Kevin Christopher Randleman
(August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American
mixed martial artist,
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
and
professional wrestler, and former
UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in
collegiate wrestling, in which he became a two-time
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
and a three-time
Big Ten wrestling champion out of
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
. Randleman 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 ...
and
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 ...
classes in MMA. In addition to competing in the
UFC, Randleman also fought for other organizations such as
PRIDE
Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...
,
WVR, and
Strikeforce. He was previously associated with
Mark Coleman's
Team Hammer House, before training at
Randy Couture
Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...
's gym in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
.
On May 16, 2020, the UFC announced that Randleman would be inducted into the pioneer wing of the
UFC Hall of Fame.
Randleman is the first fighter to be posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Background
Randleman was born in
Sandusky, Ohio, and was one of eleven children. He had a humble upbringing and often engaged in street fights during childhood. Randleman attended
Sandusky High School, started all four years on the football team, ran track in which he qualified for the state finals, and had a 122–11 record while on the
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 ...
team, including winning the state championship in 1989.
Randleman then went to wrestle for
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
. His redshirt freshman year he had a string of 42 victories and a first-place finish in the
Big Ten Tournament, earned
All-American status, and dominated in the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
tournament, before losing in the tournament final to Mark Reiland of
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
.
Randleman then went undefeated during his sophomore year, and won the NCAA tournament.
Randleman again won the NCAA tournament in his junior year, despite having his jaw dislocated during the actual tournament.
His final collegiate wrestling record was 108 wins and 7 losses, with 28 pins. Despite having some of the most successful three years in the history of collegiate wrestling, including compiling the third best winning percentage in Ohio State wrestling history, Randleman became ineligible to wrestle in his senior year because of academic issues. After leaving Ohio State, Randleman attended
Lindenwood University.
However in 2002 Randleman was nominated as the Ohio State University Wrestler of the Century.
Kevin supported the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
troops whenever he could. While in
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
in 2008, Kevin traveled with other UFC fighters to visit the troops at the
4th Infantry Division's Modern Army Combatives tournament at
Camp Liberty. He quickly got down on the mats and gave an impromptu ground demonstration. Kevin eagerly posed for pictures and signed autographs for anyone who asked.
Mixed martial arts career
Randleman entered mixed martial arts in 1996 when
Mark Coleman, one of Randleman's coaches at Ohio State, offered him a spot in the Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 in Brazil. Randleman accepted and joined Coleman in what would be known as
Team Hammer House.
Universal Vale Tudo Fighting
Cornered by Coleman, Randleman made his debut on October 22, 1996 at Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 against Luiz Carlos Maciel, stopping him with punches in five minutes. He advanced to the next round to meet Canadian fighter Geza Kalman, who outweighed him by 40 pounds, and defeated him the same way in only 2 minutes more. Randleman reached the finals, where he encountered
Dan Severn's trainee
Dan Bobish. The latter controlled the first minutes from the
clinch, attempting
neck cranks and landing several punches, but Randleman skillfully escaped. The two then exchanged hard strikes, with Bobish getting the better of it, but Randleman scored a
takedown and
mounted him, from where he landed several strikes for the tournament win.
[PRIDE 27 Inferno Preview - Igor Vovchanchyn vs Dan Bobish]
/ref>
In March 1997, Randleman returned to the promotion for UVF 6, in finding a difficult opponent in the first round in luta livre
Luta Livre (, lit. ''freestyle fighting'' or ''wrestling''), known in Brazil as Luta Livre Brasileira (lit. ''Brazilian freestyle fighting'') or Luta Livre Submission, and also Brazilian Submission Wrestling, is a Brazilian martial arts and comb ...
