Donald Frye (born November 23, 1965) is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. In MMA, he was one of the sport's earliest well-rounded fighters and won the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments and finished as runner-up at UFC 10 in his first year of competition. He retired from MMA in 1997 to pursue a career in professional wrestling with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and quickly became one of the company's leading heels. After spending four years as one of Japan's top gaijin wrestlers, he returned to MMA with the Pride Fighting Championships in September 2001, much more muscular and sporting an American patriot persona in response to the September 11 attacks. He fought bouts with Ken Shamrock and Yoshihiro Takayama during his two years in Pride. He departed the promotion to compete in K-1 and Hero's in 2004 but returned for the final Pride event in 2007. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2016.
After college, Frye trained in boxing for a year and a half and made his professional debut on August 28, 1989, in Phoenix, Arizona, scoring a first-round knockout over Luis Mora. After eight bouts over the next fourteen months he retired and became an emergency medical technician and a firefighter in Bisbee, Arizona.[2] He boxed under the name J.R. Frye in several matches after being forced to change his name due to a contractual dispute. In his final boxing match, Frye lost via technical knockout to David Kilgour of Somis, California, at the Reseda Country Club in Reseda, Los Angeles on December 11, 1990, bringing his professional record to two wins, five losses and one draw.[3] Frye also worked in a psychiatric ward but left that position after breaking a patient's arm while restraining him.[4] During this time, he also took up judo and earned the rank of second danblack belt.[5]
Mixed martial arts career
Ultimate Fighting Championship (1996)
In 1995, Don Frye helped train Dan Severn for the Ultimate Ultimate 1995, accompanying Severn's entourage to Denver. He soon made the jump to the burgeoning sport of mixed martial arts himself and joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship the following year. Debuting at UFC 8 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico on February 16, 1996, Frye was among the eight competitors in the openweight tournament that night and was one of two fighters of the era skilled in both stand-up and ground fighting, the other being Marco Ruas.[6] In the quarter-finals, he set the record (since broken by Duane Ludwig and Jorge Masvidal) for fastest knockout in UFC history when his punches knocked down 410-lb Thomas Ramirez in just eight seconds. After a quick technical knockout of Sam Adkins in the semis, taking him down and landing hammerfists to the face for the TKO, he met with Gary Goodridge in the final, and forced the Trinidadian to submit simply by gaining dominant position at the 2:14 mark, though not without landing multiple uppercuts standing and punches on the ground. This would be the first in a trilogy of fights between the pair. Due to the controversy surrounding MMA at the time, Frye was barred from both firefighting, his previous occupation in his hometown of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and from training in the Buena High School gym he had used since his ASU days following the event.
Frye returned at UFC 9 in Detroit, Michigan on May 19, 1996, for a match with fellow tournament winner Marco Ruas, but Ruas was injured and replaced by Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist Amaury Bitetti. Frye stopped his opponent's takedowns and land punches, knees and elbows, and used a judo ude-garami on the jiu-jitsu champion, something that was unusual at the time. At the end, after an especially hard series of strikes to the spine and head of the Brazilian, the match was stopped and Frye was declared winner.[7]
At UFC 10 in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 12, 1996, Frye returned to tournament format. He defeated Mark Hall by stoppage, slamming the Moo Yea Do specialist and working his side with body punches until the stoppage, and then defeated Brian Johnston, again leading the action to the mat and landing elbows to the head. However, at the finals of the event, Frye faced Mark Coleman, who was considered the "godfather" of the ground and pound strategy Frye often followed. Coleman, a more decorated wrestling champion than Frye himself, kept the top position through the match and landed multiple strikes to the face. Frye capitalized on a failed neck crank attempt to get standing and try to outmatch Coleman there, but he was taken down again, and a late takedown attempt of his own also failed, with Coleman reversing and threatening with an overhead throw before returning to his routine. At the end, after Coleman secured side mount and dropped punches and headbutts onto Frye's face, the referee stopped the action, handing Frye his first loss in seven fights.
Frye won at the U-Japan event in November 1996, taking a submission victory by forearm choke over Mark Hall in a rematch. Just one month later, Frye entered the UFC's Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournament, held to find the best of the best from past tournament winners and runners up. He firstly went for the second time against Gary Goodridge, who brawled on the clinch before taking Frye down and landing headbutts, but the result was the same, as Goodridge tapped out as soon as Frye got dominant position. Frye then faced Mark Hall for the third time in his career, but this fight was even shorter, with Frye getting a takedown and an Achilles lock for the give up in 20 seconds. In the finals, Frye faced striker Tank Abbott, who landed early shots, opening a cut on Frye's face and causing swelling. However, Abbott lost his balance and fell, allowing Frye to secure a rear naked choke, to take the title of Ultimate Ultimate 96 Champion, his second UFC Tournament Championship.
