Sanford MMA
Kill Cliff FC, officially known as Kill Cliff Fight Club (formerly known as Sanford MMA, Hard Knocks 365 and Combat Club) is a mixed martial arts gym based in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It was originally founded in 2017 by Henri Hooft and Greg Jones as Combat Club and later Hard Knocks 365 before being rebranded to Sanford MMA in 2019 after obtaining a sponsorship deal with Sanford Health. In July 2022, the gym rebranded to Kill Cliff FC. Overview In 2017, Henri Hooft left the Blackzilians and alongside Greg Jones, founded the gym, Combat Club in Boynton Beach, Florida. This later rebranded as Hard Knocks 365 after moving the gym to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in order to accommodate a bigger facility. Some of the fighters who were originally training at the Blackzilians would join the new gym. In 2019, Hard Knocks 365 rebranded to Sanford MMA after obtaining a sponsorship deal with Sanford Health. A new training facility was opened in Deerfield Beach, Florida as part of the deal ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Henri Hooft
Henri Hooft, also known as Harry Hooft (born May 21, 1969), is a Dutch former kickboxer and trainer. He is the head trainer at Kill Cliff FC and formerly the Blackzilians. Career Hooft was born and raised in The Hague, Netherlands. At the age of 15, he became interested in combat sports. He started training with his brother in full contact Karate, but later switched to kickboxing. He already began competing after training for three months, winning several competitions. At the age of 18, he was invited by Dutch kickboxing world champion Rob Kaman to move to Thailand to train with him. There, he discovered Thai boxing. Hooft began fighting professionally while coaching at the same time. He developed his own fighting system by combining the best of Thai boxing and Dutch kickboxing. He competed in more than 100 kickboxing fights. His most notable fight was against Stefan Leko at the K-1 Grand Prix '99, which he lost by knockout in the first round. In 2004, he joined Team Aerts as ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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UFC Welterweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classes. Instead of the traditional championship model, the UFC held tournaments with the winner receiving a permanent appellation. In response to criticism from Senator John McCain that saw the loss of its television deal and the banning of the sport in thirty-six states, the UFC increased its cooperation with state athletic commissions and introduced weight classes in 1997, starting with UFC 12, and began introducing weight-specific titles. The original codification for weight classes introduced only two divisions: heavyweight, which grouped together all competitors above , and lightweight, which encompassed all competitors 199 pounds (90 kg) and under. At UFC 14 the lightweight division would be renamed to middleweight, though it would ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Takashi Sato
is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional since 2013, he currently competes in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life Born to a Japanese father and Taiwanese mother, Sato grew up in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with his parents and older brother. He was a big fan of reading comics just like many other Japanese children. However one day, his older brother accidentally threw them all out. Sato says he cried the whole day until the following day his father felt very bad and came home from work with a new comic based on a kid becoming a judo champion. This then inspired Sato to pursue Judo and he used to train at the local police station. Mixed martial arts career Japan Sato started his MMA career fighting in various promotions in Japan. Sato then fought for Pancrase and Deep (mixed martial arts), Deep promotions in Japan. He earned a Pancrase title shot but lost to Glaico França. Sato earned the opportunity to fight ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stefan Struve
Stefan Jaimy Struve (; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). At , he is the tallest fighter in the history of the UFC. Background Growing up in the Netherlands, Struve played football until the age of 14. When Struve's brother took him to the local martial arts gym (owned by Bob Schreiber), he decided to pursue a career in mixed martial arts (MMA) instead. Struve had his first and only amateur MMA bout at age 16 and won via head kick knockout. Mixed martial arts career Struve made his professional debut for the GFN organization when he was 17, fighting John De Wilde at ''Gentlemen Fight Night''. By late 2008, he had racked up a record of 16–2, losing once (in his second fight) via injury to Romualds Garkulis and again in the second round of a ''Star Of Peresvit'' tournament in Ukraine, to future Bellator Light heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu. In 2008, Struve negotiated w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Johnson (fighter)
Michael Julian Johnson (born June 4, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Johnson currently fights in the Lightweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Johnson mostly competed in his regional circuit, before signing onto the Ultimate Fighting Championship to appear on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'', in which he was the runner-up. Background Johnson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 4, 1986. He was raised as the youngest of three siblings. Johnson began fighting at the age of 10, after his father's fatal heart attack. The incident made Johnson want to exert his anger physically. Johnson later said, "I lost something, a huge part of me....Fighting was my way of not dealing with my dad's passing. Now that I think of it, of course, it was the wrong thing to do, especially putting all that burden on my mom having to deal with it." Athletic, Johnson was a three-sport varsity ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vicente Luque
Vicente Luque (born November 27, 1991) is an American and Brazilian professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. Luque currently competes in the Welterweight (MMA), welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 3, 2022, he is #9 in the List of current UFC fighters#Rankings, UFC welterweight rankings. Background Luque was born in Westwood, New Jersey, on November 27, 1991, to a Brazilian mother and a Chilean father. His maternal grandmother was a diplomat, and as a result, his mother was mostly raised in Chile, where she met and married his father before relocating to the United States. Luque was raised trilingual, speaking Portuguese, Spanish and English. Luque began training in various forms of martial arts as a youngster, initially karate at the age of three. When Vicente was six, his parents separated and he moved to Brazil with his mom, where he continued training karate until the age of ten. After a spell with soccer, he started t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Volkan Oezdemir
Volkan Oezdemir (born 19 September 1989) is a Swiss professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxing practitioner. He currently competes in the Light heavyweight (MMA), Light heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2010, Oezdemir formerly competed for Bellator MMA, Bellator. As a kickboxing practitioner, he competed for Superkombat Fighting Championship in their heavyweight division. As of December 6, 2022, he is No. 10 in the List of current UFC fighters#Rankings, UFC light heavyweight rankings. Background Oezdemir was born in the French language, French-speaking part of Switzerland. His father from Turkey is ethnically Kurds, Kurdish and his mother is Swiss people, Swiss. He befriended Alistair Overeem on a visit to the Netherlands while training at the Golden Glory gym. Oezdemir later competed in amateur and professional kickboxing, as well as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, before transitioning to mixed martial arts. Mixe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Derek Brunson
Derek Brunson (born January 4, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of September 5, 2022, he is #5 in the UFC middleweight rankings. Background Brunson was a competitive cheerleader and also wrestled at John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, under coach Dan Willis. Brunson had scholarships for both cheerleading and wrestling, but chose to wrestle in college. He was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. When he finished college, he immediately turned his attention to mixed martial arts. MMA career Brunson made his professional MMA debut in May 2010 against John Bryant where he won by a rear-naked choke in under a minute. He then won his next five fights with none of them making it past 2:30 of the first round. Strikeforce Brunson made his Strikeforce debut on June 24, 2011, at St ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained notoriety when he began competing for Bellator MMA, an organization he fought for from 2010 through 2020. There, Chandler became a three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion and was the winner of the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. As of November 2, 2021, he is #5 in the UFC lightweight rankings. Background Chandler was born and raised in High Ridge, Missouri, the second of four children to Michael Sr. and Betty Chandler. He is of German and Irish heritage. Chandler was on the honor roll every term in high school, received three letters in football, and finished as the runner–up at the MSHSAA State Championships as a senior in wrestling. He was voted the Most Valuable Wrestler during his senior season and was selected to the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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UFC 278
''UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 20, 2022, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the promotion's second visit to Salt Lake City, following UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres in August 2016. A UFC Welterweight Championship bout between current champion (also The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians welterweight winner) Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards headlined the event. The pairing previously met at UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 in December 2015 where Usman defeated Edwards by unanimous decision. A middleweight bout between former Strikeforce and UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold and former title challenger Paulo Costa was expected to take place at UFC 277. However, the bout was postponed to this event due to unknown reasons. A flyweight bout between Victor Altamirano and Jake Hadley was schedule ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Leon Edwards
Leon Aaron Edwards (born 25 August 1991) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2011, Edwards formerly competed for BAMMA, where he was the BAMMA Welterweight Champion. As of November 14, 2022, he is #3 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. Background Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lived with his parents and his brother in a one-room house. Growing up, he was surrounded by crime, and his father was involved in what he describes as "questionable activities". Edwards moved to the Aston area of Birmingham, England at age nine, and his father was shot and killed in a nightclub in London when Edwards was thirteen. He was then involved in criminal activity such as drug dealing, street fighting, and knife possession along with his social circle, but was able to get out of his l ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United States and the fifth most populous state capital. It is the principal city of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the first city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Denver is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Its downtown district is immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, approximately east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is named after James W. Denver, a governor of the Kansas Territory. It is nicknamed the ''Mile High City'' because its official elevation is exactly one mile () above sea level. The 105th meridian we ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |