Kristopher Lee "Kit" Cope (born March 17, 1977) is an American Muay Thai kickboxer 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 ...

who competes in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

, and

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

divisions. A four-time professional Muay Thai World Champion, Cope also fought in the K-1,

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 ...

and

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

promotions.

Career

Kit Cope was born on

Williams Air Force Base Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located in Maricopa County, Arizona, east of Chandler, and about southeast of Phoenix. It is a designated Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contamin ...

Williams, Arizona Williams ( yuf-x-hav, Wii Gvʼul) is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, located west of Flagstaff. Its population was 3,023 at the 2010 census. It lies on the routes of Historic Route 66 and Interstate 40. It is also the souther ...

and later relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. He began his fighting career as a

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

kickboxer after having only one amateur bout, becoming professional, going 15-0 and winning, among other titles, the IKKC International Welterweight title, the WMTF World Welterweight title, the WMTA World Welterweight title, the ITBF World Light Welterweight title and the highly regarded IPMTO World Light Heavyweight Championship, which would later be renamed as the WPMF. Cope suffered the first loss of his career on November 22, 1999 when he was

knocked out 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 strikin ...

Akeomi Nitta Akeomi Nitta (新田明臣, born July 23, 1973) is a Japanese kickboxer.Profile at K-1
He is one of ...

in the

All Japan Kickboxing Federation All Japan Kickboxing Federation ( ja: 全日本キックボクシング連盟, A.J.K.F.) was the Japan-based sanctioning and promoting body of professional kickboxing. It was established in 1987 and it was dissolved in 2009. The informal name was " ...

in Tokyo, Japan. Cope was leading on the scorecards heading into the third round, but was slowing due to an onslaught of low kicks from Nitta, who scored a knockdown at the end of round three. Cope was able to beat the referee's count but Nitta switched to a high kick which left Cope unable to again beat the referee's count at the 2:21 mark of round three. On March 17, 2000, accepting the bout on 1 week notice, Cope defeated reigning

ISKA The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the United ...

World Super Welterweight (-69.5 kg/153.2 lb) Muay Thai Champion Alex Gong by unanimous decision in a non-title bout in Las Vegas. He also fought in shoot boxing that year, losing a unanimous decision to Kenichi Ogata in Tokyo on May 21, 2000. Cope made his American K-1 debut on August 17, 2002 and stopped Heath Harris with a low kick, breaking Harris' femur in the opening round on the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Las Vegas 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 ...

'' undercard. He was featured in an episode of ''

True Life ''True Life'' is an American documentary television series that aired on MTV from March 31, 1998 to June 21, 2017. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode – "Fatal Dose". The show is created by ...

'' entitled "I'm a Muay Thai Fighter", which chronicled his training and journey to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

where he knocked out Burmese fighter Mojo Mawadee in a bare-knuckle

lethwei Lethwei ( my, လက်ဝှေ့; IPA: ) or Burmese boxing, is a full contact combat sport from Myanmar that uses stand-up striking including headbutts. Lethwei is considered to be one of the most brutal martial arts in the world, * * * a ...

match at the Songkran Festival in

Mae Sot Mae Sot ( th, แม่สอด, ; my, မဲဆောက်, ; shn, , ) is a city in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar to the west. It is notable as a trade hub and for its substantial population of Burmese migrants and refug ...

on April 13, 2004. Then again in 2008 Cope was featured in another True Life episode entitled "I'm a Mixed Martial Arts Fighter" whereupon he defeated Dave Cochran in a very bloody fight that ended with Kit Cope forcing Cochran to submit to a triangle choke. Cope was cornered by UFC title contender Nate Diaz. Having begun his mixed martial arts career in 1998, Cope debuted in the

at ''

The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter 2'' was the second season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The season featured a heavyweight and a welterweight division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC co ...

'' in his hometown of Las Vegas on November 5, 2005. He was caught in an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

at the end of round one and actually tapped out after the bell signaling the end of the round had already rung, however, and he continued in round two with his arm noticeably injured. He submitted to a

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 keikog ...

soon after. During the broadcast, commentator

Mike Goldberg Mike Goldberg (born November 24, 1964) is an American play-by-play commentator, mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1997 until his departure in 2017. He also worked for Bellator MMA from June 2017 until April 20 ...

made a number of dubious and complimentary comments on Cope's Muay Thai accomplishments, calling him "the cream of the crop in Muay Thai" and "one of the best"

strikers Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

in the world. On January 20, 2007, he fought fellow Muay Thai stylist

Rob McCullough Robert Alexander McCullough IV (born May 26, 1977) is an American former Muay Thai kickboxer and professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001-2011 in MMA, McCullough has formerly competed for the WEC, Bellator, DREAM, the Wor ...

for the vacant

WEC Lightweight Championship This is a list of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champions at each weight class. In December 2006 World Extreme Cagefighting was bought by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, to concentrate on the four smaller weight classes under th ...

at '' WEC 25'' and lost via submission due to an injury. Following the bout, he tested positive for the

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...

Boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

which is on the banned substances list of all the major athletic commissions and sports leagues. He was expected to make his return to Muay Thai against Jose Palacios for the WBC Muaythai United States welterweight (-66.678 kg/147 lb) title at ''Lion Fight: Battle in the Desert 4'' on November 19, 2011. However, he was not cleared to fight by the

Nevada Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxer ...

for unknown reasons and was replaced by

Malaipet Sasiprapa Malaipet (''born as Mongkhon Wiwasuk'' on December 21, 1981) is a Thai professional Muay Thai fighter, kickboxer and former mixed martial artist. He is a former Rajadamnern Stadium Champion who currently resides in Fresno, California. In MMA, M ...

