Dieusel Berto, (March 24, 1958 – December 29, 2018) was a Haitian professional

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 ...

, professional wrestler, and kickboxer. He is the father of professional boxers

Andre Berto Andre Michael Berto (born September 7, 1983) is a professional boxer who holds dual American and Haitian citizenship. He is a two-time former welterweight world champion, having held the WBC and IBF titles between 2008 and 2011, as well as the ...

and

James Edson Berto James Edson Berto, also known as Edson Berto (born July 5, 1983), is a Haitian-American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2004, Berto has formerly competed for Be ...

. Berto competed at

UFC 10 ''UFC 10: The Tournament'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 12, 1996, at the Fairgrounds Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later r ...

in 1996. for He founded Tiger's World of Martial Arts in Florida.

Background

Originally from Modle, Haiti, Berto moved to Florida in 1980. Berto first worked picking fruit and worked in the restaurant industry. Began training in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

. He practiced, Shoodokan and

Jeet Kune Do Jeet Kune Do is a primarily wing chun kung fu inspired eclectic martial arts philosophy heavily influenced and adapted by the Taoist personal life philosophy and experiences of martial artist Bruce Lee. Overview and philosophy Jeet Kune ...

, until he was introduced to the world of professional wrestling, where he was known as ‘The Caribbean Kid.”

Professional wrestling career

Berto made his professional wrestling debut in 1992 where he worked in Japan for

Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Group (''Purofesshonaru-resuringu Fujiwara-Gumi'', プロフェッショナルレスリング藤原組) was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan, operating from 1991 to 1996. It was formed b ...

until 1994. His biggest victory was a win over

Katsumi Usuda is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Debuting for Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG) in 1993, he is best known for his work in Battlarts, where he was a 2 time Independent World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Usuda is also known for his a ...

. On September 10, 1993 Berto wrestled one night for Fighting Network Rings where he lost to

Masayuki Naruse (born March 15, 1973) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, competing in the light heavyweight division who fought most of his career in Fighting Network RINGS (RINGS). As a professional wrestler, he notably competed in ...

. In 1996, he last wrestled for

Battlarts , more commonly referred to as simply Battlarts was a professional wrestling promotion based in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan. The promotion was formed in 1996 by Japanese wrestler Yuki Ishikawa and featured all of the wrestlers from the Fujiwara Gum ...

where he would retire from wrestling that year.

Mixed martial arts career

In 1996, Berto competed only at

where he lost to Geza Kalman by knockout.

Personal life

In 1996, after retiring from fighting, Berto opened a gym called Tigers World of Martial Arts where he trained MMA fighters and creating fitness programs. In 1998, he was critically injured in a car crash where he broke many bones confining him to a wheelchair. Later he was able to walk again. On November 17, 2001, he returned for one more fight losing to Chris Kaouk. On December 29, 2018 Berto died at the age of 60 after battling an illness. In 2021, Berto was inducted into the FL MMA Hall of Fame.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0-3-0 , Chris Kaouk , Decision (unanimous) , Dixie Rumble , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight debut. , - , Loss , align=center, 0-2-0 , Geza Kalman , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:57 , Birmingham, Alabama, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0-1-0 , Hugh Duarte , Submission (kimura) , Universal Vale Tudo Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 , Japan ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berto, James Edson 1958 births 2018 deaths Haitian emigrants to the United States American male mixed martial artists American sportspeople of Haitian descent Haitian male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Jeet Kune Do Mixed martial artists utilizing Shotokan Mixed martial artists utilizing shoot wrestling American Jeet Kune Do practitioners Haitian Jeet Kune Do practitioners American male karateka Haitian male karateka