Branko Cikatic - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić (born October 3, 1954) is a Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

n former heavyweight

Heavyweight

Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...

kickboxer

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

, the first Croatian born fighter to achieve international success. He was the first K-1 World Grand Prix

K-1 World Grand Prix

K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that has been held annually since 1993 by the K-1 organization. Each year, K-1 holds various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in...

tournament champion held on April 30, 1993 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

Biography and career

Cikatić began his martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

training at the age of 12 when he took up Taekwondo

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

, and later Shotokan

Shotokan

is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

at 16. He eventually earned a black belt

Black belt (martial arts)

In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...

in both of these disciplines, as well as a blue belt in Judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

. When he was 18 years old, he took up boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

before switching to kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

.

He surprised the martial arts world by storming the 1993 K-1 Grand Prix tournament, knocking out all three of his opponents in one evening, including Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Fritz "Mr. Perfect" Hoost is a Dutch former kickboxer and four-time K-1 World Champion. He made his debut in 1993 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 1993, where he came just one win short of the world title...

in the final match. To date, Cikatić is the oldest winner of the K-1 Grand Prix at 38 years and 208 days.

He extended his athletic resume to include mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

in 1998, fighting in the Pride Fighting Championships. His PRIDE debut was fought against Ralph White under K-1 rules format. Cikatić lost via disqualification after kicking the head of the downed White. Cikatić returned at Pride 2, fighting under MMA rules and facing Mark Kerr. He was again disqualified after holding the ring ropes when Kerr attempted a takedown, refusing to let go when directed by the referee, running away through the ring ropes, and delivering several illegal elbows to the back of Kerr's head. His next fight at Pride 7 ended in a submission loss to Maurice Smith by forearm choke.

Towards the end of his sports career, Cikatić tried his hand at acting, playing a villain in a 1997 B-movie

B-movie

A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....

Skyscraper
Skyscraper (film)
Skyscraper is a 1996 direct-to-video movie starring Anna Nicole Smith. It was directed by Raymond Martino and written by William Applegate Jr. and John Larrabee. The movie's plot borrows heavily from the film Die Hard with Smith taking the lead role....

, starring Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith

In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...

Titles

Professional Career:

1998 World Champion WMTA (Zagreb)
1995 K-1 Grand Prix 3rd Place (Tokyo)
1993 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion (Tokyo)
1991 World champion in Thai boxing 86 kg (Berlin)
1990 World Champion IKBF in kick-boxing 86 kg
1989 WKA in kick-boxing 86 kg
1987 World champion in Thai boxing 82.5 kg (Amsterdam)
1986 European champion in Thai boxing (Paris)
1985 European champion in Thai boxing (Amsterdam)

Amateur Career:

1983 European Championships in Caen (Full-Contact)
1982 European Championships in Berlin (Full-Contact)
1981 W.A.K.O. European Championships in Dublin
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1981
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1981 were the fifth European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization organized by one of the pioneers of Irish kickboxing George Canning...

-79 kg (Full-Contact)
1981 W.K.K.A. World Championships in Miami 79 kg (Full-Contact)
1980 W.A.K.O. European Championships in London
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1980
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1980 were the fourth European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. The championships were open to amateur men based in Europe and for the first time ever , each country had one competitor only per weight division. The styles on offer were...

-79 kg (Full-Contact)
1979 W.A.K.O. European Championships in Milan
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1979
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1979 was the third European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization, organized by the Italian Ennio Falsoni. As with previous European championships the 1979 W.A.K.O. championships were open to amateur men based in Europe only, with each country...

-79 kg (Full-Contact)

Kickboxing record

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:85%"
|-
|style="text-align: center" colspan=8|87 Wins (82 knockouts), 5 Losses, 1 Draw
|-
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Date
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Result
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Opponent
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Event
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Method
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Round
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Time
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|Location
|-
| October 11, 1997
|style="background:#c5d2ea; text-align:center;"|No contest
|

Ralph White
| Pride 1

PRIDE 1

Pride 1 was the first mixed martial arts event held by KRS-Pride . It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on October 11, 1997 and attracted a crowd of 47,860 spectators....

| No contest (Cikatić kicked White while he was on the ground)
| 1
| 1:52
|

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

|-
| September 7, 1997
| Loss
|

Mike Bernardo

Michael "Mike" Bernardo is a South African former kickboxer and boxer from Cape Town. Bernardo is known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994...

