Tank Abbott
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| David Abbott | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 26, 1965 Huntington Beach, California |
| Other names | Tank |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 280 lb (130 kg; 20 st) |
| Style | Pit Fighting, Boxing, Wrestling |
| Fighting out of | Huntington Beach, California[1] |
| MMA record | |
| Total | 24 |
| Wins | 10 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 3 |
| Losses | 14 |
| Draws | 0 |
David Lee Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "Pit Fighting".
In addition to his MMA career, Abbott wrestled professionally between 1999 and 2001 under the ring name Tank Abbott. Tank is credited as the first fighter ever to wear what would be known as traditional MMA gloves in the UFC, though professional boxer Melton Bowen wore another style of fingerless leather martial arts gloves during his bout against Steve Jennum in UFC 4.
Contents |
[edit] Mixed martial arts career
[edit] 1995–1998
Abbott was a frequent participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Abbott made his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut in 1995 at UFC 6 Clash of the Titans in Casper, Wyoming. In his opening fight, he knocked out John Matua, who weighed 400 lb, in 18 seconds.[2] Later that night he fought Oleg Taktarov for over 17 minutes before succumbing to a rear naked choke.[3] [1] Both men collapsed in exhaustion after the fight, and Taktarov had to be carried out of the cage.[3] In his first 4 UFC tournament appearances, Abbott advanced at least 1 round in all of them. Around the same time the UFC began switching away from the tournament format, his fortunes declined, as he won only 2 of 5 bouts in '97-'98 before retiring from MMA.
[edit] 2003–present
Tank waged an unsuccessful UFC comeback in the mid 2000's, losing fights to Frank Mir, Kimo Leopoldo and Wesley "Cabbage" Correira. He later defeated Cabbage by K.O. in a rematch. Tank would lose several more matches in regional shows. In February 2008, he had a first round knockout loss to Kimbo Slice at Elite XC's Street Certified event.[1] His next fight—against Mike Bourke on February 13, 2009 at The Selland Arena in Fresno, California—was a part of the Valentine's Eve Massacre Event. Abbott knocked out Bourke in the first round and secured a victory for the first time in nearly four years. As of 2009, he has won only 2 of 9 fights since his return to MMA.
[edit] Professional wrestling career (1999–2001)
Abbott worked as a professional wrestler with World Championship Wrestling (WCW);[4] initially he was brought in as an opponent for Goldberg,[4] on the understanding he was a "legitimate" fighter—who could render any opponent unconscious with a single punch, which became his wrestling finisher, 'The Phantom Right'—and could boost Goldberg's reputation. This feud, however, never developed.
Mere days prior to the Souled Out pay-per-view in 2000, WCW head writer Vince Russo was given the responsibility of booking a match to crown a new WCW World Heavyweight Champion. This came at the news that both WCW Champion Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett, two of the company's top performers, were injured and could not participate at the event. To the dismay of company officials, Russo suggested having the mid-card Abbott win the Championship albeit only to hold it briefly. The scenario would not take place, and Russo was consequently released from the WCW while other bookers composed the Souled Out card. Abbott instead faced Jerry Flynn, a legitimate black belt in taekwondo and defeated him at the pay-per-view.
He was then featured in segments with the boy band parody stable, Three Count as their "biggest fan".[5] He began feuding with the stable after they would not let him join the band; the feud ended when Abbott was released from WCW.[5]
[edit] Acting career
In 1997 Abbott appeared as a UFC fighter in the TV show Friends,[6] defeating Jon Favreau's character, the billionaire Pete Becker, who was dating Monica at the time.
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- UFC 6: Clash of the Titans Runner-Up
- UU 96 – Ultimate Ultimate 1996 Runner-Up
- NJCAA All American (wrestling)
- California High School State Champion (wrestling)
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 24 matches | 10 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 6 |
| By submission | 3 | 6 |
| By decision | 9 | 2 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 10–14 |  Mike Bourke |
KO (Punch) | WarGods/Ken Shamrock Productions: Valentine's Eve Massacre | February 13, 2009 | 1 | 0:29 | Fresno, California, United States |
|
| Loss | 9–14 |  Kimbo Slice |
KO (Punches) | EliteXC: Street Certified | February 16, 2008 | 1 | 0:43 | Miami, Florida, United States |
|
| Loss | 9–13 |  Gary Turner |
TKO (Strikes) | Cage Rage 21 | April 21, 2007 | 1 | 2:27 | England, United Kingdom |
|
| Loss | 9–12 | Paul Buentello |
TKO (Punch) | Strikeforce: Tank vs Buentello | October 7, 2006 | 1 | 0:43 | Fresno, California, United States |
|
| Loss | 9–11 |  Hidehiko Yoshida |
Submission (Choke) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 | August 28, 2005 | 1 | 7:40 | Saitama, Japan |
|
| Win | 9–10 | Wesley Correira |
KO (Punch) | Rumble On The Rock 7 | May 5, 2005 | 1 | 1:23 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
|
| Loss | 8–10 | Wesley Correira |
TKO (Cut) | UFC 45: Revolution | November 21, 2003 | 1 | 2:14 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States |
|
| Loss | 8–9 |  Kimo Leopoldo |
Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | UFC 43: Meltdown | June 6, 2003 | 1 | 1:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
|
| Loss | 8–8 | Frank Mir |
Submission (Toe Hold) | UFC 41: Onslaught | February 28, 2003 | 1 | 0:46 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |
|
| Loss | 8–7 |  Pedro Rizzo |
KO | UFC Brazil – Ultimate Brazil | October 16, 1998 | 1 | 8:07 | São Paulo, Brazil |
|
| Win | 8–6 | Hugo Duarte |
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 17: Redemption | May 15, 1998 | 1 | 0:43 | Mobile, Alabama, United States |
|
| Win | 7–6 | Yoji Anjo |
Decision | UFC Japan – Ultimate Japan 1 | December 21, 1997 | 1 | 15:00 | Yokohama, Japan |
|
| Loss | 6–6 | Maurice Smith |
Submission (Strikes) | UFC 15: Collision Course | October 17, 1997 | 1 | 8:08 | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States |
For UFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 6–5 | Vitor Belfort |
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 13 – The Ultimate Force | May 30, 1997 | 1 | 0:52 | Augusta, Georgia, United States |
|
| Loss | 6–4 | Don Frye |
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | December 12, 1996 | 1 | 1:22 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States |
|
| Win | 6–3 | Steve Nelmark |
KO (Punch) | Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | December 12, 1996 | 1 | 1:03 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States |
|
| Win | 5–3 | Cal Worsham |
Submission (Strikes) | Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | December 12, 1996 | 1 | 2:51 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States |
|
| Loss | 4–3 | Scott Ferrozzo |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 11: The Proving Ground | September 20, 1996 | 1 | 15:00 | Augusta, Georgia, United States |
|
| Win | 4–2 | Sam Adkins |
Submission (Neck Crank) | UFC 11: The Proving Ground | September 20, 1996 | 1 | 2:06 | Augusta, Georgia, United States |
|
| Loss | 3–2 | Dan Severn |
Decision (Unanimous) | Ultimate Ultimate 1995 | December 16, 1995 | 1 | 18:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States |
|
| Win | 3–1 | Steve Jennum |
Submission (Neck Crank) | Ultimate Ultimate 1995 | December 16, 1995 | 1 | 1:14 | Denver, Colorado, United States |
|
| Loss | 2–1 |  Oleg Taktarov |
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UFC 6: Clash of the Titans | July 14, 1995 | 1 | 17:47 | Casper, Wyoming, United States |
|
| Win | 2–0 | Paul Varelans |
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 6: Clash of the Titans | July 14, 1995 | 1 | 1:53 | Casper, Wyoming, United States |
|
| Win | 1–0 | John Matua |
KO (Punches) | UFC 6: Clash of the Titans | July 14, 1995 | 1 | 0:18 | Casper, Wyoming, United States |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Woods, Michael (February 19, 2008). "Abbott not ready to call it quits just yet". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=3251964. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ^ http://www.cagepotato.com/2007/11/06/tank-abbotts-terrifying-debut-featured-in-ultimate-ultimate-knockouts/
- ^ a b http://www.411mania.com/MMA/video_reviews/54573/History-of-the-UFC:-UFC-VI---Clash-of-the-Titans.htm
- ^ a b http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003/articles/1045115235.php
- ^ a b "The Hurricane". SLAM! Wrestling. June 13, 2005. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/hurricane.html. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ^ Friend's episode "The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion" at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Further reading
- Boone, Matt (February 13, 2003). "Tank Abbott Speaks On His WCW Career, UFC Return, & More". WrestleZone Radio. http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003/articles/1045115235.php.
