Kim Min-soo (judoka) explained

Kim Min-soo
Other Names:Mr. Shark
Birth Date:22 January 1975
Birth Place:Seoul, South Korea
Height:[1]
Weight Lb:242
Weight Class:Heavyweight
Style:Judo, Kickboxing
Stance:Southpaw
Fighting Out Of:Seoul, South Korea
Team:RINGS Korea
Korean Top Team (2005–present)
Rank:Fouth dan black belt in Judo
Years Active:1994–2003 (Judo)
2005–2009 (MMA)
2006–2008 (Kickboxing)
Mma Kowin:1
Mma Subwin:2
Mma Koloss:6
Mma Subloss:1
Kickbox Win:4
Kickbox Decwin:4
Kickbox Loss:1
Kickbox Koloss:1
Sherdog:12561
Hangul:김민수
Hanja:金岷秀
Mr:Kim Minsu
Rr:Gim 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

Judo

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.

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

Mixed martial arts

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

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

Kickboxing

Judo

Mixed martial arts record

|-| Loss| align=center| 3–7| Sentoryu Henri| KO (punches and knees)| The Khan 2| | align=center| 1| align=center| 1:12| Seoul, South Korea| |-| Win| align=center| 3–6| Ikuhisa Minowa| TKO (punches)| Hero's 2007 in Korea| | align=center| 1| align=center| 3:46| Seoul, South Korea| |-| Loss| align=center| 2–6| Brock Lesnar| TKO (submission to punches)| K-1 Dynamite!! USA| | align=center| 1| align=center| 1:09| Los Angeles, California, United States| |-| Loss| align=center| 2–5| Mighty Mo| KO (punch)| Hero's 8| | align=center| 1| align=center| 2:37| Nagoya, Japan | |-| Loss| align=center| 2–4| Don Frye| KO (punch)| Hero's 7| | align=center| 2| align=center| 2:47| Yokohama, Japan| |-| Loss| align=center| 2–3| Semmy Schilt| Submission (triangle choke)| Hero's 6| | align=center| 1| align=center| 4:46| Tokyo, Japan | |-| Win| align=center| 2–2| Yoshihisa Yamamoto| Submission (rear-naked choke)| Hero's 4| | align=center| 2| align=center| 1:32| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 1–2| Sean O'Haire| Submission (guillotine choke)| Hero's 2005 in Seoul| | align=center| 1| align=center| 4:46| Seoul, South Korea | |-| Loss| align=center| 0–2| Ray Sefo | KO (head kick)| Hero's 2| | align=center| 2| align=center| 0:30| Tokyo, Japan | |-| Loss| align=center| 0–1| Bob Sapp| KO (punches)| Hero's 1| | align=center| 1| align=center| 1:12 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan| |-[14]

Kickboxing record

4 Wins (4 Decisions) – 1 Loss (1 (T)KO) – 0 Draws
DateResultRecordOpponentEventMethodRound
2008-09-08 Win 4–1 Scott Junk Decision 3
2007-09-29 Win 3–1 Randy Kim Decision (Unanimous) 3
2006-03-06 Loss 2–1KO (Right hook) 2
2006-03-06 Win 2–0Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) 4
2006-03-06 Win 1–0 Kim Kyoung-Suk Decision (Unanimous) 3

Filmography

Television show

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fighters Profile . 2009-01-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081218165615/http://www.k-1.co.jp/k-1gp/fighter/min_soo_kim.htm . 2008-12-18 . dead .
  2. Web site: Fighter's profile - Min-Soo Kim | K-1sport.de . 2009-01-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150925103405/http://k-1sport.de/en/database/show_fighter.php?id=250 . 2015-09-25 . dead .
  3. Web site: JudoInside - Min-Soo Kim Judoka.
  4. http://www.hero-s.com/03eventresult/20050326/08_bob_kim/08_bob_kim.html ボブ・サップ vs キム・ミンス
  5. Web site: Sean O'Haire vs. Min Soo Kim. Tapology . 2019-11-06.
  6. Web site: Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs. Min Soo Kim. Tapology . 2019-11-06.
  7. Web site: Min Soo Kim vs. Semmy Schilt. Tapology . 2019-11-06.
  8. Web site: Min Soo Kim vs. Don Frye. Tapology . 2019-11-06.
  9. Web site: Min Soo Kim vs. Siala Siliga. Tapology . 2019-11-06.
  10. Web site: Brock Lesnar vs. Min Soo Kim. March 22, 2008. UGO.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080302160526/http://ugo.com/a/elitexc-june2/?cur=page1. March 2, 2008.
  11. Web site: Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Min Soo Kim. Tapology . 2019-11-06.
  12. Web site: Henry Miller vs. Min Soo Kim. Tapology . 2019-11-06.
  13. http://k-1.co.jp:80/k-1gp/b06_0603_2.htm Hong The Man in Seoul, Fujimoto Wins Asia GP
  14. Web site: Min Soo.
  15. Web site: 격투X유도X야구X농구X머슬X개그 6개팀 18인의 친근한 선수들 공개 ('천하제일장사'). Hwang. Eun-cheol . Fighting X Judo X Baseball X Basketball X Muscle X Gag 6 teams, 18 friendly players revealed (‘The best seller in the world’). Ten Asia. Naver. September 20, 2022. September 20, 2022. ko.