company name	K-1
company logo
company type	Private
foundation	1993
founder	Kazuyoshi Ishii
location city	Tokyo
location country	Japan
location
key people	Sadaharu Tanikawa (President)Nobuaki Kakuda (Executive producer)
industry	Martial-arts promotion
parents	SeidokaikenFighting and Entertainment Group
homepage	www.k-1.co.jp
footnotes	}}

K-1 is a world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a former Kyokushin karate practitioner, and owned by the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), who organize combat sport events in Japan, and around the world, that include events by the mixed martial arts promotion Dream. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts. Its rules are similar to those of kickboxing but they have been simplified to promote exciting matches that may end in a knockout win. The main difference between K-1 rules and kickboxing is the use of knees, allowed in K-1 but not in International kickboxing.

There are K-1 Regional Elimination Tournaments which qualify fighters for the K-1 World Grand Prix, along with licensed K-1 Fighting Network events designed to develop new talent internationally and there is also a 70 kg (154 lb) Middleweight division called K-1 MAX ("Middleweight Artistic Xtreme"). In 2007, K-1 introduced two new Title belts separate from K-1 World GP Champions, Super Heavyweight World Title for fighters over 100 kg/220 lbs and Heavyweight World Title for fighters under 100 kg/156–220 lbs.

The letter K in K-1 is officially designated by the organisation as a representation of words karate, kickboxing and kung fu.

History

K-1's predecessor Seidokaikan Karate was formed in 1980 by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a former Kyokushin karate practitioner who had formed his own organization to help promote the best stand-up martial artists. Seidokaikan arranged several successful challenge events against other martial arts organizations, originally using rules based on the Kyokushin Knockdown karate rules, but gradually adapting and changing closer to kickboxing rules. In 1993, Mr. Ishii founded the K-1 organization exclusively as a kickboxing organization, closely cooperating with, but independent from Seidokaikan.

Broadcast deal

On November 21, 2008 HDNet Fights announced its partnership with FEG to air K-1 events in North America.

On March 30, 2010 K-1 has teamed up with one of their broadcast partners, Fuji TV, to film the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama in 3D, being the first combat sports show to be filmed fully in 3D.

Financial Problems

Starting in 2010, multiple stories began to surface regarding the financial troubles of K-1 and their parent company FEG. Simon Rutz, the owner of the Dutch-based kickboxing promotion It's Showtime, claimed in January 2011 that some fighters from It's Showtime had not been paid for fights in K-1.

In early 2011, the company publicly announced that they were facing financial problems and would take some months off to restructure. It has been speculated that the financial problems are severe, so FEG can end up losing the ownership of K-1.

K-1 Grand Prix

Throughout the year there are 6 K-1 World Grand Prix tournaments and 4 main K-1 MAX events. The winners will qualify to the K-1 and the K-1 MAX WGP Final Eliminations held in Osaka Dome, Japan. From there the final top 8 fighters will compete in the K-1 World GP Finals in Tokyo Dome, Japan.

List of K-1 events

Every year there are dozens of other K-1 qualifying tournaments and preliminaries all over the world.

To date K-1 has held events in 38 countries.

The following is a list of countries that K-1 has held events in chronological order: Japan (1993-2011) Netherlands (1994, 2001-2003, and 2006-2010) France (1995, 2002-2008, and 2010) Switzerland (1995-1999, 2000, and 2003) United States (1998 and 2000-2008) Australia (2000-2005 and 2010) England (2000, 2002-2004, and 2006-2007) Italy (2000-2008) Germany (2000-2008) Belarus (2000 and 2010) Croatia (2000, 2002, 2007, and 2009-2010) South Africa (2000-2002 and 2006) New Zealand (2000-2006) Czech Republic (2000-2001 and 2006-2009) Denmark (2001) Ukraine (2001-2002, 2006, and 2010) Spain (2002-2004, 2009, and 2011) Brazil (2002-2006) Sweden (2003-2010) Russia (2003, 2006, and 2010) Bosnia and Herzegovina (2003-2004 and 2009) Scotland (2004) Portugal (2004 and 2006) Poland (2004 and 2007-2010) South Korea (2004-2010) Canary Islands (2005-2006 and 2009) Slovenia (2005-2006 and 2008) Hungary (2005-2010) Lithuania (2006-2007 and 2010-2011) Latvia (2006-2008) Turkey (2007 and 2010) Belgium (2007) Estonia (2007 and 2009) Romania (2007 and 2009-2010) Hong Kong (2007) Austria (2008) Taiwan (2008) Moldova (2009-2011)

Qualification and match-ups

The system of K-1 changes from time to time as a response to growing popularity in different parts of the world.

In the beginning, the K-1 series was a single tournament in Japan with fighters participating by invitation. K-1 has now branched out to all parts of the world and has been divided into preliminary Grand Prix-s, Fighting Networks and qualifiers. There are six regional GPs on all continents (except Africa and Antarctica) and all of them have the exclusive right to send the winners to the Final Elimination. Preliminaries are organized in countries with minor attendance and consists of tournaments where the winners qualify to the regional GPs.

K-1 attempted to gain popularity in the United States by holding two GPs, however only a few Americans have ever qualified for the Finals. In 2006 one of the American GPs was relocated to Auckland, New Zealand. Additionally the K-1 Paris GP lost its qualifying right in favor of Amsterdam.

The ''Final Elimination'' is an event where 16 participants compete for the final eight spots in the Finals. The line-up is made up of 6 new GP winners, the eight finalists from the previous year's Final, plus 2 fighters selected by the K-1 organization. In 2006 there were some minor modifications because Peter Aerts was replaced by Glaube Feitosa who reached the final match, therefore he was included in the 2006 Final Elimination.

Match-ups

Usually the combatants of the Elimination 16-men 8-match super fights are paired by drawing. This is done differently at the Tokyo Dome, however. The event is combined with a ceremony where the fighters pull a ball from a glass bowl with a number on it. The balls are marked with numbers 1 through 8, determining fighter order. The fighter with the number 1 ball will choose first "empty" section. This procedure goes on until all the fighters have selected their first quarterfinal opponent.

Restructuring

In 2007 the K-1 organization introduced two new title belts and restructured the qualification system. The two titles can be acquired through single fights. One was created for the heavyweights under 100 kg fighters and the other for the super-heavyweights. Meanwhile, the well-known 8-man tournament system remains and the GP titles are still handed out.

The new tournament qualification system will be: the 8 finalists of last year, 4 new Grand Prix winners and two new single title champions; if some of the fighters hold more than one title, then the extra ones will be chosen by the organization. The last two spots will be selected by K-1 and the votes of fans from around the world.".

Tactics

The principal objective of K-1 is to win either by a knockout or by a split or unanimous decision. Victories are usually achieved by kicks to the legs, head or midsection or using traditional boxing punches, such as the jabs, hooks or uppercuts.

The classic defensive boxing stance is rather ineffective against leg kicks, and fighters are more or less forced to constantly move and counterattack. The traditional clinch, often used in boxing, is not allowed, which has led to a very high knockout ratio in the K-1, since the fighters in other stand-up fighting sports often use the clinch to gain time to recover if they have been hit. The traditional Muai-Thai clinch (two hands grabbing the back of the opponents neck or head) is not allowed in K-1 rules. However, a single handed Muai-Thai clinch is allowed. If a fighter grabs an opponent with the intent of using a knee-technique he must let go after one single blow. In Thai Boxing, the fighters often hold on to each other to continuously use their knees and elbows. The same is said for Karate and Tae Kwon Do, though they consider clinch knees and elbows more circumstantial and only when the opponent is weakened to avoid neck and groin counters.

The rules themselves are constantly adapting and changing to create a competition which allows for participants of different styles to fight in a fairer manner, although these rules accommodate kickboxing rules as the main basis.

Rules

Each match is three or five rounds in duration, with each round lasting three minutes.

The match can end by Knockout, Technical Knockout, Decision, Disqualification, Draw or No Contest.

Both the referee and the ring doctor have full authority to stop the fight.

The fight is scored by three judges on a ten-point must system (The winner of each round receives ten points, and the loser receives nine or less. If the round is even, both competitors receive ten points).

If there is a draw after three rounds, the judges' scores are thrown out and one or two extra three-minute rounds are contested. The judges' decision will then come from the scoring of each extra round only. If, after the extra round(s), there is still a draw, the judges will decide a winner based on the flow of the entire match, considering even the slightest difference. A fight can only end in a draw if both fighters go down at the same time and cannot get up, or in the case of accidental injury in the late stages of the contest.

The three-knockdown rule is in effect (three knockdowns in a round results in a technical knockout).

The mandatory eight count is in effect (the referee must count to at least "eight" on all knockdowns).

The standing eight count is in effect (the referee has the right to declare a knockdown on a fighter who appears to be in a dangerous condition to continue in the match).

A fighter can be saved by the bell only in the last round.

In K-1 single elimination tournament matches:

Each match is three rounds in duration.

The three-knockdown rule becomes a two-knockdown rule for all matches except the final.

One or two reserve fights are held prior to the single elimination matches. If for any reason a fighter who wins and advances through the brackets is unable to continue, a reserve match competitor, or the fighter's opponent from the most recent match, takes his place. There are certain exceptions to this rule (i.e. a fighter who lost a match by knockout might not be eligible to replace another fighter).

''Source: K-1 Website''

Fouls

The following actions in K-1 are considered fouls:

Using the head or elbow to deliver a blow

Attacking the opponent in the groin

Delivering wrestling or judo throwing or submission techniques

Thumbing, choking or biting the opponent

Punching the opponent in the throat

Attacking the opponent while he is down or in the process of getting up

Attacking the opponent after the referee calls a break

Holding the ropes

Using offensive language to the referee

Attacking the back of the head with a punch

Attempting to cause the opponent to fall out of the ring

Voluntarily exiting the ring during the course of a match

Attacking an opponent who turns around and shows his back (unless the opponent loses his will to fight)

Delivering a backspin blow in an unauthorized area

Charging inside the opponent's arms with the head held low (inducing a head-butt)

Fighting in a passive manner (without attacking), including continuous holding and clinching

Attacking more than once while holding the opponent's kicking leg, or while holding the opponent's neck with both hands

A fighter is penalized as follows:

Caution – verbal reprimand by the referee

Warning – fighter is shown a yellow card

Point Deduction – fighter is shown a red card

Two cautions result in one warning. Two warnings result in a point deduction, and three point deductions in one round can result in a disqualification.

