Kevin Randleman | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Nickname | The Monster |
Born | August 10, 1971 |
Birthplace | Sandusky, Ohio |
Died | February 11, 2016 (aged 44) |
Deathplace | San Diego, California, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Height | 5 ft 10 |
Weight | 205 lbs |
Career information | |
Division | Light heavyweight |
Style | Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
Fights out of | Columbus, Ohio |
Organization | Strikeforce |
Team | Extreme Couture |
Years active | 1996-2011 |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Wins | 17 |
Losses | 16 |
by decision | 8 |
Kevin Christopher Randleman (born August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial arts fighter and a former UFC heavyweight champion. Randleman's background was in Collegiate wrestling. Wrestling at 177 pounds, Randleman was a two time Division I NCAA Champion for an Ohio State University. Randleman has competed in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions, appearing in organizations including the UFC, PRIDE, Sengoku, and Strikeforce. He was known for his athleticism and explosive power. He was previously associated with Mark Coleman's Team Hammer House, but most recently began training at Randy Couture's gym in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1]
Biography[]
Fight career[]
On October 22, 1996 at Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4, his MMA career began with wins over Luiz Carlos Macial, Geza Kalman and Dan Bobish to win that event's tournament.
On March 3, 1997 Randleman again competed in the Universal Vale Tudo Fighting promotion, fighting at Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6. In that event he beat Ebenezer Fontes Braga and Mario Neto, but was handed his first loss by Carlos Barreto. Randleman believes there were shady circumstances in his fight with Barreto as he fought two other Brazilians that night who dragged the matches out by escaping the ring and hitting him from outside of the ring. He also suspected they were using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs which he is very much against and has openly stated he detested.[2]
At the Brazil Open Fight event Brazil Open - '97 on June 15, 1997, he forced Homem de Neve to submit due to an elbow strike to the head, but lost his next fight to Tom Erikson by an uppercut knockout that left him unconscious and required him to be stretchered from the cage. He has stated that it was hard to fight Erikson as they knew each other beforehand.
Ultimate Fighting Championship[]
Randleman fought in the UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions at UFC 19, UFC 20, UFC 23, UFC 26, UFC 28, UFC 31, UFC 35. Beating Maurice Smith to become a top contender, he fought Bas Rutten for the Heavyweight title, previously vacated by Randy Couture after a contract dispute with the UFC. Randleman lost via a split decision to Rutten, as while Randleman maintained positional superiority with take downs, it was judged that Rutten was the more active fighter with strikes. This fight became infamous due to Mark Coleman's instructions before the second overtime that Randleman "smear the blood" from the cut he had created above Rutten's nose into his eye, so his opponent couldn't see.
Randleman achieved his goal to become the UFC Heavyweight champion on November 19, 1999, beating Pete Williams at UFC 23 for the title (which was vacated upon Rutten's retirement), and successfully defended it against Pedro Rizzo at UFC 26. However, he later lost the title to Randy Couture at UFC 28. After losing the title, he moved down to light heavyweight, feeling it was a more natural weight for his body, but suffered a setback, losing to Chuck Liddell in his first fight at that weight before beating Renato "Babalu" Sobral in his final fight with the UFC.
Move to PRIDE[]
In September 2002, Randlemen made his debut in PRIDE Fighting Championships, taking on Japanese wrestler Michiyoshi Ohara at Pride 22. Randleman acquired an easy victory, as Ohara appeared to have no intention of trying to fight Randleman right from the off-set, and even tried to flee and grab the ropes several times in an attempt to avoid damage from Randleman. This match was panned by the audience and Randleman himself, who left the ring before being awarded his trophy, visibly angry.
Throughout the course of 2002, Randleman gained victories over Kenichi Yamamoto and Murilo "Ninja" Rua. This winning streak would eventually put him in the spot of a contender for the PRIDE Middeweight (205 lb) championship, then held by Wanderlei Silva. At Pride 25 Randleman faced another Middleweight contender, fellow American wrestler Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, in a match that determined the number one contender for Silva's belt. In the first round of the fight Randleman suffered his first loss in PRIDE, after a knee-uppercut combination from Jackson knocked Randleman down. The referee stopped the fight after Rampage achieved a dominant position and began landing strikes on Randleman.
