Sorin Mihai Căliniuc (born 12 July 1996) is a Romanian professional
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, gener ...
and
Olympic boxer, and former
kempo practitioner. He currently competes in the Lightweight division for
Glory. A professional competitor since 2018, Căliniuc formerly competed in the
Colosseum Tournament, in which he was the reigning champion of the lightweight and super lightweight divisions. Căliniuc is a multiple national boxing champion and 2016 Kempo World Champion.
As of 4 January 2023, Căliniuc is ranked the #16 lightweight in the world in the kickboxing/Muay Thai combined ranking by Boxemag.
Professional kickboxing career
Early career
Căliniuc practiced
judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...
from 4 to 15 years old. He then started kickboxing at the age of 17, but not at a professional level. Căliniuc worked simultaneously as a casino
security guard
A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...
until he met coach and promoter Estéfano Tănăsescu Popescu who enrolled him to a gym.
Wins over Milea, Salvador and Dzhaniev
With a background of being
IKF world kempo champion, Căliniuc began his kickboxing career by winning his first four fights by decision.
He initially fought for SAS Gym (a Bucharest-based kickboxing promotion), where he won the
SAS Gym 01 and the
SAS Gym 02 tournaments.
Căliniuc faced Bogdan Costan on November 2, 2018, in the semifinals of the Lightweight Tournament at
SAS Gym 01. Căliniuc won the fight via unanimous decision to progress to the final round of the tournament. He then faced Colosseum Tournament World Lightweight Champion Cristian Milea in the finals. Căliniuc defeated Milea via unanimous decision.
Căliniuc faced former
Glory lightweight championship challenger
Dylan Salvador
Dylan Salvador (born 20 May 1993) is a French mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer. A professional competitor since 2011, Salvador is a former two-weight WAKO World champion, having held the low-kick titles at light welterweight a ...
on June 13, 2019, in the semifinals of the Lightweight Tournament at
SAS Gym 02. Căliniuc won the fight via split decision to progress to the final round of the tournament. He then faced
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 characterise ...
standout Khayal Dzhaniev in the finals. Căliniuc defeated Dzhaniev via unanimous decision.
Colosseum Tournament
In December 2020, it was announced that Căliniuc had signed a multi-fight deal with
Colosseum Tournament.
Căliniuc faced Colosseum Tournament world lightweight champion Andrei Ostrovanu on December 18, 2020, at
Colosseum Tournament 22. Căliniuc defeated Ostrovanu via unanimous 3-round decision to become the inaugural Colosseum Tournament World Super Lightweight Champion.
Two-division champion
In January 2021, it was officially announced that Căliniuc next bout would be against former
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 Unite ...
world middleweight champion
Gabriel Bozan
Gabriel Bozan (born 15 January 1993) is a Romanian professional kickboxer. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Colosseum Tournament. Bozan is a former ISKA World Middleweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2011, h ...
for the vacant Colosseum Tournament World Lightweight Championship on 26 February at
Colosseum Tournament 23. Căliniuc dominated the fight and won via unanimous 5-round decision to become the Colosseum Tournament World Lightweight Champion.
In April 2021, Colosseum Tournament announced that Căliniuc would make his first defence of his lightweight title against former
KOK lightweight champion Vitalie Matei at
Colosseum Tournament 25 on 31 May in Cluj-Napoca. He won the fight via unanimous 5-round decision.
Căliniuc vs. Koprivlenski
Căliniuc was scheduled to defend his title for the second time against former
Glory Lightweight Contender Tournament Winner Stoyan Koprivlenski on September 20, 2021 at
Colosseum Tournament 27. He retained his championship, being declared the winner via split decision.
Căliniuc was scheduled to defend his title for the third time against former
Kunlun Fight World MAX Tournament Champion Dzianis Zuev
Dzianis Zuev (born April 3, 1988) is a Belarusian welterweight kickboxer. A professional competitor since 2012, he is the 2014 Kunlun Fight welterweight tournament winner.
As of July 2021, he is the #9 ranked welterweight in the world according ...
on April 8, 2022 at
Colosseum Tournament 30. However, due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
, Zuev removed from the card and he was replaced by
Andre Mannaart's Sami Lamiri. Căliniuc dominated the bout, taking Lamiri down in the third round. He defeated Lamiri via unanimous decision.
Căliniuc was finally scheduled to make his third title defense against former
Wu Lin Feng
Wu Lin Feng (), also known as WLF, is a martial arts competition televised by Henan Television. It is the longest running martial arts program in China.
Since 2007 the competition has become more international in nature, bringing in more challe ...
World Championship Champion Nafi Bilalovski (
Filip Verlinden Gym) on June 23, 2022, at
Colosseum Tournament 33. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Căliniuc was once again scheduled to defend his title against WKN World Super Welterweight Champion
Jordi Requejo, in September, 2022, at
Colosseum Tournament 35. He won a unanimous decision, dominating Requejo.
On October 30, 2022, his team announced on social media that Căliniuc parted ways with Colosseum Tournament. Subsequently, Căliniuc signed a multi-fight contract with
Glory on 13 December 2022.
