Michael Shawn Bernardo (28 July 1969 – 14 February 2012) was a South African kickboxer and boxer from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Bernardo was known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994. He holds notable wins over

Mirko Cro Cop Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a retired Croatian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cr ...

Andy Hug Andreas "Andy" Hug (7 September 1964 – 24 August 2000) was a Swiss karateka and kickboxer who competed in the heavyweight division. Considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time, Hug was renowned for his ability t ...

, Francisco Filho, Branko Cikatic,

Stan Longinidis Stan "The Man" Longinidis (born 25 June 1965) is an Australian retired heavyweight kickboxer and 8-time world kickboxing champion. Born in Melbourne of Greek ethnicity, Longinidis is one of the few fighters to win world titles in four differ ...

Gary Goodridge Gary Henry Goodridge (born January 17, 1966), nicknamed "Big Daddy", is a Trinidadian-Canadian former heavyweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist fighting out of Barrie, Ontario. Prior to kickboxing and MMA, he was also one of the top ranked co ...

and three consecutive wins over K-1 legend

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 ...

Biography

Mike Bernardo was of Italian and English heritage and was born in Fishhoek near Cape Town on 28 July 1969. His surname was actually Barnardo, but most people knew him as Bernardo. When he was younger, bullies often picked on him and beat him up. Bernardo started with

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 ...

to deal with his bullies: "I started Karate when I was, 12, 13 years old. The reason why I started was, because as a youngster I was quite tall but not strong. A lot of children at school were in gangs and they would always pick on me and beat me up because I was a big guy so they could prove their friends they were stronger. I took up martial arts lessons and went back to school and when they started to pick on me again and try to beat me up, I beat them all up." Being a keen all-round sportsman, Mike Bernardo tried to do as many sports as he could. Besides karate, he started surfing when he was six, played numerous other sports but the one that he liked to play the most was rugby. After he kept getting sent off for fighting, Bernardo knew he had to make the transition from rugby to fighting sports.

Kickboxing career

It was under the guidance of former boxing champion Steve Kalakoda where Mike Bernardo received his kickboxing training. He met Kalakoda during his compulsory military service where the latter worked as a physical training instructor in the navy. Bernardo quickly established a fearsome reputation as a heavy-hitting knockout fighter. After fights in South Africa, Italy and Russia Bernardo got invited through one of England's promoters to fight in K-1. He made his debut in the K-1 World Grand Prix 1995 against Andy Hug. Bernardo pulled off the shocking win via third round stoppage. One of his biggest successes came early in his career. In 1996, just one year into his K-1 run, Mike Bernardo competed in the K-1 World Grand Prix for the second time. Bernardo faced a tough task as he would meet Peter Aerts in the first round of the tournament. Just as he did against Hug one year before, Bernardo scored a big upset with a huge right cross that knocked the former K-1 World Grand Prix champion out. Bernardo made it to the finals that year, ultimately losing to Andy Hug in a great fight. Bernardo's other major success took place in 2000 when he won the K-1 World Grand Prix in Fukuoka, beating Jörgen Kruth, Andrew Thompson and then

in the final. He won all three fights that night by KO. Though he never did win the K-1 World Grand Prix crown, Bernardo proved he could hang with the very best fighters. In his career he faced all of the K-1's best - including

Jerome Le Banner Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...

, Andy Hug, Peter Aerts,

Ernesto Hoost Ernesto Frits Hoost (born 11 July 1965) is a Dutch retired kickboxer. A four-time K-1 World Champion, Hoost is considered to be one of the greatest kickboxers of all time. Debuting in 1993 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 1993, where he came just on ...

and Francisco Filho - and at some point in their career, nearly all of them found themselves on the receiving end of a KO. On New Year's Eve of 2004, Bernardo was going to face Nigerian fighter

Bobby Ologun is a Nigerian-born television personality and mixed martial artist with Japanese citizenship. In Japan, he is known simply as . He speaks English, Yoruba and Japanese. He lives in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture. On July 26, 2007, he announced on ...

in "K1-Dynamite!", but couldn't take part in the event due to a neck injury and retired from K-1.

Boxing career

In addition to his K-1 career, Mike Bernardo made his professional boxing debut on 28 February 1993, against Delius Musemwa. Mike was able to knock out Delius in the third round. In the second bout he lost by TKO for the first round against little lighter opponent Anton Nel on 7 April 1993. After a string of victories he won the vacant WBF title against Dan Jerling by defeating the Czechoslovakian fighter in the sixth round by KO. The bout took place in May 2000. In 2001, on 8 June, Mike Bernardo defended his WBF title against Peter McNeeley in Cape Town and knocked McNeely out in just 41 seconds. In May 2002, due to being inactive for long, Bernardo was stripped of the belt. Most of bouts (8) were held in South Africa, twice he fight in USA, once in Hungary, Mexico and Japan. Marriage Mike Bernardo was married to singer Beshara Ornellas. They were married on 5 April 1999 and the marriage lasted a brief 10 months when Beshara left on 14 February 2000.

