Poche Pictures
e-mail: rich@pochepictures.com
The following bouts are included:
Sapp vs. Cyril Abidi, Ernesto Hoost I, Ernesto Hoost II, Mirko Crocop,
Remy Bonjasnky, Akebono, Seth Petruzulli, Tommy Glanvile, Ray Sefo,
Yoshihiro Nakao, Hiraku Hori, Tamura, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, Yoshihiro Takayama, Stefan Camiin, Sumiyabazar
Dolgorsuren, Kazuyaki Fujita, Jerome LeBanner, Min Soo Kim, Alan
Karaev, Kim Jong Wang, Tatsumi Tomihira, Hong Man Choi, Musashi
5 DVD Set $19.95
Sapp vs. Cyril Abidi, Ernesto Hoost I, Ernesto Hoost II, Mirko Crocop,
Remy Bonjasnky, Akebono, Seth Petruzulli, Tommy Glanvile, Ray Sefo,
Yoshihiro Nakao, Hiraku Hori, Tamura, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, Yoshihiro Takayama, Stefan Camiin, Sumiyabazar
Dolgorsuren, Kazuyaki Fujita, Jerome LeBanner, Min Soo Kim, Alan
Karaev, Kim Jong Wang, Tatsumi Tomihira, Hong Man Choi, Musashi
5 DVD Set $19.95
Only $19.95 for the entire 5 DVD set
of Sapp DVDs. All fights COMPLETE.
All orders secured with Paypal.
of Sapp DVDs. All fights COMPLETE.
All orders secured with Paypal.
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Robert Malcolm Sapp[1] a.k.a. Bob "The Beast" (sometimes "Runaway") Sapp (born
September 22, 1974) is an American kickboxer, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and
former world champion professional wrestler and former professional American football
player. Sapp currently has an MMA record of 10-3-1 as of December 2008, mostly
fighting in Japan. He is well-known in Japan, where he has appeared in commercials,
television programs, and has released a music CD, It's Sapp Time. Sapp also appeared in
an episode of the HBO program Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. In Japan he has
appeared in 23 commercials, 200 times on TV, in 1000 interviews, on 200 products with
his name or image, as an author or subject of four books (according to his self-
introduction in the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 11, 2003). He is currently
wrestling for HUSTLE and has tentatively returned to fighting for K-1.
American football career
Bob Sapp began his athletic career in college football as a standout offensive lineman for
the University of Washington, where he won the Morris Award. Expected by some to get
high notice from pro scouts in the 1997 NFL Draft, he slipped to the third round before
being chosen by the Chicago Bears with the 69th overall. Although Sapp was under pro
contract for the next four seasons (Chicago Bears '97, Minnesota Vikings '98, Baltimore
Ravens '99, and Oakland Raiders '00 [2], each of which cut him within that season), he
appeared in only one regular season game before leaving football. Sapp went on to fight
(and defeat) William "The Refrigerator" Perry in a Toughman boxing special promoted by
the FX channel in 2000.
Professional wrestling
Bob Sapp's pro-wrestling career started in NWA Wildside in 2001. He was quickly
contracted by World Championship Wrestling as a developmental wrestler, before the
company was bought out by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (at that time
WWF).
In 2004, Sapp competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling, winning their IWGP Heavyweight
Championship, though it was vacated shortly thereafter due to a mixed martial arts fight
loss and film commitments.
On October 16, 2007, Bob Sapp made a surprise appearance at HUSTLE's Korakuen Hall
event. Attacking Razor Ramon HG and his partner. Sapp aligned himself with
Generalissimo Takada's MONSTER Army. He also announced that he would wrestle at the
HUSTLE Mania 11/25 Yokohama Arena event.[3]
His opponent was confirmed to be Razor Ramon HG on November 4, 2007,[4] and
defeated him in the resultant match.
Mixed martial arts career
Pride Fighting Championships
Sapp was subsequently recruited by the Japanese MMA organization Pride, where he
quickly became a fan favorite due to his size and aggression. After a number of successes
in Pride, Sapp was then invited by Kazuyoshi Ishii to K-1. Ishii, inventor of the fighting
sport K-1, saw in Sapp the combination of great potential and great marketability.
After arriving in Japan, Sapp fought a number of low level Japanese fighters, winning all
his bouts through sheer strength and size. During this time fans were first introduced to
Sapp's "bullrush" technique, whereby he would rush an opponent with punches, quickly
overwhelming them. Pride and K-1 collaborated to create a show billed "Dynamite" in
Japan and "Shockwave" in the United States. He faced then-champion Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira. Sapp was defeated and shortly afterward moved to K-1.
K-1
Despite losing his first fight by disqualification, Sapp was initially successful in K-1. He
twice defeated four-time K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost by technical knockout. Sapp's
initial success with his intimidating, blind chase-and-punch method slowly petered out
into disqualifications for bullrushing and punching after referee breaks. Additionally,
experienced opponents discovered Sapp's weak points—his vulnerable mid-section and
legs as well as his limited stamina. He also engaged in an ineffective but entertaining
defensive stance consisting of cowering away from attacks and spinning around in a
circle. In what marked the beginning of his K-1 decline, Sapp was knocked out by
Croatian Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović in 86 seconds at the March 30, 2003, Saitama event.
