Johannes Petrus "Hans" Nijman (September 23, 1959 – November 5, 2014) was a
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 ...
former 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, incorpo ...
and
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
. He competed in the heavyweight division. He was a
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 ...
Holland veteran and fought for many other top promotions such as
Pride FC
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts eve ...
and It's Showtime. Nijman is believed to have had connections with
Willem Holleeder
Willem Frederik Holleeder (born 29 May 1958) is a Dutch criminal. He is nicknamed ''De Neus'' (''The Nose'') because of the size of his nose.
In 1983, Holleeder was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment for his involvement in the kidnapping o ...
and other big names in the Dutch criminal underworld. His name appeared in several police records and has also been used in big court cases.
Career
Fighting Network RINGS
A former
Kyokushin
is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training.
Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...
karateka
(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian ...
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 ...
's RINGS Holland team. The match was against
Masaaki Satake
is a Japanese former heavyweight karateka, kickboxer, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is one of the pioneering heavyweight fighters in K-1, having been a member of Kazuyoshi Ishii's Seidokaikan school.
...
, and the bout ended in a draw. Nijman also drew with Adam Watt, the following year. Nijman suffered his first loss on 25 June 1992 against Akira Maeda, due to submission. On 29 October 1992, Nijman defeated Georgi Keandelaki by knock-out, picking up his first win. 1994 was a good year for Hans, as he managed to gain knock-out victories over
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 ...
,
Zaza Tkeshelashvili
Zaza "Grom" Tkeshelashvili ( Georgian: ზაზა ტყეშელაშვილი; born March 19, 1965) is a Georgian retired Freestyle wrestling Olympic competitor (100 kg) for Georgia in 1996 Olympic Games Atlanta and mixed martial ...
,
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 ...
, Nikolai Zouev, and
Dick Vrij
Dick Vrij is a retired Dutch professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2003, he competed in the Heavyweight division for RINGS and It's Showtime.
Professional wrestling career
A former bodybuilde ...
.
On 25 January 1995, after RINGS started promoting purely competitive fights, Nijman beat Yoshihisa Yamamoto by TKO to win 3rd place in the RINGS Mega Battle Tournament 1994. Nijman lost to
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 ...
on 1 January 1997 at ''RINGS: Battle Dimensions''. He beat
Lee Hasdell
Lee Hasdell (born 13 December 1966)Sherdog profile Retrieved 4 April 2019Kiyoshi Tamura
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Once a student of legendary professional wrestlers Billy Robinson, Lou Thesz and Akira Maeda, Tamura was known for his skills in catch wrestling and is considered to be one of ...
in Japan on 25 October 1997. Nijman's final fight for RINGS was on 7 March 1999 at ''RINGS Australia: NR 3''. Hans defeated Danny Higgins by
rear naked choke
The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keiko ...
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for hi ...
by submission at 2:48 of round 1.
Throughout his RINGS career, Nijman picked up victories over fighters such as; Masayuki Naruse Yoshihisa Yamamoto,
Mikhail Illoukhine
Mikhail Ilyukhin (born November 21, 1966) is a retired Russian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who competed in the light heavyweight division. He competed in both Fighting Network Rings, and Pride Fighting Championships, and was ...
,
Volk Han
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 ...
,
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
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 ...
and
Kiyoshi Tamura
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Once a student of legendary professional wrestlers Billy Robinson, Lou Thesz and Akira Maeda, Tamura was known for his skills in catch wrestling and is considered to be one of ...
. Hans Nijman holds a RINGS record of 24 wins, 20 losses and 3 draws.
After RINGS
Nijman fought in
Pride FC
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts eve ...
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for hi ...
by submission. On 21 October 2001, Nijman lost to Barrington Patterson by KO at ''It's Showtime - Original''. Hans Nijman's last fight was against
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo is a French heavyweight Mixed Martial artist and former Kickboxer who fights in Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of May 10, 2022, he is #4 in the ...
at ''It’s Showtime'' on 8 June 2003. He lost due to an
armbar
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that Anatomical terms of motion#General motion, hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow, elbow joint or glenohumeral joint, shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the ...
at 0:59 of round 2. According to Sherdog, Nijman rounded out his professional mixed martial arts record with 9 wins and 6 defeats, although Hans had a few unsanctioned shoot fights in Japan a year following his retirement from mixed martial arts competition in 2003.
Death
On November 5, 2014, around 20:45, Nijman was shot dead whilst sitting in his 2013 Volkswagen Golf around the back of his Dutch Top Team gym "De Meer" in
Beverwijk
Beverwijk () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast. A ...
. Witnesses reportedly saw a Volkswagen Golf R32 parked on the parking lot next to his gym open fire on Nijman with automatic rifles whilst he was reversing his car out of the alley where he had parked his car. After the shooting, the Golf R32 took off with high speed southbound on the A22. A half-hour after the shooting two cars, the Golf R32 and a taxi bus, were found burning to the ground in
Velserbroek
Velserbroek is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen.
Velserbroek is planned town for the Velsen region and was developed from 1985 onwards.
Notable residents
*Linda Bolder
Linda Bolder (Heb ...
. Both cars were stolen. The suspects have not yet been identified and the motive is unknown.
Mixed martial arts record
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9-7
,
Minoru Suzuki
(born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a freelancer. In NJPW, Suzuki has held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as twice hol ...
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, Japan, Korakuen Hall
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9-6
,
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo is a French heavyweight Mixed Martial artist and former Kickboxer who fights in Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of May 10, 2022, he is #4 in the ...
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, Netherlands
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9-5
,
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 ...
, TKO (punches)
, It's Showtime: Original
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:47
, Haarlem, Netherlands
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9-4
,
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for hi ...
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
Alexandra Hills
Alexandra Hills is a residential locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the , Alexandra Hills had a population of 16,254 people.
Geography
Alexandra Hills sits between two major areas of Redlands, with Cleveland to the ea ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 8-3
,
Hiromitsu Kanehara
) is a former Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler of Korean descent. A professional MMA competitor from 1998 until 2012, he found success in Fighting Network RINGS, gaining notable victories over Valentijn Overeem, Alexan ...
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 7-2
, Victor Kruger
, KO (head kick)
, Rings Holland: Who's the Boss
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:10
, Utrecht City, Netherlands
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 6-2
,
Kiyoshi Tamura
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Once a student of legendary professional wrestlers Billy Robinson, Lou Thesz and Akira Maeda, Tamura was known for his skills in catch wrestling and is considered to be one of ...
Lee Hasdell
Lee Hasdell (born 13 December 1966)Sherdog profile Retrieved 4 April 2019Rings Holland - The Final Challenge
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 5:35
,
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, Netherlands
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 5-1
,
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 ...
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, Netherlands
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 4-0
,
Volk Han
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 ...
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
Andrei Kopylov
Andrei Kopylov is a retired Russian sambist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of Fighting Network RINGS. He lost his last fight at PRIDE 22 - Beasts From The East 2 against Mario Sperry o ...
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...