Religion

Mike Bernardo was a deeply religious man. His belief in God played an important role in his fighting career and life: "Before the fight I say a prayer that God keep us both safe. And his will be done. In my heart there's no vengeance, I don't wanna inflict pain just because I want to inflict pain, but because I want to compete against the person that I am competing with. We're both competitors in the same line of work and we're just putting our skills together to see who's better than the other one on the day. My message is that there is hope for all of us, there's hope for every single one. Jesus is the saviour, and he's the way to offer hope, love, and also hope in healing as well. And with him with us we can achieve anything we want to achieve. That is my message."

Death

Bernardo died on February 14, 2012 at the age of 42. According to News24, the cause of death was unknown.

Titles and accomplishments

* Professional Kickboxing **World Olympic Kickboxing Super Heavyweight winner **2004

World Kickboxing Association The World Kickboxing Association (WKA) also known as World Kickboxing and Karate Association, is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning body for kickboxing and Karate. History In 1976, the WKA was founded by Ho ...

Muay Thai Super Heavyweight World champion **1998 W.A.K.O. Pro Muay Thai Super Heavyweight World champion **1996

Muay Thai Super Heavyweight World champion * K-1 ** 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix in Nagoya 3rd place ** 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix in Fukuoka winner ** 1998 K-1 World Grand Prix 3rd place **1996 K-1 World Grand Prix runner up ** 1995 K-1 World Grand Prix 3rd place * Professional boxing ** W.B.F. World Heavyweight champion

Kickboxing record

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Kaoklai Kaennorsing Kaoklai Kaennorsing ( th, ก้าวไกล แก่นนรสิงห์; born September 13, 1983) is a former Thai light heavyweight Muay Thai fighter. Kaennorsing is the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Seoul tournament winner, former t ...

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Jan Nortje Johannes "Jan" Nortje (born 11 April 1975) is a South African professional kickboxer, mixed martial artist and undefeated professional boxer who has fought for Strikeforce, DREAM, K-1, Inoki Genome Federation, PRIDE Fighting Championship and ...

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Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...

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Eric Esch Eric Scott Esch (born August 3, 1966), better known by his nickname "Butterbean", is an American retired professional boxer, kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler who competed in the heavyweight division. He is also a televis ...

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Yokohama, Japan 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 T ...

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Tsuyoshi Nakasako Tsuyoshi Nakasako ( ja, 中迫剛; born January 29, 1974) is a Japanese retired heavyweight kickboxer who competed in K-1. During his ten-year career from 1998 until 2008, he fought a variety of K-1 champions including Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aer ...

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K-1 Beast 2003 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 ...

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Mark Hunt Mark Richard Hunt (born 23 March 1974) is a New Zealand former mixed martial artist and kickboxer of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) until 2018 and was the wi ...

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Tom Erikson Tom Erikson (born July 6, 1964) is an American former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist who competed in the super heavyweight division. Weighing between and throughout his career, "The Big Cat" began wrestling at an early age and was ...

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Ray Sefo Ray Sefo (born 15 February 1971) is a New Zealand fight promoter and retired kickboxer, boxer, and mixed martial artist of Samoan descent. He was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Runner Up, is a six-time Muay Thai World Champion, and was an eigh ...

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Adam Watt Adam Keith Watt (born 10 November 1967) is an Australian former boxer and kickboxer. He has studied kickboxing, Seido-kaikan karate, and boxing. His nickname was "Lights Out" because of his high level karate and boxing skills, and one punch k ...

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K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final'' was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, December 8, 2001, in front of 65,000 spectators. It was the ninth K-1 Grand Prix final, involving ei ...

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Lloyd van Dams Lloyd Daniël van Dams (5 March 1972 – 29 December 2021), also known as The Tornado, was a Surinamese-born Dutch heavyweight kickboxer. He was a Dutch, European, and World Muay Thai champion. Known for his durability, van Dams was never kno ...

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K-1 Gladiators 2001 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 ...

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Hiromi Amada Hiromi Amada ( ja, 天田ヒロミ; born May 10, 1973) is a retired Japanese heavyweight kickboxer and boxer from Gunma, Japan. A staple in the K-1 heavyweight division from 1999 to 2007, the company considered him one of its most ...