Hall would later claim that Don Frye and manager Robert DePersia convinced him to throw the two fighters' semi-final match. Hall says that since Tank Abbott had already advanced to the final after two relatively easy wins, Frye – who'd logged eleven minutes of cage time already that night – wanted to save his energy for the championship match. Because he'd already suffered two defeats to Frye earlier in his career (and therefore probably wasn't going to win anyway) and DePersia implied that saying no would have a disastrous impact on his future, Hall says he reluctantly agreed to go along with the plot.[8] Referee John McCarthy later wrote in his autobiography Let's Get It On!:
Unfortunately, this night was the second time I felt I was refereeing a fixed bout. In the semifinals, Don Frye and Mark Hall met in a rematch of their UFC 10 bout. In their first encounter Frye had beaten the piss out of Hall, who'd refused to give up. Here, though, Frye ankle-locked Hall to advance to the finals without breaking a sweat. The fight struck me as odd. Frye, a bread-and-butter wrestler and swing-for-the-fences puncher, had never won a fight by leg lock, and Hall practically fell into the submission. I also knew both fighters were managed by the same guy.[9]
Despite his success in MMA, Frye retired from the sport after winning the Ultimate Ultimate '96 tournament.
Pride Fighting Championships (2001–2003)
A successful celebrity in Japan due to his pro wrestling career, Don Frye made his comeback to mixed martial arts when he signed a multi-fight contract with the Pride Fighting Championships in 2001. Appearing in an MMA bout for the first time in five years at Pride 16 in Osaka, Japan on September 24, 2001, two weeks after the September 11 attacks, Frye entered the ring waving an American flag and wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "terrorists suck". He was also noticeably more muscular and seemingly stronger than his UFC days, having gained 7 kilograms (15lb) in weight since his last MMA outing. However, his fight with Gilbert Yvel that night was controversial and resulted in Frye winning by disqualification in the first round, as Yvel repeatedly gouged his eyes and was eventually disqualified for continuously holding the ropes to stop himself being taken down.
Three months later, at a joint New Year's Eve show Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001: K-1 vs. Inoki, Frye defeated Cyril Abidi with relative ease, taking the French kickboxer to the mat and controlling him throughout round one before finishing him with a rear naked choke in two.
Frye returned to Pride in February 2002, facing long-time rival Ken Shamrock at Pride 19 in a fight he had been trying to trash-talk himself into ever since Shamrock had defeated Dan Severn at UFC 6.[10] Frye got the edge on a series of clinch battles, while Shamrock dropped down for an ankle lock and transitioned into both a kneebar and a toehold, wrenching Frye's leg badly; however, despite the damage, Frye refused to tap out and managed to knock Shamrock down in a subsequent punching exchange. The bout moved to the mat, where Shamrock attempted another ankle lock, only for Frye to try to counter with one of his own and finally refusing to tap out until time ran out. After an exciting and hard fought battle, Frye pulled out a split decision victory in which many people including the commentators Bass Rutten and stephen quadros said Ken Shamrock won the fight. Even though Shamrock had injured Frye's ankles, later leading to Frye's dependency on painkillers for several years,[11] the two hugged after the fight ended, putting an end to their rivalry. Many MMA fans agree that both fighters were never the same again, as both their careers began a steady downturn after the fight.
Four months after defeating Ken Shamrock, Frye returned to MMA to face Japanese professional wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama at Pride 21 on June 23, 2002. In a fight that many consider to be one of Pride's most exciting matches, Frye and Takayama clinched in a hockey fight pose, each holding the head and hitting, with Takayama finally going to the body after more than a full minute of unrelenting, undefended shots. This would happen three times in the fight, until the referee stopped the bout after Frye mounted Takayama, who was visibly much worse for the wear.
On August 28, 2002, he took on Jérôme Le Banner in a kickboxing match at the K-1/Pride co-promoted event Pride Shockwave, fighting in front of 91,107 people. Frye had mentioned in an interview prior to the fight that (besides knee strikes) he had never thrown a kick in his life and his disadvantage was obvious as he couldn't use his wrestling skills and was repeatedly thrown when he tried to tie up with Le Banner. After being given a standing eight count early on, he was forced into a corner and knocked unconscious with a right hook at the 1:30 mark of the first round.