veteran Ebenezer Fontes Braga. The American controlled the takedowns, but the Brazilian defended solidly with strikes both standing and from his guard every time, with Randleman attempting to sneak in ground and pound through the latter. The bout soon turned controversial, however, as Braga would end up exiting the ring beneath the ropes several times, at some points even being externally helped by his team.[PRIDE Grand Prix 2004 Critical Countdown Preview]
/ref> Later in the bout, Braga scored several kicks and knees over a gradually fatigued Randleman, but Randleman was still able to control the fight, and later landed a striking combo that sent Braga out of the ring. After 20 minutes of fighting, a unanimous decision was given to Randleman, who acknowledged Braga's effort too.[
Randleman's next opponent was acclaimed Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Mario "Sukata" Neto. The fight was shorter than the previous, but the situation repeated itself, as Neto dragged the match out by escaping the ring and even hitting him from outside.][UFC XX: Battle for the Gold Fighter Bios]
/ref> After managing to finish him with punches, Randleman advanced the finals to meet Carlson Gracie's trainee Carlos "Carlao" Barreto, another famous BJJ fighter. The fight started with a lengthy clinch battle, but Barreto pulled guard and attacked him with upkicks and strikes. The Brazilian remained on the ground, where Randleman attacked with ground and pound, but fatigue eventually caught with him, and Barreto was finally capable to lock a triangle choke for the win. The stoppage was disputed by Coleman, who wound up arguing with Gracie and his team.[
The end of Randleman's tenure in Brazil was at Brazil Open-'97 in June 1997. He beat Gustavo Homem de Neve in under two minutes, but he was then pitted against another decorated American wrestler, RAW team member Tom Erikson. Randleman attempted to push the 50 pounds heavier Erikson into the fence, but he was caught with a right hook, and then Erikson unloaded a series of big shots for the knock out. The Hammer House fighter had to be stretchered out with the help of Erikson himself. Randleman claimed he had befriended Erikson before the match and it was difficult for him to fight him.][
]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Randleman fought in the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions at UFC 19, UFC 20, UFC 23, UFC 26, UFC 28, UFC 31, and UFC 35. Beating Maurice Smith to become a top contender at UFC 19, he fought Bas Rutten for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 20, which was previously vacated by Randy Couture
Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...
. Randleman lost via a decision to Rutten, even though Randleman maintained positional superiority with takedowns, it was judged that Rutten was the more active fighter with strikes. This fight became infamous due to Mark Coleman's instructions before the second overtime that Randleman "smear the blood" from the cut he had created above Rutten's nose into his eye, so his opponent would not be able to see. This was a very controversial loss at the time, so much that the judges official criteria for how fights are scored and tallied was changed as a consequence.
Randleman achieved his goal to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion on November 19, 1999, beating Pete Williams at UFC 23 for the title which was vacated upon Rutten's retirement.
Before his scheduled fight as the main event at UFC 24, Randleman slipped on some pipes and fell on the concrete floor, which rendered him unconscious. As a result, he was pulled from the card. He was later diagnosed with a concussion. The UFC did not announce that his main event fight was cancelled until right before it was to take place. As a result, there was no main event to this card. His fight, scheduled with Pedro Rizzo, ended up taking place at UFC 26, Randleman won via unanimous decision.
However, he later lost the title to Randy Couture
Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...
at UFC 28 via TKO. After losing the title, he moved down to 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 ...
, feeling it was a more natural weight for his body, but suffered a setback, losing to Chuck Liddell at UFC 31 in his first fight at 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 ...
before beating Renato "Babalu" Sobral by unanimous decision in his final fight with the UFC.
PRIDE FC
On September 29, 2002, Randleman made his debut in Pride Fighting Championships, taking on Japanese wrestler Michiyoshi Ohara. Randleman acquired an easy victory, as Ohara appeared to have no intention of trying to fight Randleman right from the outset, and even tried to flee and grab the ropes several times in an attempt to avoid damage from Randleman. This match was panned by the audience and Randleman himself, who left the ring before being awarded his trophy, was visibly angry.