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Rony Sefo Rony Sefo (born 10 April 1972 in New Zealand) is a former two-time World Champion New Zealand kickboxer and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, who fought on Pride Fighting Championships and K-1. As a kickboxer he holds notable wins aga ...

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Sam Greco Salvatore "Sam" Greco (born 3 May 1967) is an Australian retired full contact karateka, heavyweight K-1 kickboxer, mixed martial artist. He was the 1994 Karate World Cup champion and holds notable kickboxing victories over Branko Cikatic, ...

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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. ...

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K-1 World Grand Prix '98 Opening Round 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 ...

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K-1 Dream '98 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 ...

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K-1 Kings '98 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 ...

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Branko Cikatić Branko Cikatić (4 October 1954 – 22 March 2020) was a Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian-born fighter to achieve international success. He was the first K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. The tournament was held on April 30, 1993 ...

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, , K-1 Fight Night '97 , , Zurich, Switzerland , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1997-04-29 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 Braves '97 , , Fukuoka, Japan , , TKO (Referee Stoppage/Right Hook) , , 4 , , 1:03 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1997-03-16 , , Win , , align=left,

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, , DQ (Groin Kick) , , 1 , , 1:21 , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1996-05-06 , , Loss , , align=left,

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, , KO (Left Spinning Low Kick) , , 2 , , 1:18 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1996-05-06 , , Win , , align=left, Musashi , , K-1 Grand Prix '96 Semi Finals , ,

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, , TKO (Corner Stoppage) , , 3 , , 2:39 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1994-00-00 , , Loss , , align=left, Jérôme Le Banner , , I.S.K.A. Intercontinental Championship , , Cape Town, South Africa , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 10 , , 2:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9, , - , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2001-06-08 , , Win , , align=left,

Peter McNeeley Peter McNeeley (born October 6, 1968) is an American former heavyweight boxer, best known for his 1995 fight with Mike Tyson, before which McNeeley had said he would wrap Tyson in a "cocoon of horror." McNeeley fought aggressively but was kn ...

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K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Preliminary South Africa 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 ...

, , Cape Town, South Africa , , TKO , , 1 , , 0:41 , , 11–1–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 2000-07-30 , , Draw , , align=left, Justin Fortune , , N/A , ,

, , TD , , 1 , , N/A , , 10–1–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2000-05-12 , , Win , , align=left, Daniel Jerling , , N/A , , Szekszárd, Hungary , , TKO , , 6 , , N/A , , 10–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2000-01-21 , , Win , , align=left, Scott Conner , , N/A , , Chicago, Illinois, USA , , TKO , , 2 , , N/A , , 9–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1996-03-31 , , Win , , align=left, Juan Quintana , , N/A , , Portland, Maine, USA , , PTS , , 6 , , N/A , , 8–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1995-12-02 , , Win , , align=left, Alberto Toribio Coman , , N/A , , Cape Town, South Africa , , TKO , , 4 , , N/A , , 7–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1995-09-10 , , Win , , align=left, Hector Fernandez , , N/A , ,

Tijuana, Mexico Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, , KO , , 1 , , N/A , , 6–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1994-11-27 , , Win , , align=left, Themba Msweli , , N/A , , Cape Town, South Africa , , KO , , 3 , , N/A , , 5–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1994-05-18 , , Win , , align=left, Nzuzu Manyube , , N/A , , Cape Town, South Africa , , TKO , , 1 , , N/A , , 4–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-11-06 , , Win , , align=left, Matthews Zulu , , N/A , ,

Sun City, South Africa Sun City is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about 140 km northwest of Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borde ...

, , PTS , , 4 , , N/A , , 3–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-07-25 , , Win , , align=left, Graham Makazi , , N/A , , Cape Town, South Africa , , KO , , 1 , , N/A , , 2–1 , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 1993-04-06 , , Loss , , align=left, Anton Nel , , N/A , , Temba, South Africa , , TKO , , 1 , , N/A , , 1–1 , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 1993-02-28 , , Win , , align=left, Delias Musemwa , , N/A , , Cape Town, South Africa , , KO , , 3 , , N/A , , 1–0 , - , - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 2001-12-31 , , Draw , , align=left,

Nobuhiko Takada Nobuhiko Takada ( ja, 高田伸彦, ring name: ) (born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UW ...

, , Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001 , ,

, , Draw , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 0–0–1 , - , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

Mike Bernardo InterviewK-1sport.de - Complete Fighters Profile of Mike BernardoKakutougi: K-1 News and InterviewsStatistics at boxrec.comMike Bernardo MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardo, Mike 1969 births 2012 suicides Heavyweight boxers South African male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers South African male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan Sportspeople from Cape Town South African people of Italian descent South African people of English descent White South African people South African male boxers South African male karateka 2012 deaths