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.

Born in Eindhoven at the age of fourteen. He won his first world title when he was nineteen years old in 1990, taking the International Kick Boxing Federation's Heavyweight Championship. He would also add the Dutch heavyweight title and the World Muay Thai Association's heavyweight title to his mantelpiece before going on to compete in Japan. He competed in every K-1 World Grand Prix except one, in 2009.

A three-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, he debuted at the inaugural K-1 World GP in 1993 where he was eliminated by fellow K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost. He won his first Grand Prix in 1994 by knocking out Rob van Esdonk and Patrick Smith in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, before taking a unanimous decision over Masaaki Satake in the finals. However, he was stopped on more than one occasion by Mike Bernardo, being memorably knocked out of the 1996 K-1 World GP at the quarter-finals, as part of his series of wins over Aerts.

Aerts also won the GP the following year when he beat Toshiyuki Atokawa, Ernesto Hoost and then stopped Jérôme Le Banner in the finals. He would not win the tournament again until 1998 when he stopped all three of his opponents in front of 63,800 spectators at the Tokyo Dome. In what is considered to be one of the best Grands Prix ever, and the pinnacle of Aerts' career, he stopped Masaaki Satake with a knee strike in the quarters, forced the referee to stop his semi-final match with long-time rival Mike Bernardo and knocked out Andy Hug with one of his famous high kicks in the final. He won this tournament in six minutes and forty-three seconds, which was the quickest K-1 GP win ever at the time. This record stood until 2009 when it was beaten by rival Semmy Schilt.

Although 1998 was his last Grand Prix win, Aerts continued to compete and reached the final a further three times (in 2006, 2007 and 2010).

Early life

Aerts was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands on October 25, 1970. After playing football in his childhood for seven years, he began practicing martial arts in 1983, beginning with taekwondo. His interest in combat sports came from his grandfather and an uncle; both were active in that field. In 1984, he started kickboxing and began training in "Judoka-Kickboxing" in Best, with Mikki Benazzouz. After a year of training, Aerts fought his first match, and soon one victory succeeded the other. He won his first world championship title when he was nineteen.

Career

1985–1992: Early career

Aerts debuted as a professional kickboxer in 1985. Some notable fights from his early career include a decision loss to Ernesto Hoost (who he would fight a total of six times) on 20 November 1988, and a knockout loss to Andre Mannaart in 1989 while still a teenager. Aerts switched to "The Champs" gym in Eindhoven, taking the IKBF World Heavyweight Championship in 1990.

1991 saw Aerts switch gyms again, this time moving to the famous Chakuriki Gym under Thom Harinck, where he had his greatest successes of his career. He received the moniker "The Dutch Lumberjack" by the trainer of his opponent Mark Russell after he defeated Russell by first-round stoppage in Oranjestad, Aruba on 29 June 1991. Aerts was given his signature sleeveless lumberjack jacket, which he would wear during his ring walk before every match, by his friend Bas Rutten. Coincidentally, Aerts' father was also a lumberjack.Interview With Peter Aerts, The Dutch Martial Artist And Lumberjack
xxlnutrition.com (3 June 2017) On 18 November 1991, Aerts defeated the legendary Frank Lobman via unanimous decision in Rotterdam to win the WMTA World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship.

In 1992, Aerts truly moved onto the world stage. He beat Maurice Smith by decision after nine rounds in Paris, France, on 9 April 1992. Just a month later, on 16 May, he knocked out Adam Watt in the second round in Tokyo, Japan.

He rematched Frank Lobman on 20 September 1992. Aerts emerged the victor once again and retained the WMTA title as Lobman retired in round three. He ended the year with a draw against karate fighter Masaaki Satake in Osaka, Japan, on 4 October 1992.

1993: K-1 debut

On January 29, 1993, Aerts defeated Peter Selkthorpe of England by first-round knockout with a knee strike to win the European Muay Thai title in Best, Netherlands. He then rematched Maurice Smith in Amsterdam on March 7, 1993, and knocked him out with a right high kick, a technique that would become Aerts' signature move.