Following a submission loss to Kazushi Sakuraba in 2003, Randleman became one of the sixteen participants in the PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight tournament, alongside teammate Mark Coleman. His first round match up at Pride Total Elimination 2004 was against former K-1 kickboxer Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, a participant heavily favored to win the entire tournament. Randleman knocked out "Cro Cop" by ground and pound following a left hook that surprised and knocked him down.
In the second round, at Pride Critical Countdown 2004, Randleman faced off against the reigning Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. Again coming in as a heavy underdog, Randleman managed to suplex Fedor onto his head, landing in north south position. This manoeuvrer failed to damage Fedor, who quickly capitalized on Randleman's failure to inflict damage from the dominant position by reversing him and submitting him with a kimura, thereby eliminating him from the tournament.
With the tournament over for him, Randleman went on to square off against friend and fellow American wrestler Ron Waterman at Pride Final Conflict 2004, submitting to a keylock in the first round. Randleman picked up and slammed the much bigger (6'2 and 280 pounds) Waterman and was ahead on the scorecards but made one mistake and lost by Americana (Ude-garami). At Pride Shockwave 2004 Randleman offered a rematch to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović. Filipovic submitted Randleman in the first round via guillotine choke, avenging his loss and adding another loss to Randleman's losing streak in the process. At Pride Total Elimination 2005, which was the opening round of PRIDE's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix, Kevin Randleman lost to Japanese Judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura via decision. In November 2005, Randleman appeared in Bushido Europe's Rotterdam Rumble event, Europe's first Bushido event, and defeated Fatih Kocamis via decision, ending his losing streak, and giving him his first win in nearly a year.
Randleman was taken ill with a serious fungal lung infection after his Rotterdam bout that had unknowingly been present for sometime.[3] He underwent a successful surgery to have the infection removed. After recovering, he was scheduled to fight against Vitor Belfort at a Strikeforce event in San Jose, California on June 9, 2006, but was unable to, due to a recurrence of the infection.
Kevin Randleman returned to PRIDE FC for their first show on American soil, PRIDE 32: The Real Deal on October 21, 2006, where he was quickly submitted by a kneebar in the first round by Pride 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. This match-up was made partly to capitalize on an incident where Mark Coleman fought Rua and broke his arm with a trip takedown. After the referee stopped the fight, a brawl ensued. Chute Boxe and Hammer House members then entered the ring, clashing verbally and physically, creating bad blood between the two teams.
Sengoku[]
After a nearly two-year lay off due to kidney problems, a staph infection, and suspension, Randleman came back with a unanimous decision win over Ryo Kawamura at May 18, 2008 in Sengoku 2.
Randleman's next fight was scheduled to be on June 21, 2008 versus Jeff Monson at the Mixed Fighting Alliance event MFA: There Will Be Blood; however Randleman injured his shoulder while training and was replaced by Ricco Rodriguez.
Randleman said that he would fight next at Sengoku 6 in November, but did not. Later, he explained that he injured his shoulder very seriously in his comeback fight vs Ryo Kawamura, and so he took a long rest.
On November 7, 2009, Randleman fought Bulgarian prospect Stanislav Nedkov at Sengoku 11. Randleman started the fight with a good left leg kick and takedown. He used elevators and reversals to avoid damage from Nedkov, when Nedkov made few takedowns. In the 3rd round Randleman repeated his strong left leg kick and used his new blue belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills to avoid bottom positions and back immediately to the top positions on the ground. After 3 rounds the judges rendered a controversial split decision, with 1 round for Randleman and 2 for Nedkov.
Strikeforce[]
At the press conference for Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz it was announced that he had finalised the signing of a contract with Strikeforce.
