Ron van Clief
Encyclopedia
Ron van Clief is an American
martial artist
and an actor in Hollywood
and Hong Kong
action films. He is the father of poet Shihan van Clief.
, New York City
. In 1959, he joined the United States Marine Corps
and served during the Vietnam War
, before being discharged in 1965.
tournaments in New York then internationally, going on to win several national tournaments and world championships. He was nicknamed "The Black Dragon" for his competition victories.
Van Clief was a student of Goju-ryu masters Peter Urban
, Frank Ruiz, and Moses Powell, as well as WingTsun founder Leung Ting
Modern Arnis (Remy Presas) Brazilian Jiujitsu (Joe Moreira). In 1971, Van Clief created his own style of martial arts, called "Chinese Goju," attempting to unify Japanese style goju-ryu with its roots in Chinese martial arts
. He currently holds the rank of 10th degree red belt
(shidoshi or grandmaster), in this system.
On December 16, 1994, Ron Van Clief returned to the ring to fight in the 4th Ultimate Fighting Championship
, as the oldest competitor to date to fight in the UFC at the age of 51. Van Clief's sole fight in the tournament was against Brazilian jiu-jitsu
exponent Royce Gracie
. Gracie won the match by submission
with a rear naked choke
near the four-minute mark. Ron went on to serve as the commissioner of the UFC. Ron Van Clief retired from competition in 2002 after winning the All American Karate Championship at 60 years old. Ron competed in over 900 tournaments in over 40 years on the tournament circuit. Ron Van Clief retired as a 5 time world karate/kungfu champion and 15 time all American champion.
Van Clief is also the author and creator of a number of instructional books and video recordings.
films which capitalized on the then-novelty of an African-American martial artist, following in the tradition of Jim Kelly's
role in Enter the Dragon
. He starred along side Leo Fong
in a Filipino action film called Bamboo Trap in 1975. Van Clief's film roles earned him the nickname "The Black Dragon." He was also the fight choreographer for the film The Last Dragon
.
Van Clief has earned over 12 different black belts in his martial arts career. those include black belts in karate (goju-ryu and goju-kai), jiu-jitsu, judo, kung fu and boxing tae kwon do. One film that was never released was "The Art of Cliefing", directly by Jason Dash. The producers pulled the funding at the last minute, due to widespread protests in Korea. Van Clief is also a martial arts consultant on the upcoming action-comedy Gun Lordz, which was written, directed, and edited by independent film producer Jimmy Spice Curry
.
Ron van Clief also performed various voice-over roles for the international television series titled Kung Faux
.
|Loss
|align=center|0-1
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Brazil Royce Gracie
|Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
|UFC 4
|
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|3:59
|
United States Tulsa, Oklahoma
|
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
martial artist
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....
and an actor in Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
and Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
action films. He is the father of poet Shihan van Clief.
Early life
Van Clief was born and raised in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1959, he joined the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and served during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, before being discharged in 1965.
Martial arts
Ron van Clief began his martial arts career competing in both full-contact and non-contact karateKarate
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,...
tournaments in New York then internationally, going on to win several national tournaments and world championships. He was nicknamed "The Black Dragon" for his competition victories.
Van Clief was a student of Goju-ryu masters Peter Urban
Peter Urban
Peter Urban is a German musician and radio host.Since the 1997 Contest, Urban following Jan Hofer has been the German commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest. Due to illness in 2009, Urban was unable to commentate on the 2009 Contest, with Tim Frühling filling in, however returning to...
, Frank Ruiz, and Moses Powell, as well as WingTsun founder Leung Ting
Leung Ting
Leung Ting is the founder and permanent president of the International WingTsun Association.Leung chose the spelling of WingTsun to differentiate his teachings from those of other Wing Chun schools, and to keep them from passing off their style as his own...
Modern Arnis (Remy Presas) Brazilian Jiujitsu (Joe Moreira). In 1971, Van Clief created his own style of martial arts, called "Chinese Goju," attempting to unify Japanese style goju-ryu with its roots in Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
. He currently holds the rank of 10th degree red belt
Dan rank
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
(shidoshi or grandmaster), in this system.
On December 16, 1994, Ron Van Clief returned to the ring to fight in the 4th Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
, as the oldest competitor to date to fight in the UFC at the age of 51. Van Clief's sole fight in the tournament was against Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
exponent Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...
. Gracie won the match by submission
Submission (combat sport term)
A submission is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat...
with a rear naked choke
Rear naked choke
The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...
near the four-minute mark. Ron went on to serve as the commissioner of the UFC. Ron Van Clief retired from competition in 2002 after winning the All American Karate Championship at 60 years old. Ron competed in over 900 tournaments in over 40 years on the tournament circuit. Ron Van Clief retired as a 5 time world karate/kungfu champion and 15 time all American champion.
Van Clief is also the author and creator of a number of instructional books and video recordings.
- Black Belt MagazineBlack Belt MagazineBlack Belt is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports founded in 1961 by Mitoshi Uyehara. During the early years of the publication, Uyehara was a hands-on owner and publisher...
- 2002 Instructer of the Year http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/719
Film career
Ron Van Clief's first acting job came when he was selected to star in the Hong Kong film Black Dragon (1974). Some of his film roles during the 1970s were BlaxploitationBlaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
films which capitalized on the then-novelty of an African-American martial artist, following in the tradition of Jim Kelly's
Jim Kelly (martial artist)
James M. "Jim" "the Dragon" Kelly is an American athlete, actor, and martial artist who came to prominence in the early 1970s. He is best known from his performance as Williams in the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon.-Early life:...
role in Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts co-production with Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. studios, directed by Robert Clouse; starring Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly and John Saxon. This is Bruce Lee's final film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973...
. He starred along side Leo Fong
Leo Fong
Leo Fong is a former Methodist minister, boxer, martial artist, and actor who has been making films, acting and directing since the early 1970s.-Early years:...
in a Filipino action film called Bamboo Trap in 1975. Van Clief's film roles earned him the nickname "The Black Dragon." He was also the fight choreographer for the film The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...
.
Van Clief has earned over 12 different black belts in his martial arts career. those include black belts in karate (goju-ryu and goju-kai), jiu-jitsu, judo, kung fu and boxing tae kwon do. One film that was never released was "The Art of Cliefing", directly by Jason Dash. The producers pulled the funding at the last minute, due to widespread protests in Korea. Van Clief is also a martial arts consultant on the upcoming action-comedy Gun Lordz, which was written, directed, and edited by independent film producer Jimmy Spice Curry
Jimmy Spice Curry
Jimmy Curry is an entertainment producer, human rights activist and writer with credits in various ventures. Jimmy Spice Curry has worked with Grammy Award winning Rock artist Lenny Kravitz , H...
.
Ron van Clief also performed various voice-over roles for the international television series titled Kung Faux
Kung Faux
Kung Faux is a critically acclaimed comedy television and DVD series created by Mic Neumann that remixes classic kung fu movies with popular music, comic book style editing and video game style special effects, and new voice-over dubbing from primarily hip hop personalities and pop culture...
.
MMA record
|-|Loss
|align=center|0-1
|
Brazil Royce GracieRoyce Gracie
Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...
|Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
|UFC 4
UFC 4
UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 16, 1994, at the Expo Center Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event was seen live on pay-per-view, and later released on home video.-History:UFC 4 used an eight-man tournament...
|
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|3:59
|
United States Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
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