Throughout the course of 2002, Randleman gained victories over Kenichi Yamamoto via TKO after vicious knee strikes from north-south position and Murilo "Ninja" Rua via TKO by cutting Rua with a counter left hook. This winning streak would eventually put him in the spot of contender for the Pride Middeweight Championship, held by Wanderlei Silva. At Pride 25, Randleman faced another Middleweight contender, fellow American wrestler Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, in a match that determined the number one contender for Silva's belt. In the first round Randleman suffered his first loss in PRIDE, after an incredible knee- uppercut combination from Jackson knocked Randleman down. The referee stopped the fight after Rampage got dominant position and began landing strikes on Randleman.
Randleman faced Kazushi Sakuraba
is a Japanese professional wrestler, submission wrestling, submission wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently signed to Pro Wrestling NOAH, Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Championship, G ...
for his last match in 2003. Just three months before the fight with Sakuraba, Randleman was involved in a severe car accident in which he seized while driving his SUV. He hit a truck and was almost decapitated, but survived with a horrible head wound that required 180 stitches. However, he took an EKG test and several physical tests by a doctor which determined that he was medically okay to leave, and that there was essentially no issues other than the large skin wound. Randleman lost the fight to Sakuraba via a third-round armbar submission.
Randleman became one of the sixteen participants in the PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight Tournament, alongside teammate Mark Coleman. His first round match up at PRIDE Total Elimination 2004 was against former K-1 kickboxer Mirko Cro Cop, a participant heavily favored to win the entire tournament. Randleman knocked out Cro Cop by ground and pound following a left hook that surprised and knocked him down. In the second round, at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004, Randleman faced off against the reigning PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko. Again a heavy underdog, in a short bout he managed to suplex Fedor onto his head, landing in north-south position. This maneuver failed to damage Fedor, who quickly capitalized on Randleman's characteristic failure to inflict damage upon opponents from a dominant position by reversing him and submitting him with a kimura, thereby eliminating him from the tournament.
With his tournament journey over, Randleman went on to square off against friend and fellow American wrestler Ron Waterman at PRIDE Final Conflict 2004. Randleman picked up and slammed much bigger Waterman, and was ahead on the scorecards but made one mistake and lost by americana in the first round. At PRIDE Shockwave 2004 Randleman offered a rematch to Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop submitted Randleman in the first round via guillotine choke, avenging his loss and adding another loss to Randleman's losing streak in the process. In the Opening Round of PRIDE's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix, Kevin Randleman lost to Kazuhiro Nakamura via decision. In November 2005, Randleman appeared in Bushido Europe: Rotterdam Rumble, Europe's first Bushido event, and defeated Fatih Kocamis via decision, ending his losing streak, and giving him his first win in nearly a year.
Randleman was taken ill with a serious fungal lung infection after his Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
bout that had unknowingly been present for some time.[
] He underwent a successful surgery to have the infection removed. After recovering, he was scheduled to fight against Vitor Belfort at a Strikeforce event in San Jose, California
San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
on June 9, 2006, but was unable to, due to a recurrence of the infection. Belfort instead fought, and lost to, Alistair Overeem, by unanimous decision.
Kevin Randleman returned to PRIDE for their first show on American soil, Pride 32: The Real Deal on October 21, 2006, where he was quickly submitted with a toe hold in the first round by 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Maurício "Shogun" Rua. This match-up was made partly to capitalize on an incident where Mark Coleman fought Rua and broke his arm with a trip takedown. After the referee stopped the fight, a brawl ensued. Chute Boxe and Hammer House members then entered the ring, clashing verbally and physically, creating bad blood between the two teams.
Controversy, illness and suspension from fighting
After the bout with Rua, Randleman failed a drug test administered by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Randleman submitted a urine sample lacking any hormones to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. This indicated that the sample was fake. On January 19, 2007, Randleman was hospitalized due to serious damage to his kidneys. In an interview with MMAWeekly, he stated he failed to submit a urine sample due to his use of painkillers and antibiotic
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...
s after his previous surgeries that may have prevented him from being cleared to fight, and his health issues were a result of the cumulative effects of his surgeries, medication and fighting on his body.
