Erik Paulson (born June 28, 1966) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He is the first American to win the World Light Heavyweight Shooto Championship in Japan.

Biography

Erik started his career in martial arts starting with

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

at age of eight. However, he got disillusioned after failing to use it in self-defense, when a bully blocked his hip throw by pulling his hair and forced Erik to strike him in order to win. Convinced that striking arts were the best to defend himself, he took up

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

Boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

, and

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

. Many years after, he moved to California and became a student under Dan Inosanto, Gene Lebell, and

Benny Urquidez Benny Urquidez (born June 20, 1952) is an American former professional kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed "The Jet", Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the United St ...

, learning styles like

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

Jeet Kune Do Jeet Kune Do (/ˌdʒiːt kuːn ˈdoʊ/; zh, c=截拳道, l=stop fist way' or 'way of the intercepting fist, j=zit6 kyun4 dou6; abbreviated JKD) is a hybrid martial art conceived and practiced by martial artist Bruce Lee. It was formed from ...

Savate Savate (), also known as French Boxing (French language, French: ''Boxe Française'') or French Foot Fighting, is a French hybrid martial art and full-contact combat sport that combines principles of boxing, western boxing with a wide variety ...

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

, Sambo,

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

Chin Na Qin Na () is the set of joint lock techniques used in the Chinese martial arts to control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so they cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability. ''Qin Na Shu'' ( meaning "techniq ...

, Dumog, Panantukan, and

Silat Silat is the collective term for a class of martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippi ...

. In 1988, however, Paulson returned to explore grappling when he started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rorion, Royce and

Rickson Gracie Rickson Gracie (; born November 21, 1959) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the third oldest son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin ...

in his garage. Upon returning to Inosanto's academy, he met Yorinaga Nakamura, who taught him

Shoot Wrestling Shoot wrestling is a Japanese hybrid grappling style and combat sport. Shoot wrestling incorporates techniques from various wrestling, submission grappling, kickboxing and karate styles. It was particularly inspired and influenced by catch ...

. Paulson also trained extensively in

Catch Wrestling Catch wrestling (also known as catch-as-catch-can) is an English wrestling style where wrestlers aim to win by Pin (sport wrestling), pinning or Submission (combat sports), submitting their opponent using any legal holds or techniques. It emph ...

under Billy Robinson. Paulson got hooked with the style, and through Nakamura he got in touch with Satoru Sayama in order to fight in

Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a ...

. In 1993, Erik had his first fight there, submitting Kazuhiro Kusayanagi. He also asked to compete in

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

, but the Gracies refused as Royce was already going to compete there, so Paulson ended up cornering him instead. Later, in 1995, Paulson took part in an MMA tournament similar to UFC, World Combat Championships, which divided its participants in "strikers" and "grapplers" in order to pit them against each other in the finals. Again, a Gracie participated in the event, Renzo, but this time Paulson got the green light to take part in the tournament. Unfortunately, Paulson was put into the striker block, in which rules prohibited submission finishes, and it took away Erik's best field. Moreover, his long hair played against him, as he couldn't cut it due to his role as a film stuntman. His first match, against

exponent Sean McCully, evidenced both disadvantages, with Paulson having to endure hair pulling and a significant punishment in order to finish him by

ground and pound Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the solid terrestrial surface of the Earth * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical circ ...

. At the second round, he faced Kickboxing champion James Warring, heavier and better rested, and this time Paulson's hair weakness took dramatic proportions; Warring grabbed the cage in order to avoid being taken down and literally dragged Paulson around the cage by the hair, making his corner throw the towel. After returning to the Gracie academy, Rickson expelled him without explanation and forbade him to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu again, but Paulson simply moved to train it with the Machado brothers. Paulson still competed in Shooto, being sent as a representative to the Vale Tudo Japan event, where he was submitted in 0:41 by Canadian grappler Carlos Newton. He retired shortly after, focusing in teaching as opposed to fighting, though he came out of retirement in October 2007 to headline the first HDNET MMA fight card. Paulson took on Jeff Ford in the main event of the night. Paulson made quick work of Ford, winning by spinning armbar in the opening minutes of the first round. Erik is the founder of ''Combat Submission Wrestling'', and ''STX Kickboxing''. He runs the CSW Training Center in

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and S ...