Riding a new wave of popularity, Frye's next outing was a return to MMA at Pride 23 on November 24, 2002, to face Olympic gold medalist judoka Hidehiko Yoshida. Taking his first loss since fighting Mark Coleman in 1996, Frye was submitted by Yoshida via armbar in the first round. While Frye did not tap out, the referee stopped the bout in fear of serious injury.
Frye took seven months off following the losses to Le Banner and Yoshida, and next fought at Pride 26 on June 28, 2003, to try to avenge his loss to Mark Coleman. In a rather long battle, Frye lost a unanimous decision to Coleman after three rounds.
Another rematch was on tap for Pride Shockwave 2003 on New Year's Eve, 2003 when Frye faced Gary Goodridge for the third time. The fight lasted only 39 seconds; Goodridge scored a vicious high kick to the head, knocking Frye out completely.
K-1 and Hero's (2004–2006)
Don Frye departed Pride on the back of four consecutive losses and next appeared fighting under MMA rules in K-1. His first fight, with Yoshihiro Nakao at K-1 MMA ROMANEX on May 22, 2004, ended in a no contest when Frye could not continue due to a cut sustained from an accidental headbutt early in round one.
Don Frye and Yoshihiro Nakao rematched at K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite on December 31, 2004, with Nakao coming out on top and winning a unanimous decision, resigning the American to his sixth unsuccessful fight.
After another brief retirement, he returned in K-1's Hero's branch in May 2006 to fight Akebono at Hero's 5. Akebono spent much of the fight clinching with the much smaller Frye and pushing him into the ropes, but Frye was able to knock the former sumo wrestler down and secure a guillotine choke submission in the second round.
Just ten days later, in his first appearance in the United States since 1996, Don Frye took on Ruben Villarreal in King of the Cage: Predator in Globe, Arizona. After three rounds of what many considered to be a lackluster fight, the bout was ruled a draw.
In his sophomore Hero's fight, he defeated Yoshihisa Yamamoto at Hero's 6 on August 5, 2006, using the rear naked choke towards the end of the first round. In his last appearance in the promotion, Frye faced Kim Min-Soo at Hero's 7 on October 9, 2006, and knocked him out with a right hook in the second round.
Later career and sporadic comebacks (2007–present)
Don Frye made his Pride return after an almost four-year hiatus, taking on James Thompson at the last promotion's last ever event, Pride 34 on April 8, 2007. After an aggressive start, Thompson landed two soccer kicks that dazed Frye. Thompson landed several more blows on a defenseless Frye before the referee called the fight at 6:25 in the first round.[12]
That year, he also assembled and coached the Arizona-based Tucson Scorpions in the International Fight League, but on November 9, 2007, announced on TAGG radio that he and the IFL had parted ways. They were one of four new teams established at the beginning of the 2007 season. He also wrote a humorous weekly column called "Dear Don: Advice from The Predator" in which he gives fans advice on love, life, friendship, and more.
Following a forty-seven second knockout of Bryan Pardoe at NLF: Heavy Hands in Dallas, Texas, in January 2008, Don Frye announced on February 8, 2008, on TAGG Radio that he would be fighting Oleg Taktarov on the debut card for YAMMA Pit Fighting on April 11 in the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The fight was to be the first fight in YAMMA's Masters Division, a division for fighters over the age of 39. However, he had to withdraw due to an injury and was replaced by UFC 1 entree Patrick Smith.[13]
Following his tenure with the IFL and a one-off fight with Texas-based promotion NoLimit Fighting, Don Frye competed in his inaugural fight with the DEEP organization, fighting Japanese fan favorite Ikuhisa Minowa. Minowa won via kneebar at the 3:56 mark of round one, dropping Frye's record in Japan to 8-6. From there, he signed with Shark Fights stateside the following year. His submitted Ritch Moss at Shark Fights 4 in May 2009 but suffered a quick TKO loss at the hands of Dave Herman at Shark Fights 6: Stars & Stripes four months later.[14]
After a two-year absence and at forty-six years of age, Frye was scheduled to face Mike Gonzalez for the Gladiator Challenge Light Heavyweight title. However, Gonzalez was injured, so Frye instead faced Ruben Villareal in a rematch at Heavyweight. Frye lost via knock-out.[15]
After leaving the UFC, Frye went into professional wrestling and was trained by Brad Rheingans and Curt Hennig.[16] He debuted for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in August 1997, defeating Kazuyuki Fujita in his first match. By 1998, Frye began to rise in the ranks as he quickly became one of the company's lead heels. On April 4, 1998, Frye won the Antonio Final Opponent tournament and earned the right to wrestle NJPW founder and wrestling legend Antonio Inoki in his retirement match, which took place later that night. Frye lost that fight. After a brief feud with Kensuke Sasaki at the end of that year, Frye joined Masahiro Chono's new stable, Team 2000, in early 1999. After joining, Frye would spend most of 1999 and early 2000 feuding with Scott Norton over the unofficial title of Gaijin Ace, took part in the G1 Tag League in 1999 with Chono, and make two challenges for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but was unsuccessful in each attempt.[17] He lost out to Keiji Mutoh in his first title shot in April 1999 and was defeated by Kensuke Sasaki in his second in February 2000.
