Kimo Leopoldo
| Kimo Leopoldo | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 4, 1968 Munich, Germany |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 244 lb (111 kg; 17.4 st) |
| Style | Freestyle |
| Fighting out of | Hawaii, U.S. |
| Rank | black belt in BJJ |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 18 |
| Wins | 10 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 8 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
Kimo Leopoldo (born January 4, 1968) is a retired Hawaiian mixed martial artist, often billed as simply Kimo. He made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in 1994 losing to Royce Gracie by submission. Kimo's fighting style has been described as freestyle, with a mixture of striking and grappling techniques.[citation needed]
He was erroneously credited with a black belt in Taekwondo in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 3 (it is unclear whether Kimo or fight promoters originated this claim).[1] Kimo is well known for his Christian beliefs: he sports many religious tattoos, and entered the arena at UFC 3 carrying a large cross on his back.[2]
Biography
At UFC 3, Kimo fought defending UFC 1 and UFC 2 champion Royce Gracie in the quarterfinals. Kimo gave Gracie his toughest fight to date but eventually lost the fight via submission. Kimo exhausted Gracie to the point that Royce could not continue in the tournament, which subsequently made Kimo into an enormous star in the martial arts world. After three straight wins in Japan, including two wins over UFC 2 finalist Pat Smith, Kimo returned at UFC 8 and fought Ken Shamrock in a title match for the UFC Superfight Championship, but lost early in the fight via submission.
Kimo then fought at the UFC's Ultimate Ultimate 1996. He won his first fight against UFC 7 finalist Paul Varelans, but withdrew from the tournament after the win due exhaustion. He then traveled to Japan and fought to a 30 minute draw with 3 time UFC champion Dan Severn in the Pride Fighting Championships. Kimo returned to the UFC at UFC: Battle in the Bayou and fought top Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. Kimo dominated the first portion of the fight but began to fatigue and eventually lost the fight by decision.
After a four year break from mixed martial arts, Kimo won a warm up fight against Tim Lajcik in the WFA in 2002. He then again returned to the UFC at UFC 43, where he quickly defeated David "Tank" Abbott by arm triangle choke. Kimo went on to fight in the main event of UFC 48, where he fought Ken Shamrock in a rematch. Kimo was knocked out in the first round from knees to the head.
In his two most recent fights, Kimo lost to Dave Legeno by submission. He then lost to Wes Sims by TKO in X-1.[3]
Various media outlets reported that Leopoldo had died from complications from a heart attack at age 41.[4] Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reported on his Twitter that Leopoldo's publicist refuted reports that Leopoldo was in Costa Rica and instead was seen alive in Orange County the night before.[5] At a July 21, 2009 press conference Leopoldo denied anyone close to him created the rumor, he also expressed his desire to return to fight one last time. [6]
Drug issues
In July, 2006, Leopoldo was slated to fight former UFC heavyweight champion and King of Pancrase Bas Rutten in the World Fighting Alliance. Two days before the match was scheduled to take place, Kimo tested positive for the banned substance Stanozolol, a form of anabolic steroids.[7] Earlier in his career, he had been handed a six-month fight suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission following his match with Ken Shamrock at UFC 48 after testing positive for Stanozolol and illegal stimulants.[7]
On February 16, 2009, it was reported that Leopoldo was arrested in Tustin, CA on charges of possession of a controlled substance. Leopoldo was standing by his car, wearing sandals, playing with a yo-yo, and donning a Long Beach, CA Police department jumpsuit which included a stitched-on badge that can only be worn by sworn officers. The cotton jumpsuit was designed for officers in the 1990s to wear in the event of major disaster response, such as a massive earthquake[8].
Upon arrest methamphetamine was found in the car, but later it was revealed Leopoldo was not the owner of the vehicle. However, Leopoldo was charged with possession of marijuana.[9]
Record
MMA record
| 17 matches | 10 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 2 |
| By submission | 8 | 4 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 0 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| No contests | 0 | |
Kickboxing record
| Kickboxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 Fights 0 wins 3 Losses 0 Draw
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ http://www.411mania.com/MMA/video_reviews/54532/History-of-the-UFC:-UFC-III---The-American-Dream.htm
- ^ The religion of Kimo Leopoldo, Ultimate Fighting champion
- ^ Recent Articles at Sherdog.com
- ^ Jon Wiener (2009-07-21). "Former UFC star Kim "Kimo" Leopoldo reportedly dead at 41". Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ John Joe O'Regan. "Kimo Leopoldo is not dead". Fighters Only Magazine. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ^ "Ex-UFC Fighter: My 'Death' Greatly Exaggerated". Fox News.
- ^ a b Kimo Suspended Six Months, Fined $5,000
- ^ http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_11727316
- ^ [1]