Bob Sapp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bob Sapp
Sapp in 2011
Born	Robert Malcolm Sapp (1973-09-22) September 22, 1973 (age 51) Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Other names	The Beast
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight	329 lb (149 kg)
Division	Super Heavyweight
Reach	82 in (210 cm)
Style	Kickboxing
Fighting out of	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Team	Team Beast BodyShop MMA & Fitness
Teacher(s)	Maurice Smith Josh Barnett Matt Hume
Trainer	Prince Amir
Years active	2002–2014, 2016–present
Kickboxing record
Total	31
Wins	12
By knockout	9
Losses	19
By knockout	12
Mixed martial arts record
Total	32
Wins	12
By knockout	8
By submission	3
By decision	1
Losses	20
By knockout	15
By submission	4
By disqualification	1
Football career
No. 78
Position:	Guard
Personal information
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	319 lb (145 kg)
Career information
College:	Washington
NFL Draft:	1997 / Round: 3 / Pick: 69
Career history
Chicago Bears (1997)* Minnesota Vikings (1997–1998)
Career highlights and awards
Morris Trophy (1996)
Career NFL statistics
Games Played: 1
last updated on: November 17, 2013

Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973), known as Bob Sapp, is an American athlete and actor. He has competed in mixed martial arts, kickboxing, and professional wrestling. He also played American football before his fighting career.

Bob Sapp is very famous in Japan. He has appeared in many TV shows and commercials there. He even released a music CD called Sapp Time. People in Japan know him as a gaijin tarento, which means a foreign-born talent.

Bob Sapp's Early Life and Football Career

Bob Sapp started his sports journey playing football in high school. He played at Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He earned a football scholarship to the University of Washington.

In 1996, he won the Morris Trophy, a special award for college football players. He was part of a famous game where the Washington Huskies beat the Miami Hurricanes. This win ended Miami's long home winning streak.

The Chicago Bears picked Sapp in the 1997 NFL draft. He later played for the Minnesota Vikings. After his football career, he faced some tough times. He then decided to try professional wrestling. His friend Mike Morris suggested it, seeing a chance for Sapp to succeed.

Bob Sapp's Professional Wrestling Career

Starting in Wrestling (2000–2002)

Bob Sapp began his professional wrestling career in 2000. He first joined NWA Wildside. Soon after, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) signed him. He trained there to become a "Beast" character. This character was a wild, Tarzan-like villain. However, WCW was bought by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). This cut short his training. Sapp then left wrestling for a few years. He was interested in a fighting career instead.

Wrestling in Japan (2002–2005)

In 2002, Bob Sapp became very successful in K-1 fighting. He then made his wrestling debut in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He joined Antonio Inoki's team of fighters. Sapp quickly became a big name in NJPW. He won his first match against Manabu Nakanishi.

Sapp also wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He challenged famous wrestlers like Bill Goldberg and Keiji Mutoh. In November 2002, he beat The Great Muta. He won by pinning him after a diving headbutt.

In October 2003, Sapp returned to NJPW. He teamed up with other fighters. On March 28, 2004, Sapp won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He was the first African-American to hold this title. He successfully defended it once. But he later gave up the title. This was after he lost a mixed martial arts fight.

In 2005, Sapp returned to Wrestle-1. He competed in a big tournament. He beat Giant Bernard and Jun Akiyama. However, the tournament ended before the finals.

More Wrestling Adventures (2007–2017)

On October 16, 2007, Sapp surprised everyone at a Hustle event. He attacked two wrestlers and joined the villain team. He won his first match in Hustle. He then defeated Razor Ramon HG at a big event.

Sapp later teamed up with Monster Bono. But they had a disagreement. Sapp attacked Bono, leading to a short rivalry. Sapp won their match. He then started teaming with Commander An Jo. Sapp continued wrestling for different groups. He even won the WWA Heavyweight title in South Korea in 2009.

In 2011, Sapp wrestled in Dramatic Dream Team (DDT). He used a funny "Beast will fight for money" character. He lost a comedy match to Danshoku Dino.