After being in Team 2000 for two years, Frye left the group and joined Keiji Mutoh's new stable, BATT, where he made a third attempt at the IWGP title in July 2001 but came up short again, falling to Kazayuki Fukita.[17] In September 2001, Frye won the G1 World Climax tournament. After the tournament win, Frye left NJPW and returned to MMA. Stepping back into the pro wrestling arena, Frye would make a one-time appearance at NJPW's Fighting Spirit Memorial Day Tokyo Dome show on May 2, 2002, where he defeated Tadao Yasuda.[18] From October to November 2004, Frye returned to NJPW for two appearances as a member of Masahiro Chono's Black New Japan stable, teaming with Chono in a tag match defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Yuji Nagata and then teaming with Scott Norton and Manabu Nakanishi in a winning effort against Shinsuke Nakamura, Yutaka Yoshie, and Blue Wolf.
On October 2, 2005, Frye took part in AJPW's Wrestle-1 Grand Prix where he lost to Jamal.[19]
During his brief MMA hiatus, Frye made a one-off appearance as a pro wrestler in Inoki Genome Federation, losing to Josh Barnett via keylock submission on September 8, 2007.[19] In October 2008, Frye wrestled at the Pro Wrestling Expo shows, teaming with Yoshihiro Takayama in a losing effort to Masahiro Chono and Scott Norton on the first day, then losing a six-man tag on the third day.
Frye returned to a professional wrestling ring on March 17, 2013, at an event held by AJPW in Tokyo. After teaming with Keiji Mutoh to defeat Masayuki Kono and Yoshihiro Takayama in a tag team match, Frye engaged in a post-match brawl with Takayama, playing off their Pride 21 bout from 2002.[20]
Acting
Don Frye began acting in movies with Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), playing the role of Captain Douglas Gordon. In an interview, Frye mentions that unlike his fights where he has complete control, acting in a Godzilla film he had no control but enjoyed the experience nonetheless. The director of the film, Ryuhei Kitamura, mentioned that he wrote the role with Frye in mind since he was a fan of Frye's matches. Kitamura found Frye's tough-guy/good-heart demeanor to be the perfect role for the character of Gordon. Curiously, for a prominent character in a Japanese-language film, all of his dialogue was spoken in English.
The year 2005 turned out to be a busy year for Frye as he made several appearances. In Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy, he played Rocco Piedra, the father of a wrestling family who dreams on marrying their child off to a famous wrestler. He also appeared in No Rules and starred in Nagurimono. In 2006, he made an appearance as an Aryan Brotherhood member in Miami Vice, lent his voice for The Ant Bully, and appeared in the Rob Schneider prison comedy Big Stan, along with fellow mixed martial artists Randy Couture and Bob Sapp in 2007.
Since he competed in Pride FC, he has also appeared in several commercial ads in Japan. The latest one is a television ad for a yakisoba product named "UFO" produced by Nissin Foods (an executive officer was a fierce fan of Frye). His significant popularity in Japan in the 2000s might be attributed to his "good old tough fuddy-duddy" character reminiscent of sheriffs in some 1960s American movies.
Frye appeared in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia entitled "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops", in which he played a professional wrestler that was getting pummeled by Roddy Piper's character, "Da' Maniac". He is credited on IMDb for the role as "Wrestling Opponent".[22]
Frye also appeared in a new AT&T mini-movie advertisement for the Blackberry Bold 9700 entitled "Stay One Step Ahead" during the 2009 holiday season.[23]
Frye provided the voice for the main villain Matt Ninesister in the third installment of the Stick 10: Even More Swag animated specials, The United League of Stereotypes.[24] Frye also portrayed mayor and former wrestler Mike Haggar in the Final Fight fan film "The Broken Gear".[25]
^ 'Injuries KO OU Wrestler', The Sunday Oklahoman, Mac Bentley, 23 October 1988
^ 'Three Cowboys Win Titles At St. Louis Mat Tourney', The Sunday Oklahoman, 20 November 1988
^ 'Fighter doesn't understand the furor', The Providence Journal-Bulletin, Mike Szostak, 12 June 1996
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