David Beneteau (born June 22, 1967) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former

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 ...

who is best known for his appearances 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 ( ...

UFC 5 ''UFC 5: The Return of the Beast'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 7, 1995, at the Independence Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The event was seen live on pay per view in the ...

, 6, 15 and, '' Ultimate Ultimate 1995''. Toward the end of his mixed martial arts career, Beneteau also performed professional wrestling matches for

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

and other promotions in Japan and Canada. 'Dangerous' Dave Beneteau retired from mixed martial arts to attend law school in 2002. He was admitted to the bar in 2003 and practiced primarily as a criminal defense lawyer under the tutelage of renowned Toronto defence lawyer, John Rosen, until 2007. In 2015, Beneteau earned a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

and is now a General Counsel for Movati Athletics in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Beneteau debuted in the

at its

event in April 1995. He was billed as a

Wrestler 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 diffe ...

with experience and success in

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 ...

. He finished his first opponent,

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 ...

practitioner Asbel Cancio, in only 21 seconds, needing just a takedown and a flurry of quick

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 ...

to do so. Beneteau then faced

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 ...

expert Todd Medina and defeated him in very much the same way, and then reached the finals, where he was pitted against wrestling champion and future hall-of-famer

Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Beast", is an American retired professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of ...

. The fight was hard-fought but short, with Severn tripping Beneteau down from the clinch and locking a keylock for the win. Dave returned in

UFC 6 ''UFC 6: Clash of the Titans'' was the sixth mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 14, 1995, at the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyoming, Casper, Wyoming. The event was seen live on pay per view in the Unit ...

, where he faced former Russian

Sambo Sambo may refer to: Places * Sambo, Angola, a commune in Tchicala Tcholohanga, Huambo Province, Angola * Sambo Creek, a village in Honduras People * Ferdy Sambo (born 1973), former Indonesian police general * Khem Sambo (1961–2011), Cambodi ...

champion

Oleg Taktarov Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov (; born 26 August 1967) is a Russian actor and retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He was a practitioner of Sambo (martial art), Sambo and Judo and competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride ...

in the first round. Beneteau initiated the match with heavy punches and an early takedown, but Taktarov caught Beneteau in a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compared to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

for the win. Beneteau's dynamic style and skill earned him passage to one of the UFC's first tournament of champions, the Ultimate Ultimate 1995, which granted him a highly anticipated rematch against Taktarov. Beneteau lost again by way of an inverted rolling ankle lock.

Brazil and Japan

After his first UFC tenure, Beneteau made an appearance in Brazilian promotion Universal Vale Tudo Fighting, entering its UVF 4 tournament. Other decorated wrestlers with connections to UFC participated, among them

Kevin Randleman Kevin Christopher Randleman (August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist, amateur and professional wrestler, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in collegiate wrestling, in which he ...

and

Dan Bobish Daniel Emerson Bobish ( ; born January 26, 1970) is a retired American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He was competing in the Super Heavyweight (no limit) division. He is a former King of the Cage Super Heavyweight Champion ...

. In the first round, Beneteau faced famed Brazilian

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

, Egidio "Sombra da Noite" Amaro da Costa, and made short work of him, taking down and submitting Amaro by keylock. The Canadian then advanced to fight the 50 pounds heavier Bobish, who controlled the bout with a guillotine choke with several strikes until getting the win by a cut. Beneteau then travelled to Japan, where he defeated UFC II Tournament runner-up Patrick Smith in under a minute.

Return to UFC

Beneteau made his final UFC appearance in 1997, where he faced the

Carlson Gracie Carlson Gracie (August 13, 1932 – February 1, 2006) was a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. A member of the Gracie family, he was the eldest son of Carlos Gracie, and nephew to Hélio Gracie, founders of Gracie jiu-jitsu. Carlson ...

apprentice and world heavyweight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Carlos Barreto. The latter was a heavy favorite entering the bout, having won the UVF 4 tournament and coming with a 7-0 record. Accordingly, Beneteau was in heavy danger at the beginning of the fight, as Barreto took his back and landed strikes to the back of his head while pursuing a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

, but the Canadian managed to escape and returned the favor via ground and pound against the fence. Due to this, Barreto changed his strategy and hit Beneteau with punches and kicks, but Beneteau executed a takedown and kept hitting with heavy hands through the Brazilian's

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

. After several strikes scored, Beneteau was declared the winner by the judges' decision.

Professional wrestling career

While training with

in Coldwater, Michigan, and during a meeting in Severn's office,

called looking to book Severn for a tournament in Osaka. Since Severn was already booked that weekend, he suggested Beneteau could do the booking for him. Beneteau agreed and Severn trained him in the basics of pro wrestling so that he could perform for New Japan. Beneteau then began to work with

Don Frye Donald Frye (born November 23, 1965) is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. In MMA, he was one of the sport's earliest well-rounded fighters and won the '' UFC 8'' and '' David vs. Goliath 96'' tournament ...

and

Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980 at the age of 32, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. Johnson was one of the founding members of th ...

in New Japan under the ''Club 245'' stable which was named after the State of California criminal code for assault and bodily harm. Dave participated in a lot of tag team matches with Frye and even had singles matches with

Yuji Nagata is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, and former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Considered one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers ...

Yoji Anjo (born March 28, 1967) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Anjo is considered to be one of the pioneers of the shoot style movement during the 1980s and early 90s. Professional wrestling career Uni ...

and

Naoya Ogawa (born 31 March 1968) is a Japanese world champion judoka, retired professional wrestler, and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He won a total of seven medals at the All-Japan Judo Championships (second only behind Yasuhiro Yamashita), an ...

. Beneteau also did some work with

Scott D'Amore Scott Francis D'Amore (born August 8, 1974) is a Canadian professional wrestling manager, promoter, booker and retired professional wrestler, best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he served as the president an ...

Border City Wrestling Border City Wrestling (BCW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion owned and booked by Scott D'Amore, and based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Many of the promotion's employees were trained at the ''Can-Am'' wrestling school. Afte ...

and

Antonio Inoki (born ; 20 February 1943 – 1 October 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, martial arts, martial artist, politician, and Promoter (entertainment), promot ...

's ''Universal Fighting Arts Organization'' (UFO).

Championships and accomplishments

*Canadian Juvenile Freestyle Wrestling Champion, 1984 *Canadian Juvenile Freestyle Wrestling Champion, 1985 *Canadian Junior Freestyle Wrestling Champion, 1986 *United States Junior Freestyle Wrestling, Bronze Medalist, 1986 *Canadian Junior Freestyle Wrestling Champion, 1987 *United States Junior Freestyle Wrestling Champion, 1987

Mixed martial arts record

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San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( , ; ) is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet, California, Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, Beaumont to its north. The mountains ...

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Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada , , - , Draw , align=center, 5–4–1 ,

Elvis Sinosic Elvis Sinosic (born 13 February 1971) is an Australian retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He also competed in the Cage Rage Championships, K-1, and Pancrase. Sinosic is currentl ...

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, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–4 , Carlos Barreto , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 , Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S. , , - , Win , align=center, 4–4 , Patrick Smith , TKO (submission to punches) , U - Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

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, Submission (Achilles hold) , Ultimate Ultimate 1995 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

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, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the List of municipalities in Wyoming, second-most populous city in the state after Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne, with the population at 59,038 as of th ...

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, Submission (keylock) , rowspan=3,

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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 ...

, U.S. , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Todd Medina , TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Asbel Cancio , TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beneteau, Dave 1968 births Living people Canadian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Sportspeople from Windsor, Ontario Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Canadian male sport wrestlers Canadian male judoka 20th-century Canadian sportsmen