The Nevada Athletic Commission met on February 16, 2007, to discuss the fake sample and revoked Randleman's license to fight. He was able to reapply for a license after October 21, 2007, a year from the date of his loss to Maurício Rua.
In 2007, Randleman was sidelined for more than a year when a staph infection under his arm leaked into his bloodstream. The infection nearly killed him; it left a gaping hole under his arm, shut down his liver and kidney and left him in a coma.
He was quoted as saying "It looked like someone had taken a shotgun and shot me up close," says Randleman. After dismissing his symptoms for five weeks, he was admitted to the hospital in septic condition. Doctors were forced to remove portions of Randleman's lateral and pectoral muscles in an attempt to eradicate the staph bacteria from his body.
In October 2007, he was quoted as saying of the staph infection "I was in critical condition for almost three weeks and I am two weeks out of the hospital now ... pain is just part of the healing, and it hurts a lot.... I had two organs shut down again. I think what I need to do is stop enduring the pain and go see the doctors earlier."
World Victory Road: Sengoku
After one year and seven months of lay off due to kidney problems, a staph infection and suspension, Randleman came back with a unanimous decision over Ryo Kawamura
is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and the former executive president of Pancrase, Pancrase Inc. A professional MMA competitor from 2005 until 2014, Kawamura most notably competed for Pancrase, where h ...
on May 18, 2008, at Sengoku 2.
Randleman's next fight was scheduled to be on June 21, 2008, against Jeff Monson at the Godz of War; however, Randleman injured his shoulder while training. Ricco Rodriguez replaced him and fought Monson, losing a unanimous decision.
Randleman said that he would fight at Sengoku 6 in November, but did not. Later, he explained that he injured his shoulder very seriously in his comeback fight against Ryo Kawamura
is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and the former executive president of Pancrase, Pancrase Inc. A professional MMA competitor from 2005 until 2014, Kawamura most notably competed for Pancrase, where h ...
, so he took a long rest.
On November 7, 2009, Randleman fought Bulgarian prospect Stanislav Nedkov at Sengoku 11. Randleman started the fight with a good left leg kick and takedown. He used elevators and reversals to avoid damage from Nedkov, when Nedkov made a few takedowns. In the 3rd round Randleman repeated his strong left leg kick and used his new blue belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to avoid bottom positions and back immediately to the top positions on the ground. After three rounds the judges rendered a controversial split decision, with one judge for Randleman and two judges for Nedkov.
Strikeforce
At the Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz press conference it was announced that he had finalised the signing of a contract with Strikeforce.
Randleman's Strikeforce debut was on June 6 against journeyman and IFL standout Mike Whitehead at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields. Randleman looked to grapple immediately in the fight, whilst Whitehead controlled the fight on the feet. Whitehead won the first two rounds using takedowns but Randleman employed the use of reversals very competently to avoid significant damage. In the third round Randleman, having seemingly lost the previous rounds, threw caution to the wind and loosened his arms, becoming reckless with his strikes, but knocking his opponent down with a left hook to the chin. Randleman charged in to finish Whitehead and landed a few shots to Whitehead's head, but was unable to capitalize effectively on the knock-down. All three judges scored the bout 29–28 in favor of Whitehead.
Randleman lost to Strikeforce newcomer Roger Gracie via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round of their 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 ...
bout on May 15, 2010, at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery.[Randleman vs. Gracie, Villasenor vs. "Jacare" official for May 15 Strikeforce event](_blank)
. MMAjunkie.com (April 23, 2010). Retrieved on 2012-05-05. He lost 10 out of his last 13 fights. Following the loss to Russian black belt 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 ...
ka, Baga Agaev with Agaev submitting Randleman with a modified armbar and dislocating his elbow, Randleman had decided to retire.
Professional wrestling career
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002)
Randleman debuted in professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
in 2002 as part of All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...
's Wrestle-1
was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed b ...
project, which brought several mixed martial artists and kickboxers to take part in wrestling matches. Teaming up with Mark Coleman, Randleman wrestled Hiroshi Hase and Satoshi Kojima in a losing effort. They returned for the next Wrestle-1 event, defeating the masked tag team of Jan the Giant Convict and Singh the Giant Convict.