These wins gave Aerts the reputation as a top-level kickboxer and he was invited to take part in the ''K-1 Grand Prix '93'', an eight-man, one-night tournament made up of the world's best heavyweights and light heavyweights held in Tokyo, Japan. He faced Ernesto Hoost in the quarter-finals, and after a close three rounds, Hoost was named the winner by majority decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-30).

He returned to K-1 on September 4, 1993, against Dino Homsey at ''K-1 Illusion'' and KO'd the American with a left high kick in round one. Fifteen days later in Amsterdam, Aerts made the first defence of his WMTA World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship against Rob van Esdonk, knocking him out with a right hook less than a minute into round four.

1994–1995: Successive K-1 World Grand Prix Championships

Aerts knocked out Markus Fuckner of Germany on February 20, 1994, in Amsterdam to retain the WMTA Heavyweight Muay Thai title before heading out to Japan to take part in the ''K-1 Grand Prix '94'' which was held in Tokyo on April 30, 1994. In the quarter-finals, Aerts was drawn against Rob van Esdonk whom he had defeated in the Netherlands six months earlier. Van Esdonk knocked Aerts down in round one but Aerts was able to come back and KO him with a right high kick. In the semis, he faced Patrick Smith, an American with a wild, aggressive style. Aerts was still able to handle him, however, and KO'd him just over one minute into the first round. Progressing into the final, he came up against Masaaki Satake for the second time. Aerts simply landed more powerful and a larger number of strikes on Satake en route to a unanimous decision (27-25, 30-25, 30-29) victory. This made him the 1994 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion.

He returned to the ring on September 12, 1994, at the Night of the Stars tournament in Rotterdam. At the quarter-final stage, he faced Rob van Esdonk for the third time and Lumberjack'd him with the high kick again. He then knocked out Glenn Wijngaart in the semis and went into the final against Frank Lobman, who was thirty-eight at this point and facing Aerts for the third time. Aerts battered Lobman until his corner threw in the towel in round two.

Aerts then made the third defence of his WMTA World Heavyweight Muay Thai title against Ergin Solmaz in Amsterdam on November 12, 1994, before going back to Japan to fight Glen Parker at '' K-1 Legend''. He knocked Parker out with a knee in round one.

On March 3, 1995, he defeated Kirkwood Walker via right low kick knockout in round three at the ''K-1 Grand Prix '95 Opening Battle'' which qualified him for the '' K-1 Grand Prix '95'' on May 4. In the quarter-finals, he dispatched Japanese karateka Toshiyuki Atokawa with ease, knocking him out with punches in the first round. He went up against Ernesto Hoost for the third time in the semis in what was another close fight. After three rounds, the judges called it a draw and so it went to an extra round, after which Aerts took the unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9). In the final, Aerts came up against hard-hitting Frenchman Jérôme Le Banner who had knocked out his two opponents in the run-up to the final. The fight did not last long, as Aerts finished Le Banner with a body shot in round one to become the K-1 World Grand Prix Champion for the second year running.

Aerts then beat Michael Thompson by KO in a superfight at the ''K-3 Grand Prix '95'' in Nagoya on July 16, 1997 before beating Hubert Numrich by points for the WMTA World Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship in Amsterdam on October 28, 1995. He ended the year with a forty-second KO win over Mike Bernardo, the hard hitting South African known for his punching power, at '' K-1 Hercules'' on December 9, 1995. This would be the first of six meetings between the men from 1995 to 1998, in what became one of the biggest feuds in K-1 history.

1996–1997: Rivalry with Mike Bernardo, and split from Chakuriki

On March 10, 1996, Aerts knocked out Jean-Claude Leuyer with a highlight-reel high kick at the '' K-1 Grand Prix '96 Opening Battle'' in Yokohama to qualify for the 1996 K-1 World Grand Prix.

At the ''K-1 Grand Prix '96'' on May 6, he came up against Mike Bernardo again at the quarter-final stage. Already a dominant name in K-1 and the reigning Grand Prix champion, Aerts was the favorite to win the 1996 tournament and as he had demolished Bernardo just six months earlier, he was expected to do the same this time. It was not to be, however, and after a slow first round, Bernardo turned the fight into a brawl in the second. The referee gave Aerts a count in round two, and in round three Bernardo knocked Aerts out with a right hook. Bernardo had broken Aerts' nineteen-fight winning run, and became the first man to beat him in since Ernesto Hoost in 1993.

Aerts was given the chance to avenge this loss at '' K-1 Revenge '96'' four months later, on September 1, 1996, when the rubber match was made between the pair. Anticipation was high, but the fight was an anticlimax. In the first round, Aerts caught Bernardo with an inadvertent low blow. When Bernardo was unable to continue, Aerts was disqualified.

This settled nothing of course, and K-1 quickly booked the rematch to the rematch, this time for October 16 and '' K-1 Star Wars '96''. Aerts knocked Bernardo down in round one and continued to hurt him with low kicks throughout the fight. In round two, the referee gave Aerts a standing eight count but he contested this as he simply stumbled after throwing a kick. By the third round, Aerts had started to take a beating and Bernardo KO'd him with a right hook towards the end of the round. After going undefeated in almost twenty fights over three years, Aerts had now lost three times in-a-row, all to Mike Bernardo.

In 1997, Aerts broke his working relationship with Thom Harinck and the Chakuriki Gym and went to train under former opponent Andre Mannaart at the Mejiro Gym.

He returned to the ring for the first time since his trilogy with Mike Bernardo on March 16, 1997, at '' K-1 Kings '97'' where he had the first of his four meetings with legendary Swiss Kyokushin fighter Andy Hug. Hug was the 1996 K-1 Grand Prix Champion, but Aerts was able to overwhelm him and forced the referee to stop the match in round one. He then continued to get back on track by TKOing Jean-Claude Leuyer at '' K-1 Braves '97'' on April 29, 1997, and KOing Jérôme Le Banner at '' K-1 Dream '97'' on July 20, 1997.

He qualified for the 1997 K-1 GP when he beat James Warring at the '' K-1 Grand Prix '97 1st Round'' on September 7, 1997. At the beginning of the fight, Warring pretended that he wanted to sportsmanly touch gloves with Aerts and then attempted to sneakily punch him with a right overhand when he got close to him. Aerts was able to dominate the rest of the fight before knocking him cold with a right high kick in round three.

At the '' K-1 Grand Prix '97 Final'' on November 9, Aerts came up against Mike Bernardo for the fifth time at the first stage. Aerts used his superior speed to pick Bernardo apart with punches before finishing him with a body shot in round three. This brought their rivalry to 2-2, discounting the disqualification. Marching into the semi-finals, he had his second match against Andy Hug. After three hard-fought rounds, Hug was given the nod via unanimous decision (30-29, 30-28, 30-28) and Aerts was eliminated.

1998: Third K-1 World Grand Prix title

Aerts kicked off 1998 with a majority decision victory over Ernesto Hoost, their third fight, at ''K-1 Kings '98'' on April 9. He then travelled to Zurich, Switzerland to fight Andy Hug for his WKA World Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship at '' K-1 Fight Night '98'' on June 6, 1998. Hug defeated Aerts via unanimous decision after five rounds to retain his title.

He also lost his next fight against the Brazilian ''karateka'' Francisco Filho at ''K-1 Dream '98'' on July 18, 1998. Aerts knocked Filho down in round one but the match was stopped by the doctor at the end of the round as Aerts had a large cut on his shin, and Filho was awarded the victory.

He soon returned to form, however, knocking out Sinisa Andrijasevic in round two at the ''K-1 World Grand Prix '98 Opening Round'' on September 27, 1998, to qualify for the '' K-1 Grand Prix '98 Final Round'' on December 13. Kickboxing had become a mainstream phenomenon in Japan by this time and the event was attended by more that 60,000 spectators at the Tokyo Dome. Drawn against Masaaki Satake at the quarter-final stage, he wrecked the Japanese fans' favourite with knees from the Thai clinch inside the first round. In the semis, he came up against his old nemesis Mike Bernardo. Knowing that Bernardo is a very religious Christian, Aerts came into the ring with "666" written on his lumberjack shirt. Aerts knocked him down twice in round one and forced the referee to stop the bout, sending him into the final against Andy Hug. This brought an end to their rivalry with an overall tally at 3-2 to Aerts, discounting the DQ. The final between Aerts and Hug lasted just a minute and ten seconds as Aerts knocked him out with a trademark high kick to win his third K-1 World Grand Prix.