Randleman's Strikeforce debut was on June 6, 2009 against journeyman and International Fight League standout Mike Whitehead at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields. Randleman looked to grapple immediately in the fight, whilst Whitehead controlled the fight on the feet. Whitehead won the first 2 rounds using take downs but Randleman employed the use of reversals very competently to avoid significant damage. In the 3rd round Randleman, having seemingly lost the previous, he threw caution to the wind and loosened his arms, becoming reckless with his strikes, but knocking his opponent down with a left hook to the chin. Randleman charged in to finish Whitehead and landed a few shots to Mike's head, but was unable to capitalize effectively on the knockdown. All three judges scored the bout (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) in favor of Mike Whitehead.
Controversy, illness and suspension from fighting[]
After the bout with Rua, Randleman failed a drug test administered by the Nevada Athletic Commission. [4] Randleman submitted a urine sample lacking any hormones to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. This indicated that the sample was fake.[5] On January 19, 2007, Randleman was hospitalized due to serious damage to his kidneys.[6] In an interview with MMAWeekly, he stated he failed to submit a urine sample due to his use of painkillers and antibiotics after his previous surgeries that may have prevented him from being cleared to fight, and his current health issues were a result of the cumulative effects of his surgeries, medication and fighting on his body.
The Nevada Athletic Commission met on February 16, 2007 to discuss the fake sample and revoked Randleman's license to fight. He was able to reapply for a license after October 21, 2007, a year from the date of his loss to Mauricio Rua.[7]
DUI Arrest[]
On August 16, 2007, Randleman was arrested in Goodsprings, Nevada, a small community in the desert south of Las Vegas, Nevada, on a variety of charges, including drunk driving, following an apparent traffic stop.[8]
Professional wrestling career[]
Randleman has had several professional wrestling matches, his first in January 2004 for HUSTLE. In February 2009, Randleman made a challenge to WWE pro-wrestler Kofi Kingston on a St. Louis FOX Sports MMA show called Absolute Wrestling Radio!
Personal life[]
Randleman married his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth, on April 25, 2009.[9] He also has two children, Calvin and Jasmine Capri.[2] His son Calvin graduated from Huron High School, helping lead the football team to the state regional finals. Calvin played football at the Ashland University for two years out of high school before taking his skills to the Division I level by transferring to UNLV.
Championships and awards[]
- Universal Vale Tudo Fighting:
- Ultimate Fighting Championship:
- Inducted into the Ohio State Hall Of Fame on September 11, 2004
- Inducted into the Sandusky High School Hall of Fame May 6, 2006
Mixed martial arts record[]
Professional record breakdown | ||
36 | 17 wins | 14 losses |
By knockout | 5 | 4 |
By submission | 4 | 6 |
By decision | 8 | 4 |
Date | Result | Record | Opponent | Event | Method | Round, Time | Notes |
2009-11-07 | Loss | 17-14 | Stanislav Nedkov | Sengoku 11 | Decision (Split) | Round 3, 5:00 | |
2009-06-06 | Loss | 17–13 | Mike Whitehead | Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 3, 5:00 | |
2008-05-18 | Win | 17–12 | Ryo Kawamura | Sengoku 2 | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 3, 5:00 | |
2006-10-21 | Loss | 16–12 | Mauricio Rua | Pride 32 | Submission (Kneebar) | Round 1, 2:35 | Randleman suspended following post-fight drug test |
2005-10-09 | Win | 16–11 | Fatih Kocamis | Rotterdam Rumble | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 2 | |
2005-04-23 | Loss | 15–11 | Kazuhiro Nakamura | Pride Total Elimination 2005 | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 3, 5:00 | Returned to LHW (205) division |
