Dick Vrij is a retired

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

professional wrestler and

mixed martial artist 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, incorp ...

. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2003, he competed in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division for

RINGS Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

and It's Showtime.

Professional wrestling career

A former

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses o ...

and club bouncer, Vrij started training martial arts at the

Chris Dolman Christiaan "Chris" Dolman (born February 17, 1945) is a Dutch retired judoka, sambo player and wrestler. He won a silver medal at the European championship in judo and a gold at the world championship in sambo, counting as the first non-Russian ...

gym. He had his debut to a worldwide audience when he wrestled a special match in Japanese pro wrestling promotion UWF Newborn, facing

Yoshiaki Fujiwara is a Japanese Professional Wrestler and trainer. He is famous for his long career in wrestling, having worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE (ZERO-ONE), and the two incarnations of shoot style promotion Universal Wrest ...

in a losing effort. He would return to defeat

Yoji Anjo (born March 28, 1967) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Professional wrestling career Universal Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1985–1988) A former practitioner of judo, sumo and muay th ...

and lose again to Fujiwara. When the promotion closed, Dolman and Vrij followed UWF member

Akira Maeda (born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed martial arts promoter, writer and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist of Korean descent. Maeda was also known by the ring name K ...

to his Fighting Network RINGS promotion in 1990, becoming full time wrestlers for it.

Mixed martial arts career

Fighting Network RINGS

Vrij took part in RINGS's first main event, wrestling Maeda himself. He later became famous for his

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

strikes and intimidating physique, being nicknamed "Cyborg". Vrij competed both in pro wrestling and shoot matches, having the first of them at the event RINGS Mega Battle IV, where he knocked out

Mitsuya Nagai , better known as , is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and former kickboxer. He is known for his work in Fighting Network RINGS and later in professional wrestling companies like Battlarts and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJ ...

with a palm strike. He would defeat him in a rematch in RINGS Holland, knocking Nagai several times before winning by knee strike. They faced again in a rubber match in RINGS Maelstrom 6, but an improved Nagai capitalized on Vrij's lack of grappling skill and submitted him with a

heel hook Heel hook may refer to: * Heel hook, in grappling * A climbing technique __NOTOC__ This glossary of climbing terms is a list of definitions of terms and jargon related to rock climbing and mountaineering. The specific terms used can vary conside ...

. Vrij would have another fight in Holland in 1997 against Pedro Palm, but the bout went to no contest due to Vrij landing an illegal kick while Palm was downed. In February 1998, Vrij took on

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

fighter

Paul Varelans Paul Varelans (September 17, 1969 – January 16, 2021) was an American professional mixed martial artist. He competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1995 to 1996, and had a worked match in Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1996. Backg ...

in a

vale tudo Vale Tudo (; en, Everything Goes/Everything Allowed), also known No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would event ...

rules match for his return to RINGS Holland. Dick fought in bad health and under heavy

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

medication for a foot injury gained in a wrestling match with

Valentijn Overeem Valentijn Overeem (; born 17 August 1976) is a retired Dutch professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently signed with United Glory. A professional competitor since 1996, he has previously fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, ...

, but he did not back down from the event. The subsequent match was controversial, as although Dick dominated the first round with multiple unanswered combos, drawing abundant blood from Varelans's face and hitting

ground and pound 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, incorp ...

from the mount, the referee repeatedly pushed Vrij aside and restarted the bout instead of stopping it. At the second round, Vrij felt the effects of his health, and Varelans capitalized to land a right punch and knock him out, winning the match. Vrij bounced back from the loss at the next Holland event, defeating another UFC alumnus in the form of

Zane Frazier Zane Troy Frazier (born July 16, 1966) is an American former karateka, kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. After a successful career in karate during the 1980s in which he won numerous international accol ...

Mixed martial arts record

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Barrington Patterson Barrington Renford Patterson (25 August 1965 – 22 March 2022) was an English kickboxer and mixed martial artist. At , he competed in the super heavyweight division and once fought for a world International Kickboxing Federation Kickboxing Cham ...

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Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

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Chris Haseman Chris Haseman (born 2 June 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian mixed martial artist. Haseman is currently signed with Fighting Network RINGS and is a longtime veteran of the promotion (1995–2012). Regarded as a pioneer of MM ...

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Wataru Sakata is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Career A former Kyokushin karateka, Sakata trained in professional wrestling at Animal Hamaguchi's gym and joined Akira Maeda's Fighting Network RINGS immediately after. F ...

, TKO , RINGS: World Mega Battle Tournament , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 5-5 (1) ,

, KO (punch) , RINGS Holland: The King of Rings , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:30 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 5-4 (1) ,

Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov Magomedkhan Amanulayevich Gamzatkhanov (russian: Магомедха́н Аманула́евич Гамзатха́нов; born April 15, 1961), is a Russian retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, sambo wrestler and former military ...

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Tariel Bitsadze Tariel Bitsadze ( ka, ტარიელ ბიწაძე) is a Georgian karateka and mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight and Super heavyweight division. Mixed martial arts career A former 1991 World Open Karate Championsh ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , RINGS: Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:07 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4-3 (1) ,

Tony Halme Tony Christian Halme (January 6, 1963 – January 8, 2010) was a Finnish politician, athlete, author, actor, and singer. He was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2007, representing the True Finns party as an independent politician ...

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , RINGS: Extension Fighting 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 , Japan , , - , NC , align=center, 3-3 (1) , Pedro Palm , No Contest , RINGS Holland: The Final Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-3 ,

Tsuyoshi Kosaka is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist, submission grappler and professional wrestler who competed in the Heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor from 1994 till 2022, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, ...

, N/A , RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round , , align=center, 0 , align=center, 0:00 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-2 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , RINGS: Maelstrom 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:16 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3-1 , Hubert Numrich , Submission (forearm choke) , RINGS Holland: Kings of Martial Arts , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 2-1 ,

, N/A , RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round , , align=center, 0 , align=center, 0:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2-0 ,

, KO (knee) , RINGS Holland: Free Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:07 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 ,

, KO , RINGS: Budokan Hall 1995 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan ,

References

External links