A red card is shown automatically if a fighter commits a foul with malicious intent.

Reception

The sport is very popular in Japan, Korea, Brazil and in Europe but enjoys only limited popularity in the United Kingdom and the United States. K-1 is rarely broadcast on English television, and the majority of US states does not sanction fight events, therefore K-1 fights are banned. To date, all K-1 tournaments in the US have taken place in Las Vegas or Honolulu (with one exception: Milwaukee 2001).

The events are frequently shown on Tokyo Broadcasting System and Fuji TV in Japan, XTM in South Korea, Combate, Combate HD and SporTV in Brazil, HDNet ("HDNet Fights") in the United States and on Eurosport in Europe. Reruns of older events are also aired on The Fight Network in Canada and Star Sports in India. Smaller K-1 sanctioned events are also broadcast in other countries by national and local sport channels.

There have been a few alleged nationality biased controversies as well. On May 13, 2006, an all-Dutch judging panel decided in favor of Remy Bonjasky from Netherlands against Jerome Le Banner from France at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Amsterdam. Many thought Jerome Le Banner had won the contest but judges had a slim majority decision in favor of the Dutch fighter Bonjasky (30-30, 29-28, 30-28). Le Banner filed a protest and K-1 officials from Japan and the United States reviewed the match based on current K-1 Grand Prix judging criteria and two weeks later on June 30, 2006, the result was reversed and Jerome Le Banner was officially announced as the new winner.

List of K-1 world champions

Full list of all the K-1 tournament champions see List of K-1 champions.

K-1 World Grand Prix Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:35%; font-size:90%" |- !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Year !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Runner-up !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality |- | 1993 | Branko Cikatić | | Ernesto Hoost | |- | 1994 | Peter Aerts | | Masaaki Satake | |- | 1995 | Peter Aerts | | Jérôme Le Banner | |- | 1996 | Andy Hug | | Mike Bernardo | |- | 1997 | Ernesto Hoost | | Andy Hug | |- | 1998 | Peter Aerts | | Andy Hug | |- | 1999 | Ernesto Hoost | | Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović | |- | 2000 | Ernesto Hoost | | Ray Sefo | |- | 2001 | Mark Hunt | | Francisco Filho | |- | 2002 | Ernesto Hoost | | Jerome Le Banner | |- | 2003 | Remy Bonjasky | | Musashi | |- | 2004 | Remy Bonjasky | | Musashi | |- | 2005 | Semmy Schilt | | Glaube Feitosa | |- | 2006 | Semmy Schilt | | Peter Aerts | |- | 2007 | Semmy Schilt | | Peter Aerts | |- | 2008 | Remy Bonjasky | | No runner-up (Badr Hari disqualified) |- | 2009 | Semmy Schilt | | Badr Hari | |- | 2010 | Alistair Overeem | | Peter Aerts |

K-2 World Grand Prix Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:35%; font-size:90%" |- !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Year !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Runner-up !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality |- | 1993 | Ernesto Hoost | | Changpuek Kiatsongrit | |-

K-1 World MAX Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:35%; font-size:90%" |- !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Year !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Runner-up !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Nationality |- | 2002 | Albert Kraus | | Kaolan Kaovichit | |- | 2003 | Masato | | Albert Kraus | |- | 2004 | Buakaw Por.Pramuk | | Masato | |- | 2005 | Andy Souwer | | Buakaw Por.Pramuk | |- | 2006 | Buakaw Por.Pramuk | | Andy Souwer | |- | 2007 | Andy Souwer | | Masato | |- | 2008 | Masato | | Artur Kyshenko | |- | 2009 | Giorgio Petrosyan | | Andy Souwer | |- | 2010 | Giorgio Petrosyan | | Yoshihiro Sato | |-

K-1 Super Heavyweight Title Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:60%; margin:auto; font-size:90%" |- !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion

!style="background: #e3e3e3"|Event !style="background: #e3e3e3"|№ of defenses |- | March 4, 2007 – ''present'' | Semmy Schilt - def Ray Sefo | K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama | 4 3 April 2010 Errol Zimmerman - 3 29 June 2008 Jerome Le Banner - 2 13 April 2008 Mark Hunt - 1 23 June 2007 Mighty Mo -

K-1 Heavyweight Title Champions

{| class="wikitable" style="width:60%; margin:auto; font-size:90%" |- !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Champion !style="background: #e3e3e3"|Event !style="background: #e3e3e3"|№ of defenses |- | April 28, 2007 – December 17, 2008 | Badr Hari - def Yusuke Fujimoto | style="text-align:center"|K-1 World GP 2007 in Hawaii | 1 29 June 2008 Glaube Feitosa - |- | March 28, 2009 – ''present'' | Kyotaro Fujimoto - def Gokhan Saki | style="text-align:center"|K-1 World GP 2009 in Yokohama | 1 3 April 2010 Peter Aerts - |-

See also

List of K-1 events

List of K-1 champions

List of male kickboxers

Full contact Karate

Seidokaikan

K-1 Premium Dynamite!!

Pride Fighting Championship

Dream

Bushido FC

References

External links

K-1 Fighters and Tournaments Database

Dutch K1 website

"Kickfighters – K1 World Max 2005", documentary

Category:Kickboxing organizations Category:Martial arts review 2010 Category:Mixed martial arts organizations

ast:K-1 bs:K-1 bg:K-1 cs:K-1 (sport) de:K-1 es:K-1 fa:کی وان fr:K-1 gl:K-1 ko:K-1 it:K-1 he:K-1 hu:K-1 (küzdősport) nl:K-1 ja:K-1 no:K-1 oc:K-1 pl:K-1 (sport walki) pt:K-1 ru:К-1 (кикбоксинг) simple:K-1 fi:K-1 (nyrkkeily) sv:K-1 th:เค-วัน uk:Чемпіонат K-1 zh:K-1

name	Alistair Overeem
birth name	Alistair Cees Overeem
other names	Demolition Man, The Reem, The Dutch Cyclone, Ubereem
nationality	Dutch
birth date	May 17, 1980
birth place	Hounslow, England
fighting out of	Amsterdam, Netherlands
height
weight
weight class	Heavyweight (2007-present) Light Heavyweight (1999-2007) Super Heavyweight (Kickboxing)
reach in	81+1/2
style	Kickboxing
team	Golden Glory
trainer	Martijn de Jong Cor Hemmers
years active	1999–present
mma win	35
mma loss	11
mma nc	1
mma kowin	14
mma subwin	19
mma decwin	2
mma koloss	6
mma subloss	2
mma decloss	3
kickbox win	10
kickbox loss	4
kickbox kowin	7
kickbox koloss	3
relatives	Valentijn Overeem, ''brother''
url	http://www.thereem.com/
sherdog	461
updated	}}

Alistair Cees Overeem (born on May 17, 1980) is a Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer, nicknamed the "Demolition Man". He is the Former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, DREAM Interim Heavyweight Champion, and K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and made history by being the only fighter in combat sports to hold a world title in both MMA and in K-1 kickboxing at the same time. As of November 2010, Overeem is ranked as the #3 best heavyweight mixed martial artist in the world by Sherdog, #3 by MMAWeekly, #3 by Yahoo! Sports and #2 by FightMagazine.com. He holds notable victories over Fabricio Werdum, Brett Rogers, Mark Hunt, Vitor Belfort (2x) and Igor Vovchanchyn.

Biography

Overeem was born on May 17, 1980 in Hounslow, England. to a Jamaican father and Dutch mother. His parents divorced when he was six years old. His mother, Clair, then moved Alistair and his brother Valentijn to the Netherlands, where Alistair has lived ever since.

As a child, Overeem competed in sports like judo, athletics and basketball. At first he didn't like to train, but after training with Bas Rutten, Joop Kasteel and others, he eventually learned to enjoy it.

Mixed martial arts career

Overeem had his first MMA professional fight at 19 years old, defeating Ricardo Fyeet by guillotine choke submission on at ''It's Showtime'', the first event of the eponymously named promotion.

After posting a 10-3 record in promotions such as RINGS, Overeem debuted in PRIDE on July 20, 2002, defeating Yusuke Imamura by TKO in just 45 seconds. Overeem would win two more fights in PRIDE before entering the 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix at PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 and losing to future UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the quarterfinal match. Overeem rebounded to defeat Tomohiko Hashimoto at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 in 36 seconds. On October 31, 2004 he fought Hiromitsu Kanehara, defeating him by TKO part-way through the first round at PRIDE 28: High Octane. He lost his next fight against Brazilian Top Team fighter Antônio Rogério Nogueira.

In 2005, Overeem entered the PRIDE Middle Weight Grand Prix at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 where he defeated former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort by submission in the opening round. Overeem would move on to fight Igor Vovchanchyn in the quarterfinals at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 taking under two minutes to win by submission. Overeem lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champion Mauricio Rua.

In February 2006, Overeem fought Russian Top Team favorite Sergei Kharitonov. Overeem won the fight, dislocating Kharitonov's shoulder in the process. With his win over Kharitonov, Overeem secured a spot in the PRIDE 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute. He fought Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum, losing via kimura in the second round.

After his loss, Overeem traveled to San Jose, California to rematch Vitor Belfort at Strikeforce: Revenge. Despite being the main event, Overeem pulled out a decision win in a lackluster fight. A month later Overeem returned to PRIDE for a highly anticipated rematch with Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Overeem entered the fight with a heavily taped neck. After controlling the first round and a half with his striking, Overeem was stumbled from a punch, Nogueira followed with a flurry of strikes. Worried Overeem would be more severely injured, his corner threw in the towel.

At PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute, he lost to Ricardo Arona. Overeem was on the receiving end of a leg kick that caused a non-serious injury to his nerves, causing him to lose feeling in his foot and leg. Unable to mount an offense or defend against Arona, Overeem tapped out to avoid further injury.

He then suffered another KO loss to Mauricio Rua at Pride 33, but returned in June 2007 with a submission win over Michael Knaap at K-1 Grand Prix in Amsterdam (despite K-1 being a kickboxing promotion, the bout was fought under MMA rules).

On September 17, 2007, at Hero's 10: Middleweight Tournament Final Alistair faced Sergei Kharitonov again. Overeem showed solid movement as soon as the first round began, but he suffered a KO loss just before the end of the first round.

On November 16, 2007, Overeem defeated Paul Buentello for the vacant Strikeforce heavyweight title by submission due to knee strikes.

On June 15, 2008 Overeem won by KO in the first round against Lee Tae-Hyun at DREAM.4. On July 21, 2008, Overeem defeated K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 champion Mark Hunt in the first round by submission at DREAM.5.

His next fight was against Mirko Filipović at DREAM.6 on September 23, 2008. After almost half of the first round which saw Overeem taking down Filipovic multiple times and effectively striking from the top position, cutting his Croatian foe, the bout was stopped and declared a no contest due to Alistair landing multiple knees to the groin of Filipovic.

In a 2008 interview, Overeem has stated that he would like to fight in the UFC in the near future. Overeem would ideally like a rematch with Chuck Liddell to avenge his PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 knockout loss and Mirko Cro Cop to avenge his disappointing no-contest in Dream. Overeem was also seen at UFC 93 in Ireland talking to Dana White and indicating he is "ready" to fight in the UFC.

Overeem was rumored to make his first title defense against Heavyweight Brett Rogers on June 6 at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields, however a hand injury scuttled plans for the fight. According to Golden Glory manager Bas Boon, Overeem had suffered a hand infection following a nightclub brawl early May 2009. According to Boon, Alistair and his brother Valentijn - both heavyweights - had been involved in an altercation that left five security staff needing hospital treatment and nearly cost Alistair his hand.

Overeem was scheduled to make his first Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship defense in a rematch against Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, but had to pull out due to a hand injury, most likely caused from his nightclub brawl.

Alistair defeated Tony Sylvester at Golden Glory's 10 year anniversary celebration with a standing guillotine choke. He used the same choke only 8 days later to submit MMA journeyman James Thompson at DREAM.12.

Overeem has stated that he wants a rubber match with Badr Hari, only this time in an MMA bout.

Overeem was set to face Andrei Arlovski at Dynamite!! 2009 but FEG instead opted to have him face, Kazuyuki Fujita to keep with the DREAM Vs. Sengoku theme. Overeem quickly overpowered his opponent and recorded a knockout with a knee to the head.

Overeem then faced Brett Rogers on May 15, 2010 at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship. He won the fight via TKO (punches) in the first round. In his post-fight interview, Alistair Overeem declared for another time that he wants to fight Fedor Emelianenko, claiming that Fedor's management can no longer ignore his presence. The majority of Alistair Overeem's pre-fight training camp took place at the newly opened Golden Glory Gym in Pattaya, Thailand, where "The Demolition Man" concentrated on the further improvement of his Muay Thai skills.

Overeem faced Todd Duffee on December 31, 2010 at Dynamite!! 2010. Overeem defeated Duffee by way of knockout 19 seconds into the first round to win the DREAM Interim Heavyweight Championship.

A rematch with Fabricio Werdum took place on June 18, 2011, at Strikeforce: Dallas as part of an eight-man heavyweight tournament. Overeem won by unanimous decision.

On July 17th it was announced Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem was removed from the promotion’s 2011 heavyweight grand prix. Overeem went on to state that he felt the September date was too soon for him to return, and that he needed time to rest and heal after his June 18 quarterfinal decision win over Fabricio Werdum. Overeem swapped out for unbeaten up-and-comer Daniel Cormier. Subsequently, on July 29th, it was announced that Overeem had been released from the Strikeforce organization as Zuffa exercised their right to eliminate the one remaining fight on his contract. Team Golden Glory leader Bas Boon stated that Alistair Overeem could come to the UFC under an exclusive deal, if the right terms are offered. Now it appears that Zuffa and Team Golden Glory are back on speaking terms, and UFC president Dana White is hoping to strike a deal with Overeem. “We’re talking to Overeem,” White confirmed. “Well, they’ve changed their opinions on how they can do business with us, so now we can.”

Kickboxing career

Overeem had his first professional kickboxing fight at 17 years old, in a K-1 rules fight on . After that he fought against Paul Hordijk, winning by decision on . Alistair then moved onto K-1, having two K-1 Kickboxing fights in 6 years against Errol Parris and Glaube Feitosa. Alistair was knocked out in both bouts and stayed with MMA from then on. He did not fight in K-1 for 4 more years.

On December 31, 2008 Overeem faced Badr Hari, one of K-1's top contenders, under K-1 rules. He defeated Hari by way of knockout in the first round. After that, he faced Remy Bonjasky, the defending K-1 champion. Overeem came out aggressive in the first and second rounds, bullying Bonjasky and landing some impressive offense, but in the third was knocked down by a right hook from Bonjasky, who thereby secured a unanimous decision win. All three judges scored the bout 30-28.

On September 26 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16, having been selected by fan voting after his impressive performances against Remy Bonjasky and Badr Hari, Overeem shocked the kickboxing world by achieving a huge upset. He defeated K-1's longest serving member, legendary 3-time champion Peter Aerts by unanimous decision. At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final Overeem knocked out Kyokushin Karate Champion, Ewerton Teixeira with a knee strike in the first round, but lost to Badr Hari, via TKO from a head kick in the Semi Finals.

At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama Alistair Overeem defeated Dzevad Poturak via KO (right knee) in Round 1 at 2:40. Overeem defeated Ben Edwards by TKO in the first round on October 2, 2010 at K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final 16.

On December 11, at the Ariake Coliseum Alistair fought at and won the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final. In the quarter finals he beat Tyrone Spong by Unanimous decision. In the semi finals he came face to face with his teammate Gokhan Saki, who he defeated by first round TKO due to injury, breaking Saki's right arm with a hard left kick. In the finals, he fought Peter Aerts for the second time. Alistair came out aggressively and finished Peter in the first round.

Personal life

Overeem has a daughter named Storm. On a Japanese comedy show, Alistair Overeem claimed that his great-great-grandfather was William III of the Netherlands.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Strikeforce

*Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion (One time; First)

DREAM

*Dream Interim Heavyweight Championship (One time; First; Current)

PRIDE Fighting Championships

*PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Championship (2005; Semi-finalist)

2 Hot 2 Handle

*2H2H Light Heavyweight Champion

*2H2H Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion

World MMA Awards

*2010 International Fighter of the Year

Kickboxing

K-1 Fighting Network

*K-1 2010 World Grand Prix Champion

*K-1 2009 World Grand Prix 3rd Place

Submission grappling

Abu Dhabi Combat Club

*2005 ADCC European Champion

Mixed martial arts record

|- | Win | align="center" | 35-11 (1) | Fabricio Werdum | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum | | align="center" | 3 | align="center" | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal |- | Win | align="center" | 34–11 (1) | Todd Duffee | KO (punches) | Dynamite!! 2010 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:19 | Saitama, Japan | Won Dream Interim Heavyweight Championship. |- | Win | align="center" | 33–11 (1) | Brett Rogers | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 3:40 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | Defended Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship. |- | Win | align="center" | 32–11 (1) | Kazuyuki Fujita | KO (knee) | Dynamite!! 2009 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:15 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 31–11 (1) | James Thompson | Submission (guillotine choke) | Dream 12 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:33 | Osaka, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 30–11 (1) | Tony Sylvester | Submission (guillotine choke) | Ultimate Glory 11: A Decade of Fights | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:23 | Amsterdam, North Holland | |- | Win | align="center" | 29–11 (1) | Gary Goodridge | Submission (kimura) | Ultimate Glory 10: The Battle of Arnhem | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:42 | Arnhem, Gelderland | |- | NC | align="center" | 28–11 (1) | Mirko Filipovic | NC (groin strike) | Dream 6 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 6:09 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 28–11 | Mark Hunt | Submission (keylock) | Dream 5 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:11 | Osaka, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 27–11 | Lee Tae-Hyun | KO (knee and punches) | Dream 4 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:36 | Yokohama, Kanagawa | |- | Win | align="center" | 26–11 | Paul Buentello | Submission (strikes) | Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 3:42 | San Jose, California, United States | Won inaugural Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship. |- | Loss | align="center" | 25–11 | Sergei Kharitonov | KO (punch) | Hero's 10 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 4:21 | Yokohama, Kanagawa | |- | Win | align="center" | 25–10 | Michael Knaap | Submission (guillotine choke) | K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Amsterdam | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 4:51 | Amsterdam, North Holland | Moves up to Heavyweight full-time. |- | Loss | align="center" | 24–10 | Mauricio Rua | KO (punches) | Pride 33 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 3:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align="center" | 24–9 | Ricardo Arona | Submission (punches) | Pride Final Conflict Absolute | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 4:28 | Saitama, Saitama | |- | Loss | align="center" | 24–8 | Antônio Rogério Nogueira | TKO (corner stoppage) | Pride Critical Countdown Absolute | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 2:13 | Saitama, Saitama | Returns to Light Heavyweight. |- | Win | align="center" | 24–7 | Vitor Belfort | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Revenge | | align="center" | 3 | align="center" | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | Fought at catchweight of 210 lb. |- | Loss | align="center" | 23–7 | Fabricio Werdum | Submission (kimura) | Pride Total Elimination Absolute | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 3:43 | Osaka, Osaka | Pride 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Opening Round. |- | Win | align="center" | 23–6 | Nikolajus Cilkinas | Submission (armbar) | WCFC: No Guts, No Glory | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:42 | Manchester, England | |- | Win | align="center" | 22–6 | Sergei Kharitonov | TKO (knees) | Pride 31 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 5:13 | Saitama, Saitama | Moves up to Heavyweight. |- | Loss | align="center" | 21–6 | Mauricio Rua | KO (punches) | Pride Final Conflict 2005 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 6:42 | Saitama, Saitama | Pride 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinal. |- | Win | align="center" | 21–5 | Igor Vovchanchyn | Submission (guillotine choke) | Pride Critical Countdown 2005 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:20 | Saitama, Japan | Pride 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |- | Win | align="center" | 20–5 | Vitor Belfort | Submission (guillotine choke) | Pride Total Elimination 2005 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 9:36 | Osaka, Japan | Pride 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round. |- | Loss | align="center" | 19–5 | Antônio Rogério Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 29 | | align="center" | 3 | align="center" | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 19–4 | Hiromitsu Kanehara | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pride 28 | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 3:52 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 18–4 | Rodney Faverus | Submission (guillotine choke) | 2 Hot 2 Handle | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | N/A | Rotterdam, South Holland | Wins 2H2H Light-Heavyweight Championship |- | Win | align="center" | 17–4 | Tomohiko Hashimoto | TKO (punches) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:36 | Kobe, Hyōgo | |- | Loss | align="center" | 16–4 | Chuck Liddell | KO (punches) | Pride Total Elimination 2003 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 3:09 | Osaka, Japan | Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |- | Win | align="center" | 16–3 | Mike Bencic | Submission (knee to the body and punches) | Pride 26 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 3:44 | Yokohama, Kanagawa | |- | Win | align="center" | 15–3 | Aaron Brink | Submission (guillotine choke) | 2H2H 6: Simply the Best 6 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:53 | Rotterdam, South Holland | |- | Win | align="center" | 14–3 | Bazigit Atajev | TKO (knee to the body) | Pride 24 | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 4:59 | Fukuoka, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 13–3 | Dave Vader | TKO (doctor stoppage) | 2H2H 5: Simply the Best 5 | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | N/A | Rotterdam, South Holland | 2H2H Light Heavyweight Tournament Final |- | Win | align="center" | 12–3 | Moise Rimbon | Submission (guillotine choke) | 2H2H 5: Simply the Best 5 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:03 | Rotterdam, South Holland | 2H2H Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal |- | Win | align="center" | 11–3 | Yusuke Imamura | TKO (knee and punches) | Pride The Best Vol.2 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:44 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 10–3 | Vesa Vuori | KO (punch) | 2 Hot 2 Handle: Germany | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 2:15 | Krefeld, Germany | |- | Win | align="center" | 9–3 | Sergey Kaznovsky | Submission (armbar) | M-1 Mix-Fight Championship: Russia vs. The World 3 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 3:37 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- | Win | align="center" | 8–3 | Roman Zentsov | Submission (keylock) | 2H2H 4: Simply the Best 4 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:26 | Rotterdam, South Holland | |- | Win | align="center" | 7–3 | Stanislav Nuschik | TKO (knees) | 2H2H 2: Simply The Best | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:53 | Rotterdam, South Holland | |- | Win | align="center" | 6–3 | Vladimer Tchanturia | Submission (rear naked choke) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Final | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:06 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 5–3 | Peter Verschuren | Submission (keylock) | It's Showtime - Christmas Edition | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:06 | Haarlem, North Holland | |- | Loss | align="center" | 4–3 | Bobby Hoffman | KO (punch) | Rings: Millennium Combine 2 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 9:39 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Loss | align="center" | 4–2 | Yuriy Kochkine | Decision (split) | Rings Russia: Russia vs. The World | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 5:00 | Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast | |- | Win | align="center" | 4–1 | Yasuhito Namekawa | Submission (armbar) | Rings: Millennium Combine 1 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 0:45 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 3–1 | Can Sahinbas | KO (knee) | 2 Hot 2 Handle 1 | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 2:21 | Rotterdam, South Holland | |- | Win | align="center" | 2–1 | Chris Watts | KO (knee to the body) | Rings Holland: There Can Only Be One Champion | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 3:58 | Utrecht, Utrecht | |- | Loss | align="center" | 1–1 | Yuriy Kochkine | Decision (majority) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Block A | | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | align="center" | 1–0 | Ricardo Fyeet | Submission (guillotine choke) | It's Showtime - It's Showtime | | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 1:39 | Haarlem, North Holland |

Kickboxing record

Submission grappling record

|- | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Result | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Record | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Opponent | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Method | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Event | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Date | align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Notes |- |Win |3-0 | Mikael Grothe |(Submission: Guillotine Choke) |ADCC European Trials |January 25, 2005 | -98.9 kg Final |- |Win |2-0 | Andreas Olsen |(Submission: Guillotine Choke) |ADCC European Trials |January 25, 2005 | -98.9 kg |- |Win |1-0 | Arben Latifi |(Submission: Guillotine Choke) |ADCC European Trials |January 25, 2005 | -98.9 kg |-

References

External links

Official web site

Personal life documentary

Profile at K-1

Profile at Strikeforce

Profile at Dream

Profile at Pride

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Dutch kickboxers Category:Heavyweight kickboxers Category:Super heavyweight kickboxers Category:Dutch mixed martial artists Category:Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Dream champions Category:Strikeforce champions Category:Dutch Muay Thai practitioners Category:Dutch people of Jamaican descent Category:People from Utrecht (city) Category:People from Hounslow

de:Alistair Overeem fr:Alistair Overeem ko:알리스타이르 오버레임 nl:Alistair Overeem ja:アリスター・オーフレイム pl:Alistair Overeem pt:Alistair Overeem ru:Оверим, Алистар sv:Alistair Overeem

name	Tyrone Spong
birth name	Tyrone Clinton Spong
other names	King of the Ring
nationality	Dutch Surinamese
birth date	September 03, 1985
birth place	Paramaribo, Suriname
fighting out of	Amsterdam, Netherlands
height
weight kg	103.5
weight class	Super Heavyweight Heavyweight Cruiserweight Middleweight
style	Muay Thai
stance	Orthodox
team	Team Mr. Perfect Fighting Factory Carbin
trainer	Ernesto Hoost Lucien Carbin
years active	2001–present (Kickboxing)
kickbox win	67
kickbox kowin	42
kickbox loss	6
kickbox koloss	3
kickbox draw	1
kickbox nc	1
url	http://www.tyronespong.nl
updated	January 11, 2011 }}

Tyrone "King of The Ring" Spong (born September 3, 1985) is a Dutch-Surinamese kickboxer. He is the reigning WFCA Cruiserweight Muay Thai and the former It's Showtime 95MAX World champion, fighting out of Fighting Factory Carbin in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

As of May 2011, Spong is ranked the #7 heavyweight in the world by LiverKick.com.

Biography and career

Tyrone Spong was born in Suriname. In 1990 at the age of 5, he moved to the Netherlands with his family.

In 2003, his first year as a pro, he made his mark winning 12 fights a year. In 2004, he fought against Rafi Zouheir at the Battle of Zaandam and won his first European Muay Thai Title (WKN). In 2004 Spong also visited Japan to compete in Shootboxing where he lost to Ryuji Goto. Goto suplexed him in the final seconds of the fight to earn a well-received unanimous decision. His next fight in April 2005, was against Belgian Mohammed Ouali for another European Title (WPKL). Spong won the fight by unanimous decision.

In December, 2005 at the A-1 Combat Cup in Duisburg, after three consecutive KO's in one night, Tyrone Spong won his first tournament Championship.

In 2006 Spong had two his biggest victories of his young career, KO wins over Muay Thai veteran Joerie Mes and two weeks later knocking out K-1 superstar Kaoklai Kaennorsing from Thailand in a first round.

On March 28, 2009, Spong participated in the first ever K-1 Heavyweight (-100 kg) Title tournament, held in Yokohama, Japan. He was beaten by Gokhan Saki in semifinals by right hook KO of the extra round.

Spong finally met rival Nathan Corbett at Champions of Champions II in what was widely considered a battle between the two best Muay Thai fighters in the world at their weight class for the W.M.C. world title -93 kg. The fight was a close affair with Spong knocking Corbett down earlier on in the fight only for it to end with a controversial decision. In the third round Corbett managed to knock Spong down with a huge right hook causing the referee to stop the fight. However, due to the referee's misleading hand signals, Corbett rushed back in to knock Spong down once more, not sure that the fight had been stopped. After considerable confusion the fight was declared a no contest instead of a Corbett KO win.

After defeating the Worlds heavyweight champion, Kyotaro he fought Jerome Le Banner in April 2010. Similar to the Nathan Corbett fight Spong broke his right hand in the first round and was knocked down. Despite coming back strongly he lost by decision. At the end of the year he qualified for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final, defeating veteran Ray Sefo in an elimination match, only to lose to eventual winner Alistair Overeem at the quarter final stage in what was a more competitive fight than most initial thought - as Overeem was much the bigger fighter. At the start of 2011, Spong had to vacate the It's Showtime 95MAX world title due to a number of issues such as not having had a title defense in the allocated two years and his management stating that he had moved up in weight to fight as a heavyweight.

Titles

2008 1st It's Showtime World 95MAX champion (Defense: 0)

2008 W.F.C.A. Thaiboxing World Cruiserweight champion (Defense: 1)

2008 KO World Series '08 Oceania winner

2007 1st SLAMM Events 79 kg class champion (Defense: 0)

2005 A1 World League winner

2005 W.P.K.L. European Middleweight champion (Defense: 0)

2004 W.K.N. Thaiboxing European Middleweight champion (Defense: 0)

M.T.B.N. Muay Thai Dutch Junior class -66 kg class champion (Defense: 0)

Personal Life

Spong is married with three children. He is an avid lover of animals, as is evidenced by the majority of his tattoos. He is the owner of several pit bull terriers, which he bred himself.

Fight record

See also

List of K-1 events

List of It's Showtime champions

List of male kickboxers

External links

K-1 Fans

References

Category:Dutch kickboxers Category:Surinamese kickboxers Category:Middleweight kickboxers Category:Cruiserweight kickboxers Category:Heavyweight kickboxers Category:Super heavyweight kickboxers Category:Dutch Muay Thai practitioners Category:Surinamese Muay Thai practitioners Category:Dutch people of Surinamese descent Category:Surinamese people of Black African descent Category:Surinamese emigrants to the Netherlands Category:People from Paramaribo Category:1985 births Category:Living people

ko:티로너 스퐁 it:Tyrone Spong nl:Tyrone Spong ja:タイロン・スポーン pl:Tyrone Spong

name	Mirko Filipović
birth name	Mirko Filipović
birth date	September 10, 1974
birth place	Vinkovci, Croatian SR, Yugoslavia
nationality	Croatian
other names	Cro Cop
residence	Zagreb, Croatia
height
weight lb	227
weight class	Heavyweight
reach in	73
style	Kickboxing
stance	Southpaw
team	Cro Cop Squad Gym Tigar Gym Vos Gym
trainer	Ivan Hippolyte
rank	Black belt in Taekwondo
years active	1996 – 2003 (Kickboxing)2001 – present (MMA)
kickbox win	16
kickbox kowin	11
kickbox loss	7
kickbox koloss	4
mma win	27
mma kowin	20
mma subwin	4
mma decwin	3
mma loss	9
mma koloss	4
mma subloss	2
mma decloss	3
mma draw	2
mma nc	1
am label	Amateur boxing record
am win	40
am kowin	31
am loss	5
spouse	Klaudija
url	http://www.mirko-crocop.com/
students	Fabricio Werdum
sherdog	2326
updated	November 08, 2009 }}

Mirko Filipović (; born September 10, 1974) is a Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and former law enforcement officer. Filipović was a member of the Croatian Parliament from 2003 through 2007. His nickname, Cro Cop, short for "Croatian Cop", comes from his membership in the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, Croatia's elite Police Special Forces tactical unit.

Filipović has been successful in both K-1 and Pride Fighting Championships. On September 10, 2006, he won the Pride 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix, and in 2007 began fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Filipović is famous for his left head kicks. He has been famously quoted as describing his kicks as, "Right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery." He holds notable wins over Josh Barnett (3x), Wanderlei Silva, Igor Vovchanchyn, Mark Coleman, Hidehiko Yoshida, Ikuhisa Minowa, Kevin Randleman, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kazuyuki Fujita (2x) and Aleksander Emelianenko.

Professional career

A martial arts enthusiast since his youth, Filipović started his professional career in 1996 as a kickboxer, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Branko Cikatić. Before turning pro Filipović was said to have accumulated an amateur boxing record of 40–5 (31 KO's). At the time, Filipović was working as a commando in the Croatian police anti-terrorist unit ''Alpha'' (stationed in Lučko near Zagreb), which earned him his nickname "Cro Cop". He also fought several times early in his career under the nickname "Tigar" (Croatian for "tiger"). His entrance theme song is The Wild Boys by Duran Duran.

K-1

In 1996, at the age of 22, Filipović entered the K-1 World Grand Prix elimination tournament. After defeating the previous year's finalist, Jérôme Le Banner, Filipović was stopped in the next round by Ernesto Hoost. He returned to K-1 three years later in 1999, knocking out British fighter Ricky "Tank" Nicholson, but subsequently dropped a decision against Swiss fighter, Xhavit Bajrami. Despite this, Filipović was given a wildcard into the world tournament where he shocked the kickboxing world by defeating highly regarded K-1 fighter Mike Bernardo. Filipović went on to knock out Japanese star Musashi and Australian karate fighter Sam Greco on the same night before being stopped again by Hoost. It was later revealed that Filipović actually entered the ring with a broken rib, a result of his previous fights.

Filipović continued to have successes in K-1, winning a number of matches against such top ranked opponents as Peter Aerts, Mark Hunt and Remy Bonjasky. He was the first fighter to beat then-undefeated giant, "The Beast" Bob Sapp in 86 seconds, breaking Sapp's zygomatic bone with a left punch. In 2000 he beat karate fighter Glaube Feitosa and boxer Hiromi Amada to reach the finals of the Nagoya Grand Prix, losing by first-round TKO to Mike Bernardo in a rematch. Once again, previously acquired injuries were the major factors in this loss. Filipović actually entered the ring limping on one leg due to injuries sustained in previous bouts. Bernardo repeatedly attacked Filipović's damaged leg and rendered him unable to continue due to injuries. Filipović, however, gained tremendous respect among Japanese fight enthusiasts for his courage and heart. As a finalist he progressed to the final eight for the 2000 Grand Prix, but once again dropped a decision to his nemesis Hoost.

In 2001 he was unexpectedly defeated by Canadian fighter Michael McDonald in the first round. Shortly thereafter, he began a transition to Pride, a Japanese mixed martial arts organization. He fought four more K-1 matches, however, winning each, most notably against Mark Hunt, Remy Bonjasky and Bob Sapp.

Pride FC

In 2001, Filipović began his switch to fighting in Pride, citing personal challenge as well as dissatisfaction with K-1 salaries. A year later, he also left his job at the anti-terrorist unit in order to focus fully on his martial arts career. Since then, Filipović maintained a comparably low kickboxing profile, but nevertheless scored some impressive K-1 victories, most notably against Mark Hunt in March 2002 (unanimous decision), Remy Bonjasky in July 2002 (second round TKO) and Bob Sapp in April 2003 (first round KO).

Following a TKO win over Kazuyuki Fujita in his MMA debut, Filipović made his Pride debut at Pride 17 against Nobuhiko Takada. The bout featured a special rule stating if it went to a decision it would be ruled a draw. Neither fighter was able to stop the other.

Filipović's next Pride fight was against then-middleweight (205 lb) champion Wanderlei Silva. This bout featured the same rules as the Takada fight and also ended in a draw. On August 28, 2002 Filipović faced Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba at ''Pride Shockwave''. Filipović won after fracturing Sakuraba's orbital bone.

His next fight was a rematch with Fujita at the ''Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002'' event where he picked up his fourth victory, this time by decision.

Filipović returned to Pride to face heavyweight contender Heath Herring at ''Pride 26'' (June 8, 2003). Filipović defeated Herring decisively, scoring a TKO victory with a left roundhouse body kick to Herring's liver at 3:17 into the fight. His next fight was against Ukrainian striker Igor Vovchanchyn at ''Pride Total Elimination 2003''. Following the powerful kicks of the Herring fight, this fight continued to showcase Filipović's kicking power as he knocked out Vovchanchyn with a head kick 1:29 into the fight. Filipović then defeated Mexican professional wrestler Dos Caras Jr. at ''Pride Bushido 1,'' also with a head kick knockout, in 46 seconds.

Filipović's string of Pride wins secured him a chance to fight for the interim heavyweight championship against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on November 9, 2003. Filipović's stand-up fighting proved effective in the first round, allowing him to control the fight from his feet while defending every takedown attempt Nogueira made, and landing a head-kick at the end of the round. Nogueira, however, prevailed in the second round after finally getting a successful takedown, forcing Filipović to submit to an armbar after being mounted. Filipović admitted to Bas Rutten in a later interview that he was overconfident against Nogueira.

In 2004 Filipović put his K-1 career on hold and recruited Fabricio Werdum (a former world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu) as his coach, working on improving his ground fighting skills. He went on to win his next two bouts by KO and TKO at a combined time of only 3:49, against Yoshihisa Yamamoto and 280 lb. Ron Waterman.

Filipović then participated in Pride's Heavyweight Grand Prix. In a upset, Filipović was knocked out in the first round by Kevin Randleman. Filipović later submitted Randleman in a rematch at the end of 2004.

Filipović repeatedly requested Pride to let him challenge the heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko. After winning seven straight matches since his loss to Randleman, including a head-kick knockout victory against Alexander Emelianenko (the 6'4", brother of the champion) and wins over Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman and Ibragim Magomedov, Filipović received a chance to fight Emelianenko for the title on August 28, 2005 at Pride Final Conflict 2005. After three rounds, Emelianenko won by unanimous decision and retained his title. Filipović later stated on Croatian national television that he came exhausted to the match, mostly because he was not used to the time difference in Japan and he had sleeping problems. He also said many times after the match that he fought too defensively and cautiously. The champion, likewise, was not in his top form. According to Emelianenko he "could not take full advantage of his right hand during the striking exchanges and had to try to close the distance", due to a previous hand injury.

On October 23, 2005, less than two months after the loss to Emelianenko, Filipović stepped back into the ring to rematch open-weight King of Pancrase Josh Barnett. After three rounds Filipović received a unanimous judges' decision victory.

On December 31, 2005, Filipović lost his match against Mark Hunt via split decision. Hunt was the more aggressive fighter, an important criterion in Pride judging. Unusually, Filipović wore shoes for this fight, something that had no precedent. This had led to speculation and statements from his camp about Filipović having sustained injuries to his feet before the fight. Filipović himself has never confirmed these speculations. Filipović also displayed considerable problems with his cardio during his fights with Emelianenko, Barnett and Hunt leading to the speculation that he was much too active and a resting period from the ring would work to his advantage.

Pride Openweight Grand Prix Champion

Filipović re-entered the Pride ring, competing in Pride's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix on May 5, 2006. It was during this tournament that he came up with the quote, "Right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery". His first match at the ''Pride Total Elimination Absolute'' event was against Ikuhisa Minowa, the lighter but highly acclaimed professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Filipović won by TKO 1:10 into the fight. On July 1, 2006 at ''Pride Critical Countdown Absolute'', Filipović defeated 1992 Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida by technical knockout (leg kicks) in the first round to move on to the semi-finals.

On September 10, 2006, Filipović won the Open-Weight Grand Prix at ''Pride Final Conflict Absolute''. In the semi-finals, Filipović knocked out then-Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva with his trademark left high kick. In the final match, Filipović won a third victory over Josh Barnett, who submitted after sustaining an eye injury. With these two victories, Filipović became the Pride Openweight Grand Prix champion, the first widely recognized championship belt he has ever won. In a post-fight interview with Frank Trigg, Filipović stated if he had not won the tournament, it would have been his last night fighting. The night was also his birthday, and Filipović dedicated winning the tournament to his deceased father.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After his victory at the Open-Weight Grand Prix, a rematch between Filipović and Fedor Emelianenko failed to materialize and on December 12, 2006 Filipović pulled out of the New Year's Eve event, citing both a foot injury and Emelianenko's commitment to meet Mark Hunt at the card in question. Through his official website, Filipović revealed "I still can't kick like I want to. It's the best that we give more time to this injury to heal. I want to be in perfect shape for my next fights." Also in December 2006, rumors began to surface about Filipović entertaining offers from other mixed martial arts organizations; the Ultimate Fighting Championship was one of the promotions that Filipović confirmed came forward with an offer. Rumors continued to circulate about Filipović's future with the Pride FC organization and soon media websites were reporting that Filipović had chosen the UFC for his future.

UFC president Dana White and the UFC officially announced on December 30, 2006 during the post-''UFC 66'' press conference, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, that Filipović had signed a two-year, six-fight deal with the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts promoter. It was also announced that Filipović would make his UFC debut on February 3, 2007 at ''UFC 67'' in Las Vegas against Eddie Sanchez, promoting him under the name Mirko "Cro Cop" alternatively with and without quotation marks. Filipović defeated Sanchez in the first round via TKO. Filipović entered the octagon under the Pride FC theme.

On April 21, 2007, Filipović faced Gabriel Gonzaga at ''UFC 70'' in Manchester, England. At 4:51 of round one, Gonzaga won with a head kick knockout. Filipović has stated since that the elbows on the ground confused and damaged him enough that he was disoriented after the stand up, contributing to the subsequent knock-out. During the fall to the canvas, Filipović suffered a minor injury to his ankle and a ligament was detached in his knee.

Filipović's next fight was on September 8, 2007 at ''UFC 75'' against French kickboxer Cheick Kongo where he lost via unanimous decision. In a post-fight interview upon his return home, Filipović stated that he cracked a rib during the fight and that the three illegal knees to the groin he received also cost him some strength. Filipović trained with Remy Bonjasky and Gilbert Yvel, and 2003 Abu Dhabi Combat Club champion grappler Dean Lister for this fight. Lister joined Filipović at his home town for a month to train for this upcoming bout. Filipović's coach was Vos Gym's main trainer and muay thai practitioner Ivan "Hydro" Hippolyte. According to his home page, Marijan Žižanović is the new head coach again, since October 1, 2007. Žižanović was his K-1 trainer.

Dream

On February 12, 2008, Filipović announced a visit to Japan on his blog. With the foundation of the new MMA event, 'Dream', co-established by FEG running K-1 Hero's and the former Yarennoka! organizing committee members which had managed Pride FC, Filipović officiates ending his career in UFC and the participation into the new event.

After much speculation and many possible rumoured opponents, (including Yoshihiro Nakao and Dong Sik Yoon), Fight Entertainment Group confirmed on March 11, 2008 that Filipović would face Tatsuya Mizuno at Dream 1 on March 15, 2008 at Saitama Arena, in Japan.

When asked about the Croatian's current contract status with the UFC and whether it would interfere with his participation in 'Dream' events, Dream producer and front man Keiichi Sasahara said, "Though I can't share specific details about his contract, there will not be any foreseeable problems arising."

Filipović was vague in answering the question himself, qualifying his response by mentioning his intent to return to the UFC sometime in the future.

"Well, as you all know, I had a bad period in my last two fights, which I'd lost in the UFC," Filipović said. "I don't want anyone to think that I'm running away from the UFC, but I was thinking a lot about how to continue with my career, and I think in this moment, I think Dream is the right place for me."

"Another thing is that I never liked fighting in the cage. I always liked to fight in the ring. The second thing is that I liked fighting in Japan. Japan is like my second home—I feel like I'm home in Japan. All those reasons [have brought me] here, and I'm very happy that I'm going to fight here in Japan. But of course, one day, I don't know when, but definitely I'll be back in the UFC to show that it was just a bad period for me. Now I'm fully recovered, physically and mentally, most important mentally."

On March 15, 2008 he defeated Tatsuya Mizuno by TKO in the 1st round at Dream 1.

His next fight was scheduled to be against Jerome Le Banner at Dream 5, after being rescheduled once due to Filipović sustaining a minor leg injury. However, it was later announced by Filipović himself on his webpage that he would be unable to fight due to his elbow injury worsening and needing surgery. Filipović underwent successful arthroscopic elbow repair in early July.

Filipović's next fight was against Alistair Overeem at Dream 6 on September 23, 2008. After almost half of the first round saw Overeem takedown Filipović twice and the two fighters exchanging stand-up and ground strikes (with Filipović sustaining a cut) the bout was stopped and declared a no contest due to Overeem landing multiple knees to the groin of Filipović. Filipović stated after the match that he had wanted to continue to fight, as evident by his remaining in the ring, but the ringside doctor would not allow him to continue. Filipović's manager stated that the injury was not serious and that a rematch as soon as possible was sought. Filipović said that he was planning for a long fight and a KO towards the end. He expressed frustration and quoted "I'm angry it ended this way, it seemed as if he was the dominant one, however I wasn't in trouble for a second and was waiting for my opportunities. I prepared very well because I thought the match could last a while. I thought I would knock him down in the end."

Filipović defeated the 30 cm taller and 50 kg heavier opponent from Korea, Choi Hong-man, on December 31 at FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008. The winning leg kick was to the back side of his opponent's left knee and resulted in a TKO win for Filipović. After the fight, Filipović announced that he would have a medical procedure carried out on his injured knee.

Return to the UFC

On May 18 Filipović issued a press release on his official website and his MMAid account stating his scheduled return to the UFC. His first match upon returning was at UFC 99 in Germany against Mostapha Al-turk. During the bout, Filipović knocked down Al-Turk with punches within the first round, then allowed him to stand. The fight ended when Filipović finished Al-turk with a flurry of punches.

After the one-fight agreement with the UFC, it was announced Filipović was scheduled to return to Dream to face Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga on July 20 at ''Dream.10''. On July 3, 2009 however, it was reported that he might have re-signed with the UFC after getting an offer "he couldn't refuse" by UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta who personally flew to Filipović's residence in Zagreb. It was later confirmed at the UFC Fan Expo by Fertitta that Filipović had indeed signed a three fight contract with the UFC.

Filipović fought Up and coming striker Junior dos Santos at UFC 103. During the third round, Filipović sustained a punch to his left eye that caused him to wave his hand at the referee saying "I can't see". The fight was stopped due to submission, giving Dos Santos the win. After the fight, Filipović showed signs of frustration, stating, "I don't feel the hunger anymore. I started playing it safe, I'm not ready to take risks." A few days later, Filipović seemed more upbeat, and looked to continue his career, saying fighting is the only life he knows, and at least wants to honor the last two fights on his UFC contract. He was quoted as saying, "I did a few things wrong in training and in preparation for the Dos Santos fight, and will find the motivation and strength needed to come back".

Since then, Filipović has hired legendary former Muay Thai champion Ivan Hippolyte and revamped his whole training team. The source went on to say "After the defeat by Dos Santos, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic has announced drastic changes in the training methods and composition of Team CroCop. Marjan Zizanovic is no longer his boxing coach. Instead, Cro Cop is now working with the Dutch Muay Thai legend Ivan Hippolyte, who these days resides in Zagreb. Filipović will combine training at his own facility with visits to the Netherlands where he can train with top-notch sparring partners. Igor Pokrajac, Cro Cop’s long-time friend and sparring partner, is also no longer in Filipović's team. Pokrajac continues his career with the UFC, but is no longer training with Filipović although the pair remain on good terms."

Filipović has stated that he plans to fight at least three times in 2010.

Filipović was scheduled to face Ben Rothwell on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110. Just days before the fight, Rothwell was forced to withdraw from the event because of an illness. Australian fighter Anthony Perosh stepped in to replace Rothwell.

During the fight, Filipović dominated for two rounds before opening a cut on Perosh's forehead which forced a doctor stoppage before the third round and awarded the TKO win to Filipović. Filipović fought despite receiving a cut in training that required stitches.

Filipović next fought against fellow former Kickboxer Pat Barry at UFC 115 in Vancouver, Canada. After being knocked down twice to the canvas in the first round by Barry's strikes, he won the second round after utilizing his ground game. The third round saw Filipović open up with a head kick followed by an axe kick to Barry's head. He ended the fight with a strong flurry, dropping Barry against the cage where he continued his assault with numerous punches to the face. He then took his back and defeated Barry by rear naked choke (with no hooks in), earning him ''Submission of the Night'' honors which Mirko had joked to Dana White and the crowd earlier that he deserved it.

Prior to the Barry fight, Filipović was detained by Canadian officials, who threatened to deport him. He revealed that the Canadian officials had asked for details of his activities in the Lucko ATJ (anti-terrorist unit) that he had joined a few years after the Croatian War of Independence. Filipović was held for a total of six hours, across two days.

Filipović faced former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir on September 25, 2010 at UFC 119, replacing an injured Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. There was a brief scare the weekend before the fight when Cro Cop suffered an eye injury in Croatia during his final day of training, but upon arrival in the U.S., was medically cleared to compete. It was a largely uneventful fight in which both fighters stayed on their feet. Neither fighter managed to deliver any significant damage to the other until Filipović was defeated by Mir at 4:02 of the third round by knockout due to a knee strike to the head. Mirko Filipović was defeated by Ultimate Fighter alumni Brendan Schaub on March 19, 2011 at UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones by way of knockout at 3:44 of the third round. Shortly after the knockout loss to Schaub, Dana White stated that Filipović is most likely retiring. Since this time, Dana White has appeared to have had a change of heart. In a recent interview White said "This guy wants to fight again, and I owe him another fight." White also added "Do I think he should have retired? Yeah," White said. "But I don't think he's in one of these situations like Chuck Liddell, who needed to retire right then. He's a man, a grown man, and if he wants to continue to fight, that's his right."

Filipović is expected to face Roy Nelson on October 29, 2011 at UFC 137.

Personal life

Filipović was born in the village of Privlaka in Vinkovci, Croatia, the son of Žarko and Ana Filipović.

Filipović and his wife Klaudija have a son named Ivan. The couple had their second child, a son named Filip on November 22, 2010.

On his UFC profile, Filipović lists his father as his hero.

FIlm Career

Filipović starred in the 2005 action film Ultimate Force as Axon Rey

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Black Belt Magazine

2003 Full-Contact Fighter of the Year

PRIDE Fighting Championships

*2006 PRIDE World Grand Prix Open-Weight Champion

Sherdog

2006 Knockout of the Year vs Wanderlei Silva

Ultimate Fighting Championship

*Submission of the Night (One time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*Most Outstanding Fighter of the Year (2006)

Kickboxing

K-1

*K-1 World Grand Prix 1999 Runner Up

*K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka Runner Up

*K-1 Braves '99 3rd Place

IKBF

*IKBF World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion

Mixed martial arts record

|align=center| |align=center| | Roy Nelson |align=center| | UFC 137 | |align=center| |align=center| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |align=center| |- | Loss |align=center| 27–9–2 (1) | Brendan Schaub | KO (punch) | UFC 128 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 3:44 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 27–8–2 (1) | Frank Mir | KO (knee) | UFC 119 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 4:02 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 27–7–2 (1) | Pat Barry | Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC 115 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 4:30 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |- | Win |align=center| 26–7–2 (1) | Anthony Perosh | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 110 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 5:00 | Sydney, Australia | |- | Loss |align=center| 25–7–2 (1) | Junior dos Santos | Submission (injury) | UFC 103 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 2:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 25–6–2 (1) | Mostapha Al-turk | TKO (punches) | UFC 99 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:06 | Cologne, Germany | |- | Win |align=center| 24–6–2 (1) | Choi Hong-man | TKO (low kick) | Dynamite!! 2008 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 6:32 | Saitama, Japan | |- | NC |align=center| 23–6–2 (1) | Alistair Overeem | No Contest (groin strike) | Dream 6 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 6:09 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 23–6–2 | Tatsuya Mizuno | TKO (punches) | Dream 1 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:56 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Loss |align=center| 22–6–2 | Cheick Kongo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 75 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | London, England | |- | Loss |align=center| 22–5–2 | Gabriel Gonzaga | KO (head kick) | UFC 70 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:51 | Manchester, England | |- | Win |align=center| 22–4–2 | Eddie Sanchez | TKO (punches) | UFC 67 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:33 | Las Vegas, Nevada , United States | |- | Win |align=center| 21–4–2 | Josh Barnett | Submission (punches) | Pride Final Conflict Absolute | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 7:32 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 20–4–2 | Wanderlei Silva | KO (head kick) | Pride Final Conflict Absolute | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 5:22 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 19–4–2 | Hidehiko Yoshida | TKO (leg kicks) | Pride Critical Countdown Absolute | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 7:38 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 18–4–2 | Ikuhisa Minowa | TKO (punches) | Pride Total Elimination Absolute | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:10 | Osaka, Japan | |- | Loss |align=center| 17–4–2 | Mark Hunt | Decision (split) | Pride Shockwave 2005 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 17–3–2 | Josh Barnett | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 30 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Loss |align=center| 16–3–2 | Fedor Emelianenko | Decision (unanimous) | Pride Final Conflict 2005 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 16–2–2 | Ibragim Magomedov | KO (body kick) | Pride Critical Countdown 2005 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:53 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 15–2–2 | Mark Coleman | KO (punches) | Pride 29 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:40 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 14–2–2 | Kevin Randleman | Submission (guillotine choke) | Pride Shockwave 2004 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:41 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 13–2–2 | Josh Barnett | Submission (injury) | Pride 28 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:46 | Saitama, Japan | Shoulder injury. |- | Win |align=center| 12–2–2 | Alexander Emelianenko | KO (head kick and punches) | Pride Final Conflict 2004 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:09 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 11–2–2 | Shungo Oyama | TKO (punches) | Pride Bushido 4 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 10–2–2 | Hiromitsu Kanehara | Decision (unanimous) | Pride Bushido 3 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |- | Loss |align=center| 9–2–2 | Kevin Randleman | KO (punches) | Pride Total Elimination 2004 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:57 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 9–1–2 | Yoshihisa Yamamoto | TKO (punches) | Pride Bushido 2 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:12 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 8–1–2 | Ron Waterman | TKO (soccer kicks) | Pride 27 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:37 | Osaka, Japan | |- | Loss |align=center| 7–1–2 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | Submission (armbar) | Pride Final Conflict 2003 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 1:45 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 7–0–2 | Alberto Rodriguez | KO (head kick) | Pride Bushido 1 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:46 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 6–0–2 | Igor Vovchanchyn | KO (head kick) | Pride Total Elimination 2003 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:29 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 5–0–2 | Heath Herring | TKO (body kick and punches) | Pride 26 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:17 | Yokohama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 4–0–2 | Kazuyuki Fujita | Decision (unanimous) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 3–0–2 | Kazushi Sakuraba | TKO (injury) | Pride Shockwave | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Draw |align=center| 2–0–2 | Wanderlei Silva | Draw | Pride 20 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 3:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 2–0–1 | Yuji Nagata | TKO (head kick and strikes) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:21 | Saitama, Japan | |- | Draw |align=center| 1–0–1 | Nobuhiko Takada | Draw | Pride 17 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 3:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 1–0 | Kazuyuki Fujita | TKO (cut) | K-1 Andy Memorial 2001 Japan GP Final | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:39 | Saitama, Japan |

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing Record ''Legend'':

See also

List of current UFC fighters

List of K-1 events

List of kickboxing organizations

List of male kickboxers

List of male mixed martial artists

List of Pride events

List of UFC events

References

External links

Filipović's official website

Official UFC Profile

Category:1974 births Category:Athlete-politicians Category:Croatian kickboxers Category:Croatian mixed martial artists Category:Heavyweight kickboxers Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Living people Category:People from Vinkovci Category:Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament

als:Mirko Filipovic bg:Мирко Филипович de:Mirko Filipović es:Mirko Filipović fr:Mirko Filipović ko:미르코 필로포비치 hr:Mirko Filipović nl:Mirko Filipović ja:ミルコ・クロコップ no:Mirko Filipović pl:Mirko Filipović pt:Mirko Filipović ru:Филипович, Мирко simple:Mirko Filipović sr:Мирко Филиповић fi:Mirko Filipović sv:Mirko Filipović

name	Bob Sapp
birth name	Robert Malcolm Sapp
other names	The Beast
nationality	American
birth date	September 22, 1973
birth place	Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
fighting out of	Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
height
weight lb	341
weight class	Super Heavyweight
style	Freestyle, Pro Wrestling, Kick Boxing
team	Team Beast
trainer	Prince Amir
years active	2002 – present
kickbox win	10
kickbox kowin	8
kickbox loss	11
kickbox koloss	6
mma kowin	7
mma subwin	3
mma koloss	3
mma subloss	5
university	University of Washington
sherdog	4416 }}

Position	Guard
Number	78
Heightft	6
Heightin	4
Weight	319
Birth date	September 22, 1973
Birth place	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Debutyear	1997
Debutteam	Chicago Bears
Finalyear	1998
Finalteam	Oakland Raiders
Draftyear	1997
Draftround	3
Draftpick	69
College	University of Washington
Teams	Chicago Bears (-) Minnesota Vikings (-) Baltimore Ravens (-) Oakland Raiders (-)
Statseason	1997
Statlabel1	Games Played
Statvalue1	1
Nfl	SAP616560 }}

Robert Malcolm "Bob" Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor and former professional American football player. Sapp currently has a combined fight record of 21–19–1, mostly fighting in Japan. He is well known in Japan, where he has appeared in countless commercials, television programs, and various other media, and has released a music CD, ''It's Sapp Time''. He also appeared in an episode of the HBO program ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel''. He is currently working sporadically for various MMA promotions in the U.S., Japan, and Europe.

American football career

Bob Sapp began his athletic career in high school football at Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs, CO as an All-star offensive and defensive lineman for the "Mighty Mitchell Marauders" and later progressed into college football as a standout offensive lineman for the University of Washington, where he won the Morris Award. Expected by some to get high notice from pro scouts in the 1997 NFL Draft, he slipped to the third round before being chosen by the Chicago Bears 69th overall. Sapp's career took a hit he was suspended by the league for alleged steroid abuse. Although Sapp was under pro contract for the next four seasons (Chicago Bears 1997, Minnesota Vikings 1998, Baltimore Ravens 1999, and Oakland Raiders 2000, each of which cut him within that season), he appeared in only one regular season game before leaving football. Sapp went on to fight (and defeat) William "The Refrigerator" Perry in a Toughman boxing special promoted by FX in 2000.

Professional wrestling

Bob Sapp's pro-wrestling career started in NWA Wildside in 2001. He was quickly contracted by World Championship Wrestling as a developmental wrestler, before the company was bought out by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (at that time WWF).

In 2004, Sapp competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling, winning their IWGP Heavyweight Championship and becoming the first black man to accomplish this feat, though it was vacated shortly thereafter due to a mixed martial arts fight loss and film commitments.

On October 16, 2007, Bob Sapp made a surprise appearance at HUSTLE's Korakuen Hall event. Attacking Razor Ramon HG and his partner. Sapp aligned himself with Generalissimo Takada's MONSTER Army. He also announced that he would wrestle at the HUSTLE Mania 11/25 Yokohama Arena event. His opponent was later confirmed to be Razor Ramon HG and Sapp defeated him in the resultant match. His last match was against "Big" Dan Meehan.

Since 2008, Sapp began to participate in WWA, a pro-wrestling organization in South Korea. On October 26, 2009, Bob Sapp captured the WWA Heavyweight title by defeating Lee Wang Pyo, a famous professional wrestler in Korea who was taught by legendary Korean professional wrestler Kim Il, at Olympic Fencing Gymnasium event. Sapp is scheduled to perform at Dramatic Dream Team Pro Wrestling's "2011: A RYOGOKU Peter Pan" event on July 24, 2011 using a "Beast will fight for money" gimmick.

Kickboxing and mixed martial arts career

Pride Fighting Championships

Sapp was subsequently recruited by the Japanese MMA organization Pride, where he quickly became a fan favorite due to his size, charisma and aggression. After a number of successes in Pride, Sapp was then invited to K-1 by Kazuyoshi Ishii, the creator of the fighting sport K-1. Ishii saw the combination of great potential and great marketability in Sapp.

After arriving in Japan, Sapp fought a number of low level Japanese fighters, winning all his bouts through sheer strength and size. During this time fans were first introduced to Sapp's "bullrush" technique, whereby he would rush an opponent with punches, quickly overwhelming them. Pride and K-1 collaborated to create a show billed "Dynamite" in Japan and "Shockwave" in the United States. He faced then-champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Sapp was defeated and shortly afterward moved to K-1.

K-1

Despite losing his first fight by disqualification, Sapp was initially successful in K-1. He twice defeated four-time K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost by technical knockout. He became an overnight sensation in Japan afterwards, appearing on numerous television shows, advertisements, and movie cameos such as in the big screen adaptation of Devilman. K-1 heads, trying to strike while the iron was hot and hoping to duplicate the success of Sapp, made a new fighting division called "Beast" (Sapp's nickname), which featured larger fighters such as Hong Man Choi. However, the division was stopped after two events due to disappointing reviews and gate takes.

At the height of his success, there was talk and promotion of a fight between him and the former boxing Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson. The two had a face to face confrontation immediately after Sapp's victory in Las Vegas over Kimo. K-1 signed Tyson to a contract and the fight looked to be on. However, Tyson's status as a convicted felon made him unable to get a visa to fight in Japan where the fight would have been most profitable. Other locations for the proposed fight were made, but negotiations ended up dissipating to nothing and the fight never came off.

In June 2005, Sapp won the K-1 Japan Grand Prix in Hiroshima to become one of 16 fighters qualified for the 2005 K-1 World GP. In the Japan GP, Sapp showcased greatly improved stamina, as well as better technique, than in his previous fights after intensive training under Sam Greco. In the K-1 2005 World GP Eliminations he lost by decision to "The Techno Goliath" Choi Hong-man.

Sapp's initial success with his intimidating, blind chase-and-punch method (which he dubbed as "NFL Style") slowly petered out into disqualifications for bullrushing and punching after referee breaks. Additionally, experienced opponents discovered Sapp's weak points—his vulnerable mid-section and legs as well as his limited stamina.

On May 13, 2006, Sapp was to headline the K-1 show in the Netherlands. His opponent was Ernesto Hoost. Hoost stated in previous interviews and the interview on that show that this was to be his last match in Holland before his retirement. Sapp attended all the pre-fight press conferences and even attended the opening ceremonies for the show. It is unclear at the moment as to why, but Sapp pulled out of the event midway through the show.

K-1 issued a statement claiming Sapp pulled out due to new demands he brought to promoters during the show. K-1 would not agree to those demands since they felt their written contract was final and Sapp left. The full K-1 press release can be viewed on the organization's website.

Sapp has not issued a statement, but a different point of view on the events that occurred.

However, he did participate in 2007's K-1 event in the Amsterdam Arena, fighting as a replacement for Remy Bonjasky, against Peter Aerts. Sapp, however, lost the fight at KO within 20 seconds in the first round by a knee to the liver. While Sapp was being led from the ring, Aerts apologized to the fans in Dutch for the short bout as well as having berated his fallen opponent.

After his falling out with K-1, Sapp began to get offers from WWE as well as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) to work with them, but his K-1 contract prohibited him from going through with any return to the ring.

Sapp made a surprise return to the K-1 ring in Japan after a two-year absence against comedian and part time K-1 competitor Bobby Ologun. Ologun was unable to mount any effective offense as he was quickly run down and overpowered by Sapp in the 1st round.

Cage Rage

On February 10, 2007 it was announced by the United Kingdom's Cage Rage promotion that Sapp would appear on its Cage Rage 21 event on April 21, facing Gary Turner. The move is partly a retaliatory one, as the UFC had chosen to run its first British show in years that same night at the Manchester Evening News Arena, headlined by Mirko "Cro Cop", Andrei Arlovski and British star Michael Bisping. Though Cage Rage promoter Andy Geer said that the UFC show would not affect ticket sales for CR21, the signing of Sapp was a clear sign that the company knew it would need a superstar draw in order to successfully compete with the American promotion. A few days before the event Bob Sapp pulled out of the scheduled fight. On short notice, Tank Abbott stepped in for Sapp and lost to Gary Turner.

Strikeforce, FEG and other

Sapp faced the South African fighter Jan "The Giant" Nortje at the Strikeforce: At The Dome event in Tacoma, Washington, at the Tacoma Dome on February 23, 2008. Sapp was defeated at the 55 second mark of the first round by TKO after receiving an unanswered torrent of punches. Sapp then returned to Japan on New Year's Eve 2008 and defeated Akihito Tanaka via first round TKO.

Sapp lost to Japanese Ikuhisa Minowa at ''Dream 9'' on May 26, 2009, due to Achilles lock. He fought and lost to Bobby Lashley at Ultimate Chaos in Biloxi, Mississippi, on June 27, 2009, due to first round tapout from strikes. On October 6, Sapp stood in for an injured Gegard Mousasi to face Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in the semifinals at Dream 11. He lost via TKO (punches) in the first round.

On November 27, Sapp fought against Swedish K-1 veteran Jörgen Kruth. The fight got a lot of publicity in Swedish and international press, but ended with an anticlimax when Sapp's corner threw in the towel after only 45 seconds, after Kruth hit Sapp with a knee to the liver.

Sapp was next going to face Stav Economou at BAMMA 5, but BAMMA 5 has been canceled due to extreme weather conditions.

Sapp was scheduled to fight at K1 Dynamite!! 2010. He was set to battle Shinichi Suzukawa on New Year's Eve in a Pancrase-style matchup, but pulled out at the last minute due to contract disputes. When questioned about Sapp’s refusal to fight on the day of the event, FEG President Sadaharu Tanikawa asked, “Does anyone actually care? I don’t know the reasons why, but we did our best to make him fight. He just said he didn’t want to. This is typical [of Sapp].” But Sapp claims that the promoters were contracted to pay him $30,000 for the fight, but that Tanikawa offered him $15,000 shortly after he arrived in Japan for the event. Sapp refused to fight for half of the original purse. In response, Tanikawa stated that Sapp "should not be considered as a normal person" and is "the worst, most lamentable dust man," but he did not directly address Sapp's accusations.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing & Mixed Martial Arts

K-1

*K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Hiroshima Tournament Winner

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*2002 Best Box Office Draw- K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championships

*2003 Best Box Office Draw- K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championships

*2002 Rookie of the Year- K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championships

Black Belt Magazine

*2003 NHB Fighter of the Year

Professional wrestling

'''New Japan Pro Wrestling

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

'''World Wrestling Association (South Korea)

*WWA (South Korea) World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*Most Charismatic (2003)

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Loss |11–8 | Attila Uçar |Submission (leglock) |Premium Fight Night |2011-04-30 | 1 | 0:56 | | |- |Loss |11–7 |align='left'| Stav Economou |TKO (Punches) |ADFC: Round 3 |2011-03-11 | 1 | 1:45 | | |- |Win |11–6 |align='left'| Sascha Weinpolter |Submission (Forearm Choke) |K-1 ColliZion 2010 Croatia |2010-03-27 | 1 | 2:03 | | |- |Loss |10–6 |align='left'| Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou |TKO (Punches) |Dream 11 |2009-10-06 | 1 | 1:31 | |DREAM Super Hulk Grand Prix Semifinal. Replaced Gegard Mousasi. |- |Loss |10–5 |align='left'| Bobby Lashley |Submission (Strikes) |Ultimate Chaos: Lashley vs. Sapp |2009-06-27 | 1 | 3:18 | | |- |Loss |10–4 |align='left'| Ikuhisa Minowa |Submission (Kneebar) |Dream 9 |2009-05-26 | 1 | 1:16 | |DREAM Super Hulk Grand Prix Quarterfinal |- |Win |10–3 | Akihito Tanaka |TKO (Punches) |Dynamite!! 2008 |2008-12-31 | 1 | 5:22 | | |- |Loss |9–3 | Jan Nortje |TKO (Punches) |Strikeforce: At The Dome |2008-02-23 | 1 | 0:55 | | |- |Win |9–2 | Bobby Ologun |TKO (Punches) |K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite!! |2007-12-31 | 1 | 4:10 | | |- |Win |8–2 | Kim Jong Wang |TKO (Strikes) |Hero's 2005 in Seoul |2005-11-05 | 1 | 0:08 | | |- |Win |7–2 | Alan Karaev |KO (Punch) |Hero's 2 |2005-07-06 | 1 | 3:44 | | |- |Win |6–2 | Min-Soo Kim |KO (Punch) |Hero's 1 |2005-03-26 | 1 | 1:12 | | |- |Loss |5–2 | Kazuyuki Fujita |Submission (Strikes) |K-1 MMA ROMANEX |2004-05-22 | 1 | 2:15 | | |- |Win |5–1 | Dolgorsürengiin Sumiyaabazar |TKO (Foot Injury) |K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata |2004-03-14 | 1 | 5:00 | | |- |Win |4–1 | Stefan Gamlin |Submission (Guillotine Choke) |K-1 Japan Grand Prix 2003 |2003-09-21 | 1 | 0:52 | | |- |Win |3–1 | Yoshihiro Takayama |Submission (Armbar) |Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002 |2002-12-31 | 1 | 2:16 | | |- |Loss |2–1 | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira |Submission (Armbar) |Pride Shockwave |2002-08-28 | 2 | 4:03 | | |- |Win |2–0 | Kiyoshi Tamura |TKO (Punches) |Pride 21 |2002-06-23 | 1 | 0:11 | | |- |Win |1–0 | Yoshihisa Yamamoto |TKO (Strikes) |Pride 20 |2002-04-28 | 1 | 2:44 | |

Kickboxing record

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
2003	''Bob Sapp: Sapp Time The Movie!''
2003	''Taiho Shichauzo''	Bob Hage
2004	''Izo''
2005		Stone
2005	''Devilman''	World Newscaster
2005	''''	Switowski
2009	''Big Stan''	Big Raymond
2009	''Frankenhood''	Frankie
2009	''Blood and Bone''	Hammerman
2011		Ukafa

References

External links

Category:1973 births Category:African American film actors Category:African American players of American football Category:African American professional wrestlers Category:African-American mixed martial artists Category:American expatriates in Japan Category:American football offensive linemen Category:American kickboxers Category:American mixed martial artists Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American sportspeople in doping cases Category:Doping cases in American football Category:Expatriate television personalities in Japan Category:Kickboxers from Colorado Category:Living people Category:Mixed martial artists from Colorado Category:Super heavyweight kickboxers Category:Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Washington Huskies football players

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