Remco Pardoel

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Remco Pardoel
Born (1969-05-23) 23 May 1969 (age 55)
Oss, Netherlands
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight260 lb (120 kg; 19 st)
Division Heavyweight
Style Jujutsu, Aikido, Taekwondo, Karate, Boxing, Judo, Muay Thai, Luta Livre, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [1]
TeamPardoel Sports
Rank4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
2nd dan black belt in Taekwondo
2nd dan black belt in Jujutsu
1st dan black belt in Judo [1]
Years active1994–2003
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins10
By knockout2
By submission6
By decision2
Losses6
By knockout3
By submission2
By decision1
Draws1
No contests2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Remco Pardoel (born 23 May 1969) is a retired Dutch [2] mixed martial artist. [3] He competed in the heavyweight [4] division. He has fought in promotions such as the UFC, Shooto, and Pancrase. He was a junior national champion in Judo in 1988 and a competitive BJJ grappler. He made his MMA debut at UFC 2, eventually losing to Royce Gracie. Throughout his career, he fought Vernon White, Minoru Suzuki, and Marco Ruas. [5] [1]

Contents

Early career

Pardoel began his martial arts career at age 4 when he first began training in Judo. [1] At age 7, he began training in Taekwondo and took up traditional Jiu-Jitsu at age 11. [1] He won gold at the 1988 Junior National Judo Championships in the Netherlands and several Ju Jitsu titles across Europe. [5] [1] He became Ju Jitsu's world champion in 1993 when the sport's first World Championship was held in Denmark. [1] He met Fabio Gurgel, Romero Cavalcanti, Sylvio Behring, and other fighters, who taught him some of the sport's techniques. [1] He would invite the Brazilian team to the Netherlands, so Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was introduced in Europe, in his hometown of Oss, starting in November 1993. [1]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In 1994, Pardoel was invited to the Ultimate Fighting Championship at its event UFC 2 in the United States. Cornered by UFC 1 finalist Gerard Gordeau, [6] Remco was billed as a Jiu-Jitsu fighter [7] and was pitted in the first round of the tournament against Alberto Cerro León, a Spanish Pencak Silat practitioner. The bout was long and violent, as although Pardoel threw León to the ground early, the Spaniard resisted his armlock attempts and even tried an illegal fish-hook on repeated occasions. [7] In the end, Pardoel submitted him with a sode guruma jime. The Dutch fighter was later quoted as: "Alberto was the reason I entered the UFC... In Europe, the guys from Pencak Silat and Wing Chun are badmouthing all other styles by saying and writing that they are invincible, which [they're] not. So, challenging them is the best way to prove they are wrong." [8]

Pardoel advanced to the next round and fought Muay Thai fighter Orlando Wiet in a memorable match. [9] The heavier Pardoel executed a hip throw and pinned Wiet on the mat with ura gatame. After some hesitation, the Jiu-Jitsu champion landed seven brutal elbow strikes on Wiet's temple, resulting in a knockout. Wiet was rendered unconscious after the second blow, and Pardoel had to speak to the referee to stop the match. [10] The Dutch contender went to the semi-finals to face UFC 1 winner Royce Gracie, another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu exponent. Seconds into the match, Royce captured Pardoel's back while standing, tripped him down, and performed a gi choke, making Remco tap out. [9]

He returned to UFC in September 1995 at the event UFC 7. His first opponent would be Karateka Ryan Parker, whom he defeated swiftly by throwing him down, pinning him with kesa gatame, and locking a mounted Ezekiel choke. The Dutchman advanced to meet Luta Livre legend Marco Ruas, the eventual winner. Pardoel got a guillotine choke early, but Ruas escaped via foot stomps, and they both met on the ground, where the Brazilian tried a straight-ankle lock to no avail. After some minutes of struggle, Ruas mounted Pardoel, and the latter opted to tap out. [11] Pardoe later claimed that Ruas was using body oil or lubricant to hinder his hold. [12] It would be Pardoel's last appearance in UFC.

BJJ black belt controversy

In 2023, Remco made false claims about receiving a record-fast black belt and being the first European promoted to black belt in 1996.

Remco was awarded his black belt in 2007 by Vinicius Magalhães (Draculino), [13] which today would make him a 4th-degree black belt. He wore stripes on his belt according to Draculino's promotion up to 2023 when he suddenly claimed he was promoted to black belt already in 1996 by Fernando Yamasaki and Carlos Gracie Jr. [14] This would have made him the first European-born BJJ black belt as well as the fastest ever to receive a BJJ black belt, in only 2 years and 2 months from getting his first BJJ lesson, from visiting Brazilians.

The claim seems to stem from the early days of international CBJJ competitions when lower belts on several occasions were allowed to compete together with black belts (first BJJ World championship, first BJJ European championship, etc.), and Remco was allowed to compete in the black belt division of the World Championship in Rio 1996. Over the years, Remco has been clear that he had no belt in BJJ at the time and did not belong in the top 8 brackets in the sport. [15] He also competed as a BJJ purple belt in the Budweiser Cup in the US in 2005. [16] Remco has also confirmed that he was only the second person in Holland to receive a BJJ black belt. [17] An investigation on Beltchecker (readable only after logging in) has provided further evidence against Remco's new claims and word from Fernando Yamasaki that he has never promoted Remco to black belt. [18]

In conclusion, he is still a legit 4th-degree black belt (legit for 5th degree in 2026).

