Stan Longinidis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stan Longinidis
Born	Stan Longinidis (1965-06-25) 25 June 1965 (age 59) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Other names	The Man, The Greek Warrior
Nationality	Australian
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	95 kg (209 lb)
Division	Super Heavyweight Heavyweight Cruiserweight Light Heavyweight
Style	Kickboxing Muay Thai Bushido-Kai Karate
Team	Fitzroy Stars Gymnasium Jet Center
Years active	20 (1983–2003)
Kickboxing record
Total	103
Wins	88
By knockout	65
Losses	9
By knockout	4
Draws	5
No contests	1
last updated on: 12 September 2020

Stan "The Man" Longinidis (born 25 June 1965) is an Australian retired heavyweight kickboxer. He became a world champion 8 times! Stan was born in Melbourne and has Greek family roots.

He is one of the few fighters to win world titles in four different types of kickboxing. These include international rules, Oriental rules, full contact, and Muay Thai. Stan has won against famous fighters like Branko Cikatić, Adam Watt, Peter Graham, Musashi, and Dennis Alexio.

Besides fighting, he is also an actor and a motivational speaker.

Stan Longinidis's Journey

Starting His Kickboxing Career (1983-1989)

Stan Longinidis started learning martial arts in 1982. He was inspired by watching a martial artist win against five people in a night club. His kickboxing journey began in 1983.

He won two amateur titles early on. In 1987, he fought Santiago Garza for a world championship. The fight ended in a draw. But Stan showed so much talent that he was invited to train at the famous Jet Center gym in the United States.

Stan wanted to be Australia's first world champion in kickboxing. He quit his job as a computer programmer and moved to California. There, he won 18 fights in a row. He also won the North American and US Heavyweight Championships.

Becoming a World Champion (1990-1992)

In April 1990, Stan achieved his dream. He became the first Australian to win a world kickboxing title. He won the KICK World Super Heavyweight Championship against Anthony Elmore.

The next year, he fought Maurice Smith, a long-time world champion. Stan knocked Maurice down early in the fight. But he eventually lost by a split decision. This was his first professional loss.

Even so, he quickly won more world titles. He won the WKA World Junior Heavyweight and Super Heavyweight Championships. One of these wins was a super-fast 15-second knockout in Queensland.

In 1992, he successfully defended his titles. He beat top fighters like Branko Cikatić and Grant Barker. He fought 12 rounds against Cikatić and won by unanimous decision. He knocked out Barker with low kicks. He also won against Mitch O'Hello and Adam Watt.

The Dennis Alexio Fight (1992)

On December 6, 1992, Stan had a huge and talked-about fight. He faced kickboxing star Dennis Alexio in Melbourne. There was a lot of excitement and some bad feelings between them.

The fight for the ISKA World Oriental Rules Heavyweight Championship lasted only 15 seconds. Alexio fell after Stan hit him with a low kick. Stan was declared the winner by KO and became the new champion.

However, Alexio said he broke his leg by stepping into a hole. This caused a lot of debate. The US part of ISKA changed the result to a no contest. But the Australian ISKA and WKA said Stan's win was still valid. They never had a rematch.

K-1 and Later Career (1993-2003)

Stan kept defending his titles. In 1993, he added the ISKA World Heavyweight Championship. In 1994, he won the WAKO PRO World Super Heavyweight Championship.

He started fighting for K-1 in March 1993. K-1 was a very big kickboxing organization. He was one of the first major fighters to join them. Stan won his first K-1 fight.

He then fought Masaaki Satake. Stan lost this fight by unanimous decision. But he kept his title because he said the fight wasn't under the right rules.

Stan had many more wins and some tough losses. In 1994, he won the TAIPAN 1 tournament. He beat three opponents in one night! But in 1995, he lost three of his world titles to Jeff Roufus.

He also entered the K-1 World Grand Prix twice. In 1995, he was knocked out by Mike Bernardo. In 1996, he couldn't fight due to an injury.

In June 1996, Stan won the first WMTC World Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship. The King of Thailand himself gave him the title! He lost this title later that year to Andy Hug. A serious knee injury almost ended his career. But Stan had surgery in 1997 and recovered.

Stan fought until 2000, then retired after beating Peter Graham. He came back for a few more fights before retiring for good in 2003. He finished his career with 88 wins (65 by knockout), 9 losses, and 5 draws. He also had one no contest.

Life After Fighting (2004-Present)

In 2000, Stan received a special award in France. It was for his big impact on kickboxing. It recognized him as one of the most famous names in the sport's history.

On October 10, 2013, he made history again. He was the first martial artist to be put into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame.

Stan still stays close to kickboxing. He trained his younger brother, George Longinidis, who won a world championship in 2009. He also managed famous kickboxer Mike Zambidis.

Today, Stan Longinidis works as a motivational speaker. He inspires people with his story.

Stan's World Titles and Achievements

World Kickboxing Federation

• 1998 WKBF World Heavyweight Champion

World Muaythai Council

• 1996 WMC World Super Heavyweight Champion

World Association of Kickboxing Organizations

• 1994 WAKO PRO World Super Heavyweight Champion

International Sport Karate Association

• 1993 ISKA World Heavyweight Champion (Freestyle Rules)
• 1992 ISKA World Heavyweight Champion (Oriental Rules)

World Kickboxing Association

• 1992 WKA World Super Heavyweight Champion
• 1991 WKA World Cruiserweight Champion
• 1989 WKA United States Heavyweight Champion
• 1988 WKA North American Heavyweight Champion
• 1984 WKA Amateur Australian Heavyweight Champion

Karate International Council of Kickboxing

• 1990 KICK World Super Heavyweight Champion
• 1988 KICK North American Heavyweight Champion

Other

• 1994 Taipan 1 World Heavyweight Champion
• 1990 Australian National Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion
• 1989 Intercontinental Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion

Stan's Acting Roles

Movies

See also

• List of K-1 events
• List of K-1 champions
• List of male kickboxers