Dewey Cooper (born November 10, 1974) is an American former kickboxer and boxer who competed in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. After becoming a two-time world champion in 2000 by taking the WKC heavyweight and WKF cruiserweight titles, he would go on to become a regular competitor in the K-1 promotion's US events. He came close to winning a K-1 Grand Prix Tournament when he defeated Nobu Hayashi and Samoan power puncher Mighty Mo, but lost out to Michael McDonald in the final of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I all in the same night.
After making a name for himself on the American circuit by racking up a record of 15-2 (10 KOs), winning the USMTF and UKC national titles in the process, his services were recruited by K-1, the world's premier kickboxing organization. Debuting on January 22, 1999 at K-1 The Challenge '99 in Tokyo, Japan, Cooper was knocked out in the second round by Tsuyoshi Nakasako. Despite this setback, he went on to have a break-out year in 2000 when he won the WKC World Heavyweight Championship and WKF World Cruiserweight Championship.[3] He also faced the legendary and recently un-retired Don "The Dragon" Wilson for the ISKA North American Cruiserweight (-88.2kg/194.4lb) Full Contact[broken anchor] Championship at the MGM Grand Las Vegas on March 17, 2000, losing out via majority decision after ten rounds.[4]
Returning to K-1 at the K-1 USA Championships 2000 on August 5, 2000, Cooper dropped a razor-thin split decision to Giuseppe De Natale after two extension rounds.[5] 2001 fared better for Cooper, as he defeated Arne Soldwedel by unanimous decision at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Preliminary USA in May and Mark Miller by technical knockout at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas in August.[6] These wins earned him a place among North America's eight best heavyweights in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Preliminary USA tournament held on May 3, 2002 in Las Vegas. Cooper was drawn against Jean-Claude Leuyer at the quarter-final stage and floored the four-time world champion in the third round en route to a unanimous decision. In the semi-finals, he came up against one of the United States' most accomplished kickboxers in Rick Roufus. Roufus attacked Cooper's lead leg, which was already battered from the Leuyer fight, with low kicks from the first bell, taking away his mobility and offence. Roufus took the judges decision after three rounds.[7][8][9]
Cooper was invited back to the Las Vegas Grand Prix the following year, going up against Japanese representative Yusuke Fujimoto in the opening round of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas on May 2, 2003. He dropped Fujimoto with a left hook in the first round, but took a beating from his opponent's kicks in rounds two and three and lost via unanimous decision and was eliminated from the tournament.[10] In his next outing in the promotion, Cooper went up against the reigning K-1 Las Vegas champion Carter Williams in a non-tournament match at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas II on August 15, 2003. Cooper fought well, constantly moving while scoring on the larger Williams, who landed the harder shots. The crowd voiced its disapproval when Williams was announced as the winner on the judges' scorecards (30–27, 30–28, and 29.5–29).[11]
Following a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Vitali Akhramenko at K-1 Final Fight Stars War in Zagreb on October 31, 2003,[12][13] he competed in his third K-1 tournament, the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I, on April 30, 2004. He was able to beat Seido karate stylist Nobu Hayashi by unanimous decision in the quarter-finals by staying the more active of the two. Then, in the semis, he became the first man to defeat Samoan knockout artist Mighty Mo. Despite giving up 37kg/82lb in weight to his opponent, Cooper used superior ring skills and took a unanimous decision (30–28.5, 29.5–29, and 29.5–29) after three rounds. He would then go up against Michael McDonald, a two-time K-1 USA tournament winner, in the final. McDonald outpointed Cooper on all three judges' scorecards (29–28, 30–28, and 30–27.5) to win his third North American Grand Prix.[14]
2006 saw Cooper return to his career in professional boxing, in which he had notched up an undefeated record between 2001 and 2004. Despite tasting defeat in 2007 at the hands of Mike Alderete, who he would later defeat in a rematch, Cooper's boxing career culminated in a duo of fights with Arthur Williams for the WBC United States Cruiserweight (-90.7kg/200lb) Championship. In his first fight with Williams, which took place in Lemoore, California on October 23, 2008, the match was stopped in the fifth of a scheduled ten rounds due to an accidental headbutt which caused a large gash on Williams’ forehead and Williams was named the winner on a technical decision.[15] In their rematch on February 6, 2009 in the same city, Williams again walked away with the victory, a unanimous decision after the full ten rounds.
On July 17, 2009, Cooper competed at Kung Fu King 2009, an eight-man sanshou tournament in Guangzhou, China featuring such notables as Kaoklai Kaennorsing, Steve McKinnon and Muslim Salikhov. He was eliminated at the quarter-final stage after losing a decision to Yu Jin.
He made a return to K-1 in 2012 at thirty-seven years of age,[16] headlining the card at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Los Angeles on September 8, 2012 against promotional newcomer Randy Blake with a place at the 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix at stake.[17][18] Despite outweighing his opponent for the first time in his K-1 career, Cooper was unable to defeat the younger Blake and lost via unanimous decision after three rounds.[19][20][21]
Cooper was initially set to fight Fred Sikking for the vacant WPMF World Heavyweight (-95.454kg/210.4lb) Championship at Muaythai Superfight in Pattaya, Thailand on May 13, 2013.[22][23] The event was pushed back to June 14, 2013, however,[24][25] and he lost by unanimous decision.[26][27]
United States Muay Thai Association, Official Member 2016 Certified Arjarn (Master) Instructor Certificate Award. Registered Member USMTA 01990010170592US
Riddick Lamont Bowe is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing. He held the undisputed world heavyweight championship in 1992, and won the super heavyweight silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Rick John Roufus is a retired American kickboxer. He has also competed professionally in boxing and mixed martial arts. An accomplished professional fighter throughout his competitive career, Roufus has won multiple world championships across the globe in several weight classes, he was world champion as a super middle weight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. Roufus held titles for all the major kickboxing associations worldwide, and is known for his boxing skills and powerful kicks. He is the older brother of Duke Roufus who is also a kickboxer and a Muay Thai and mixed martial arts instructor. Rick Roufus is the Global Director of Fighter Development for PKA Worldwide. In 2012 Rick Roufus was inducted into the World Kickboxing League Hall of Fame.
