Jan Soukup (born September 17, 1979) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

ka, the branch chief for International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan in Czech Republic, the president of the Czech Kyokushin Karate Association and the vice president of the Czech Fullcontact Karate Organization, and also a retired

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and 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 practiced for self-defense, general ...

who 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. Soukup's first noteworthy accomplishment was a third-place finish at the European Kyokushin Championships in 2003 and he followed this by winning the All-Japan Kyokushin Championships the next year. After finishing as runner-up in the European Championships and in third place in the European Open in 2005, Soukup had his most successful year in 2007 when he won the European Championships and lost to

Ewerton Teixeira Ewerton Teixeira (born February 13, 1982) is a Brazilian professional kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and Kyokushin Kaikan karateka. Teixeira obtained his first K-1 title in 2008 at K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Fukuoka by beating Keijiro Maeda ...

in the final of the 9th Kyokushin World Open. Beginning in 2008, he embarked on a career in kickboxing which included a stint in K-1.

Career

Karate career (2001–2007)

Jan Soukup began his

training in

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...

at the age of eleven before moving to

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

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 April 2001 to study

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-Ja ...

in an ''

uchi-deshi is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in ''kabuki'', ''rakugo'', ''shogi'', '' igo'', ''aikido'', ''sumo'', ''karate'' and other modern Japanese martial ...

'' program. After training for four years and attaining the rank of second ''

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

'' black belt, which he earned by completing a twenty-man ''

kumite Kumite ( ja, 組手, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary. Kumite can be used to develop a partic ...

'' among other tests, he returned to the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and opened his own Kyokushin

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

in August 2005. During this period, Soukup also achieved respectable finishes in numerous tournaments; in 2003, he finished in third place in the +90 kg/198 lb division at the 17th European Kyokushin Championships, in 2004 he won the 21st All-Japan Kyokushin Championships at +90 kg/198 lb and 2005 saw him take bronze at the 5th Kyokushin European Open and silver at the 21st European Kyokushin Championships. Soukup had his most successful year in 2007 when he won the 21st European Kyokushin Championships at +90 kg/198 lb and finished as runner-up in the 9th edition of most prestigious tournament in the sport, the Kyokushin World Open. He avenged his loss to Arthur Hovhannisyan, who beat him in the final of the European Championships back in 2005, in the semi-finals before losing out to

via

low kick A low kick (also known as a leg kick) is a kick in which the attacker uses their leg to strike the opponent's lower body (thigh or calf) with the shinbone or foot. This type of kick, under different names, is utilized in numerous full-contact mart ...

ippon is the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ''ippon-wazari'' contest, usually kendo, judo, karate or jujitsu. In Judo In Judo, an ippon may be scored for a throw, a pin, a choke or a jointlock. For throws, the four ...

'' in the final.

Transition to kickboxing (2008-2019)

Making the transition to professional

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 ...

, Jan Soukup debuted in his native Czech Republic in 2008 with a first round

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

of Tonda Ungerman. Following this, he was recruited by K-1 and returned to Japan to train under

Jayson Vemoa Jayson Vemoa is the President of the Japan Niue Friendship Association based in Tokyo and has served as an Honorary Consul and Special Envoy to Niue in Japan. He is a former two time Muay Thai World Champion kickboxer from New Zealand of Niue a ...

at the Ichigeki Academy where his

sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...

partners included

Glaube Feitosa Glaube Araújo Feitosa (born April 9, 1973) is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005, Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was a K-1 World G ...

, Takumi Sato and former foe Ewerton Teixeira. In his first K-1 match, Soukup faced reigning K-1 Heavyweight Champion

Keijiro Maeda is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 2011 to 2019 and a kickboxer. He began competing again as a professional kickboxer in 2021. He is the former K-1 Heavyweight Champion and successfully defended the title against kickbo ...

in non-title bout at the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 in Tokyo Final 16 Qualifying GP This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

'' in

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 on August 11, 2009. He was dropped with a short right hand towards the end of round two before being knocked out with a right

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

in three. After rebounding with a

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...

win over Espedito da Silva at ''Ichigeki Brazil 2009'' in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

on October 3, 2009, he returned to K-1 to fight Tsutomu Takahagi in a non-tournament match at the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final'' was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday December 5, 2009 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 17th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tourna ...

'' in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan on December 5, 2009, and won by a second consecutive unanimous decision. In his third and final outing in the promotion, Soukup lost to

Mladen Brestovac Mladen Brestovac (born October, 1983) is a Croatian heavyweight Muay Thai kickboxer, currently signed to Final Fight Championship, where he is the current FFC Heavyweight champion, and GLORY. He previously competed in K-1 and SUPERKOMBAT. He ...

by way of unanimous decision after being knocked down with a third round

knee strike A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike (attack), strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. ...

in the tournament reserve match at the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Bucharest ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Bucharest'', billed as ''Europe's GP'', was a kickboxing event held by the K-1 organization in association with the Local Kombat promotion on Friday, May 21, 2010 at the Romexpo Dome in Bucharest, Romania. Part ...

'' in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

on May 21, 2010. Soukup lost his second fight in a row when he dropped a unanimous decision to Jhonata Diniz after surviving knockdowns in rounds one and three at ''Ichigeki Brazil 2010'' in São Paulo on July 31, 2010. After over a year out of the ring, Soukup made his comeback to enter the RISE Heavyweight Tournament 2011 held at ''RISE 85'' in Tokyo on November 23, 2011. He had a close fight with Fabiano Cyclone in the quarter-finals but scoring a knockdown in round two was enough to earn him the nod via

majority decision A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on which ...

and advance to the semis where he faced

Makoto Uehara Makoto Uehara ( ja, 上原誠; born November 14, 1984) is a Japanese Shidokan Karateka and heavyweight kickboxer competing in K-1. He is the former RISE Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight champion. Biography and career He faced Hiromi Amada ...

. This was another closely contested affair and was called a

majority draw A majority draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), and other sports involving striking. In a majority draw, two of the three judges agree that neither fighter won (i.e. tied scorecards), ...

after the regulation three rounds. With the fight going to an extension round to decide the winner, Uehara did enough to take a unanimous decision and eliminate Soukup from the tournament.

Championships and awards

Kickboxing

*2014 Yangame's Fight Night Heavyweight Tournament Champion +94,1 kg

Karate

Kyokushin

*All-Japan Kyokushin Championships **21st All-Japan Kyokushin Championships +90 kg/198 lb Champion *European Kyokushin Championships **17th European Kyokushin Championships +90 kg/198 lb 3rd Place **19th European Kyokushin Championships +90 kg/198 lb Runner-up (Lost to Artur Hovhannisyan) **21st European Kyokushin Championships +90 kg/198 lb Champion (Defeated Petar Martinov) *Kyokushin European Open **5th Kyokushin European Open 3rd Place *Kyokushin World Open **9th Kyokushin World Open Runner-up (Lost to

)

Shotokan Karate

*Shotokan Karate Bohemia Cup **Shotokan Karate Bohemia Cup 2000 (Prague Team) 3rd Place *Shotokan Karate Scandinavia Cup **Shotokan Karate Scandinavia Cup 1999 3rd Place *Shotokan Karate World Cup **Shotokan Karate World Cup 1999 ( -Mladá Boleslav) Champion

Kickboxing record

, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2019-11-01 , , Win , , align=left, Timur Gastashev , , Battle of Champions 11 , ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , , 15-8 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2019-03-29 , , Loss , , align=left, Bahram Rajabzadeh , , XFN LEGENDS , ,

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

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Peter Aerts Peter Aerts (born 25 October 1970) is a Dutch semi-retired kickboxer. Known for his devastating high kicks, which earned him the nickname "The Dutch Lumberjack", he is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time ...

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Freddy Kemayo Freddy Kemayo (born May 6, 1982) is a French heavyweight kickboxer. He is a three-time French Kickboxing Champion. Biography and career Kemayo joined Faucon Gym in 1999 and has been training there under Bingo and Richard Roudy ever since. In 200 ...

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Donegi Abena Donegi Abena (born February 23, 1998) is a Surinamese-Dutch kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of Glory. A professional competitor since 2015, Abena is a one-time Glory Light Heavyweight title challenger. He is r ...

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Prague, Czech Republic Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oc ...

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Toni Milanović Toni Milanović is a Croatian cruiserweight kickboxer from Split, Croatia. Career and biography On November 24, 2012, Milanović won ''Souboj Titánů'', a four-man tournament under K-1 rules in Plzeň, Czech Republic. In the semifinals, Jan T� ...

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Tokyo, Japan 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, ...

, , Extension round decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , , 4-4 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2011-11-23 , , Win , , align=left, Fabiano Cyclone , , RISE 85: RISE Heavyweight Tournament 2011, Quarter Finals , ,

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External links

K-1Sport profile

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soukup, Jan Living people 1979 births Czech male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers Czech male karateka Kyokushin kaikan practitioners Sportspeople from Prague Sportspeople from Tokyo Czech expatriate sportspeople in Japan