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Denis Kang

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Denis Kang
Kang (pictured right) at weigh-ins in November 2009
Born (1977-09-17) September 17, 1977 (age 46)
Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon
NationalityCanadian
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Middleweight
Reach77.0 in (196 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofNorth Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
TeamAmerican Top Team
Zahabi MMA
Tristar Gym
Rank3rd deg. BJJ black belt under Marcus Soares[2]
Years active1998–2013
Kickboxing record
Total1
Wins0
Losses1
By knockout1
Draws0
Mixed martial arts record
Total55
Wins35
By knockout15
By submission14
By decision6
Losses16
By knockout6
By submission8
By decision2
Draws2
No contests2
Other information
Websitewww.deniskang.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's Submission Wrestling
ADCC North American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2002 Los Angeles -88kg
Denis Kang
Hangul
데니스 강
Hanja
denis 姜
Revised RomanizationDenis Gang
McCune–ReischauerTenisŭ Kang

Denis Kang (Korean: 강대수, born September 17, 1977) is a retired Canadian professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 1998, Kang has formerly competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Impact FC, M-1 Global, K-1 HERO'S, ROAD FC, and Pancrase. In his prime he was ranked one of the top fighters in the world and scored notable wins over Pat Healy, Marvin Eastman, Akihiro Gono and Murilo Rua.

Background

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Kang was born in the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon to a Korean father and French mother.[3] He and his family relocated to the Canary Islands and finally North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1988 when he was 11 years old. During this period Kang trained multiple martial arts styles. such as Wrestling, Judo, Taekwondo, and Kyokushin Karate. After some years from their arrival to Vancouver, he started taking Hapkido lessons by encouragement of his parents. Kang transitioned into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kickboxing in high school because he wanted to improve in his ground game more than practice self-defense.

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Kang's MMA career began in 1998 at the Ultimate Warrior Challenge in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kang was successful in his debut fight, winning by submission (rear naked choke) over Eric Harcrow. Kang would go on to win his next 2 fights before going 2–5 over his next 8 with one no contest against Dennis Hallman. He would go 7–7 with one no contest in his first 15 fights, with a few convincing defeats.

After winning five of his next six fights, Kang signed a contract with Spirit MC, a South Korea MMA organization. Denis went 5–0 while fighting in Korea and was crowned the Spirit MC Heavyweight Champion. Following this, Denis relocated to Florida and joined American Top Team.

It was at this time that Kang caught the attention of the PRIDE Fighting Championships. Kang signed a contract with PRIDE and made his debut at PRIDE Bushido 6, where he defeated Japanese opponent Takahiro Oba via armbar at 4:24 of round one. Under the Korean banner, Denis went on to win his next two fights in PRIDE, with a victory coming over Englishman Mark Weir at PRIDE Bushido 10. In between fights for Pride, Denis fought American Albert Basconcelles and knocked him out within 12 seconds of the opening bell. At Bushido 11, Kang continued his winning streak by knocking out Chute Boxe member Murilo "Ninja" Rua in 15 seconds in the first round of the PRIDE Bushido Welterweight (183 lb) Grand Prix. At Bushido 12, Denis submitted Armenian Amar Suloev via rear naked choke to advance to the semi-final round of the Welterweight Grand Prix. With this win, Kang was then 18–0–1 in his last 19 contests. However, after advancing through the semi-final round of the Bushido tournament and beating Akihiro Gono on November 5, 2006, he was defeated by Kazuo Misaki in the final at Bushido 13. Kang had torn his right biceps muscle earlier that night in his win over Gono.[4]

Kang had only one match in 2007 after breaking his hand (an injury that will reappear over and over again) in a match against Jungkyu Choi for the Spirit MC Heavyweight Championship on March 11. Kang won via unanimous decision but was unable to compete for several months.[citation needed]

After the contract termination of PRIDE, Kang moved to K-1 Hero's maintaining the championship of Spirit MC. Kang made his K-1 Hero's debut on October 28, 2007, in "K-1 Hero's in Seoul". His opponent was Yoshihiro Akiyama who was returning to MMA after a 10-month suspension. Kang lost via TKO.

Kang next fight was on April 29, 2008, in the opening round of the Dream 2: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round, losing to Gegard Mousasi via triangle choke.

On August 30, 2008, Kang defended his Spirit MC Heavyweight Championship by defeating Kim Jae Young by TKO due to strikes at 1:31 of the first round.[5]

Kang defeated UFC veteran Marvin Eastman by TKO on October 25, 2008, at "Raw Combat: Redemption" in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The fight lasted 48 seconds.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Kang made his UFC debut on January 17, 2009, against Alan Belcher despite suffering from ankle injury.[6] Although Kang controlled the fight, he lost by guillotine choke at the end of round two after a takedown attempt.

Kang redeemed himself with a victory over Xavier Foupa-Pokam at UFC 97 by unanimous decision.

Kang faced Michael Bisping on November 14, 2009, at UFC 105.[7] In an interview about his fight with Bisping, Kang revealed he wanted a title fight with Anderson Silva.[8] Bisping TKO'd Kang in the 2nd round.[9] Even though Bisping was the crowd favorite in his home town Manchester and Kang was being booed on, Kang dropped Bisping with a right hand in the first round.[10] Kang followed Bisping to the floor and attempted submissions, but Bisping defended well and neutralised Kang's attacks despite Kang briefly having full mount.[9] In the 2nd round Bisping secured a single-leg takedown and the momentum of the fight shifted : he unleashed a vicious ground and pound attack on the Canadian, which Kang failed to recover from.[11] The fight was awarded Fight of the Night honours, giving both Kang and Bisping a $40,000 bonus check.[12]

Kang was cut from the UFC on Dec. 9 2009, along with Brock Larson, Rolando Delgado and Jason Dent. Kang announced that he had signed with W1 MMA, and that he would fight for their vacant middleweight title on December 18, 2010, in Montreal, Quebec.

Post-UFC

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Denis defeated Dae Won Kim at W-1: Judgment day.[13] Kang faced off against former WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho on July 18, 2010, at an Impact Fighting Championships event.[14] The fight was declared a split draw.

Denis joined the Korean MMA promotion ROAD FC by signing a multi-fight non-exclusive deal.[15]

Denis lost to Melvin Manhoef by KO due to a knee to the body early in the first round of their DREAM 18 New Year's Eve fight at the end of 2012.[16]

Professional grappling career

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Kang competed in the first ADCC North American trial in 2002, winning gold in the under 88kg division.[17] This earned him an invite to ADCC 2003, where he lost on points to Reese Andy in the opening round.

Personal life

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Kang's youngest brother, Julien, is an actor and model in South Korea.

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
55 matches 35 wins 16 losses
By knockout 15 6
By submission 14 8
By decision 6 2
Draws 2
No contests 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 35–16–2 (2) Melvin Manhoef TKO (knee to the body) DREAM 18 December 31, 2012 1 0:50 Tokyo, Japan
Win 35–15–2 (2) Hae Suk Son KO (punches) Road FC 8: Bitter Rivals June 16, 2012 1 4:57 Wonju, South Korea
Loss 34–15–2 (2) Shungo Oyama TKO (knees) Road FC 5: Night of Champions December 3, 2011 1 4:30 Seoul, South Korea
Loss 34–14–2 (2) Seung Bae Whi TKO (knees) Road FC 3: Explosion July 24, 2011 2 3:58 Seoul, South Korea Catchweight (190 lbs) bout.
Loss 34–13–2 (2) Jesse Taylor Submission (rear-naked choke) Battlefield Fight League 8: Island Beatdown May 28, 2011 1 1:57 Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Win 34–12–2 (2) Eun Soo Lee Decision (unanimous) Road FC 2: Alive April 16, 2011 3 5:00 Seoul, South Korea Light Heavyweight bout.
Draw 33–12–2 (2) Paulo Filho Draw (split) Impact FC 2 July 18, 2010 3 5:00 Sydney, Australia
Win 33–12–1 (2) Dae Won Kim Submission (arm-triangle choke) W-1: Judgment day June 19, 2010 1 1:49 Laval, Quebec, Canada
Loss 32–12–1 (2) Michael Bisping TKO (knees to the body & punches) UFC 105 November 14, 2009 2 4:24 Manchester, England Fight of the Night.
Win 32–11–1 (2) Xavier Foupa-Pokam Decision (unanimous) UFC 97 April 18, 2009 3 5:00 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss 31–11–1 (2) Alan Belcher Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 93 January 17, 2009 2 4:36 Dublin, Ireland
Win 31–10–1 (2) Marvin Eastman KO (punches) Raw Combat: Redemption October 25, 2008 1 0:48 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Win 30–10–1 (2) Jae Young Kim KO (punches and stomp) Spirit MC August 30, 2008 1 1:13 Seoul, South Korea Defended the Spirit MC Heavyweight (+80 kg) Championship.
Loss 29–10–1 (2) Gegard Mousasi Submission (triangle choke) Dream 2: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round April 29, 2008 1 3:10 Saitama, Japan DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round.
Loss 29–9–1 (2) Yoshihiro Akiyama KO (punches) Hero's 2007 in Korea October 27, 2007 1 4:45 Seoul, South Korea
Win 29–8–1 (2) Jung Gyu Choi Decision (majority) Spirit MC March 11, 2007 3 5:00 Seoul, South Korea Heavyweight bout; defended the Spirit MC Heavyweight (+80 kg) Championship.
Loss 28–8–1 (2) Kazuo Misaki Decision (split) PRIDE Bushido 13 November 5, 2006 3 5:00 Yokohama, Japan PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Final.
Win 28–7–1 (2) Akihiro Gono Decision (unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 13 November 5, 2006 2 5:00 Yokohama, Japan PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinal.
Win 27–7–1 (2) Amar Suloev Submission (one-arm strangle) PRIDE Bushido 12 August 26, 2006 1 4:10 Nagoya, Japan PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal.
Win 26–7–1 (2) Murilo Rua KO (punches) PRIDE Bushido 11 June 4, 2006 1 0:15 Saitama, Japan PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Opening Round.
Win 25–7–1 (2) Albert Basconcelles TKO (punches) Spirit MC April 22, 2006 1 0:12 Seoul, South Korea Heavyweight bout.
Win 24–7–1 (2) Mark Weir TKO (submission to knees) PRIDE Bushido 10 April 2, 2006 1 4:55 Tokyo, Japan
Win 23–7–1 (2) Ron Fields Submission (rear-naked choke) Absolute Fighting Championships 14 December 10, 2005 1 2:46 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
NC 22–7–1 (2) Robert Villegas No Contest Spirit MC October 29, 2005 1 0:00 Seoul, South Korea
Win 22–7–1 (1) Andrei Semenov Decision (unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 8 July 17, 2005 2 5:00 Nagoya, Japan
Win 21–7–1 (1) Takahiro Oba Submission (armbar) PRIDE Bushido 6 April 3, 2005 1 4:24 Yokohama, Japan
Win 20–7–1 (1) Alexei Vezelozorov Submission (choke) M-1 MFC: Heavyweight GP December 4, 2004 1 1:17 Moscow, Russia Return to Middleweight.
Win 19–7–1 (1) Jin Ho Yang TKO (punches) Spirit MC September 11, 2004 1 0:49 Seoul, South Korea Spirit MC Grand Prix 2004 Final; Won the Spirit MC Heavyweight (+80 kg) Championship.
Win 18–7–1 (1) Jae Young Kim Submission (arm-triangle choke) Spirit MC September 11, 2004 1 1:38 Seoul, South Korea Spirit MC Grand Prix 2004 Semifinal.
Win 17–7–1 (1) Junpei Hamada Submission (armbar) Spirit MC September 11, 2004 1 2:35 Seoul, South Korea Spirit MC Grand Prix 2004 Quarterfinal.
Win 16–7–1 (1) Kobus Huisamen TKO (punches) Spirit MC June 12, 2004 1 1:06 Seoul, South Korea
Win 15–7–1 (1) Hyun Chul Cho Submission (rear-naked choke) Spirit MC April 10, 2004 1 2:06 Seoul, South Korea
Win 14–7–1 (1) Hyung Jun Kim TKO (punches) Spirit MC February 7, 2004 1 1:13 Seoul, South Korea
Win 13–7–1 (1) Jae Young Kim TKO (punches) Spirit MC February 7, 2004 1 0:38 Seoul, South Korea Return to Heavyweight.
Draw 12–7–1 (1) Andrei Semenov Draw M-1 MFC: Russia vs. The World 7 December 5, 2003 1 10:00 St. Petersburg, Russia
Win 12–7 (1) Stephan Potvin TKO (punches) TKO Major League MMA September 6, 2003 3 2:22 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 11–7 (1) Kaipo Kalama Decision (majority) SB 30: Collision Course June 13, 2003 3 3:00 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 10–7 (1) Brendan Seguin Submission (armbar) SB 30: Collision Course June 13, 2003 1 2:24 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 9–7 (1) Keith Rockel KO (punch) USMMA 3: Ring of Fury May 3, 2003 2 2:59 Boston, Massachusetts, United States Catchweight (195 lbs) bout.
Win 8–7 (1) Chris Peak Submission (rear-naked choke) World Freestyle Fighting 4 April 4, 2003 1 0:57 Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Loss 7–7 (1) Jason Miller Submission (rear-naked choke) Extreme Challenge 50 February 23, 2003 2 1:41 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Loss 7–6 (1) Joe Doerksen Submission (triangle choke) UCC 11: The Next Level October 11, 2002 1 4:49 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 7–5 (1) Pat Healy Submission (guillotine choke) Rumble in the Ring 7 July 20, 2002 1 3:42 Auburn, Washington, United States
Win 6–5 (1) Shane Biever Submission (armlock) World Freestyle Fighting 2 July 20, 2002 1 3:03 Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
NC 5–5 (1) Dennis Hallman No Contest World Freestyle Fighting 1 April 13, 2002 2 3:15 Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Hallman accidentally headbutted Kang and opened a cut above the eye.
Loss 5–5 Marty Armendarez TKO (punches) IFC WC 15: Warriors Challenge 15 May 13, 2001 3 3:45 Oroville, California, United States Return to Middleweight.
Loss 5–4 Osami Shibuya Submission (rear-naked choke) Pancrase: Proof 3 August 31, 2001 1 3:52 Tokyo, Japan Heavyweight debut.
Loss 5–3 Keiichiro Yamamiya Decision (majority) Pancrase: Trans 7 December 4, 2000 2 3:00 Tokyo, Japan Light Heavyweight debut.
Win 5–2 Minoru Suzuki TKO (back injury) Pancrase: 2000 Anniversary Show September 24, 2000 1 3:43 Yokohama, Japan
Win 4–2 Lonnie Canida TKO (punches) Western Canada's Toughest March 18, 2000 1 4:06 Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Loss 3–2 Joe Slick Submission (arm-triangle choke) Extreme Challenge 24 May 15, 1999 1 5:53 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Loss 3–1 Jacen Flynn Submission (guillotine choke) Bas Rutten Invitational 2 April 24, 1999 1 4:07 Littleton, Colorado, United States
Win 3–0 Tom Bolger Submission (triangle choke) 1 1:55
Win 2–0 Fadi Habib TKO (punches) Ultimate Warrior Challenge 2 November 1, 1998 1 0:53 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win 1–0 Eric Harcrow Submission (rear-naked choke) Ultimate Warrior Challenge August 2, 1998 1 0:15 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Kickboxing record

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Kickboxing record
0 wins, 1 loss
Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss Thailand Kaoklai Kaennorsing KO (Right Hook) K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Seoul July 7, 2004 1 1:48 Seoul, South Korea
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest

Submission grappling record

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Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Notes
Loss United States Reese Andy Points 2003 ADCC [18] (Under 87.9 kg)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Denis Kang - middleweight - Mixed Martial Arts Fighter - FIGHT! Magazine". Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  2. ^ Mark Mullen (February 25, 2016). "Off the Mat with a Bjj Black Belt With Denis Kang". jiujitsutimes.com.
  3. ^ "Biography". Denis Kang's Official Website. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  4. ^ Bolduc, Justin (November 28, 2006). "Din Thomas - Talks PRIDE and the Future". Nokaut.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  5. ^ Sherdog.com. "Kang Stomps Kim, Again". Sherdog. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Yahoo!". kr.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 15 May 2017.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Report: Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang at UFC 105". Inside Fights. 2009-08-16. Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
  8. ^ "Denis Kang talks Bisping, PRIDE and Anderson Silva". iFight365.com. Archived from the original on 2009-11-15. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  9. ^ a b "- BISPING FINISHES KANG AT UFC 105- MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more". Archived from the original on 2009-11-19. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-11-15. Retrieved 2009-11-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ [1] [dead link]
  12. ^ "UFC 105 fighter bonuses: Bisping, Kang, Siver and Etim each earn $40K | MMAjunkie.com". Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  13. ^ "W1-Judgement Day quick Results and updates". mmehfighter.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ "Paulo Filho faces Denis Kang at Impact FC". Portaldovaletudo.uol.com.br. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  15. ^ "Denis Kang Signs With Korea's Road FC". MMA Fighting. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  16. ^ "DREAM 18/Glory 4: Special NYE 2012 – Quick Results – Bibiano Chokes Out Maeda, Kang KO'd By Manhoef". TopMMANews.com. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
  17. ^ de Souza, Diogo (2 August 2023). "Throwback: The First Ever ADCC Trial Takes Place In 2002". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  18. ^ "ADCC 2003".
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