GLORY
In his
Glory promotional debut, Căliniuc is expected to face former
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 Unite ...
World Light Middleweight Champion Arman Hambaryan on February 11, 2023, at
GLORY 83.
Personal life
Căliniuc is a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
.
He said his model is
Daniel Ghiță.
Căliniuc is inspired by
Abdulrashid Sadulaev
Abdulrashid Bulachevich Sadulaev ( rus, Абдулрашид Булачевич Садулаев, , ɐbdʊɫrɐˈʂɨts sədʊˈɫa(ɪ̯)ɪf, av, ГІабдулрашид Булачил Садулаев; born 9 May 1996) is a Russian freestyl ...
.
He is a fan of
Steaua București
Steaua or Steaua București may refer to:
* CSA Steaua București, a Romanian multi-sports club
* CSA Steaua București (football), the football team of the multi-sports club
* Fotbal Club FCSB, a football team that used this name between 2003 ...
.
Championships and accomplishments
Kickboxing
*
Colosseum Tournament
**Colosseum Tournament World Lightweight Championship (One time)
*** Four successful title defenses
**Colosseum Tournament World Super Lightweight Championship (One time)
*SAS Gym
**
SAS Gym 02 Lightweight Tournament Championship
**
SAS Gym 01 Lightweight Tournament Championship
Kempo
*
International Kempo Federation
**2016 IKF World Kempo Championships Full-Kempo Rules −75.0 kg
**2017 IKF European Kempo Championships Full-Kempo Rules −80.0 kg
Boxing
*Romanian Boxing Federation
**2022 Romanian Boxing Cup −75.0 kg
**2021 Romania National Boxing Championships −80.0 kg
**2020 Romania National Boxing Championships −75.0 kg
**2020 Romanian Boxing Cup −75.0 kg
Professional kickboxing record
, - style="background:#fbb;"
, 2023-02-11 , , Loss , , align=left, Arman Hambaryan , ,
GLORY 83 , ,
Essen, Germany
Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Do ...
, , Decision (split) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 11-1-0
, -
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2022-09-30 , , Win , , align=left,
Jordi Requejo , ,
Colosseum Tournament 35: Căliniuc vs. Requejo , ,
Târgoviște, Romania , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 11-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2022-06-23 , , Win , , align=left, Nafi Bilalovski , ,
Colosseum Tournament 33: Căliniuc vs. Bilalovski , ,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 10-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2022-04-08 , , Win , , align=left, Sami Lamiri , ,
Colosseum Tournament 30: Căliniuc vs. Lamiri , ,
Malmö, Sweden , , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 9-0-0
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2021-09-20 , , Win , , align=left,
Stoyan Koprivlenski , ,
Colosseum Tournament 27: Căliniuc vs. Koprivlenski , ,
Oradea, Romania
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the western part ...
, , Decision (split) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 8-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2021-05-31 , , Win , , align=left, Vitalie Matei , ,
Colosseum Tournament 25: Căliniuc vs. Matei , ,
Cluj-Napoca, Romania , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 7-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2021-02-26 , , Win , , align=left,
Gabriel Bozan
Gabriel Bozan (born 15 January 1993) is a Romanian professional kickboxer. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Colosseum Tournament. Bozan is a former ISKA World Middleweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2011, h ...
, ,
Colosseum Tournament 23: Căliniuc vs. Bozan , ,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 6-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2020-12-18 , , Win , , align=left, Andrei Ostrovanu , ,
Colosseum Tournament 22: Ostrovanu vs. Căliniuc , ,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 5-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2019-06-13 , , Win , , align=left, Khayal Dzhaniev , ,
SAS Gym 02, Final , ,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 4-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2019-06-13 , , Win , , align=left,
Dylan Salvador
Dylan Salvador (born 20 May 1993) is a French mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer. A professional competitor since 2011, Salvador is a former two-weight WAKO World champion, having held the low-kick titles at light welterweight a ...
, ,
SAS Gym 02, Semifinals , ,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, , Decision (split) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 3-0-0
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2018-11-02 , , Win , , align=left, Cristian Milea , ,
SAS Gym 01, Final , ,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, , Extra round decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , , 2-0-0
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2018-11-02 , , Win , , align=left, Bogdan Costan , ,
SAS Gym 01, Semifinals , ,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 1-0-0
, -
, colspan=9 , ''Legend'':
See also
*
List of male kickboxers
This is a list of notable male professional kickboxers.
A
* Donegi Abena
* Lukas Achterberg
* Thomas Adamandopoulos
* Serhiy Adamchuk
* Romie Adanza
* Armando González
* Benjamin Adegbuyi
* Israel Adesanya
* Peter Aerts
* Ryo Aitak ...
References
External links
Sorin Căliniucat
GLORY
*
Sorin Căliniuc at Tapology.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caliniuc, Sorin
1996 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Bucharest
Romanian male kickboxers
Middleweight kickboxers
Romanian male boxers
Middleweight boxers
Light-heavyweight boxers
Kenpō
Romanian Christians
Kickboxing champions
Glory kickboxers