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Michael McDonald (kickboxer)
Encyclopedia
Michael "The Black Sniper" McDonald (born February 6, 1965) is a retired Canadian
Heavyweight
kickboxer
. He is the former three time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion.
, England
. By the age of two his family had moved to Mandeville, Jamaica
and then eight years later to Edmonton
, Alberta
, where he remained through his school years.
While growing up Michael was active in a variety of sports including track and field
, football
, soccer, baseball
and wrestling
. At the age of 17 a friend introduced him to Muaythai.
fighting network and started to train with the 1992 Karate World Cup Champion, Andy Hug
. He stayed with "Team Andy" for 3 years fighting in the K-1 Grand Prix throughout the world.
In 2000 Michael stunned a crowd of 35,000 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka by winning a unanimous decision over the heavily favored Nicholas Pettas
. In 2002, Michael won both K-1 tournaments held in that year in United States, K-1 USA Grand Prix 2002 and K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Las Vegas. On December 7, 2002 he was selected for K-1 World Grand Prix 2002
Finals first reserve fight against Martin Holm
.
In 2004 he re-claimed the K-1 USA 2004 North American Grand Prix Championship title. He was knocked down by Marvin Eastman
in the first round of the quarter finals, but got up and dispatched his opponent with a KO in the second round. Scoring another second round KO in the semi-final against Kelly Leo, McDonald advanced to the final. In front of a packed house of 6,000 fans at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, Michael dispatched Dewey Cooper to win the title for the third time in three years. The award was presented to Michael McDonald by Muhammad Ali
accompanied by Mike Tyson
.
On August 12, 2006 he returned to Las Vegas for fifth time to re-claim the title. He won first two fights over Ariel Mastov
and Imani Lee and reached the tournament finals once again but lost the title fight against Stefan Leko
.
fights: first against Lyoto Machida
where he lost by forearm choke and next fight against fellow kickboxer Rick Roufus
where he won by decision.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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....
. He is the former three time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion.
Early life
Michael McDonald was born in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. By the age of two his family had moved to Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. In 2005, the town had an estimated population of 50,000, and including the immediate suburbs within a radius of the total population is about 72,000. It is located on an inland plateau at an...
and then eight years later to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, where he remained through his school years.
While growing up Michael was active in a variety of sports including track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, soccer, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
. At the age of 17 a friend introduced him to Muaythai.
K-1 career
In 1996 Michael entered the K-1K-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...
fighting network and started to train with the 1992 Karate World Cup Champion, Andy Hug
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:...
. He stayed with "Team Andy" for 3 years fighting in the K-1 Grand Prix throughout the world.
In 2000 Michael stunned a crowd of 35,000 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka by winning a unanimous decision over the heavily favored Nicholas Pettas
Nicholas Pettas
Nicholas Pettas is a Greek-Danish karateka, former heavyweight kickboxer and actor, who fought out of Team Sprit AE in Tokyo, Japan...
. In 2002, Michael won both K-1 tournaments held in that year in United States, K-1 USA Grand Prix 2002 and K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Las Vegas. On December 7, 2002 he was selected for K-1 World Grand Prix 2002
K-1 World Grand Prix 2002
K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, December 7, 2002 in front of 74,500 spectators. It was the tenth K-1 World Grand Prix final, involving ten of the world's top fighters , with all bouts...
Finals first reserve fight against Martin Holm
Martin Holm
Martin Holm was a Swedish Muay Thai kickboxer and former WMC Muaythai World Champion. In K-1 he fought against some of the biggest stars at the time, like Ernesto Hoost, Ray Sefo, Michael McDonald and Glaube Feitosa....
.
In 2004 he re-claimed the K-1 USA 2004 North American Grand Prix Championship title. He was knocked down by Marvin Eastman
Marvin Eastman
Marvin Lee Eastman is an American mixed martial artist with a background in collegiate wrestling and Muay Thai. He is currently the light heavyweight champion of the Elite Fighting Championship and the IFO champion...
in the first round of the quarter finals, but got up and dispatched his opponent with a KO in the second round. Scoring another second round KO in the semi-final against Kelly Leo, McDonald advanced to the final. In front of a packed house of 6,000 fans at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, Michael dispatched Dewey Cooper to win the title for the third time in three years. The award was presented to Michael McDonald by Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
accompanied by Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
.
On August 12, 2006 he returned to Las Vegas for fifth time to re-claim the title. He won first two fights over Ariel Mastov
Ariel Mastov
Ariel "The Shadow" Mastov is an Israeli kickboxer and former 8 times WPKA Kobukan Karate champion, currently competing in K-1 fighting circuit.- Biography and career:...
and Imani Lee and reached the tournament finals once again but lost the title fight against Stefan Leko
Stefan Leko
Stefan "Blitz" Leko is a German-Croatian heavyweight kickboxer. He is former Muay Thai world heavyweight champion and Kickboxing world super-heavyweight champion, K-1 European Grand Prix 1998 champion, 1999 K-1 Dream champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion...
.
Mixed martial arts career
Michael has had two mixed martial artsMixed 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...
fights: first against Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
where he lost by forearm choke and next fight against fellow kickboxer Rick Roufus
Rick Roufus
Rick Roufus is an American kickboxer, fighting out of The MMA Lab in Phoenix, Arizona. He is one of the most famous kickboxers in the United States, and has also competed in boxing and mixed martial arts...
where he won by decision.
Titles
- 2006 K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas II Runner Up
- 2004 K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas I Champion
- 2003 K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas II Runner Up
- 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas Champion
- 2002 K-1 World Grand Prix Preliminary USA Champion
- 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix Preliminary USA Runner Up
- W.K.C. World Cruiser Weight Champion
- W.K.A. North American Heavyweight Champion
- Canadian Heavyweight Champion
Kickboxing record
| Kickboxing Record | |
|---|---|
Legend: |
|
See also
- List of K-1 events
- List of male kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations
External links
- Profile at K-1K-1K-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...