Tank Abbott
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David Lee "Tank" Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American retired
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
fighter,
professional wrestler 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 wrest ...
, and author. He currently hosts his own podcast series titled "The Proving Ground with Tank Abbott." Abbott is perhaps best known for being an icon in the early stages of mixed martial arts and the
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
, but has also competed in the
PRIDE Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
,
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,
EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States–based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decem ...
, and
Cage Rage Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...
, challenging for the
UFC heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...
once in 1997. His fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of
Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...
, was described by his future manager Dave Thomas as "Pit Fighting". He also authored a novel titled ''Bar Brawler''.


Background

Abbott was born and raised in
Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...
. Abbott began practicing
amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...
when he was nine years old, and continued through high school where he also played football. He then continued
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 ...
in college at
Cypress College Cypress College is a public community college in Cypress, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and belongs to the North Orange County Community College District. It offers a variety of general education (55 associat ...
, where he was a
CCCAA The California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A; formerly CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in ...
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
. He then attended
California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...
where he graduated with a degree in history. During this time he was trained in
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 ...
by Noe Cruz who also trained world champion boxer Carlos Palomino at the Westminster Boxing Gym. However, Abbott was mainly known for the many
street fights Street fighting or street combat is hand-to-hand combat in public places between individuals or groups of people. The venue is usually a public place (e.g., a street), and the fight sometimes results in serious injury or even death. Some street ...
that he had engaged in, rarely losing. While working at a liquor store to help pay for his college tuition, Abbott encountered a "smart-ass" customer. Abbott beat the customer severely, and the customer, who turned out to be the son of a detective, pressed charges for assault. Abbott was sentenced to six months in jail, the judge saying "Mr. Abbott, you are a maniac. I'm surprised you haven't killed somebody."


Mixed martial arts career

Abbott started his career in mixed martial arts when he applied to the
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
for its event
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 ...
in
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 ...
. John McCarthy, ''Let's Get It On!: The Making of MMA and Its Ultimate Referee'' He was introduced to the UFC management by his future manager Dave Thomas, who credited him as a veteran street fighter who lifted 600lbs in
bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...
and had knocked out four men in his last brawl. Upon this description, the management compared him to the character "Tank Murdock" from the 1978
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
movie ''
Every Which Way But Loose ''Every Which Way but Loose'' is a 1978 American action comedy film released by Warner Bros. starring Clint Eastwood in an uncharacteristic and offbeat comedy role. It was produced by Robert Daley and directed by James Fargo. Eastwood plays ...
'', which encouraged them to give David the nickname of "Tank Abbott" and bill him as a "pit fighter" with over 200 street fights. According to Abbott, this wasn't the first time he applied to the UFC. Inspired by Kimo Leopoldo's participation in UFC 3, he had tried to enter the promotion as soon as September 1994, but the UFC management only allowed him to fight from
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 ...
onwards, after
Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer ...
had ceased fighting in UFC.Tank Abbott Interview Part 1 & 2
Onzuka.com
Art Davie Art Davie (born April 5, 1947) is a business executive and entrepreneur formerly active in Southern California advertising circles. In 1993, he created and co-produced the tournament which became the televised Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 19 ...
would later confirm the
Gracie family The Gracie family () is a family of martial artists originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil, whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for promoting the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie jiu-jitsu, commonly kn ...
used its input in the management to limit fighters with
amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...
backgrounds, like Abbott himself, from entering the first events.


Ultimate Fighting Championship (1995–2003)

Abbott made his debut at UFC 6 in July 1995 as scheduled. He actively cultivated the tough character he had been given, firstly by giving a rude interview in which he derided
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
and then by knocking out the Hawaiian Kapu Kuialua fighter John Matua, who weighed 400 lb, in the first 18 seconds of his opening fight.Snowden, Jonathan. ''MMA Encyclopedia'', ECW Press, 2010 Abbott further solidified his reputation by mocking Matua's convulsions after the KO while the ring doctors rushed the cage. Abbott advanced to the next round and was pitted against a similarly heavier adversary,
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 ...
. After returning to the cage in midst of strong cheers, Abbott knocked out Varelans 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 ...
and
knee strike A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike (attack), strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. ...
s, all while mockingly smiling at his opponent laying beneath him. His post-fight interview also contained the notorious "sexually aroused" comment. At the finals of the tournament, Abbott faced the Russian
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 a fight that the announcers touted as a "skill vs. power" bout. Just as described, the match saw Abbott blocking Taktarov's artful grappling attempts and damaging him in turn with hard punches and
uppercut The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut) is a punch used in boxing that starts low and travels upwards vertically aiming at the opponent's chin or upper abdomen (so-called " solar plexus"). It is, along with the cross, one of the two main p ...
s. With both men becoming increasingly tired due to their previous fights and the high altitude of the location, the action moved to Taktarov'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 ...
, where Abbott avoided multiple submission attempts and punished him further. The fight was restarted standing, which would give Abbott the advantage, but by this point he was exhausted enough for a slightly better conditioned Taktarov to pull him down and lock 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 ...
, thus winning the fight at the 17 minutes mark. Both men collapsed in exhaustion after the fight, and Taktarov had to be carried out of the cage. Although Abbott had failed at winning the tournament, referee John McCarthy considered him the next big star of the promotion after
Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer ...
. Abbott returned the same year as part of the Ultimate Ultimate event, which saw runners-up and champions from the previous UFC tournaments gathered together. He first fought UFC 3 winner and
ninjutsu , and are terms for the techniques and skills used by spies and scouts in pre-modern Japan known as ninja. Some of these techniques are recorded in ninja scrolls, some which have been published and translated. The study of these scrolls have c ...
practitioner Steve Jennum, whom he outweighed by 80lbs. Although Jennum proved capable of avoiding Tank's strikes, Abbott submitted him with an improvised neck crank. However, his next opponent was
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 ...
,
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 ...
champion and a much more decorated
freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...
than Abbott. Tank initiated the action strong, but he was overpowered and eventually kept on all fours while Severn rained elbows and knees on him. After fifteen minutes of absorbing strikes, Abbott managed to free himself, but Severn kept dominance until the end of the fight, which gained him the judges's unanimous decision. Abbott's next UFC appearance would be in September 1996, at
UFC 11 ''UFC 11: The Proving Ground'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 20, 1996, at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Georgia. The event was broadcast live on ...
. Accompanied by a young
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz () is an American politican and retired mixed martial artist and Submission grappling, submission grappler. Ortiz is best known for his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC ...
and dragging a knee injury without its adequate surgery, Tank entered the cage to fight professional
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 ...
Sam Adkins, an affair he ended quickly in the first round by forearm choke against the cage wall. This tournament venture was cut short, however, by Scott Ferrozzo, a contender from
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 ...
's entourage who was billed as a "pitfighter" like Abbott himself. Ferrozzo was also fresher, as he came to replace
Jerry Bohlander Jerry Bohlander (born February 12, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. He is most notable for his UFC appearances and was a former UFC champion, winning the first lightweight (under 200 lb) tournament at '' UFC 12''. He was a memb ...
, who was injured in the previous round. The two fought evenly in the clinch for minutes, with Tank coming closer to a stoppage by opening a cut in Scott's face, but Ferrozzo eventually gained the advantage with knees to the body and a heavy uppercut. At overtime, now with the crowd cheering for Ferrozzo, the latter controlled the action with knees and punches to win the judges decision. According to Abbott, Ferrozzo had to go to the hospital after the match, while he did not. As the first time, Abbott was invited back to the next edition of Ultimate Ultimate at December 1996. His first opponent was Cal Worsham, a former U.S Marine whom Tank disposed of swiftly via wrestling and punching. A short brawl happened after the bout when Worsham suddenly tried to attack Abbott, as Abbott had kept hitting him while the referee stopped the bout. Abbott's next fight met an even more brutal ending, as his opponent, Steve Nelmark, fell against the fence upon being knocked out and got his neck folded in a dangerous position. Despite the incident, Tank remained calm, and he was later quoted as "If that man weren't in the octagon, I would have kicked him about five times in the face. And I have, and I've done it many times." At the end of the event, Abbott met his final adversary in
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 ...
himself, with the winner of the fight gaining a title shot against Dan Severn. Despite Frye being a superior wrestler like Severn, Abbott caught him with a hard left
jab A jab is a type of punch used in martial arts. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended from the side of t ...
and dominated the match onwards with wild strikes, appearing as if he could win by KO at any moment. However, by capitalizing on a punch in which Abbott overestimated and slipped down, Frye managed to capture his back and lock 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 ...
, winning the fight. Abbott claimed he made a mistake by letting Frye get his hooks in, as he would have been planning to use them to snap his ankles. For his part, Frye praised Abbott, going to say the match featured the hardest hits he received in his entire career. Ultimate Ultimate 1996 was the last UFC tournament in which Abbott partook, as around the same time the UFC began switching away from the tournament format. Abbott's fortunes declined with the arrival of better trained
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 ...
s, who posed a much bigger challenge than the previously inconsistent opponents from the earlier UFC events. His debut in this new format was at UFC 13 in May 1997 against
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian professional boxer and retired mixed martial artist who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and Middleweight d ...
, whose fast-hitting boxing style had been criticized by Abbott while doing special commentary at
UFC 12 ''UFC 12: Judgement Day'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later releas ...
. Abbott scored an early takedown, but moved back to trade hits with Belfort standing; this proved to be an error, as Vitor immediately overwhelmed him with punches and dropped him to all fours. The Brazilian kept attacking Abbott until the match was stopped. In October 1997, Abbott was contacted to fight in the Japanese Pride 1 event against Kimo Leopoldo, but he was unable to do so, having to be replaced by
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 ...
. Ironically, shortly after Abbott replaced Severn himself with four days notice in a title match for the
UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...
against Maurice Smith at UFC 15, a circumstance he described as "literally falling off the barstool into the octagon." Trying hard to press the action, Tank shockingly dropped the kickboxing champion with an early shot, but Smith controlled him through his defensive guard and a Kimura attempt. The action was restarted standing, but by this point Abbott was exhausted and offered little resistance to Smith's
low kick A low kick (also known as a leg kick) is a kick in which the attacker strikes the opponent's lower body (thigh or calf) with the shinbone or foot. Under different names, such kicks are utilized in numerous martial arts, including as karate, taek ...
s, prompting the referee to stop the match. Abbott bounced back from his losses with his performance at the first UFC show on Japanese soil, UFC Japan, where he was pitted against
shoot-style 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 wrest ...
wrestler
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 ...
. The American dominated the match with takedowns and right hands, avoiding submission attempts with short bursts of ground and pound every time they hit the mat, which eventually gained him the unanimous decision win. The event featured a tournament format, but Abbott forfeited due to a broken hand acquired while punching Anjo. Back in the United States, at
UFC 17 ''UFC 17: Redemption'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 15, 1998, at the Mobile Civic Center, in Mobile, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on ...
, he followed with an impressive victory over renowned
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 ...
fighter Hugo Duarte, who was famous for his
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 ...
fights against
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 ...
. Duarte had previously criticized Tank and his fighting skills, and he came close to proving himself right by almost locking a rear naked choke and an
armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...
in the first few seconds. However, Abbott blocked them successfully and captured Duarte's back, landing heavy punches from there, completely knocking the Brazilian out. At the same event, Tank was suspended by UFC for verbally fighting with Allan Goes, which according to Abbott happened because he had cheered for the opponent of Goes's teammate
Wallid Ismail Wallid Farid Ismail (, born February 23, 1968) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and promoter. Ismail holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) under Carlson Gracie, and is an IVC mixed martial arts world champion and BJJ Champion. Is ...
at
UFC 12 ''UFC 12: Judgement Day'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later releas ...
. In October 1998, Tank visited Brazil next as part of
UFC Brazil ''UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil'' (also known as ''UFC Ultimate Brazil'' or ''UFC 17.5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in São Paulo, Brazil on October 16, 1998. The event was seen on pay-per-view in the ...
, facing another luta livre fighter,
Pedro Rizzo Pedro Augusto Rizzo (; born 3 May 1974) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed for the UFC, PRIDE, M-1 Global, and Affliction. Although he never captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Rizzo competed for ...
, who came on a 5–0 record. The Brazilian proved to be a dangerous opponent when he stopped Abbott's early barrage with several hard rights, but Abbott answered with a
counterpunch ''CounterPunch'' is a left-wing online magazine. Content includes a free section published five days a week as well as a subscriber-only area called CounterPunch+, where original articles are published weekly. ''CounterPunch'' is based in the Un ...
that opened a cut near Pedro's eye. Rizzo then adopted a more evasive approach, avoiding Tank's overhands and grinding him with low kicks and his own counterpunches, which Tank counteracted himself again by taking Rizzo down and besieging his guard. However, the match had drained Tank's energy, and Rizzo was able of dominating him with strikes from the bottom and more kick and punch combinations while standing. At the end, the Brazilian knocked Abbott out for the win, becoming the first opponent to do so. Abbott praised Rizzo after the match, although he claimed to believe the cage canvas had been greased to hinder the footing of wrestlers like him. After his match with Rizzo, Abbott retired from MMA.


Return (2003–2013)

After his stint in professional wrestling, Abbott returned to mixed martial arts in 2003. Abbott's return fight was on February 23, 2003, at UFC 41, against
Frank Mir Francisco Santos Miranda III (; born May 24, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for sixteen years, and Bellator MMA. A former UFC Heavywe ...
. He lost his return bout via toe hold submission less than a minute into round one. His next fight would be against fellow UFC veteran, Kimo Leopoldo at UFC 43. Abbott was taken down seconds into the fight, and was submitted via arm-triangle choke. Abbott then faced Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at UFC 45. After a back-and-forth brawl, Abbott lost the fight via TKO after the ringside doctor determined he was unable to continue after suffering a cut over his right eye. Abbott and his corner got into a minor brawl with Correira's team after being angered by Correira's taunting when being declared the winner. Abbott was released from the UFC afterwards. Abbott later had a rematch with Correira, at Rumble on the Rock 7. Abbott secured his first victory since his return, knocking Correira out with a hard right hand in the first round, becoming the first person to knock Correira out. Abbott's next fight was on August 28, 2005, against highly decorated
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
Hidehiko Yoshida is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is a longtime veteran of Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships, competing in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), middleweight (93kg) and Heavyweight (MMA), heavy ...
at Pride Final Conflict 2005. Abbott lost via single wing choke submission in the first round. Abbott's next fight was against
Paul Buentello Paul Anthony Buentello (born January 16, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1997 to 2017, Buentello competed in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Affliction, King of the Cage, Shark Fights, ACB, Lega ...
, headlining Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello on October 7, 2006. Abbott lost via knockout 43 seconds into the fight. Abbott then fought Gary Turner at the main event of Cage Rage 21 on April 21, 2007. Abbott lost via TKO after a barrage of punches from Turner early in the first round. Abbott's last high-profile fight was against
Kimbo Slice Kevin Ferguson (February 8, 1974 – June 6, 2016), better known as Kimbo Slice, was a Bahamian-American mixed martial artist, professional boxer, and actor. Originally a bare-knuckle boxer, he became noted for his role in mutual combat stre ...
in the main event of EliteXC: Street Certified. Abbott was knocked down early, but the fight was restarted after Kimbo landed shots to the back of Abbott's head. Abbott would lose the bout via knockout seconds later. His next fight was against former
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 ...
veteran Mike Bourke on February 13, 2009, at the Selland Arena in
Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
, as part of the Valentine's Eve Massacre Event. Abbott knocked out Bourke with a punch that inadvertently landed to the back of Bourke's head, securing a victory for the first time in nearly four years. In 2011 Abbott participated in an unsanctioned "backyard brawl" against Scott Ferrozzo, whom he previously fought at
UFC 11 ''UFC 11: The Proving Ground'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 20, 1996, at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Georgia. The event was broadcast live on ...
. Abbott knocked down Ferrozzo early with a punch, before taking his back and holding dominant position for over 15 minutes, occasionally landing punches. He was declared the winner via unanimous decision. Bouncing back with a win following his loss to Slice, At King of the Cage: Fighting Legends, on April 13, 2013, Abbott fought for the Superfight Champion ship. He was defeated by longtime veteran Ruben "Warpath" Villareal by way of a 2nd-round TKO. Abbott was expected to face fellow MMA veteran
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 ...
for the upstart UR Fight promotion on March 20, 2016. The contest was cancelled the day prior to the event as Abbott could not pass the required medical tests per the Arizona Fight Commission.