Pro Wrestling Zero1 (2003–2004)
In July 2003, Randleman started working for Pro Wrestling Zero-One, teaming up with The Predator to take part in the OH Tag Festival tournament. They performed well, eliminating Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Yuki Ishikawa at the first round and Emblem ( Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani) at the second, but they lost in the finals to Naoya Ogawa and Katsuhisa Fujii.
Hustle (2004–2007)
The next year, Randleman started appearing in Zero-One's partner promotion Hustle. Introduced as a member of heel faction Takada Monster Army and managed by Takada's secretary Ute Werner, Randleman had his first singles match against Wataru Sakata, but he lost despite Werner trying to intervene in his favor. Due to the loss, he was expelled from the Monster Army, so he sought refuge in babyface faction Hustle Army, led by Naoya Ogawa.
After two years of inactivity, Kevin returned to Hustle in June 2007, adopting the masked superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
persona of "Randleman" and teaming up with fellow superheroes Kintaman and Kurodaman. His former partner Mark Coleman also joined the team, making it a quartet. In September 2007, Randleman made his last appearance in Hustle, defeating Kohei Sato and Piranha Monster alongside Coleman.
In February 2009, Randleman made a challenge to WWE pro-wrestler Kofi Kingston on a St. Louis FOX Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...
MMA show called Absolute Wrestling Radio!
Personal life
Kevin married Barbara on August 28, 2000. After hardships, they divorced on May 26, 2005. Kevin married his longtime girlfriend and publicist, Elizabeth Broglia, on April 25, 2009. He had four children: Calvin, Jasmine, Madolyn, and Santino.
After his professional fighting career, Randleman founded a non-profit program called ''Monster Wrestling Academy'' at Coronado High School in which he taught wrestling to kids alongside other volunteer coaches like Phil Baroni.
Death
Randleman died while traveling for business on February 11, 2016; complications of pneumonia were the cause of death. He was 44 years old.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
* 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 Hall of Fame (Pioneer Wing, Class of 2020)
** UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time; former)
*** One successful title defense
** UFC Road To The Heavyweight Title Tournament Runner-Up (1999)
** UFC Encyclopedia Awards
*** Fight of the Night (One time)
* Universal Vale Tudo Fighting
** UVTF 4 Tournament Champion
** UVTF 6 Tournament Finalist
*Brazil Open
**Brazil Open '97 Heavyweight Tournament Runner-Up
* Fight Matrix
** Knockout of the Year (2004) vs. Mirko Cro Cop on April 25
* FIGHT! Magazine
** Knockout of the Year (2004) vs. Mirko Cro Cop on April 25
* MMA Fighting
** Most Lopsided Upset of the Year (2004)
Collegiate wrestling
*National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
**NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
Division I 177 lb – Champion out of Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
(1992, 1993)
**NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
Division I 167 lb – Runner-up out of Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
(1991)
**NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
All-American out of Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
(1991, 1992, 1993)
**Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
Wrestler of the Century (20th Century)
*Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
** Big Ten 177 lb – Champion out of Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
(1991, 1992, 1993)
Mixed martial arts record
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 17–16
, Baga Agaev
, Submission (armbar)
, FEFoMP - Mayor's Cup 2011
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 4:05
, Khabarovsk, Russia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 17–15
, Roger Gracie
, Submission (rear-naked choke)
, Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 4:10
, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 17–14
, Stanislav Nedkov
, Decision (split)
, World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, 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
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 17–13
, Mike Whitehead
, Decision (unanimous)
, Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 17–12
, Ryo Kawamura
is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and the former executive president of Pancrase, Pancrase Inc. A professional MMA competitor from 2005 until 2014, Kawamura most notably competed for Pancrase, where h ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 2
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, 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
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 16–12
, Maurício Rua
, Submission (kneebar)
, Pride 32 - The Real Deal
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:35
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, Nevada, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 16–11
, Fatih Kocamis
, Decision (unanimous)
, Bushido Europe: Rotterdam Rumble
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 5:00
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
, Netherlands
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 15–11
, Kazuhiro Nakamura
, Decision (unanimous)
, PRIDE Total Elimination 2005
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 15–10
, Mirko Cro Cop
, Submission (guillotine choke)
, PRIDE Shockwave 2004
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:42
, Saitama, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 15–9
, Ron Waterman
, Submission (americana)
, PRIDE Final Conflict 2004
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 7:44
, Saitama, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 15–8
, Fedor Emelianenko
, Submission (kimura)
, PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:33
, Saitama, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 15–7
, Mirko Cro Cop
, KO (punches)
, PRIDE Total Elimination 2004
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:57
, Saitama, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 14–7
, Kazushi Sakuraba
is a Japanese professional wrestler, submission wrestling, submission wrestler and former mixed martial artist, currently signed to Pro Wrestling NOAH, Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was formerly one-half of the former GHC Tag Team Championship, G ...
, Submission (armbar)
, PRIDE Final Conflict 2003
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 2:36
, 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
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 14–6
, Quinton Jackson
, KO (knee and punches)
, PRIDE 25
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 6:58
, Yokohama
is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 14–5
, Murilo Rua
, TKO (doctor stoppage)
, PRIDE 24
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 0:20
, Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 13–5
, Kenichi Yamamoto
, TKO (knees)
, PRIDE 23
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 1:16
, 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
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 12–5
, Michiyoshi Ohara
, Decision (unanimous)
, PRIDE 22
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 11–5
, Brian Foster
, KO (punch)
, RFC: The Beginning
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:20
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, Nevada, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 10–5
, Renato Sobral
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC 35
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Uncasville, Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9–5
, Chuck Liddell
, KO (punches)
, UFC 31
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:18
, Atlantic City, New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9–4
, Randy Couture
Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...
, TKO (punches)
, UFC 28
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 4:13
, Atlantic City, New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 9–3
, Pedro Rizzo
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC 26
,
, align=center, 5
, align=center, 5:00
, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 8–3
, Pete Williams
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC 23
,
, align=center, 5
, align=center, 5:00
, Urayasu, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 7–3
, Bas Rutten
, Decision (split)
, UFC 20
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 21:00
, Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 7–2
, Maurice Smith
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC 19
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 15:00
, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 6–2
, Tom Erikson
, KO (punches)
, rowspan=2, Brazil Open-'97
, rowspan=2,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:11
, rowspan=2, Brazil
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 6–1
, Gustavo Homem de Neve
, TKO (submission to elbow)
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:21
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 5–1
, Carlos Barreto
, Technical Submission (triangle choke)
, rowspan=3, Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6
, rowspan=3,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 22:24
, rowspan=3, Brazil
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 5–0
, Mário Neto
, TKO (submission to punches)
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 11:24
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 4–0
, Ebenezer Fontes Braga
, Decision
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 20:00
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 3–0
, Dan Bobish
, TKO (submission to punches)
, rowspan=3, Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4
, rowspan=3,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 5:50
, rowspan=3, Brazil
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 2–0
, Geza Kalman
, TKO (punches)
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 7:37
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Luiz Carlos Maciel
, TKO (submission to punches)
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 5:14
,
References
External links
*
*
Official website for Kevin Randleman
Kevin Randleman at Wrestlinghalloffame.com
August 2007 interview
January 2009 Interview
9, 2009T22_16_34-08_00 January 2009 Interview with AWR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randleman, Kevin
1971 births
2016 deaths
Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio
American male sport wrestlers
American male mixed martial artists
American male professional wrestlers
American catch wrestlers
African-American mixed martial artists
Light heavyweight mixed martial artists
Heavyweight mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling
Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing
Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Ohio State University alumni
Ultimate Fighting Championship champions
American sportspeople in doping cases
Doping cases in mixed martial arts
Ohio State Buckeyes wrestlers
Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters
American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
20th-century African-American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen