Ben Spijkers

Ben Spijkers
Personal information
Born 10 March 1961

Bernhard ("Ben") Hendrikus Martinus Spijkers (born 10 March 1961 in Nijmegen, Gelderland) is a retired judoka from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics (1984, 1988 and 1992). He won the bronze medal in the men's middleweight division (– 86 kg) in Seoul, South Korea (1988), alongside Akinobu Osako from Japan.

In 1995, Spijkers tried his hand at Mixed Martial Arts competition by competing in the World Combat Championship and Shooto events.

His fight with Renzo Gracie in the opening round at World Combat Championships (WCC) was his most high profile battle. Spijkers submitted to Gracie from a rear naked choke at the 3 minute mark. Upon the ending of the battle Gracie stepped on the back of Spijkers head. Renzo later apologized for his unsporting actions. On his return flight to the Netherlands afterwards, he was arrested after a dispute with an airline stewardess regarding his carry on baggage. He was released on bail and flew back to Europe a few days later.[1]

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 0-2 Renzo Gracie Submission (Choke) WCC 1 - First Strike October 17, 1995 1 2:38 Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 0-1 Erik Paulson Submission (Guillotine Choke) Shooto - Complete Vale Tudo Access July 29, 1995 5 0:38 Omiya, Saitama, Japan

References

  1. ↑ WCC Fighter Arrested on Assault Charges - Black Belt Magazine, February 1996

External links