Professional wrestling career


World Championship Wrestling (1999–2000)

Abbott worked as a professional wrestler with
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
(WCW); initially he was brought in as an opponent for Goldberg, on the understanding he was a "legitimate" fighter—who could render any opponent unconscious with a single punch, which became his wrestling finisher, 'The Phantom Right'—and could boost Goldberg's reputation. This
feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
, however, never developed. Mere days prior to the
Souled Out Souled Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in January from 1997 through 2000. The 1997 and 1998 WCW Souled Out PPV events were held on Saturdays due to the Super Bowl being pl ...
pay-per-view in 2000, WCW head writer
Vince Russo Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling writer, booker and pundit. He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...
was given the responsibility of booking a match to crown a new WCW World Heavyweight Champion. This came at the news that both WCW Champion
Bret Hart Bret Sergeant Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal U ...
and
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...
, two of the company's top performers, were injured and could not participate at the event. To the dismay of company officials, Russo suggested having the mid-card Abbott win the Championship, but only to hold it briefly. The scenario would not take place, and Russo was consequently released from WCW while other bookers composed the Souled Out card, choosing
Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...
to win the belt. Abbott instead faced
Jerry Flynn William Brenneman (born November 21, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by his ring name Jerry Flynn. Flynn is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1996 a ...
, a legitimate black belt in
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 ...
and defeated him on the
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
. At the
Superbrawl SuperBrawl was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) held in May 1991 and February from 1992 through 2001. Along with Starr ...
pay-per-view in 2000, Abbott was taking on Big Al in a leather jacket on a pole match. During the match, Abbott pulled a knife on Big Al, holding it to Al's throat and shouting "I could fucking kill you" The cameras cut away as Mark Madden shouted "I think he is trying to skin him!" Abbott would win the match, but his push virtually ended at point. He was featured in segments with the
boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
parody
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
,
3 Count 3 Count was a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) which formed in 1999. The group consisted of Shane Helms, Shannon Moore and Evan Karagias and they were given a boy band gimmick. For a brief time, Tank Abbott w ...
as their "biggest fan". He began feuding with the stable after they would not let him join the band; the feud ended when Abbott was released from WCW.


Later career (2000, 2008)

After being released from WCW, Abbott made an appearance for
NWA Wildside NWA Wildside was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cornelia, Georgia, with an office in Atlanta, Georgia, operating between September 1999 and April 2005. It was originally formed when National Championship Wrestli ...
on December 14, 2000, teaming with
Kevin Northcutt Kevin Northcutt (born March 23, 1973) is an American retired professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career World Championship Wrestling (2000) After unsuccessful try-outs with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Feder ...
losing to
Bob Sapp Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxing, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football, football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federatio ...
and Stone Mountain in Cornelia, Georgia. Abbott returned to the ring one last time on August 15, 2008, 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 Tokyo, Japan losing to UFC fighter
Josh Barnett Joshua Lawrence Barnett (born November 10, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist, submission wrestler, professional wrestler, and color commentator. Barnett previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the y ...
.


Other media

In 1997, Abbott appeared as himself in the TV show ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'', defeating
Jon Favreau Jonathan Kolia Favreau ( ; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...
's character, the billionaire Pete Becker, who was dating Monica at the time. He appeared as himself in the 2013 web series '' Black Dynamite Teaches a Hard Way!'', where a
Black Dynamite ''Black Dynamite'' is a 2009 American blaxploitation action comedy film starring Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, and Salli Richardson. The film was directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co-s ...
mannequin teaches him what to do in case of an earthquake.


Personal life

In December 2018, Abbott revealed that due to his lifestyle his liver had to be replaced. Despite suffering several strokes during the surgery, Abbott survived and the transplant operation was successful.


Championships and accomplishments


Mixed martial arts

*
George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (TNTHOF) is a professional wrestling hall of fame The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in ...
**George Tragos Award (2025) *
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 6 Tournament Runner-Up ** Ultimate Ultimate 1996 Tournament Runner-Up ** Ultimate Ultimate 1995 Semifinalist ** UFC 11 Tournament Semifinalist ** UFC Japan Heavyweight Tournament Semifinalist ** Viewer's Choice Award ** UFC Encyclopedia Awards *** Fight of the Night (Three times) vs.
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 ...
, Scott Ferrozzo and
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 ...
*** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. John Matua **1x
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
Heavyweight Championship Contender **Record for most tournaments competed in, in
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
history (Five)


Wrestling

*
CCCAA The California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A; formerly CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in ...
All-American


Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 10–15 , Ruben Villareal , TKO (punches) , King of the Cage: Fighting Legends , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:06 ,
Oroville, California Oroville (''Oro'', Spanish for "Gold" and ''Ville'', French for "town") is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, California, United States. Its population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 in the 2000 census. After the 20 ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–14 , Mike Bourke , KO (punch) , War Gods/Ken Shamrock: Valentine's Eve Massacre , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,
Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–14 ,
Kimbo Slice Kevin Ferguson (February 8, 1974 – June 6, 2016), better known as Kimbo Slice, was a Bahamian-American mixed martial artist, professional boxer, and actor. Originally a bare-knuckle boxer, he became noted for his role in mutual combat stre ...
, KO (punches) , EliteXC: Street Certified , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,
Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–13 , Gary Turner , TKO (punches) , Cage Rage 21 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,
London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, , - , Loss , align=center, 9–12 ,
Paul Buentello Paul Anthony Buentello (born January 16, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1997 to 2017, Buentello competed in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Affliction, King of the Cage, Shark Fights, ACB, Lega ...
, KO (punch) , Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,
Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–11 ,
Hidehiko Yoshida is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is a longtime veteran of Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships, competing in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), middleweight (93kg) and Heavyweight (MMA), heavy ...
, Submission (single wing choke) , PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:40 ,
Saitama, Saitama is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...
, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–10 ,
Wesley Correira Wesley John Correira Jr. (born November 11, 1978), nicknamed Cabbage, is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. An iron chinned brawler, Correira began his career in 2000 and came to pro ...
, KO (punch) , Rumble on the Rock 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,
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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–10 ,
Wesley Correira Wesley John Correira Jr. (born November 11, 1978), nicknamed Cabbage, is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. An iron chinned brawler, Correira began his career in 2000 and came to pro ...
, TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC 45 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,
Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–9 , Kimo Leopoldo , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC 43 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,
Las Vegas, Nevada 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 ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–8 ,
Frank Mir Francisco Santos Miranda III (; born May 24, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for sixteen years, and Bellator MMA. A former UFC Heavywe ...
, Submission (toe hold) , UFC 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–7 ,
Pedro Rizzo Pedro Augusto Rizzo (; born 3 May 1974) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed for the UFC, PRIDE, M-1 Global, and Affliction. Although he never captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Rizzo competed for ...
, KO (punch) ,
UFC Brazil ''UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil'' (also known as ''UFC Ultimate Brazil'' or ''UFC 17.5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in São Paulo, Brazil on October 16, 1998. The event was seen on pay-per-view in the ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:07 ,
São Paulo, Brazil SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of Yu ...
, , - , Win , align=center, 8–6 , Hugo Duarte , TKO (punches) ,
UFC 17 ''UFC 17: Redemption'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 15, 1998, at the Mobile Civic Center, in Mobile, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–6 ,
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 ...
, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 ,
Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...
, , - , Loss , align=center, 6–6 , Maurice Smith , TKO (leg kicks) , UFC 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:08 , Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–5 ,
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian professional boxer and retired mixed martial artist who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and Middleweight d ...
, TKO (punches) , UFC 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,
Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 ,
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 ...
, Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=3, Ultimate Ultimate 1996 , rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 , rowspan=3,
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, 6–3 , Steve Nelmark , KO (punch) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Cal Worsham , TKO (submission to punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Scott Ferrozzo , Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=2,
UFC 11 ''UFC 11: The Proving Ground'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 20, 1996, at the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Georgia. The event was broadcast live on ...
, rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 , rowspan=2,
Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Sam Adkins , Submission (forearm choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 ,
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 ...
, Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=2, Ultimate Ultimate 1995 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 18:00 , rowspan=2,
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 ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Steve Jennum , Submission (neck crank) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 ,
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 ...
, Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=3,
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 ...
, rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 17:47 , rowspan=3,
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 ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,
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 ...
, TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , John Matua , KO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,


References


Further reading

*


External links

*
Professional wrestling record for Tank Abbott from The Internet Wrestling Database
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Tank 1965 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists American male sport wrestlers Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists from California American male professional wrestlers Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California California State University, Long Beach alumni Professional wrestlers from California Professional wrestlers who competed in MMA Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers 20th-century American sportsmen