After Filipović landed several solid kicks to his sides and legs, an overhand left broke
Sapp's orbital bone. In May 2004 he tapped out while on the ground due to kicks and
strikes from Kazuyuki Fujita.
In June 2005, Sapp won the K-1 Japan Grand Prix in Hiroshima to become one of 16
fighters qualified for the 2005 K-1 World GP. In the Japan GP, Sapp showcased greatly
improved stamina, as well as better technique, than in his previous fights after intensive
training under Sam Greco. In the K-1 2005 World GP Eliminations he lost by decision to
"The Techno Goliath" Choi Hong-man.
On May 13, 2006, Sapp was to headline the K-1 show in Holland. His opponent was
Ernesto Hoost. Hoost stated in previous interviews and the interview on that show that
this was to be his last match in Holland before his retirement. Sapp attended all the pre-
fight press conferences and even attended the opening ceremonies for the show. It is
unclear at the moment as to why, but Sapp pulled out of the event midway through the
show.
K-1 issued a statement claiming Sapp pulled out due to new demands he brought to
promoters during the show. K-1 would not agree to those demands since they felt their
written contract was final and Sapp left. The full K-1 press release can be viewed on the
organization's website.
Sapp has not issued a statement, but a different point of view on the events that
occurred[3].
However, he did participate in this year's K-1 event in the Amsterdam Arena, fighting as
a replacement for Remy Bonjasky, against Peter Aerts. Sapp, however, lost the fight at
KO within 20 seconds in the first round by a knee .
He most recently has been getting offers from WWE again as well as Total Nonstop
Action Wrestling (TNA) to work with them, but his K-1 contract is prohibiting him from
going through with any return to the ring.
Sapp made a surprise return to the K-1 ring after a 2 year absence against comedian and
part time K-1 competitor Bobby Ologun. Ologun was unable to mount any effective
offense as he was quickly run down and overpowered by Sapp in the 1st round.
Sapp was also known to beat Butterbean in a Sumo rules K-1 matchup in 2001.
Cage Rage
On February 10, 2007 it was announced by the United Kingdom's Cage Rage promotion
- the biggest MMA group in Europe - that Sapp would appear on its Cage Rage 21
event on April 21, facing Gary Turner. The move is partly a retaliatory one, as the UFC
had chosen to run its first British show in years that same night at the Manchester
Evening News Arena, headlined by Mirko "Cro Cop", Andrei Arlovski and British star
Michael Bisping. Though Cage Rage promoter Andy Geer said that the UFC show would
not affect ticket sales for CR21, the signing of Sapp was a clear sign that the company
knew it would need a superstar draw in order to successfully compete with the American
promotion. A few days before the event Bob Sapp pulled out of the scheduled fight. At
short notice, Tank Abbott stepped in and lost to Turner.
Strikeforce
Bob Sapp faced the South African fighter Jan "The Giant" Nordte at the Strikeforce: At
The Dome event in Tacoma, Washington at the Tacoma Dome on February 23, 2008.
Sapp was defeated at the 55 second mark of the first round by TKO. His left eye was cut
open.
September 22, 1974) is an American kickboxer, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and
former world champion professional wrestler and former professional American football
player. Sapp currently has an MMA record of 10-3-1 as of December 2008, mostly
fighting in Japan. He is well-known in Japan, where he has appeared in commercials,
television programs, and has released a music CD, It's Sapp Time. Sapp also appeared in
an episode of the HBO program Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. In Japan he has
appeared in 23 commercials, 200 times on TV, in 1000 interviews, on 200 products with
his name or image, as an author or subject of four books (according to his self-
introduction in the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 11, 2003). He is currently
wrestling for HUSTLE and has tentatively returned to fighting for K-1.
American football career
Bob Sapp began his athletic career in college football as a standout offensive lineman for
the University of Washington, where he won the Morris Award. Expected by some to get
high notice from pro scouts in the 1997 NFL Draft, he slipped to the third round before
being chosen by the Chicago Bears with the 69th overall. Although Sapp was under pro
contract for the next four seasons (Chicago Bears '97, Minnesota Vikings '98, Baltimore
Ravens '99, and Oakland Raiders '00 [2], each of which cut him within that season), he
appeared in only one regular season game before leaving football. Sapp went on to fight
(and defeat) William "The Refrigerator" Perry in a Toughman boxing special promoted by
the FX channel in 2000.
Professional wrestling
Bob Sapp's pro-wrestling career started in NWA Wildside in 2001. He was quickly
contracted by World Championship Wrestling as a developmental wrestler, before the
company was bought out by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (at that time
WWF).
In 2004, Sapp competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling, winning their IWGP Heavyweight
Championship, though it was vacated shortly thereafter due to a mixed martial arts fight
loss and film commitments.
On October 16, 2007, Bob Sapp made a surprise appearance at HUSTLE's Korakuen Hall
event. Attacking Razor Ramon HG and his partner. Sapp aligned himself with
Generalissimo Takada's MONSTER Army. He also announced that he would wrestle at the
HUSTLE Mania 11/25 Yokohama Arena event.[3]
His opponent was confirmed to be Razor Ramon HG on November 4, 2007,[4] and
defeated him in the resultant match.
Mixed martial arts career
Pride Fighting Championships
Sapp was subsequently recruited by the Japanese MMA organization Pride, where he
quickly became a fan favorite due to his size and aggression. After a number of successes
in Pride, Sapp was then invited by Kazuyoshi Ishii to K-1. Ishii, inventor of the fighting
sport K-1, saw in Sapp the combination of great potential and great marketability.
After arriving in Japan, Sapp fought a number of low level Japanese fighters, winning all
his bouts through sheer strength and size. During this time fans were first introduced to
Sapp's "bullrush" technique, whereby he would rush an opponent with punches, quickly
overwhelming them. Pride and K-1 collaborated to create a show billed "Dynamite" in
Japan and "Shockwave" in the United States. He faced then-champion Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira. Sapp was defeated and shortly afterward moved to K-1.
K-1
Despite losing his first fight by disqualification, Sapp was initially successful in K-1. He
twice defeated four-time K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost by technical knockout. Sapp's
initial success with his intimidating, blind chase-and-punch method slowly petered out
into disqualifications for bullrushing and punching after referee breaks. Additionally,
experienced opponents discovered Sapp's weak points—his vulnerable mid-section and
legs as well as his limited stamina. He also engaged in an ineffective but entertaining
defensive stance consisting of cowering away from attacks and spinning around in a
circle. In what marked the beginning of his K-1 decline, Sapp was knocked out by
Croatian Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović in 86 seconds at the March 30, 2003, Saitama event.
After Filipović landed several solid kicks to his sides and legs, an overhand left broke
Sapp's orbital bone. In May 2004 he tapped out while on the ground due to kicks and
strikes from Kazuyuki Fujita.
In June 2005, Sapp won the K-1 Japan Grand Prix in Hiroshima to become one of 16
fighters qualified for the 2005 K-1 World GP. In the Japan GP, Sapp showcased greatly
improved stamina, as well as better technique, than in his previous fights after intensive
training under Sam Greco. In the K-1 2005 World GP Eliminations he lost by decision to
"The Techno Goliath" Choi Hong-man.
On May 13, 2006, Sapp was to headline the K-1 show in Holland. His opponent was
Ernesto Hoost. Hoost stated in previous interviews and the interview on that show that
this was to be his last match in Holland before his retirement. Sapp attended all the pre-
fight press conferences and even attended the opening ceremonies for the show. It is
unclear at the moment as to why, but Sapp pulled out of the event midway through the
show.
K-1 issued a statement claiming Sapp pulled out due to new demands he brought to
promoters during the show. K-1 would not agree to those demands since they felt their
written contract was final and Sapp left. The full K-1 press release can be viewed on the
organization's website.
Sapp has not issued a statement, but a different point of view on the events that
occurred[3].
However, he did participate in this year's K-1 event in the Amsterdam Arena, fighting as
a replacement for Remy Bonjasky, against Peter Aerts. Sapp, however, lost the fight at
KO within 20 seconds in the first round by a knee .
He most recently has been getting offers from WWE again as well as Total Nonstop
Action Wrestling (TNA) to work with them, but his K-1 contract is prohibiting him from
going through with any return to the ring.
Sapp made a surprise return to the K-1 ring after a 2 year absence against comedian and
part time K-1 competitor Bobby Ologun. Ologun was unable to mount any effective
offense as he was quickly run down and overpowered by Sapp in the 1st round.
Sapp was also known to beat Butterbean in a Sumo rules K-1 matchup in 2001.
Cage Rage
On February 10, 2007 it was announced by the United Kingdom's Cage Rage promotion
- the biggest MMA group in Europe - that Sapp would appear on its Cage Rage 21
event on April 21, facing Gary Turner. The move is partly a retaliatory one, as the UFC
had chosen to run its first British show in years that same night at the Manchester
Evening News Arena, headlined by Mirko "Cro Cop", Andrei Arlovski and British star
Michael Bisping. Though Cage Rage promoter Andy Geer said that the UFC show would
not affect ticket sales for CR21, the signing of Sapp was a clear sign that the company
knew it would need a superstar draw in order to successfully compete with the American
promotion. A few days before the event Bob Sapp pulled out of the scheduled fight. At
short notice, Tank Abbott stepped in and lost to Turner.
Strikeforce
Bob Sapp faced the South African fighter Jan "The Giant" Nordte at the Strikeforce: At
The Dome event in Tacoma, Washington at the Tacoma Dome on February 23, 2008.
Sapp was defeated at the 55 second mark of the first round by TKO. His left eye was cut
open.