David Lee Abbott
(born April 26, 1965 in Huntington Beach, California) is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "Pit Fighting". In addition to his MMA career, Abbott wrestled professionally between 1999 and 2001 under the ring name Tank Abbott
.
Tank's father , Don Abbott , was an All-CIF football player at Anaheim High School during the 1950s for legendary coach Clare Van Hoorebeke .
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TANK ABBOTT TICKETS
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Mixed martial arts career (1995-1998, 2003-present)
Abbott was a frequent participant in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (
UFC). As of 2007 he had a record of 8-10 in that promotion. Abbott made his
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut in 1995 at
UFC 6 Clash of the Titans in
Casper, Wyoming. In his opening fight, he
knocked out John Matua, who weighed 400 lb, in 18 seconds.
[1] Later that night he fought
Oleg Taktarov for over 17 minutes before succumbing to a
rear naked choke.
[2] [#endnote_mma1] Both men collapsed in exhaustion after the fight, and Taktarov had to be carried out of the cage.
Despite never winning a UFC title, Abbott achieved a large amount of popularity due in large part to his displays of power and aggression and his no-nonsense, often comically disrespectful attitude. He also gained a degree of notoriety for his unorthodox look and fighting style, more reminiscent of a street fighter than a martial artist. Abbott is considered by many as a fore father of the UFC alongside Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock. he has been scruitnized for his obscure power training in which he can bench 600lbs and curl 100lbs per arm. He has never had great cardio as evident in his forfeits due to exhaustion.
Abbott, was never one to need wins to get over with the early crowds as he was always viewed as an "everyday mans bad-ass".
As of December 2008, Abbott has lost 8 of his last 10 fights, the second most recent of which was a first round knockout loss to Kimbo Slice in February 2008, at Elite XC's Street Certified event.
His most recent fight was against Mike Bourke on February 13, 2009 at The Selland Arena in
Fresno, California as a part of the Valentine's Eve Massacre Event. Abbott knocked out Bourke in the first round and secured a victory for the first time in nearly four years. UFC Hall of Famer and fellow MMA legend
Ken Shamrock and Abbott have separately acknowledged that they are currently inking the contract to fight each other in April of this year.
Abbott has recently confirmed to "The Savage Dog Show" on Sherdog radio, that he has finished writing his book
Before There Were Rules
, which chronicles his life, times and exploits in Huntington Beach prior and leading to his arrival at the UFC.
Abbott was scheduled to fight William Richey in the Main event of Call to Arms 1 in Ontario, California on May 16 2009 but had to pull out for unknown reasons.
Professional wrestling career (1999-2001)
Abbott worked as a professional wrestler with
World Championship Wrestling (WCW);
[3] 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 never developed, and Abbott remained mostly a comedic wrestler, frequently being featured in segments with the
boy band parody stable,
Three Count. The most success he had in his wrestling career was when he teamed with
Rick Steiner to feud with
Scott Steiner. He also nicknamed the head of WCW security
Doug Dillinger, "Mr. Smiley", and
Donald Duck. He would also make quacking noises at him. Many wrestling fans consider his career damaged after he
jobbed to actor (and then WCW Champion)
David Arquette, losing by pinfall, as well as jobbing cleanly to
Diamond Dallas Page, losing to the finisher the Diamond Cutter, as well as submitting to the finishers of
Big Poppa Pump's Steiner Recliner and
Sid Eudy's Crossface.
Mere days prior to the
Souled Out 2000 pay-per-view, WCW head writer
Vince Russo 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 and
Jeff Jarrett, 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 albeit only to hold it briefly. The scenario would not take place, and Russo was consequently released from the WCW while other bookers composed the Souled Out card. Abbott instead faced
Jerry Flynn, a legitimate
black belt in
taekwondo, and defeated him at the pay-per-view.
Recently, Abbott signed on to be with the WWE Classic Superstar Action Figure, which was released in July 2007.
