Andy Hug
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Realname | Andreas Hug |
| Nickname | Tetsujin Iron man in Japanese |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 98 kg (220 lb/15.4 st) |
| Nationality |  Swiss |
| Birth date | September 7, 1964 |
| Birth place | Wohlen, Switzerland |
| Death date | August 24, 2000 (aged 35) |
| Death place | Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan |
| Style | Full Contact Karate |
| Team | Team Andy |
| Kickboxing Record | |
| Total fights | 47 |
| Wins | 37 |
| Wins by KO | 22 |
| Losses | 9 |
| Draws | 1 |
Andy Hug (September 7, 1964 - August 24, 2000) was a renowned Kyokushin Karate and kickboxing fighter from Wohlen, Switzerland. Andy Hug was the first Karate-fighter to win the K-1 World Grand Prix Championship in 1996 and was runner up in 1997 and 1998. Hug is widely credited for helping K-1's popularity world-wide, and is one of the most respected and idolized figures in combat sports history. In Japan he was given the name "Blue-Eyed Samurai", even though he had brown eyes. This had a symbolic meaning and referred to Andy's Swiss heritage. He was the only K-1 fighter ever to be rewarded an honorary samurai title by K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii and was widely considered to be the bravest K-1 fighter of all by the Japanese public.
Andy was legendary for his axe kick and scored numerous victories with it against some of the most experienced fighters in the world. The spinning low heel kick, targeting the opponents thigh was another trademark kick. In Japan, it was known as "the Hug Tornado" since no other fighter could perform it with the same perfection as Hug.
Andy defeated Mirko "Cro-Cop" Filipović at K-1 Fight Night, on 6/3/00, in Zurich, Switzerland. His last fight was with K-1 against Nobu Hayashi on July 7, 2000. On the 24th of August 2000, Andy died unexpectedly as a result of leukemia a few weeks short of his 36th birthday. Hug's passing made headline news all over Japan.