| K-1 Grand Prix '97 1st Round
| TKO (Doctor Stoppage)
| 1
| 0:38
|

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, Japan

Japan

|-
| July 20, 1997
| Loss
|

Sam Greco

Sam "Slam 'em" Greco is a retired Australian super heavyweight kickboxer, heavyweight mixed martial artist and professional wrestler of Italian descent, who fought in Kyokushin karate, professional kickboxing, and K-1 tournaments....

| K-1 Dream '97
| KO (Right Hooks)
| 1
| 2:58
|

Nagoya, Japan

Japan

|-
| March 16, 1997
| Win
|

Musashi

Musashi (kickboxer)

is a retired professional Japanese Heavyweight karateka and kickboxer. He is 4 time K-1 Japan tournament champion, a former WAKO Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix finalist...

| K-1 Kings '97
| TKO (Punches)
| 4
| 1:38
|

Yokohama

is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, Japan

Japan

|-
| December 12, 1994
| Win
|

Ernesto Hoost

| K-1 Legend
| KO (Right Hook)
| 2
| 1:18
|

Nagoya, Japan

Japan

|-
| September 18, 1994
| Loss
|

Stan Longinidis

Stan "The Man" Longinidis is a retired Australian Heavyweight kickboxer and 8 time Kickboxing World Champion. Born in Australia of Greek ethnicity, Longinidis is one of the few fighters to have won World titles in three different styles, International Rules Kickboxing, Full Contact and Muay Thai,...

| K-1 Revenge
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 5
| 3:00
|

Yokohama

, Japan

Japan

|-
| April 30, 1994
| Loss
|

Masaaki Satake

is a Japanese former super heavyweight karateka, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was one of the pioneering heavyweight fighters in K-1, after being a member of Kazuyoshi Ishii's Seido-Kaikan school and organization.-Biography and career:...

| K-1 Grand Prix '94
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 3
| 3:00
|

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|-
| April 30, 1994
| Win
|

Andre Mannaart

Andre Mannaart is a Dutch former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was a four-time world champion in kickboxing and Muay Thai, having fought against K-1 legends such as Ernesto Hoost, Branko Cikatić, Maurice Smith and Ray Sefo during his career...

| K-1 Grand Prix '94
| KO (Right Punch)
| 2
| 0:16
|

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|-
| March 4, 1994
| Loss
|

Andy Hug

Andy Hug was a Swiss Seidokaikan and Kyokushin karateka and kickboxer from Wohlen. Hug was the K-1 World Grand Prix 1996 champion and runner up in 1997 and 1998.-Biography and career:...

| K-1 Challenge
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 5
| 3:00
|

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|-
| April 30, 1993
| Win
|

Ernesto Hoost

| K-1 Grand Prix '93
| KO (Right Hook)
| 1
| 2:49
|

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|-
| April 30, 1993
| Win
|

Masaaki Satake

| K-1 Grand Prix '93
| KO (Left Hook)
| 3
| 0:45
|

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|-
| April 30, 1993
| Win
|

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|-
| June, 1992
| Loss
| Stan Longinidis

Stan Longinidis

| World Kickboxing Association

World Kickboxing Association

The World Kickboxing Association is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of kickboxing in the world for the sport. Its official name is "World Kickboxing and Karate Association"....

| Decision (Unanimous)
| 12
| 2:00
|

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

|-
| March 16, 1992
|style="background:#c5d2ea; text-align:center;"|Draw

Dennis Alexio vs. Branko Cikatić

Dennis Alexio vs. Branko Cikatić was a heavyweight kickboxing bout that took place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on March 16, 1992 which ended in a controversial technical draw.-Background:...

Dennis Alexio

Dennis Raymond Alexio is an American former kickboxer. He was world champion as a light heavyweight and cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight where, for a short time, he became the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion...

| World Martial Arts Challenge
| Technical draw (Alexio hit Cikatić during a stoppage)
| 3
| 1:25
|

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|-
| September 12, 1987
| Loss
|

Don Wilson
|
| TKO
| 7
| -
|

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Mixed martial arts record

PRIDE 7

Pride 7 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place on September 12, 1999, at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan...

| 9/12/1999
| 1
| 7:33
|
|
|-
|Loss
|0-1
| Mark Kerr
| Disqualified (Grabbing the Ropes)
| PRIDE 2

PRIDE 2

Pride 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by KRS-Pride . It took place at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan on March 15, 1998. Kazushi Sakuraba, Mark Kerr, Vernon White, and Marco Ruas all made their Pride debuts at this event. In addition to the MMA events, there were also two kickboxing events...

| 3/15/1998
| 1
| 2:14
|
|

External links

Branko Cikatic Official Homepage
Profile at K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Biography and career

Titles

Kickboxing record

Mixed martial arts record

See also

External links