2004-12-31 | Loss | 15–10 | Mirko Filipović | Pride Shockwave 2004 | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | Round 1, 0:42 | |
2004-08-15 | Loss | 15–9 | Ron Waterman | Pride Final Conflict 2004 | Submission (Keylock) | Round 1, 7:44 | |
2004-06-20 | Loss | 15–8 | Fedor Emelianenko | Pride Critical Countdown 2004 | Submission (Kimura) | Round 1, 1:33 | Pride 2004 HW Grand Prix Quarterfinal |
2004-04-25 | Win | 15–7 | Mirko Filipović | Pride Total Elimination 2004 | KO (Punches) | Round 1, 1:57 | Returned to HW division. PRIDE 2004 HW Grand Prix Opening Round |
2003-11-09 | Loss | 14–7 | Kazushi Sakuraba | Pride Final Conflict 2003 | Submission (Armbar) | Round 3, 2:36 | |
2003-03-16 | Loss | 14–6 | Quinton Jackson | Pride 25 | TKO (Knee and punches) | Round 1, 6:58 | |
2002-12-23 | Win | 14–5 | Murilo Rua | Pride 24 | TKO (Cut) | Round 3, 0:20 | |
2002-11-24 | Win | 13–5 | Kenichi Yamamoto | Pride 23 | TKO (Knees) | Round 3, 1:16 | |
2002-09-29 | Win | 12–5 | Michiyoshi Ohara | Pride 22 | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 3, 5:00 | |
2002-07-13 | Win | 11–5 | Brian Foster | RFC 1: The Beginning | KO (Punch) | Round 1, 0:20 | |
2002-01-11 | Win | 10–5 | Renato Sobral | UFC 35 | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 3, 5:00 | |
2001-05-04 | Loss | 9–5 | Chuck Liddell | UFC 31 | KO (Punches) | Round 1, 1:18 | Dropped to LHW (205) |
2000-11-17 | Loss | 9–4 | Randy Couture | UFC 28 | TKO (Strikes) | Round 3, 4:13 | Lost UFC Heavyweight title |
2000-06-09 | Win | 9–3 | Pedro Rizzo | UFC 26 | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 5, 5:00 | Defends UFC Heavyweight title |
1999-11-19 | Win | 8–3 | Pete Williams | UFC 23 | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 5, 5:00 | Won vacant UFC Heavyweight title |
1999-05-07 | Loss | 7–3 | Bas Rutten | UFC 20 | Decision (Split) | Round 1, 21;00 | For vacant UFC Heavyweight title |
1999-03-05 | Win | 7–2 | Maurice Smith | UFC 19 | Decision (Unanimous) | Round 1, 15:00 | |
1997-06-15 | Loss | 6–2 | Tom Erikson | Brazil Open - '97 | KO (Punches) | Round 1, 1:11 | |
1997-06-15 | Win | 6–1 | Homem de Neve | Brazil Open - '97 | Submission (Elbow) | Round 1, 2:21 | |
1997-03-03 | Loss | 5–1 | Carlos Barreto | Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6 | Technical Submission (Triangle Choke) | Round 1, 22:24 | |
1997-03-03 | Win | 5–0 | Mario Neto | Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6 | Submission (Punches) | Round 1, 11:24 | |
1997-03-03 | Win | 4–0 | Ebenezer Fontes Braga | Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6 | Decision | Round 1, 20:00 | |
1996-10-22 | Win | 3–0 | Dan Bobish | Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 | Submission (Punches) | Round 1, 5:50 | |
1996-10-22 | Win | 2–0 | Geza Kalman | Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 | TKO (Punches) | Round 1, 7:37 | |
1996-10-22 | Win | 1–0 | Luiz Carlos Macial | Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 | Submission (Punches) | Round 1, 5:14 |
Kevin Randleman
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Notes and references[]
- ↑ "Kevin Randleman: Return of the Monster", URL accessed March 15, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "UFC XX: Battle for the Gold, Fighter Bios", URL accessed March 15, 2010
- ↑ "Randleman Resurrected", URL accessed March 27, 2006]
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/20070319185203/www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3608&zoneid=13
- ↑ "Fraudulent Drug Test Likely to Lead to Suspension", URL accessed November 7, 2006
- ↑ "Randleman Discusses His Medical Condition", URL accessed January 24, 2007
- ↑ "License to Fight: Busy Morning for NSAC", URL accessed February 16, 2007
- ↑ "Kevin Randleman Arrested in Nevada", URL accessed August 16, 2007
- ↑ [http://www.combatlifestyle.com/pics/view_album.php?id=1717 "Kevin Randleman's Wedding", URL accessed June 6, 2009