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Kim Min-soo (judoka)

Kim Min-soo
Kim in the first place at the Junior World Championships in Cairo in November 1994
Born (1975-01-22) January 22, 1975 (age 49)[1]
Daebang-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Other namesMr. Shark
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Weight242 lb (110 kg; 17 st 4 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
StyleJudo, Kickboxing
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofSeoul, South Korea
TeamRINGS Korea
Korean Top Team (2005–present)
Years active1994–2003 (Judo)
2005–2009 (MMA)
2006–2008 (Kickboxing)
Kickboxing record
Total5
Wins4
Losses1
By knockout1
Mixed martial arts record
Total10
Wins3
By knockout1
By submission2
Losses7
By knockout6
By submission1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Judo career
Weight class‍–‍95 kg
Rank     4th dan black belt
Judo achievements and titles
Olympic GamesSilver (1996)
World Champ.R16 (1995)
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  South Korea
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta ‍–‍95 kg
World Juniors Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Cairo ‍–‍95 kg
Profile at external judo databases
IJF53435
JudoInside.com6490
In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.
Kim Min-soo
Hangul
김민수
Hanja
金岷秀
Revised RomanizationGim Minsu
McCune–ReischauerKim Minsu

Kim Min-soo (born January 22, 1975) is a South Korean former judoka, professional mixed martial artist and K-1 kickboxer. He is best known for becoming a K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Seoul finalist and also winning a Silver Medal in Judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[1] He is also known for his fights with WWE professional wrestler and UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, WWE wrestler and K-1 fighter Sean O'Haire, and NFL player turned kickboxer and New Japan Pro-Wrestling contender Bob Sapp. Min-soo holds a notable kickboxing win over Muay Thai world champion Mourad Bouzidi.[1] He announced his retirement from contact sports in 2011, with subsequent stints as color commentator for Japanese and Korean mixed martial arts and professional wrestling events. Kim is also the head judo coach for the Korean Top Team.[2]

Career

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Judo

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By the time he was 19, Kim was competing internationally in major judo tournaments - winning the gold medal at the 1994 World Junior Championships in Cairo by defeating Istvan Szasz in the -95 kilogram division. He entered the 1996 Summer Olympics as a half-heavyweight member of the South Korean national team, in which capacity he reached the finals and earned the silver medal by defeating Stéphane Traineau but losing to Pawel Nastula. He remained active in the sport for another seven years, medaling in at least five international tournaments and three world cup events.[3]

Kim's career includes wins over Keith Morgan, Detlef Knorrek, Vernharð Þorleifsson, Dmitri Sergeyev, Ben Sonnemans, and Nicolas Gill.[3]

Mixed martial arts

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Kim made his mixed martial arts debut at the Hero's 1 event on March 26, 2005, against kickboxer and mixed martial artist Bob Sapp. Despite a promising start wherein Kim negated Sapp's charging attacks and dealt him a facial laceration that necessitated a medical time-out, Sapp struck Kim in the face immediately after the match resumed and knocked him out.[4] At Hero's 2 in the following July, Kim met kickboxer Ray Sefo in a longer but ultimately similar fight wherein Sefo first stunned Kim with strikes before finishing him with a kick to the head.

Kim's subsequent bout in the following November against pro wrestler Sean O'Haire[5] and seasoned fighter Yoshihisa Yamamoto[6] in March 2006 proved more fruitful, allowing Kim to utilize his grappling expertise and defeat both opponents by submission. This was followed by a string of losses against increasingly imposing opponents over the following 15 months. Semmy Schilt escaped Kim's forearm choke and trapped him in a guard before punching him into submission.[7] Don Frye[8] and Mighty Mo[9] knocked him out with strikes. In arguably Kim's most famous match, he replaced Choi Hong-man on short notice to face pro wrestler Brock Lesnar in the latter's debut fight, wherein he submitted to Lesnar's punches after being taken down.[10]

At Hero's 2007 in Korea in October, Kim secured the third victory of his MMA career in an openweight bout against Ikuhisa Minowa, winning by technical knockout with a series of punches.[11] His final fight took place about two years later on November 27, 2009, at The Khan 2, where he was knocked out by former sumo wrestler Sentoryū Henri.[12] His record stands at 3 wins and 7 losses.