This was the fastest tournament win in K-1 history, as he knocked out all of his opponents in the very first round in a record time of 6:43 minutes, until Semmy Schilt won the World Grand Prix in 2009 in 5:54 minutes.

1999–2002: Poor showings at the Grand Prix

Peter Aerts began 1999 in a rich vein of form, finishing Michael McDonald, Jim Mullen, Matt Skelton, Maurice Smith and Sam Greco, respectively, over the course of five months. At the '' K-1 World Grand Prix '99 Opening Round'', the qualifying round for the 1999 K-1 WGP, on October 5, 1999, he took a unanimous decision victory over Lloyd van Dams. In the quarter-finals of the '' K-1 Grand Prix '99 Final Round'' on December 5, 1999, Aerts went up against Jérôme Le Banner for the third time. Just fifteen seconds into the first round, he dropped the big Frenchman with a high kick. Although dazed and clearly hurt, Le Banner was able to make the count and came back to knock Aerts out with a devastating left hook at just over the one minute-mark of round number one, sending the reigning champion crashing out of the tournament.

Following this loss, he returned to the ring against Japanese star Musashi at '' K-1 Rising 2000'' a little over a month later on January 25, 2000. Aerts won by technical knockout when Musashi's corner stopped the fight at the end of round four. On April 23, 2000, he defeated Ray Sefo via low kick KO in round three at '' K-1 The Millennium''. This would be the first of three fights between the legends.

Aerts continued his win-streak when he knocked out Andrew Thomson in fifty-six seconds at '' K-1 King of the Ring 2000'' in Bologna, Italy, on May 12, 2000. This run came to an end, however, when he came up against Cyril Abidi, a promising young French fighter, at '' K-1 Spirits 2000'' on July 7, 2000. Abidi managed to drag Aerts into a brawl and caused a huge upset by KOing him in round one. Aerts was then given the chance to prove this loss was simply a fluke when he rematched Abidi in the quarter-finals of the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Yokohama'', a qualifying tournament for the 2000 World Grand Prix. He was unable to do so, however, and Abidi stopped him en route to the final.

Despite having lost his last two fights and failing to win a K-1 qualifying tournament, Aerts was still invited to the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final'' at the Tokyo Dome on December 10, 2000, due to his status as one of the world's top kickboxers. At the quarter-final stage, he was given his rubber match with Cyrl Abidi. Aerts dominated the fight this time, and knocked Abidi down with a two-punch combination just seconds after the opening bell. He took a unanimous decision (29-26, 29-28, 29-26) after three rounds. However, during the fight, Abidi headbutted Aerts numerous times which caused a cut on his forehead. Due to this cut, Aerts could not advance in the tournament and was replaced by Abidi in the semis.

Aerts would then KO Stuart Green in round one in a superfight at the ''K-1 Holland GP 2001 in Arnhem'' on February 4, 2001, his first fight in the Netherlands in almost six years. After a decision loss to Mirko Cro Cop at ''K-1 Gladiators 2001'' and a TKO win over Nobu Hayashi at '' K-1 Burning 2001'' in early 2001, he entered the ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas'' on August 11, 2001. After knocking out Noboru Uchida in the quarter-finals of the tournament, he had his fourth fight with Maurice Smith in the semis and went 4-0 over the American with an extra round unanimous decision. In the final, he was KO'd by Stefan Leko late in the third round.

At the ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Final'' on December 8, 2001, Aerts went up against Francisco Filho at the first stage. Aerts developed a large hemotoma on his left foot when Filho blocked one of his kicks with his knee. Due to this, Aerts' corner stopped the fight at the end of round two and he was eliminated from the tournament.

