trouble in Little China (1986), and clashed pool cues with Steven Seagal in the violent Out for Justice (1991).
He currently operates a martial arts school (The Inosanto Academy) in Marina Del Rey, California.Practitioner of Eskrima, BJJ and Jeet Kune Do, student of Bruce Lee and appears in Game of Death.- Stunts
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Erik Paulson grew up in Minnesota and began his training in Judo in 1974. He started training competition Tae Kwon Do in 1976. To get his hands better he joined Golden Gloves Boxing in 1978 and competed all throughout his junior and senior high years while still competing in many karate tournaments and full-contact kickboxing matches.Judo and BJJ Black Belt, Head trainer of CSW (Combat Submission Wrestling) where UFC fighters Josh Barnett and Liz Carmouche train, former Shooto Light Heavyweight Champion, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do and Shooto Certified trainer.- Caol Uno was born on 5 August 1975 in Yokosuka, Japan.Former Shoot 155lb. Champion, BJJ Black Belt, ADCC Japan Trials Grappling Winner, 29-16 MMA record.
- UFC Lightweight, Shooto and Pride FC Lightweight Champion, Pride Lightweight Grand Prix Winner, 34-9-1 MMA record, Class A-Shootist, winner of four All Japan Combat Wrestling Championships, trains at American Kickboxing Academy with Cain Velasquez and Dan Cormier and at his own Kugayama Rascal Gym at home, well known for his wrestling-boxer fighting style and devastating ground strikes, has won numerous Fighter of the Year awards from MMA news sites like Sherdog, winner of 1x Fight and KO of the Night Awards for wins over Tyson Griffin and Mac Danzig.
- ADCC and Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, grandson of Carlos Gracie, 6-2 MMA record, BJJ Black Belt under cousin Renzo Gracie, teaches at his own BJJ school in Nottingham, UK, has competed for Dream, Strikeforce, and UFC as HW, LHW and MW in MMA, owns wins over Kevin Randleman, Trevor Prangley and Keith Jardine.
- Famous Vale Tudo fighter with dozens of unsanctioned fights dating back to the early 1960's in Brazil, famously took the Gracie Challenge and lost to Rickson in a fight that aired on national TV in Brazil, "official" MMA record dates back to 1980 with loss to Rickson and is listed at 2-7.
- David Terrell was born on 9 January 1978 in Sacramento, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Shallow Ground (2004), UFC Unleashed (2005) and UFC 51: Super Saturday (2005).Retired MMA middleweight fighter, BJJ Black Belt under Cesar Gracie and trained with the Diaz Bros. and Gil Melendez, has wins over Matt Lindland, Joey Villasenor, and Scott Smith, ex-No. 1 contender for UFC Middleweight World Championship, retired in 2008 after lingering injuries kept him from a comeback, operates Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance MMA Gym where he trains ex-Bellator Featherweight World Champion Joe Soto, and UFC veterans David Mitchell and Nate Loughran.
- Evan Tanner was born on 11 February 1971 in Amarillo, Texas, USA. He died in September 2008 in Palo Verde Mountains, California, USA.Former UFC World Middleweight Champion and USWF Heavyweight Champion, won UFC title with a KO over David Terrell, won USWF Heavyweight and Pancrase Neo-Blood Middleweight Tournaments, MMA record 32-10, was defeated in has last MMA fight by Kendall Grove due to a KO, speculated that years of alcohol abuse had taken a hard toll on his body, was later found dead after hiking alone into the desert region of Palo Verde, California where he died from exposure to temperatures in excess of 118 degrees Fahrenheit, he is a well remembered and beloved figure in MMA due to his generosity, kindness, and friendly attitude, a documentary celebrating his life and beliefs was released in 2011.
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Matt Lindland was born on 17 May 1970 in Milwaukie, Oregon, USA. He is an actor, known for Happy Death Day 2U (2019), 21 & Over (2013) and New York Minute (2004).Former UFC LHW and Strikeforce Middleweight, successfully sued the United States Olympic Committee over a controversial team trial loss to secure a spot on the 2000 Sydney US Wrestling team where he won a silver medal in the Men's 76 kg Freestyle event, also has won silver and gold medals at World Cup, Pan-American and World Championships from 1994-2001, he was a top 10 ranked wrestler on the Senior circuit until 2004, co-founder of Team Quest MMA with fellow Olympians Randy Couture and Dan Henderson, was an Oregon GOP nominee for Oregon House of Representatives in 2008, has an MMA record of 22-9 with wins over Ivan Salaverry, Ricardo Almeida, former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich, MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn, and 60 plus fight MMA veteran Joe Doerksen.- Black Belts in BJJ and Judo, trains at American Top Team, UFC Welterweight, 33-4 MMA record, Former Bellator and Cage Fighting Championships Middleweight Champion, has wins over Nate Marquardt, Rousimar Palhares, and Jesse Taylor, former Judo Olympian for Cuba.
- UFC Bantamweight, 19-7-2 MMA record, Former Cage Force Bantamweight Champion, WEC 2x Fight of the Night Winner, fringe top 10 MMA bantamweight contender, holds a Master's in electrical engineering.