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches10 wins6 losses
By knockout23
By submission62
By decision21
Draws1
No contests2
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss9–6–1 (2)Tengiz TedoradzeTKO (submission to punches)EF 1: Genesis13 July 200312:44 London, England
NC9–5–1 (2)Roger GodinezNo ContestGC 11: Gladiator Challenge 1120 April 200210:17 San Jacinto, California, United States
Loss9–5–1 (1)Mark SmithDecisionCW 1: Cage Wars 123 February 200220:00 Portsmouth, England
Win9–4–1 (1)Glen BrownSubmission (scarf hold)UKMMAC 1: Sudden Impact11 November 200120:00 Kent, England
Draw8–4–1 (1) Herman van Tol Draw Rings Holland: No Guts, No Glory 10 June 200125:00 Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Win8–4 (1)Marc EmmanuelDecision (unanimous) Rings Holland: Heroes Live Forever 28 January 200125:00 Utrecht, Netherlands
Loss7–4 (1)Roman SavochkaTKO (submission to strikes)IAFC: Pankration World Championship 2000 [Day 2]29 April 200010:00 Moscow, Russia
Win7–3 (1)John DixsonSubmission (headlock)AAC 2: Amsterdam Absolute Championship 227 November 199918:15 Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Win6–3 (1)Michailis DeligiannakisSubmission (keylock)WVC 8: World Vale Tudo Championship 81 July 199912:20Aruba
Win5–3 (1)John DixsonSubmission (choke)AAC 1: Amsterdam Absolute Championship 125 October 199814:16 Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Loss4–3 (1) Marco Ruas Submission (position) UFC 7: The Brawl in Buffalo 8 September 1995112:27 Buffalo, New York, United StatesUFC 5 Tournament Semifinals.
Win4–2 (1)Ryan ParkerSubmission (lapel choke)13:05UFC 5 Tournament Quarterfinals.
NC3–2 (1)Carl FranksNo Contest Shooto: Complete Vale Tudo Access 29 July 199518:00 Omiya, Saitama, Japan
Loss3–2 Minoru Suzuki KO (punch) Pancrase: Road To The Championship 3 26 July 199417:16 Tokyo, Japan
Win3–1 Vernon White TKO (lost points) Pancrase: Road To The Championship 2 6 July 1994114:24 Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan
Loss2–1 Royce Gracie Submission (lapel choke) UFC 2: No Way Out 11 March 199411:31 Denver, Colorado, United StatesUFC 2 Tournament Semifinals.
Win2–0 Orlando Wiet KO (elbows)11:29UFC 2 Tournament Quarterfinals.
Win1–0Alberto Cerra LeonSubmission (forearm choke)19:51UFC 2 Tournament Opening Round.

Submission grappling record

KO PUNCHES

ResultOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeNotes
Loss Flag of the United States.svg Pete WilliamsDecisionADCC world championship 20002000
Loss Flag of Brazil.svg Ricardo Liborio Submission (armbar)World Jiu-jitsu Championship1996

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "UFC 2 Vet Remco Pardoel On Pioneering BJJ In Europe, Fighting In The First Mundials In The Black Belt Division & His Flourishing DJ Career". bjjee.com. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 2014-10-25.
  2. "Remco Pardoel". Sherdog. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  3. "Remco Pardoel". mixedmartialarts.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  4. "Remco Pardoel". fightmatrix.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Remco Pardoel Pancrase bio". pancrase.co.jp/en. Retrieved 2014-10-25.
  6. Erich Krauss (November 10, 2010). Brawl: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Mixed Martial Arts Competition. ECW Press. ISBN   978-1554902385.
  7. 1 2 John McCarthy, Let's Get It On!: The Making of MMA and Its Ultimate Referee
  8. Clyde Gentry (2005). No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution. Milo Books. ISBN   1903854105.
  9. 1 2 Scott Newman (2005-06-11). "MMA Review: #51: UFC 2: No Way Out". The Oratory. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  10. "The 3 Most Important Fights Of Early MMA". Constant Aggression. 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  11. Scott Newman (2005-12-07). "MMA Review: #67: UFC 7: The Brawl in Buffalo". The Oratory. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  12. Derek Callahan (2004-05-27). "Remco Pardoel Interview". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  13. https://slideyfoot.wordpress.com/category/history/
  14. https://www.beltchecker.com/profile.php?id=7263
  15. https://web.archive.org/web/20010422192938/http://sfuk.tripod.com/interviews_01/remco_01.html
  16. https://www.mixfight.nl/forum/showthread.php?50398-Remco-Pardoel-Budweiser-Jiu-Jitsu-World-Cup-(USA)!-results
  17. https://www.mixfight.nl/forum/showthread.php?93840-Harold-Harder-heeft-zijn-zwarte-band-gekregen-van-Rickson-Gracie
  18. https://www.beltchecker.com/forum.php?p=read&type=1&id=63963