Acting career
Abbott appeared as a UFC fighter in the TV show
Friends [4], fighting (and beating)
Jon Favreau's character, the billionaire Pete Becker, who was dating
Monica at the time.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- *Phantom Fist
(Right handed knockout punch) [5]
- Signature moves
- *DDT
- *Neck crank
Championships and accomplishments
- UFC 6: Clash of the Titans Runner-Up
- UU 96 – Ultimate Ultimate 1996 Runner-Up
- NJCAA All American (wrestling)
- California High School State Champion (wrestling)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown
|
|
| 10
| 10 {{#switch:
| 0
|
| Result
| Record
| Opponent
| Method
| Event
| Date
| Round
| Time
| Location
| Notes
|
| Win
| 10–14
| Mike Bourke
| KO (Punch)
| WarGods/Ken Shamrock Productions: Valentine's Eve Massacre
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:29
| Fresno, CA, United States
|
| Loss
| 9–14
| Kimbo Slice
| KO (Punches)
| EliteXC: Street Certified
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:43
| Miami, FL, United States
|
| Loss
| 9–13
| Gary Turner
| TKO (Strikes)
| Cage Rage 21
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 2:27
| England, United Kingdom
|
| Loss
| 9–12
| Paul Buentello
| TKO (Punch)
| Strikeforce: Tank vs Buentello
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:43
| Fresno, CA, United States
|
| Loss
| 9–11
| Hidehiko Yoshida
| Submission (Choke)
| PRIDE Final Conflict 2005
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 7:40
| Saitama, Japan
|
| Win
| 9–10
| Wesley Correira
| KO (Punch)
| Rumble On The Rock 7
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 1:23
| Honolulu, HI, United States
|
| Loss
| 8–10
| Wesley Correira
| TKO (Cut)
| UFC 45: Revolution
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 2:14
| Uncasville, CI, United States
|
| Loss
| 8–9
| Kimo Leopoldo
| Submission (Arm Triangle Choke)
| UFC 43: Meltdown
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 1:59
| Las Vegas, NV, United States
|
| Loss
| 8–8
| Frank Mir
| Submission (Toe Hold)
| UFC 41: Onslaught
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:46
| Atlantic City, NJ, United States
|
| Loss
| 8–7
| Pedro Rizzo
| KO
| UFC Brazil – Ultimate Brazil
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 8:07
| São Paulo, Brazil
|
| Win
| 8–6
| Hugo Duarte
| TKO (Strikes)
| UFC 17: Redemption
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:43
| Mobile, AL, United States
|
| Win
| 7–6
| Yoji Anjo
| Decision
| UFC Japan – Ultimate Japan 1
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 15:00
| Yokohama, Japan
|
| Loss
| 6–6
| Maurice Smith
| Submission (Strikes)
| UFC 15: Collision Course
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 8:08
| Bay St. Louis, MS, United States
| For UFC Heavyweight Championship.
|
| Loss
| 6–5
| Vitor Belfort
| TKO (Strikes)
| UFC 13 – The Ultimate Force
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:52
| Augusta, GA, United States
|
| Loss
| 6–4
| Don Frye
| Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
| Ultimate Ultimate 1996
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 1:22
| Birmingham, AL, United States
|
| Win
| 6–3
| Steve Nelmark
| KO (Punch)
| Ultimate Ultimate 1996
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 1:03
| Birmingham, AL, United States
|
| Win
| 5–3
| Cal Worsham
| Submission (Strikes)
| Ultimate Ultimate 1996
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 2:51
| Birmingham, AL, United States
|
| Loss
| 4–3
| Scott Ferrozzo
| Decision (Split)
| UFC 11: The Proving Ground
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 15:00
| Augusta, GA, United States
|
| Win
| 4–2
| Sam Adkins
| Submission (Neck Crank)
| UFC 11: The Proving Ground
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 2:06
| Augusta, GA, United States
|
| Loss
| 3–2
| Dan Severn
| Decision (Unanimous)
| Ultimate Ultimate 1995
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 18:00
| Denver, CO, United States
|
| Win
| 3–1
| Steve Jennum
| Submission (Neck Crank)
| Ultimate Ultimate 1995
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 1:14
| Denver, CO, United States
|
| Loss
| 2–1
| Oleg Taktarov
| Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
| UFC 6: Clash of the Titans
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 17:47
| Casper, WY, United States
|
| Win
| 2–0
| Paul Varelans
| TKO (Strikes)
| UFC 6: Clash of the Titans
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 1:53
| Casper, WY, United States
|
| Win
| 1–0
| John Matua
| KO (Punches)
| UFC 6: Clash of the Titans
| {{dts/core
| 1
| 0:18
| Casper, WY, United States
|