Azem Maksutaj[a] is a former Swiss kickboxer of Kosovar Albanian origin who competed in the lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Originally from Kosovo, he relocated to Switzerland and began training in Muay Thai at the age of fifteen. After capturing the Swiss national title as a lightweight in his first year of competitions in 1992, he won the European and world honours in 1994 while fighting around the 77 kg super middleweight mark. In the late 1990s, he moved between light heavyweight and cruiserweight, taking five world titles in those divisions. He eventually moved to heavyweight in 2001, where he spent the remainder of his career, acting as a journeyman in the K-1 promotion while also winning four other world titles.
Jeffrey Ryan "Duke" Roufus is an American former kickboxer and head coach of the Roufusport based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. He is a well-known striking coach in North America.
Michael Anthony McDonald is a Canadian retired heavyweight kickboxer. Nicknamed "the Black Sniper", he is the former three-time K-1 USA Grand Prix Champion.
Maurice Lavonne Smith is a retired American kickboxer and mixed martial artist. In kickboxing, he held the WKC world light heavyweight championship, the WKA world heavyweight championship, and the ISKA world heavyweight championship. In mixed martial arts, he held the Heavyweight championship in Battlecade Extreme Fighting and the UFC, and became a member of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2017. A professional competitor since 1980, Smith has formerly competed in kickboxing for the companies All Japan Enterprise and K-1, Pancrase, RINGS, PRIDE, Strikeforce, International Fight League and RFA.
Kaoklai Kaennorsing is a former Thai light heavyweight Muay Thai fighter. Kaennorsing is the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Seoul tournament winner, former two-division Rajadamnern Stadium champion, and former WBC Muay Thai Light Heavyweight Champion.
Marvin Lee Eastman is a retired American professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor from 2000 until 2013, he competed in K-1, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Fighting Alliance (WFA), Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC), Shooto, and King of the Cage (KOTC), where he was Super Heavyweight Champion.
Changpuek Kiatsongrit is a Thai former professional Muay Thai fighter. He is credited as being one of the first Muay Thai fighters to go abroad and fight other fighters of other martial arts styles, often stronger and heavier than himself, bringing to the world an understanding of the effectiveness of Muay Thai. Changpuek is a seven time world champion who has fought some of the world's best fighters at middleweight to heavyweight and has wins against world class fighters such as Rob Kaman (x3), Rick Roufus, Peter Smit and Tosca Petridis. After ending his career as a professional fighter while working for Sitpholek gym in Pattaya, Thailand, he continued his employment at that gym as a Muay Thai trainer.
Glaube Araújo Feitosa is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005, Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was a K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 finalist. He has gone the distance with some of the top fighters in his time, such as Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Semmy Schilt and Errol Zimmerman. An accomplished karate fighter, he was known for his use of the "question mark kick," utilizing the technique in several knockout victories in his career. Feitosa also holds wins over Cheick Kongo, Alistair Overeem, Ruslan Karaev, and Paul Slowinski.
Siala-Mou Siliga, often billed as Mighty Mo is a former American Samoan kickboxer, bare knuckle boxer, boxer and mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division. At the age of 22, he got his nickname from his former American football coach after the battleship USS Missouri. His K-1 achievements include winning the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas II and the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hawaii tournaments. In mixed martial arts, he has competed for K-1 Hero's, Bellator MMA, DREAM, Road FC and also participated in the Dynamite!! USA and Dynamite!! 2008 events. On September 24, 2016, Siliga won the Road FC Openweight Tournament at Road FC 33 by knocking out Choi Hong-man of South Korea.
Ondřej Hutník is a retired Czech Muay Thai kickboxer. He is a former SUPERKOMBAT Super Cruiserweight Championship title challenger.
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Jean-Claude Leuyer, or simply Jean Claude, is an American former heavyweight kickboxer. He was a six-time world champion, holding titles in four different organizations, and competing in sixteen world title fights. He holds notable wins over Rob Kaman and Tomasz Kucharzewski in K-1.
Mark Jason Miller is a retired American kickboxer who competed in the heavyweight division. He is also a published author and artist.
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Bogdan Cristian Stoica is a Romanian professional kickboxer and boxer, and former wushu practitioner. Stoica is also one-time SUPERKOMBAT Cruiserweight Champion, one-time Enfusion Light Heavyweight and two-time wushu national champion. He was also ranked as a top-10 middleweight in the world for several years by LiverKick.com, CombatPress.com and GloryKickboxing.com. He has competed for GLORY, ONE Championship, SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship, Enfusion, Wu Lin Feng and Glory of Heroes.
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A low kick is a kick in which the attacker strikes the opponent's lower body with the shinbone or foot. This type of kick, under different names, is utilized in numerous martial arts such as Kung fu, karate, taekwondo, kūdō, kickboxing, pradal serey, lethwei, Muay Thai, and MMA.
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