Kickboxing

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Kim made his kickboxing debut on March 3, 2006, at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Seoul tournament. In his quarterfinal match, he met South Korean sumo wrestler Kim Kyoung-Suk. The bout was unorthodox, with both fighters employing spins and jumping kicks and the much larger Kyoung-Suk chasing Min-soo across the ring. At one point, the judoka slipped while attempting a kick and the rikishi made as though to stomp him, resulting in a point deduction for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty gave Min-soo the advantage and he earned a unanimous decision victory.[13]

In the following round, Kim met seasoned Muay Thai champion Mourad Bouzidi. Despite Bouzidi's superior technique and powerful low kicks, Kim displayed greater aggression and upper body strength, resulting in both fighters scoring a knockdown apiece and meeting after the initial three rounds for an additional three minutes. After enduring a low blow, Kim finished strongly and was able to move on to the finals against Yusuke Fujimoto.[13] The Japanese karateka struck with low kicks, working on Kim's already-battered legs until he limped. Eventually, Kim fell to Fujimoto's punching combinations in the second round for a knockout loss.[13]

Kim fought twice more for K-1, ending his kickboxing career with a 4–1 record following a win over American Scott Junk at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii on September 8.

Achievements and titles

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Kickboxing

Judo

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
10 matches 3 wins 7 losses
By knockout 1 6
By submission 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 3–7 Sentoryu Henri KO (punches and knees) The Khan 2 November 27, 2009 1 1:12 Seoul, South Korea
Win 3–6 Ikuhisa Minowa TKO (punches) Hero's 2007 in Korea October 28, 2007 1 3:46 Seoul, South Korea
Loss 2–6 Brock Lesnar TKO (submission to punches) K-1 Dynamite!! USA June 2, 2007 1 1:09 Los Angeles, California, United States
Loss 2–5 Mighty Mo KO (punch) Hero's 8 March 12, 2007 1 2:37 Nagoya, Japan
Loss 2–4 Don Frye KO (punch) Hero's 7 October 9, 2006 2 2:47 Yokohama, Japan
Loss 2–3 Semmy Schilt Submission (triangle choke) Hero's 6 August 5, 2006 1 4:46 Tokyo, Japan
Win 2–2 Yoshihisa Yamamoto Submission (rear-naked choke) Hero's 4 March 15, 2006 2 1:32 Tokyo, Japan
Win 1–2 Sean O'Haire Submission (guillotine choke) Hero's 2005 in Seoul November 5, 2005 1 4:46 Seoul, South Korea
Loss 0–2 Ray Sefo KO (head kick) Hero's 2 July 6, 2005 2 0:30 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 0–1 Bob Sapp KO (punches) Hero's 1 March 26, 2005 1 1:12 Saitama, Saitama, Japan

[14]

Kickboxing record

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4 Wins (4 Decisions) – 1 Loss (1 (T)KO) – 0 Draws[2]
Date Result Record Opponent Event Method Round
2008-09-08 Win 4–1 United States Scott Junk K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii Decision 3
2007-09-29 Win 3–1 South Korea Randy Kim K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Seoul Final 16 Decision (Unanimous) 3
2006-03-06 Loss 2–1 Japan Yusuke Fujimoto K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Seoul KO (Right hook) 2
2006-03-06 Win 2–0 Tunisia Mourad Bouzidi K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Seoul Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) 4
2006-03-06 Win 1–0 South Korea Kim Kyoung-Suk K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Seoul Decision (Unanimous) 3

Filmography

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Television show

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Year Title Role Ref.
2022 The First Business in the World Contestant [15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Fighters Profile". Archived from the original on 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  2. ^ a b "Fighter's profile - Min-Soo Kim | K-1sport.de". Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  3. ^ a b "JudoInside - Min-Soo Kim Judoka".
  4. ^ ボブ・サップ vs キム・ミンス Archived December 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine hero-s.com
  5. ^ "Sean O'Haire vs. Min Soo Kim". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  6. ^ "Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs. Min Soo Kim". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  7. ^ "Min Soo Kim vs. Semmy Schilt". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  8. ^ "Min Soo Kim vs. Don Frye". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  9. ^ "Min Soo Kim vs. Siala Siliga". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  10. ^ "Brock Lesnar vs. Min Soo Kim". UGO.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  11. ^ "Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Min Soo Kim". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  12. ^ "Henry Miller vs. Min Soo Kim". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  13. ^ a b c Hong The Man in Seoul, Fujimoto Wins Asia GP Archived 2009-05-23 at the Wayback Machine k-1.co.jp
  14. ^ "Min Soo".
  15. ^ Hwang, Eun-cheol (September 20, 2022). "격투X유도X야구X농구X머슬X개그 6개팀 18인의 친근한 선수들 공개 ('천하제일장사')" [Fighting X Judo X Baseball X Basketball X Muscle X Gag 6 teams, 18 friendly players revealed (‘The best seller in the world’)] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Retrieved September 20, 2022 – via Naver.
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