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Willie Williams (karateka)

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Willie Williams
Born(1951-04-14)14 April 1951
Warrenton, North Carolina, U.S.
Died8 June 2019(2019-06-08) (aged 68)
Other namesBear Killer
Height2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight105 kg (231 lb; 16.5 st)
DivisionSuper Heavyweight
StyleKyokushin Karate
TrainerTadashi Nakamura, Shigeru Oyama, Kenji Kurosaki[citation needed]
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins9
By knockout7
By submission2
Losses4
By submission3
By decision1
Last updated on: May 20, 2022

Willie Williams (April 14, 1951 – June 8, 2019) was an American karateka, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler.[1]

Career

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In 1975, Willie Williams participated in Mas Oyama's 1st World Full-Contact Karate Open Championships tournament as part of the U.S. team coached by Tadashi Nakamura and Shigeru Oyama. He lost to Howard Collins of the United Kingdom in the third round by decision. Four years later, in 1979, he took part in the 2nd World Open Championships. That year, around 160 fighters from all over the world entered this open weight class tournament. Williams was able to battle his way through to the semifinals, where he was defeated by Keiji Sanpei. He made his third appearance at the 3rd World Open Championships in 1984, making it to the final 32.[2]

In 1980, Williams fought Japan's top pro-wrestling star Antonio Inoki for the World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship in Tokyo. The bout ended in a draw after both competitors repeatedly fell out of the ring. Although the match was worked, it is seen as a precursor to modern mixed martial arts. William's fight against Inoki was voted as the top professional fighting match in Japan in the 20th century in 2003 by professional Japanese fight analysts.[citation needed]

Williams debuted in March 1992 in the combat sport promotion Fighting Network RINGS in Japan. He worked with the organization until 1996. On January 4, 1997, nearly 17 years after his first match against Antonio Inoki, the two would have a rematch with Inoki as the winner.[3]

From 1999 to 2000, Williams worked for Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling. He retired from professional wrestling in 2000.

Williams died on June 8, 2019, at the age of 68.[4]

Titles

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  • 3rd World Open Karate Tournament 1984 (IKO) - Final 32
  • 2nd World Open Karate Tournament 1979 (IKO) - 3rd Place

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
13 matches 9 wins 4 losses
By knockout 7 0
By submission 2 3
By decision 0 1
By disqualification 0 0
Unknown 0 0
Draws 0
No contests 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 9-4 Netherlands Pieter Oele TKO RINGS - Mega Battle Tournament 1994: Second Round October 22, 1994 1 6:41 Fukuoka, Japan
Win 8-4 Japan Masayuki Naruse TKO RINGS - Rings 1994 in Ariake June 18, 1994 1 10:54 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 7-4 Japan Akira Maeda Submission RINGS - Rings 1994 in Sendai May 17, 1994 1 2:38 Sendai, Japan
Loss 7-3 Netherlands Dick Vrij Decision RINGS - Mega Battle Tournament 1993: First Round October 23, 1993 5 3:00 Fukuoka, Japan
Win 7-2 Netherlands Dick Vrij Decision RINGS - Battle Dimension: Toky Bay Area Circuit III August 21, 1993 5 3:00 Yokohama, Japan
Win 6-2 Georgia (country) Bitsadze Tariel Submission RINGS - Battle Dimension: Osaka Metropolitan Circuit II July 13, 1993 3 1:35 Osaka, Japan
Loss 5-2 Russia Volk Han Submission RINGS - Battle Dimension: Tokyo Bay Area Circuit II July 16, 1993 1 11:46 Tokyo, Japan
Win 5-1 Japan Yukihiro Takenami KO RINGS - Mega Battle Tournament 1992: Second Round November 13, 1992 2 1:33 Hiroshima, Japan
Loss 4-1 Japan Akira Maeda Submission RINGS - Mega Battle VI: Hayate July 16, 1992 3 2:03 Osaka, Japan
Win 4-0 Netherlands Ton van Maurik KO RINGS - Mega Battle V: Shi Shi Ku June 25, 1992 1 5:08 Hiroshima, Japan
Win 3-0 Georgia (country) Bitsadze Ameran KO RINGS - Mega Battle IV: Kohrin May 16, 1992 3 2:07 Hiroshima, Japan
Win 2-0 Japan Mitsuya Nagai KO RINGS - Mega Battle III: Ikazuchi April 3, 1992 2 1:13 Hiroshima, Japan
Win 1-0 Netherlands Peter Smit TKO RINGS - Mega Battle Tournament 1992: Second Round November 13, 1992 1 2:50 Yokohama, Japan

Karate record

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Karate record
Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record
1992-03-26 Japan Nobuaki Kakuda RINGS - Kakutogi Olympic
1991-06-04 Loss Japan Masaaki Satake USA Oyama Karate vs. Karate Masamichi Decision (Unanimous) 3

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

References

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  1. ^ "Legendary Karate fighter, film star Willie Williams conducts local seminar". The Daily Herald. 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  2. ^ "World Open Tournaments Kyokushinkai". Kyokushin Canada. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  3. ^ "Willie Williams". cagematch.net. January 4, 1997. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  4. ^ E, Ron (2019-06-09). "Karate legende Willie Williams overleden – Vechtsport Nieuws" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2019-06-10.