Gerard Gordeau
Shihan / UFC 1 Finalist
Dutch Kyokushin Karate and Savate fighter, finalist of the historic UFC 1 tournament in 1993.
Quick Facts
Biography
Gerard Gordeau won the world Savate heavyweight title and studied Kyokushin Karate. He made MMA history by winning the very first UFC bout in Denver (UFC 1, 1993) via roundhouse kick TKO.
Associated Martial Arts
An Okinawan striking art reshaped in the 20th century into Japanese budo and an Olympic sport. Built on kata and hand and foot techniques.
KyokushinChampion→The hardest of the major karate styles: fought at full contact without protectors, but with no punches to the head. Founded by Masutatsu Oyama in 1964.
SavateChampion→French boxing, the only European striking art in which one kicks wearing shoes. It arose in nineteenth-century Paris and Marseille; Charles Lecour joined it with English boxing.