Sapp returned to NJPW in 2012. He joined the villain group Chaos. He wrestled in tag team matches. His last NJPW appearance was in April 2013. He also wrestled for Wrestle-1 in September 2013. He teamed with Keiji Mutoh and won.

From 2009 to 2014, Sapp competed in the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). His last match there was in December 2014. He continued wrestling in Japan until 2017.

Bob Sapp's Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Career

Starting His Fight Career (2000–2002)

After his football career, Bob Sapp tried amateur boxing. He won his first fight by knockout. This caught the eye of Kazuyoshi Ishii, who ran the Japanese kickboxing group K-1. Ishii invited Sapp to Japan. He saw Sapp's great potential and marketability.

Sapp trained for six months in the United States. He then made his professional debut in mixed martial arts (MMA). This was with the company Pride Fighting Championship. Sapp fought in both kickboxing and MMA throughout his career. He mostly fought for K-1.

In his first MMA fight in Pride, Sapp won by TKO. This fight had 10 million viewers. Sapp quickly became a fan favorite. People loved his size, energy, and aggressive style. He became known as "The Beast." He appeared in many TV shows and ads.

Sapp's second Pride match was against Kiyoshi Tamura. Sapp was much bigger than Tamura. He won by strikes in just 11 seconds.

At a big event called "Dynamite," Sapp faced Pride champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. Sapp was much heavier than Nogueira. Sapp started strong, slamming Nogueira onto his head. He kept hitting Nogueira with powerful punches. Nogueira tried to use submission moves, but Sapp's strength often stopped them.

In the second round, Sapp started to get tired. Nogueira then managed to get Sapp into an armbar. Sapp had no energy left and had to give up. This fight was praised by many. Reviewers called it an "awesome fight" and "better drama than any fight this year."

Sapp then focused on K-1. He got his first kickboxing win against Cyril Abidi. He cornered Abidi and won by knockout.

His biggest success came against K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost. They first fought in October 2002. Sapp surprised everyone by dominating Hoost. He pushed Hoost into the corners and landed many punches. The fight was stopped because Hoost was injured. Sapp won, just as he predicted.

Two months later, they had a rematch. This time, Hoost fought better. But Sapp eventually cornered him again. He overwhelmed Hoost with punches. The referee stopped the fight, giving Sapp the win. Sapp's success made many fighters scared to face him.

At the end of 2002, Sapp fought professional wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama. Sapp took Takayama to the ground. He then used an armbar to win. Their fight was watched by many people on TV.

Big Fights and Popularity (2003–2007)

Sapp's first loss came in March 2003. He fought Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop hit Sapp with a strong punch that broke Sapp's orbital bone. Sapp had to have surgery.

In August, Sapp fought Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Kimo Leopoldo in Las Vegas. Sapp showed improved technique. He landed strong punches and knees. But he got tired. Leopoldo knocked him down. Sapp then went back to his aggressive style. He knocked Leopoldo out.

After this fight, Sapp had a verbal argument with boxing champion Mike Tyson. They talked about fighting each other. But the fight never happened.

Sapp returned to Japan in September. He won an MMA fight by submission. He then fought Remy Bonjasky in a K-1 tournament. Sapp was disqualified for hitting Bonjasky when he was on the ground.

At the end of 2003, Sapp had a very popular fight. He faced former sumo champion Akebono Taro. This fight drew a huge crowd and many TV viewers. It was a cultural event in Japan. Sapp won by knockout in the first round.

In 2004, Sapp won two more fights. He beat Dolgorsürengiin Sumyaabazar and Seth Petruzelli. He then won quickly against Tommy Glanville. But he lost to Kazuyuki Fujita and Ray Sefo.

Sapp fought Jérôme Le Banner in a special mixed rules match. The fight had both K-1 and MMA rules. It was a tough fight that ended in a draw.