, where he trains MMA fighters such as Josh Barnett,

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock ( né Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock. He is best known ...

, Renato Sobral,

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, S ...

, and James Wilks. He is closely affiliated with

Sean Sherk Sean Keith Sherk (born August 5, 1973) is a retired American mixed martial artist and former UFC Lightweight Champion. Sherk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was one of the first combatants to have been a championship competit ...

and

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...

of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. As well, Paulson was the striking coach for Team Lesnar on The Ultimate Fighter: Season 13, and he is the coauthor of a book along with American Combat Association president Matthew Granahan and JD Dwyer on the History of American Submission Wrestling. He also has a younger brother, Leif Paulson, who is an up-and-coming grappler in his own right. He wrestled for

Inoki Genome Federation The (IGF), also known in China as International Glory Fighting, was a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007. History Antonio Inoki founded the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) after se ...

in 2008. Erik played Kumite fighter Stellio in '' Bloodsport III'', where his character faced Alex Cardo played by Daniel Bernhardt. He trained

Djimon Hounsou Djimon Gaston Hounsou ( ; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in '' Without You I'm Nothing'' (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as C ...

in Shoot Wrestling for his role of Mixed Martial Arts instructor Jean Roqua in the 2008 action drama '' Never Back Down''.

Championships and accomplishments

** Shooto Light Heavyweight Championship

Mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, , Jeff Ford , Submission (armbar) , HDNF 1: HD Net Fights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4–2 ,

Ronald Jhun Ronald Andrew Jhun Jr. (born September 21, 1970) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 1998, Jhun has formerly competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, ...

, Decision (unanimous) , SB 17: SuperBrawl 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, United States ,

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 9–4–2 ,

Masanori Suda Masanori Suda (born July 7, 1973) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. Suda is known primarily for his time in Shooto, where he is a former Light Heavyweight Champion. ...

, TKO (punches) , Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:48 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan ,

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4–2 , Carlos Newton , Submission (armbar) , VTJ 1997: Vale Tudo Japan 1997 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,

Urayasu 260px, Old Urayasu is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 170,533 in 81,136 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Urayasu is best known as the home of Tokyo Dis ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3–3 , Paul Jones , Decision (majority) , Shooto: Reconquista 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 8–2–2 , Paul Jones , Draw , EF 4: Extreme Fighting 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2–1 , Stuart Harrison , Submission (armbar) , Shooto: Reconquista 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2–1 , Matt Hume , TKO (cut) , EF 3: Extreme Fighting 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:44 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, United States ,

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 7–1–1 ,

Kenji Kawaguchi ) is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division. Career Vale Tudo Japan After a 10–0–4 career in Shooto, Kawaguchi represented the promotion in the event Vale Tudo Japan ...

, Submission (toe hold) , Shooto: Vale Tudo Junction 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:23 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1–1 , Todd Bjornethun , Submission (guillotine choke) , Shooto: Vale Tudo Junction 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:26 ,

, Japan ,

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1–1 , James Warring , TKO (corner stoppage) , WCC 1: First Strike , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 16:08 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, United States ,

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 5–0–1 , Sean McCully , TKO (submission to strikes) , WCC 1: First Strike , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:17 ,

, United States ,

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 4–0–1 , Yasunori Okuda , Technical submission (keylock) , Shooto: Vale Tudo Perception , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0–1 ,

Ben Spijkers Bernhard Hendrikus Martinus Spijkers (born 10 March 1961) is a Dutch retired judoka who represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics (Judo at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's 86 kg, 1984, Judo at the 1988 Summer Olympics ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Shooto: Complete Vale Tudo Access , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 0:38 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0–1 ,

, Technical submission (armbar) , Shooto: Vale Tudo Access 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:03 ,

, Japan ,

debut. , - , Draw , align=center, 1–0–1 , Naoki Sakurada , Draw , Shooto: Shooto , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Kazuhiro Kusayanagi , Submission (triangle choke) , Shooto: Shooto , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:46 ,

, Japan ,

Submission grappling record

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Xande Ribeiro Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro (born January 20, 1981) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He is a two-time World Black Belt Absolute (open weight) World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, five-time World Black Bel ...

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References

External links

Biography

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Submission grappling record

See also

References

External links