Stav Economou
Encyclopedia
Stavros Economou is an English
mixed martial artist
of Cypriot
descent, who fights at heavyweight
. He is known for his rotund figure, strange hairsyles and nickname "Crazy Bear".
. He won the fight via KO in the first round and went on to win his next five fights in similar fashion. He was given his chance to shine in the UK
's biggest MMA promotion, Cage Rage. He took on Polish
muscleman Piotr Kuśmierz in July 2008 at Cage Rage 27: Step Up
. The fight wore on as both fighters tired themselves out and Economou emerged the victor by way of unanimous decision. Cage Rage then went bankrupt, however, and Crazy Bear returned to the Ultimate Warrior Challenge, where he had the majority of his early fights.
In July 2009, he recorded his first loss to current UFC fighter Karlos Vemola
at the Cage Fighters Championship 7 when he was submitted by rear-naked choke. His next fight saw him rebound against Linton Vassell to win the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Heavyweight Title at Ultimate Warrior Challenge 11: Onslaught.
He then entered Ultimate Challenge MMA. In his first fight with the promotion, he beat Shola Adeniran by rear-naked choke at Ultimate Challenge MMA: Resurrection. After this, he was given a title shot and faced Heavyweight Champion Neil Grove
at Ultimate Challenge MMA: Never Back Down in May 2010. Despite Economou's flurry of powerful punches late in the third round, the fight ended in a draw and Grove retained his title. A rematch was expected later in the year. However, Grove then signed with the Bellator Fighting Championships
and vacated his belt.
At UWC: 14 IMPACT Stav was defeated by Jason Dutton by TKO. This fight however will not appear on his MMA record as this was a K1 fight.
Economou was then set to headline BAMMA 5
against American super heavyweight Bob Sapp
on December 4, 2010. The event was cancelled, however, due to a snow storm. Stav ended up fighting Sapp on March 11, 2011 and won the fight via first round TKO.
On July 2, 2011 Stav suffered the second loss of his MMA career when he lost by rear naked choke in the first round to the undefeated Philip De Fries
.
|Loss
|align=center| 11-2-1
|
Philip De Fries
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 16
|
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|3:56
|Southend-on-Sea
, England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 11-1-1
|
Bob Sapp
| TKO (punches)
|ADFC: Round 3
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:45
|Abu Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates
||
|-
| Draw
|align=center|10-1-1
|
Neil Grove
|Draw
|Ultimate Challenge UK
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|London
, England
|For the Ultimate Challenge Heavyweight Championship.
|-
|Win
|align=center| 10-1
|
Shola Adeniran
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Ultimate Challenge UK
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:13
|London
, England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 9-1
| Linton Vassell
| Decision (unanimous)
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 11: Onslaught
|
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|Southend-on-Sea
, England
||Won the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Heavyweight Championship.
|-
|Loss
|align=center| 8-1
|
Karlos Vemola
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Cage Fighters Championship 7
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:57
|Purfleet
, England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 8-0
|
Theo Theodoulou
| TKO (punches)
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 8: Vendetta
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:55
|Southend-on-Sea
, England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 7-0
|
Marcin Bartkiewicz
| Decision (unanimous)
| Cage Rage 27
|
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|London
, England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 6-0
|
Darko Krbanjevic
| KO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 7: Redemption
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|3:38
|Essex
, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 5-0
|
Tommy Rasmussen
| TKO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 6
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|4:10
|Essex
, England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 4-0
|
Alfredo Achilli
| TKO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 5
|
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2:16
|England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 3-0
| Ronnie Gill
| KO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 4
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|2:51
|England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 2-0
| Kev Sims
| TKO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 3
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|2:51
|England
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 1-0
| Carlo Massara
| KO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 2
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|0:41
|Southend-on-Sea
, 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...
mixed martial artist
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...
of Cypriot
Greek Cypriots
Greek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
descent, who fights at heavyweight
Heavyweight (MMA)
The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between .Although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division is, for the most part, uniform...
. He is known for his rotund figure, strange hairsyles and nickname "Crazy Bear".
Mixed martial arts career
Economou had his first professional fight at the age of 20 against Carlo Massara in his home town of Southend-on-SeaSouthend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
. He won the fight via KO in the first round and went on to win his next five fights in similar fashion. He was given his chance to shine in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's biggest MMA promotion, Cage Rage. He took on Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
muscleman Piotr Kuśmierz in July 2008 at Cage Rage 27: Step Up
Cage Rage 27
Cage Rage 27: Step Up was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on July 12, 2008 at Wembley Arena in London, England. It was televised on Nuts TV in the United Kingdom....
. The fight wore on as both fighters tired themselves out and Economou emerged the victor by way of unanimous decision. Cage Rage then went bankrupt, however, and Crazy Bear returned to the Ultimate Warrior Challenge, where he had the majority of his early fights.
In July 2009, he recorded his first loss to current UFC fighter Karlos Vemola
Karlos Vemola
Karlos Vemola is a Czech mixed martial artist. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and competes in their heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. He is a 6 time Czech Republic National Wrestling Champion. He is known for his great strength...
at the Cage Fighters Championship 7 when he was submitted by rear-naked choke. His next fight saw him rebound against Linton Vassell to win the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Heavyweight Title at Ultimate Warrior Challenge 11: Onslaught.
He then entered Ultimate Challenge MMA. In his first fight with the promotion, he beat Shola Adeniran by rear-naked choke at Ultimate Challenge MMA: Resurrection. After this, he was given a title shot and faced Heavyweight Champion Neil Grove
Neil Grove
Neil Grove is a South African-born English heavyweight mixed martial artist currently signed with Bellator Fighting Championships. He holds a black belt rank of shodan in Gōjū-ryū karate...
at Ultimate Challenge MMA: Never Back Down in May 2010. Despite Economou's flurry of powerful punches late in the third round, the fight ended in a draw and Grove retained his title. A rematch was expected later in the year. However, Grove then signed with the Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. "Bellator", which is Latin for "Warrior", is organized into seasons with each event hosting the rounds of championship knockout tournaments for three-five weight divisions.-History:In its first season,...
and vacated his belt.
At UWC: 14 IMPACT Stav was defeated by Jason Dutton by TKO. This fight however will not appear on his MMA record as this was a K1 fight.
Economou was then set to headline BAMMA 5
BAMMA 5
BAMMA 5: Daley vs. Shira was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 26 February 2011 at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England.-Background:BAMMA 5 was the first BAMMA event held outside of Birmingham or London...
against American super heavyweight Bob Sapp
Bob Sapp
Robert Malcolm "Bob" Sapp is an American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor, comedian and former professional American football player. Sapp currently has a combined fight record of 21–21–0, mostly fighting in Japan...
on December 4, 2010. The event was cancelled, however, due to a snow storm. Stav ended up fighting Sapp on March 11, 2011 and won the fight via first round TKO.
On July 2, 2011 Stav suffered the second loss of his MMA career when he lost by rear naked choke in the first round to the undefeated Philip De Fries
Philip De Fries
Philip De Fries is an English mixed martial artist fighting out of Sunderland , who fights at heavyweight. He is known for his explosive ground game and exceptional submission skills, and De Fries holds a BJJ purple belt under Rodrigo Cabral....
.
Mixed martial arts record
|-|Loss
|align=center| 11-2-1
|
Philip De FriesPhilip De Fries
Philip De Fries is an English mixed martial artist fighting out of Sunderland , who fights at heavyweight. He is known for his explosive ground game and exceptional submission skills, and De Fries holds a BJJ purple belt under Rodrigo Cabral....
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 16
|
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|3:56
|Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, 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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 11-1-1
|
Bob SappBob Sapp
Robert Malcolm "Bob" Sapp is an American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor, comedian and former professional American football player. Sapp currently has a combined fight record of 21–21–0, mostly fighting in Japan...
| TKO (punches)
|ADFC: Round 3
ADFC: Round 3
ADFC: Round 3 was a mixed martial arts event organized the on March 11, 201 at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex in Abu Dhabi, UAE....
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:45
|Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
||
|-
| Draw
|align=center|10-1-1
|
Neil GroveNeil Grove
Neil Grove is a South African-born English heavyweight mixed martial artist currently signed with Bellator Fighting Championships. He holds a black belt rank of shodan in Gōjū-ryū karate...
|Draw
|Ultimate Challenge UK
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
|For the Ultimate Challenge Heavyweight Championship.
|-
|Win
|align=center| 10-1
|
Shola Adeniran| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Ultimate Challenge UK
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:13
|London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 9-1
|
Linton Vassell| Decision (unanimous)
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 11: Onslaught
|
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, 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...
||Won the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Heavyweight Championship.
|-
|Loss
|align=center| 8-1
|
Karlos VemolaKarlos Vemola
Karlos Vemola is a Czech mixed martial artist. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and competes in their heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. He is a 6 time Czech Republic National Wrestling Champion. He is known for his great strength...
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Cage Fighters Championship 7
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:57
|Purfleet
Purfleet
Purfleet is a place in the Thurrock unitary authority in Essex, England. It is situated south of the A13 road on the River Thames and within the easterly bounds of the M25 motorway but just outside the Greater London boundary. It was within the traditional Church of England parish of West Thurrock...
, 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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 8-0
|
Theo Theodoulou| TKO (punches)
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 8: Vendetta
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1:55
|Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, 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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 7-0
|
Marcin Bartkiewicz| Decision (unanimous)
| Cage Rage 27
Cage Rage 27
Cage Rage 27: Step Up was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on July 12, 2008 at Wembley Arena in London, England. It was televised on Nuts TV in the United Kingdom....
|
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 6-0
|
Darko Krbanjevic | KO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 7: Redemption
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|3:38
|Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 5-0
|
Tommy Rasmussen| TKO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 6
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|4:10
|Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 4-0
|
Alfredo Achilli| TKO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 5
|
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2:16
|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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 3-0
|
Ronnie Gill| KO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 4
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|2:51
|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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 2-0
|
Kev Sims| TKO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 3
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|2:51
|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...
||
|-
|Win
|align=center| 1-0
|
Carlo Massara| KO
| Ultimate Warrior Challenge 2
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|0:41
|Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
, 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...
||