Dewey Cooper facts for kids

Dewey Cooper (born November 10, 1974) is an American former professional fighter. He was known for his skills in both kickboxing and boxing. He competed in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, which are weight classes for bigger fighters. In 2000, he became a two-time world champion. He won the WKC heavyweight title and the WKF cruiserweight title. Cooper also fought often in K-1, a famous kickboxing organization. He almost won a K-1 Grand Prix tournament in 2004. He beat tough opponents like Nobu Hayashi and Mighty Mo, but he lost in the final.

His Fighting Career

Dewey Cooper was born in Los Angeles, California. When he was young, he started practicing Muay Thai. This is a type of martial art from Thailand that uses fists, elbows, knees, and shins. In 1994, he began training with Nick "One Kick" Blomgren in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dewey became well-known in the American fighting scene. He won the USMTF and UKC national titles. Because of his success, he was invited to fight in K-1. K-1 was the biggest kickboxing organization in the world at that time. His first K-1 fight was in Tokyo, Japan, in 1999.

The year 2000 was a big one for Dewey. He won two world championships. He became the WKC World Heavyweight Champion and the WKF World Cruiserweight Champion. He also fought against the famous fighter Don "The Dragon" Wilson. Dewey lost that fight after ten rounds.

Dewey continued to compete in K-1 events. In 2001, he won several important matches. These wins earned him a spot in the 2002 K-1 tournament in Las Vegas. He won his first fight against Jean-Claude Leuyer. However, he lost in the semi-finals to Rick Roufus. Roufus used low kicks to hurt Dewey's leg, making it hard for him to move.

In 2003, Dewey returned to the K-1 Las Vegas tournament. He lost his first fight to Yusuke Fujimoto. Later that year, he fought Carter Williams in a non-tournament match. Many people thought Dewey fought well, but the judges gave the win to Williams.

Dewey had another chance at a K-1 tournament title in 2004. He fought in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I. He won his first two fights against Nobu Hayashi and Mighty Mo. This was a big achievement, especially beating Mighty Mo, who was much heavier. But in the final, he faced Michael McDonald. McDonald won the fight, stopping Dewey from claiming the tournament title.

After this, Dewey didn't win another K-1 fight. He lost to tough opponents like Gary Goodridge, Glaube Feitosa, and Scott Lighty. His last K-1 fight for a while was in 2006 against Ruslan Karaev.

In 2006, Dewey also returned to professional boxing. He had been undefeated in boxing between 2001 and 2004. He had some important fights against Arthur Williams for the WBC United States Cruiserweight Championship. Dewey lost both of these championship fights in 2008 and 2009.

Dewey Cooper also competed in a sanshou tournament in China in 2009. Sanshou is a Chinese martial art. He was eliminated in the first round.

He returned to K-1 in 2012 at 37 years old. He fought Randy Blake but lost by decision. In 2013, he fought Fred Sikking for a world heavyweight title in Thailand, but lost that fight too. His last recorded fight was a draw against Peter Aerts in Dubai in 2014.

Besides fighting, Dewey Cooper is also a well-known trainer. He has helped many famous fighters. Some of his students include John Alessio, Kevin Lee, Jessica Rakoczy, Beibut Shumenov, and Francis Ngannou.

Championships and Awards

Dewey Cooper achieved many titles and awards during his career:

Kickboxing

• K-1
  • K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas I Runner-up
  • K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Preliminary USA Semifinalist
• United States Muay Thai Federation
  • USMTF United States Championship
• Universal Kickboxing Council
  • UKC United States Championship
• World Kickboxing Council
  • WKC World Heavyweight Championship
• World Kickboxing Federation
  • WKF World Cruiserweight Championship
• Inducted in 2008 Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• United States Muay Thai Association, Official Member 2016 Certified Arjarn (Master) Instructor Certificate Award. Registered Member USMTA 01990010170592US