2005 was a good year for Sapp. He won against judo medalist Kim Min-soo. He then entered the K-1 Hiroshima Grand Prix. Sapp showed much better stamina and technique. He won three fights in one night. He beat Yoshihiro Nakao, Hiraku Hori, and Tatsufumi Tomihira. This win qualified him for the K-1 World Grand Prix.

Sapp then returned to MMA. He beat Russian sumo wrestler Alan Karaev. In the K-1 Grand Prix, Sapp fought Choi Hong-man. Choi won by decision.

In 2007, Sapp fought Peter Aerts in Amsterdam. Sapp lost by knockout in the first round. After his K-1 contract ended, Sapp focused on professional wrestling.

Later Fights (2008–Present)

After K-1, Sapp continued fighting in smaller promotions. He fought Jan Nortje in 2008 and lost. He then beat Akihito Tanaka in Japan.

Sapp lost to Ikuhisa Minowa and Bobby Lashley in 2009. He also lost to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Jörgen Kruth.

In 2012, Sapp fought Rolles Gracie Jr. and James Thompson. He lost both fights. He also lost to Yōsuke Nishijima in 2013. Sapp announced his retirement in 2014. He said he had paid off medical bills and saved money.

Sapp returned to kickboxing in 2017. He lost to Greg Tony and Selcuk Ustabasi.

In 2015, Sapp had a rematch with Akebono in Rizin Fighting Federation. He won this fight. In 2018, he fought former sumo Osunaarashi. Sapp won by unanimous decision. This was his first MMA win in almost nine years.

Bob Sapp's Fighting Style

Bob Sapp did not have a background in martial arts before fighting. His style was mostly about using his size and strength. He would often rush his opponents. He would overwhelm them with many punches. He called this his "NFL Style."

Even though he used brute strength, Sapp also knew some basic submission moves. This helped him win against fighters like Yoshihiro Takayama.

Bob Sapp's Acting Career

Bob Sapp has also had a career as an actor. He has appeared in several movies and TV shows.

• 2003: Bob Sapp: Sapp Time The Movie! (Himself)
• 2003: You're Under Arrest (Bob Hage)
• 2004: Izo (Monk)
• 2005: Elektra (Stone)
• 2005: Devilman (World Newscaster)
• 2005: Longest Yard, TheThe Longest Yard (Switowski)
• 2007: Big Stan (Raymond "Big Raymond")
• 2009: Frankenhood (Frankie)
• 2009: Blood and Bone ("Hammer Man")
• 2011: Blood Out (Uncredited)
• 2011: Conan the Barbarian (Ukafa)
• 2012: JourneyQuest (Karn, The Barbarian King)
• 2013: Miss Pilot (Roy)
• 2018: Big in Japan (Himself)

Bob Sapp's Awards and Achievements

Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts Awards

• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2003 NHB Fighter of the Year
• K-1
  • K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Hiroshima Tournament Winner
• Nikkan Sports
  • Match of the Year (2002) vs. Ernesto Hoost (K-1, December 7)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • 2002 Best Box Office Draw- K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championships
  • 2003 Best Box Office Draw- K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championships
  • 2002 Rookie of the Year- K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championships

Professional Wrestling Awards

• New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Nikkan Sports
  • Wrestler of the Year (2002)
  • Outstanding Performance Award (2002)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 26 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004
• Tokyo Sports
  • MVP Award (2002)
• World Wrestling Association (South Korea)
  • WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Most Charismatic (2003)
  • Best Box Office Draw (2002, 2003)

Images for kids

• 

  Sapp's fighting style, based on aggression and strength.

• 

  Sapp entering the arena in Japan.

• 

  Sapp executing a dropkick on Wataru Sakata.

• 

  Sapp (left) and Toshiaki Kawada looking at their opponents prior to a match in Hustle.

• 

  Sapp interviewed in Japan.

• 

  Sapp executing one of his finishing moves, the Beast Backbreaker, on Wataru Sakata in Hustle.

See also

• List of professional wrestlers by MMA record
• List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers