Bernhard ("Ben") Hendrikus Martinus Spijkers (born 10 March 1961 in

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

) is a retired

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, who represented his native country at three consecutive

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

(1984, 1988 and 1992). He won the bronze medal in the men's middleweight division (– 86 kg) in

Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

(1988), alongside Akinobu Osako from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In 1995, Spijkers tried his hand at

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

competition by competing in the World Combat Championship and

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

events.

Mixed martial arts career

Spijkers had his MMA debut in the Japanese promotion Shooto against the veteran

Erik Paulson Erik Paulson (born June 28, 1966) is an American mixed martial artist. He is the first American to win the World Light-Heavy Weight Shooto Title in Japan. Biography Erik started his career in martial arts starting with Judo at age of 8. However ...

. Cornered by

Gerard Gordeau Gerard Gordeau (born March 30, 1955) is a Dutch former Savateur, Karateka, Kickboxer, and mixed martial artist. He is the 1991 World Champion Savate and holder of the Dutch Champion Karate title for 8 consecutive years, but foremost known inte ...

, Ben rushed Paulson through the fight with multiple takedown attempts, along with brawling style punches and some hip tosses which connected. However, Erik showed a proficient defense and superior striking, and the fight went outside the ring when the two fell between the ropes and later when Paulson threw Spijkers outside. Ending came at the fifth round when Paulson avoided another takedown attempt and locked a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

, making Spijkers tap. Ben's second, and last, MMA fight would be at World Combat Championships (WCC), facing

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

stylist Renzo Gracie at the first round. Started the match, the

judogi ''Judogi'' (柔道着 or 柔道衣), also called keikogi or dogi, is the formal Japanese name for the traditional uniform used for Judo practice and competition. A judogi is somewhat similar to a karategi (空手着 or 空手衣, Karate uniform) ...

-clad Spijkers got a

morote gari is a double leg takedown (grappling) , takedown adopted later by the Kodokan into their List of Kodokan judo techniques, ''Shinmeisho-no-waza'' (newly accepted techniques) list. It is categorized as a hand technique, '' List_of_judo_techniques#Te ...

, but Gracie swept him back to standing and executed his own takedown. Ben tried to counter on the ground with a gi choke, but Renzo took his back and delivered some

elbow strike An elbow strike (commonly referred to as simply an elbow) is a strike with the point of the elbow, the part of the forearm nearest to the elbow, or the part of the upper arm nearest to the elbow. Elbows can be thrown sideways similarly to a hook ...

s to the base of the skull before submitting him. Upon the ending of the battle Gracie stepped on the back of Spijkers's head, though later apologized for his unsporting actions. On his return flight to the Netherlands afterwards, Ben was arrested after a dispute with an airline stewardess regarding his carry on baggage. He was released on bail and flew back to Europe a few days later.WCC Fighter Arrested on Assault Charges - Black Belt Magazine, February 1996

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0-2 , Renzo Gracie , Submission (gi choke) , WCC 1 - First Strike , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, USA , , - , Loss , align=center, 0-1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Shooto - Complete Vale Tudo Access , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 0:38 , Omiya, Saitama, Japan ,

References

*
Dutch Olympic Committee

External links

Videos of Ben Spijkers
on judovision.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Spijkers, Ben 1961 births Living people Dutch male judoka Judoka at the 1984 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 1988 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic judoka of the Netherlands Olympic bronze medalists for the Netherlands Sportspeople from Nijmegen Olympic medalists in judo

Ben Spijkers Bernhard ("Ben") Hendrikus Martinus Spijkers (born 10 March 1961 in Nijmegen, Gelderland) is a retired judoka from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics (1984, 1988 and 1992). He won the bronz ...

Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics 21st-century Dutch people 20th-century Dutch people