Dick Vrij is a retired Dutch professional wrestler and

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 ...

. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2003, he competed in the

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 ...

division for RINGS and It's Showtime.

Professional wrestling career

A former

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

and club bouncer, Vrij started training martial arts at the Chris Dolman gym. He had his debut to a worldwide audience when he wrestled a special match in Japanese pro wrestling promotion UWF Newborn, facing

Yoshiaki Fujiwara is a Japanese professional wrestler, trainer and wrestling promoter. He is famous for his long career in wrestling, having worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE (ZERO-ONE), and the two incarnations of shoot style pro ...

in a losing effort. He would return to defeat

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 lose again to Fujiwara. When the promotion closed, Dolman and Vrij followed UWF member

Akira Maeda (born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed martial arts promoter, writer and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Maeda was also known by the ring name Kwik-kik-Lee durin ...

to his Fighting Network RINGS promotion in 1990, becoming full time wrestlers for it.

Mixed martial arts career

Fighting Network RINGS

Vrij took part in RINGS's first main event, wrestling Maeda himself. He later became famous for his

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

strikes and intimidating physique, being nicknamed "Cyborg". Vrij competed both in pro wrestling and shoot matches, having the first of them at the event RINGS Mega Battle IV, where he knocked out

Mitsuya Nagai , better known as , is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor from 1991 until 2013, he fought the majority of his career in Fighting Network RINGS. Once a student of legend ...

with a palm strike. He would defeat him in a rematch in RINGS Holland, knocking Nagai several times before winning by knee strike. They faced again in a rubber match in RINGS Maelstrom 6, but an improved Nagai capitalized on Vrij's lack of grappling skill and submitted him with a

heel hook Heel hook may refer to: * Heel hook, in grappling * A climbing technique Climbing technique refers to a broad range of physical movements used in the activity or sport of climbing. Notable sub-groups of climbing technique include: *Aid climbin ...

. Vrij would have another fight in Holland in 1997 against Pedro Palm, but the bout went to no contest due to Vrij landing an illegal kick while Palm was downed. In February 1998, Vrij took on

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 ( ...

fighter

Paul Varelans Paul Varelans (September 17, 1969 – January 16, 2021) was an American professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1995 to 1996, and had a worked match in Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1996. B ...

in a

vale tudo Vale Tudo or vale-tudo (; ), also known as No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few Regulation of sport, rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would eventua ...

rules match for his return to RINGS Holland. Dick fought in bad health and under heavy

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...

medication for a foot injury gained in a wrestling match with

Valentijn Overeem Valentijn Overeem (; born 17 August 1976) is a Dutch retired professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor since 1996, he has previously fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, RINGS, KSW, the World Fighti ...

, but he did not back down from the event. The subsequent match was controversial, as although Dick dominated the first round with multiple unanswered combos, drawing abundant blood from Varelans's face and hitting

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 ...

from the mount, the referee repeatedly pushed Vrij aside and restarted the bout instead of stopping it. At the second round, Vrij felt the effects of his health, and Varelans capitalized to land a right punch and knock him out, winning the match. Vrij bounced back from the loss at the next Holland event, defeating another UFC alumnus in the form of Zane Frazier.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 7–7 (1) , Barrington Patterson , KO (punch) , It's Showtime: Amsterdam Arena , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–7 (1) ,

Chris Haseman Chris Haseman (born 2 June 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian mixed martial artist. Haseman is currently signed with Fighting Network RINGS and is a longtime veteran of the promotion (1995–2012). Regarded as a pioneer of MM ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , RINGS Australia: NR 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:17 , Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–6 (1) , Zane Frazier , KO (punch) , RINGS Holland: Judgement Day , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–6 (1) ,

Wataru Sakata is a Japanese people, Japanese retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. A professional MMA competitor from 1994 until 2016, Sakata fought for Fighting Network RINGS, Pride FC, Deep (mixed martial arts), Deep a ...

, TKO , RINGS: World Mega Battle Tournament , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–5 (1) ,

, KO (punch) , RINGS Holland: The King of Rings , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:30 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 (1) , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , N/A , RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1997 Final , , align=center, 0 , align=center, 0:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 (1) , Tariel Bitsadze , Submission (rear-naked choke) , RINGS: Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:07 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 (1) ,

Tony Halme Tony Christian Halme (January 6, 1963 – January 8, 2010) was a Finnish politician, athlete, author, actor, and singer. He was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2007 as an independent elected on the True Finns party list. Halme was ...

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , RINGS: Extension Fighting 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 , Japan , , - , NC , align=center, 3–3 (1) , Pedro Palm , No Contest , RINGS Holland: The Final Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 ,

Tsuyoshi Kosaka is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist, submission grappler and professional wrestler who competed in the Heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor from 1994 till 2022, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, ...

, N/A , RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round , , align=center, 0 , align=center, 0:00 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , RINGS: Maelstrom 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:16 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Hubert Numrich , Submission (forearm choke) , RINGS Holland: Kings of Martial Arts , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 ,

, N/A , RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round , , align=center, 0 , align=center, 0:00 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

, KO (knee) , RINGS Holland: Free Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:07 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, KO , RINGS: Budokan Hall 1995 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

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 ,

References

External links