He kicked off 2002 with wins over Nicholas Pettas and Andrei Kirsanov in the first half of the year before losing a majority decision to Alexey Ignashov at the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Fukuoka'' on July 14, 2002. He qualified for the 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix final eight when he won a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) victory over Glaube Feitosa at the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final Elimination'' on October 5, 2002. At the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2002'' on December 7, 2002, Aerts was eliminated from the Grand Prix at the quarter-final stage for the fourth year running when he was beaten by Ray Sefo via split decision (29-30, 30-28, 30-29).

2003–2005: Becoming "Mr. K-1"

Although Aerts did not have as much success in the 2000s as he did in his earlier K-1 career, he continued to be a competitive challenger. And while Andy Hug died and other old-school legends Branko Cikatić, Mike Bernardo, Sam Greco, Ernesto Hoost and Stan Longinidis all retired, Aerts continued to face the new generation of stars.

Stefan Leko defeated Peter Aerts for the second time on March 30, 2003, at the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Saitama''. He rebounded from two consecutive defeats, however, and knocked out Tsuyoshi Nakasako with a high kick at '' K-1 Beast II 2003'' on June 29, 2003 before qualifying for the 2003 K-1 WGP by beating Jerrel Venetiaan via unanimous decision (30-29, 30-29, 30-28) at '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Final Elimination'' on October 11, 2003. In the quarter-finals of the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Final'' on December 6, Aerts went up against Alexey Ignashov. After a close three rounds, the fight was scored a draw and went to an extra round. Aerts was judged the winner unanimously (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) and advanced into the semis for the first time since he won the Grand Prix in 1998. Against Musashi in the second stage was another close decision. This time, however, the judges went in favour of Aerts' opponent and Musashi won a majority decision (30-30, 30-29, 30-29).

In 2004, Aerts left Mejiro Gym to found Team Aerts, training out of Kops Gym in Amsterdam under Henri Hooft and Jan Plas. After six months out of the ring, he returned against Gary Goodridge at the ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Nagoya'' on June 6, 2004. After withstanding the Trinidadian brawler's initial onslaught, Aerts brutalised Goodridge with low kicks over two and a half rounds. Although Goodridge was still game, he could barely stand and the referee stopped the fight in round three. Aerts then defeated Michael McDonald by unanimous decision (30-29, 30-29, 29-27) at the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final Elimination'' on September 25, 2004, to qualify for the K-1 World GP final eight. The ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final'', held on December 4, 2004, saw Aerts go up against South African boxer Francois Botha in the quarter-finals. Aerts lost in the first round when he could not continue after injuring his leg while low kicking Botha.

After a relatively poor 2004, Aerts went into 2005 with an extra round unanimous decision (9.5-8, 10-8.5, 10-8) over American prospect Carter Williams in a superfight at the ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul'' on March 19, 2005. Williams' aggressive style had Aerts backtracking for much of the fight, but he was still able to show his class and take victory in the deciding round. He picked up another win over Mighty Mo at the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Osaka - Final Elimination'' on September 23, 2005, to ensure his place at the 2005 World Grand Prix. Mo showed signs of damage from Aerts' kicks towards the end of the first round, and Aerts was able to finish him with a low kick in round two. In the quarter-finals of the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Tokyo Final'' on November 19, 2005, he faced Jérôme Le Banner for the fourth time. The fight started slowly, with both men showing respect for each other's power, but went on to be an exciting and close match. The judges scored it a draw after three rounds and it went into an extra round to decide the winner. All three judges agreed that Aerts was the winner (10-9, 10-9, 10-9). Injury would hinder him once again, however, and he was forced to pull out of the Grand Prix as he could not fight again that night. Having made his debut in mixed martial arts on July 6, 2005, when he knocked out former sumo wrestler Wakashoyo at ''Hero's 2'', Aerts returned for his second and last MMA bout against judoka Shungo Oyama at ''K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite!!'' on December 31, 2005. Aerts was clearly unfamiliar with grappling and was submitted with a heel hook