. The fight was rescheduled for ''Lion Fight: Battle in the Desert 5'' on February 25, 2012 but he again withdrew. Cope returned to K-1 ten years after his first appearance in the promotion, facing

Chaz Mulkey Chaz Pictro Mulkey (born February 4, 1981) is an American Muay Thai kickboxer who competes in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions. He defeated Remy Bonnel to win the WBC Muaythai International Middleweight (-72 kg/160 lb) ...

at the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Los Angeles This is a list of events held in 2012 by K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. K-1 World MAX 2012 World Championship Tournament Final 16 ''K-1 World MAX 2012 World Championship Tournament Final 16'' was a kickboxing event promoted b ...

'' on September 8, 2012. He injured himself while attempting a spinning kick in round two, and Mulkey was able to knock him down three time by attacking his injured leg, which caused referee Vichai "Rex" Supkitpol to stop the bout and announce Mulkey as the winner by TKO.

Personal life

Cope was once engaged to

Gina Carano Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American actress and former mixed martial artist. She competed in EliteXC and Strikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record. Her popularity led to her being called the "face of wome ...

. He was a contestant on a March 15, 2004 episode of ''

Fear Factor ''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or ...

'', a reality television game show, and also featured twice on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's ''

'' in the episodes "I'm a Muay Thai Fighter" and "I'm a Mixed Martial Arts Fighter". In 2007, he was one of three hosts on ''

Wild World of Spike ''Wild World of Spike'' is a television series that aired Thursdays on Spike about extreme sports. The three hosts, two of whom are athletes themselves, watch these from a couch on the set. They then recreate stunts. Episode list *Episode 1: Epis ...

'', a television series featuring amateur sports footage and the hosts' attempts at recreating them. Got married August 28, 2016 to Lacee Casas

Championships and awards

Amateur wrestling

*Nevada State Wrestling **Nevada State Freestyle Wrestling Champion (Two times)

Kickboxing

*International Professional Muay Thai Organization **IPMTO World Light Heavyweight Championship *International Thai Boxing Federation **ITBF World Light Welterweight Championship *World Muay Thai Association **WMTA World Welterweight Championship *World Muay Thai Federation **WMTF World Welterweight Championship *International Karate Kickboxing Council **IKKC International Welterweight Championship

Boxing record

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The Orleans The Orleans is a hotel and casino located in Paradise, Nevada, near the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by Boyd Gaming. It includes the large multipurpose Orleans Arena that can be converted into an ice rink and can seat 9,000 attendee ...

, ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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Kickboxing record

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, ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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Philippe Petit Philippe Petit (; born 13 August 1949) is a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized high-wire walks between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twi ...

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, ,

, US , , KO (low kick) , , 2 , , 0:55 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2002-03-23 , , Win , , align=left, Clint Hale , , Master Toddy Show , ,

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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, ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2000-03-17 , , Win , , align=left, Alex Gong , , , ,

, US , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1999-11-22 , , Loss , , align=left,

Akeomi Nitta Akeomi Nitta (新田明臣, born July 23, 1973) is a Japanese kickboxer.Profile at K-1
He is one of ...

, , AJKF: WAVE-XIII , ,

, , KO (high kick) , , 3 , , 2:21 , - , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 6–7 , Daniel Smyrk , TKO (punches) , Kings of Kombat 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, ,

Keysborough, Victoria Keysborough is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Greater Dandenong local government area. Keysborough recorded a population of 30,018 at the ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 5–7 , Jeff Harrison , Submission (armbar) , Wreck MMA: Road to Glory , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 ,

Gatineau, Quebec Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 4–7 , Freddy Assuncao , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fight Night Entertainment: Round 13 – Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:47 ,

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (locat ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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Corey Hill Corey Cornelius Hill (October 3, 1978 – May 15, 2015) was an American mixed martial artist. In high school in Florida he won state wrestling championships on multiple occasions and was a two-time national finalist college wrestler. Mixed marti ...

, Submission (triangle choke) , Raging Wolf VIII: Cage Supremacy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Salamanca, New York Salamanca ( Seneca: ''Onë:dagö:h'') is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States, inside the Allegany Indian Reservation, one of two governed by the Seneca Nation of New York. The population was 5,929 at the 2020 census. It was na ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 4–5 , Cameron Dollar , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ring of Fire 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 4–4 , Zach Skinner , TKO (punches) , Fight Night Events , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 3–4 , Dave Cochran , Submission (triangle choke) , World Fighting Championships 7: Lockdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, , - , Loss , align=center, 2–4 ,

, Submission (injury) , WEC 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, , - , Loss , align=center, 2–3 ,

Kenny Florian Kenneth Alan Florian (born May 26, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist and commentator who formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He formerly served as an analyst for UFC on Fox from 2011–2018, and he als ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:37 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Mike Lucero , TKO (strikes) , Valor Fighting: Home of the Brave , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:50 , Susanville, California,

, , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , Emmett Olvera , Submission (guillotine choke) , Venom: First Strike , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 ,

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 duri ...

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Tiki Ghosn In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a large or small woode ...

, TKO (retirement) , WFA 2: Level 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , William Sriyapai , Submission (rear-naked choke) , King of the Cage 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with ...

References

External links