Zane Frazier

Zane Troy Frazier (born July 16, 1966) is an American former karateka, kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. After a successful career in karate during the 1980s in which he won numerous international accolades, Frazier then turned his hand to kickboxing and became a United States and North American Champion. After taking part at the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship event in 1993, he would continue his career in MMA until officially retiring in 2010.

Early life The son of Floyd and Bertha Frazier, he grew up in a Crips infested neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, and began training in martial arts in 1972 after seeing the film Fist of Fury.

Frazier graduated from Fairfax High School in 1980, and was recruited to play college basketball at the University of Idaho in Moscow under head coach Don Monson. He saw action as a true freshman in redshirted in and finished his bachelor's degree in 1986. In addition to his martial arts career, he later tried out for the New Jersey Jets.

Although his birth year is often given as 1966, this is age fabrication; he is four to five years older nowrap|(1961 or 1962).

On November 12, 1993, Frazier competed at UFC 1, a no-holds-barred fighting tournament and the very first mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He reportedly earned his place in the tournament by beating up Frank Dux in a street fight which was witnessed by UFC founders Rorion Gracie and Art Davie. Gracie and Davie had come to Los Angeles to scout the U.S. karate championships for potential fighters but saw Frazier and Dux's brawl beforehand. Frazier claims that he had been teaching classes for Dux and that Dux hadn't paid him; Dux disputes that account and says that Frazier sucker punched him while wearing brass knuckles.

In the UFC 1 tournament quarterfinals, Frazier faced fellow kickboxer Kevin Rosier. The match lasted 4 minutes and 20 seconds, ending with Rosier clubbing Frazier to the floor with a series of blows to the back of the head, then stomping on him before Frazier's corner threw in the towel. Frazier suffered respiratory failure and was rushed to hospital after the bout.

He returned to kickboxing the following year to win the WKF North American Super Heavyweight Championship but took his second MMA bout in September 1995 when he fought at Shooto: Vale Tudo Perception in Tokyo, Japan, knocking out Kendo Nagasaki thirty-six seconds into the fight. Having amassed a 17–0 kickboxing record in the United States, Frazier made his K-1 debut at K-1 Hercules in Nagoya, Japan on December 9, 1995, against Takeru and suffered his first defeat at the hands of the Seido karate stylist as he succumbed to a barrage of knees and punches in round two.

Frazier then made his way back to the UFC in May 1996 at UFC 9 and was defeated via technical knockout by Cal Worsham three minutes into the fight. In his second and last outing in K-1, he went up against Nobuaki Kakuda at K-1 Revenge '96 in Osaka, Japan on September 1, 1996. Despite having a massive size advantage, Frazier was knocked down with a low kick in round four and lost by unanimous decision.

Following this, Frazier continued his career in MMA and in his next fight against Sidney "Mestre Hulk" Gonçalves Freitas in Brazil, he was knocked out after falling from the ring and hitting his head on the floor. After this, he continued to fight throughout the 1990s and 2000s and recorded mostly losses. His final fight came in January 2008 and he was knocked out by Richard Blake.

Championships and awards

Karate California Karate Championships California Karate Championship (1991) California Karate Championship (1992) International Karate Championships International Karate Championship (1987) International Karate Championship (1990) North American Karate Championships North American Heavyweight Karate Championship (1984) North Western Karate Championships North Western Karate Championship (1984) USA Karate Championships USA Heavyweight Karate Championship (1984)

Kickboxing World Kickboxing Federation WKF United States Super Heavyweight Championship WKF North American Super Heavyweight Championship

Mixed martial arts Worldwide Fighting Championship WFC Heavyweight Championship

Kickboxing record

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Richard Blake KO (punches) NoLimit Fighting: Heavy Hands

Dallas, Texas, United States Win

Melville Calabaca TKO (punches) WFC: Fight Club

Loveland, Colorado, United States Win

Ron Rumpf KO (punches) WFC: Clash of the Titans

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Aaron Brink TKO (punches) WEC 3

Lemoore, California, United States Loss

Mark Smith TKO (punches) Ultimate Pankration 1

Cabazon, California, United States Win

Giant Ochiai Decision (unanimous) KOTC 10: Critical Mass

California, United States Loss

Bobby Hoffman Submission (armbar) RINGS USA: Battle of Champions

Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States Loss

Jason Godsey Submission (rear-naked choke) Extreme Challenge 23

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Loss

Dick Vrij KO (punch) RINGS Holland: Judgement Day

Amsterdam, Netherlands Loss

Vasily Kudin TKO (submission to punches) 1st Absolute Fighting World Cup Pankration

Tel Aviv, Israel Loss

Wes Gassaway TKO (submission to punches) IFC 4: Akwesasane

Hogansburg, New York, United States Loss

Mestre Hulk KO (fall from ring) World Vale Tudo Championship 3

Brazil Loss

Cal Worsham TKO (punches) UFC 9

Detroit, Michigan, United States Win

Kendo Nagasaki KO (punch) Shooto: Vale Tudo Perception

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Kevin Rosier TKO (corner stoppage) UFC 1

Denver, Colorado, United States