Benny Urquidez
Encyclopedia
Benny Urquidez is an American kickboxer
, martial arts choreographer and actor
.
Nicknamed, The Jet, Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the U.S. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974 – the year of its inception in the U.S. – frequently fighting in bouts where the rules were ambiguous and contrasts in styles were dramatic. Urquidez is also known for once holding the rare achievement of 6 World Titles in 5 different weight divisions, and Urquidez remained largely undefeated in his 27 year career. His only loss came in a Muay Thai
bout.
Between 1974 and 1993, he amassed a documented professional record of 49-1-1 (win-loss-draw) with 35 knockouts and two controversial no-contests, although he is also supposed to have an additional record of 10-0-1 (10 KOs) in undocumented pro fights making a total of 59-1-2-2 (45 KOs). However, sources vary with Ratings listing Urquidez as 63-0-1, (57 knockouts) and on his own official webpage, Urquidez lists his fight record as 200-0, and says he was 63-0, with 57 knockouts in title defenses. Also, he claims to have been undefeated in the "Adult Black Belt Division" prior to entering full-contact karate. Black Belt magazine voted Urquidez "Competitor of the Year" in 1978.
, the son of a wrestling
mother and a boxing
father, who was born in Granada, Nicaragua
and is descended from Basque
Spaniards and Blackfoot
Amerindians. His sister Lilly Rodriguez was a pioneer in kickboxing for women.
He began competing in 1958, at the age of five, in "peewee" boxing in Los Angeles. This was followed by martial arts instruction at the age of 8, for which his first formal teacher was Bill Ryusaki
.. He received his black belt at the age of 14, a feat which was highly unusual during the 1960s. He entered the point circuit in 1964, and earned the reputation as an extremely colorful fighter. At the 1972 Santa Monica Kempo Open, Urquidez lost in the finals to Brian Strian. In the 1973 Internationals
, he fought John Natividad in one of the greatest non-contact bouts in history. In an unprecedented 25-point overtime match, Natividad won the match and the Grand Title, 13-12 and the $2,500 purse. In May, 1974, at the PAWAK Tournament, Urquidez lost a 4-1 decision to Joe Lewis
. He also competed in England and Belgium as a member of Ed Parker's 1974 US team. Also, in 1974, he began his move away from the non-contact style by entering and winning the World Series of Martial Arts Championship, which was effectively a tough-man contest with few rules. Over the next two decades he fought under various kickboxing organizations (NKL, WPKO, PKA
, WKA
, AJKBA, Shin-Kakutojutsu Federation, NJPW and MTN) to amass a record of 58 wins with no losses. This undefeated record, though official, is controversial and highly disputed.
In 1977, Urquidez traveled to Japan for the first time and fought under the compromised rules which included leg kicks and knees to the body. In his first fight he defeated Katsuyuki Suzuki by 6th round KO (August 1977) as part of the professional wrestling event in which Antonio Inoki
fought Everett Eddy in what was said to be the wrestler/karate fighter mixed match (in reality this was just another pre-determined pro-wrestliing match). The Suzuki fight was materialized due to the fact that the WKA
, then newly formed organization, could not compete against the PKA
in the stateside, therefore, WKA president Howard Hanson
and vice-president Arnold Urquidez had to look for actions in overseas. At the same time, the Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki
, who gained the worldwide fame by fighting Muhammad Ali
in the controversial boxer/wrestler mixed-match in the previous year in Japan, had been looking for new opponents for what he called the world martial arts championship series. Eventually, promoter Ron Holmes discovered Everett Eddy for Inoki. By that time, Eddy had been coached by Arnold Urquidez, and suffered the 1st round KO to the PKA world heavyweight champion Ross Scott in the previous year. In the same event, Benny Urquidez knocked out Howard Jackson
, but soon his lightweight title was stripped by the PKA
, and so both Eddy and Urquidez had no action in the US, and had to look for fights overseas. Even though the Inoki/Eddy bout was successful, it was the fight between Urquidez and Suzuki, which shocked Japan, where Japanese Kickboxing had been very popular.
The All-Japan Kickboxing Association, for which Suzuki had been rated as No.2, became interested in the American sport of full-contact karate, decided to promote series of mixed-rules bouts between the American full-contact karate fighters and Japanese kickboxers. On November 14, 1977, the AJKF held the first of such event which featured Benny Urquidez, his brother-in-law Blinky Rodriguez, Marc Costello, Brendan Leddy, Tony Lopez, Leonard Galiza and Freddy Avila. Only Benny Urquidez and Costello came out as the winners for the American team. Urquidez's victory over Kunimitsu Okao convinced the Japanese fight fans, and eventually began to be featured as the central figure for what was supposed to be the documentary comic book called, "The Square Ring" until he declined to avenge his loss against the Thai opponent Prayout Sittiboonlert. After 1980, Urquidez' ring appearances became less frequent. Between 1981 and 1984 he fought only sporadically. In 1984, he fought Ivan Sprang in Amsterdam under modified Muay Thai rules (no elbows), winning by 6th round TKO. His ring career largely came to a halt after 1985, and he retired after facing Yoshihisa Tagami at the age of 41. From that time on, he devoted himself to acting
, teaching kick boxing and martial arts choreography
. Urquidez's late brother Reuben was also a competitive martial artist and actor; they appeared together in a 1982 training video "World Of Martial Arts", together with Steve Sanders
, Chuck Norris
and John Saxon
.
In 2000, Urquidez and Emil Farkas founded the Los Angeles Film Fighting Institute, which was one of the first schools of its kind in the United States to teach martial artists the intricacies of stunt work.
Urquidez has had training in nine styles: judo
, kajukenbo
, shotokan
, taekwondo
, lima lama, white crane kung fu, jujutsu
, aikido
, and karate
. He is the founder of Ukidokan Karate.
He continued to teach at "The Jets Gym" in North Hollywood, California. Urquidez has also authored various instructional books and videos. He also has a special friendship with actor/client John Cusack
with whom talks of opening up a bigger gym in Santa Monica, targeting former champions as clients and trainers are in the works as Cusack has shown interest in taking part as co-owner.
"The Jets Gym" in the North Hollywood location closed in 2007, to make way for a shopping mall. Today, he is still very active teaching privately, and working as a stunt coordinator in the entertainment business. He teaches Ukidokan Kickboxing at Team Karate Center in Woodland Hills, and Karate at the Santa Clarita Martial Arts Academy.
-style tough man contest in Honolulu, Hawaii, a 5-foot 6-inch 145-pound Urquidez decisioned a 6-foot 1-inch 230-pound Dana Goodson after scoring a takedown and pin against Goodson in the third and final round.
A year later, in Detroit, Urquidez was disqualified for knocking out his opponent with a fourth punch under the subsequently-discontinued three-punch rule. The disqualifying referee was the opponent’s own karate instructor. The bout was excoriated on network television, prompting state athletic commissions across the United States to become interested in regulating the sport. Chuck Norris’ short-lived International Karate League (IKL) and later the STAR System world ratings
reversed this outcome.
Another three bouts were eventually ruled no-contests (NC). The first, in Los Angeles on March 12, 1977, was a nine-round NC (WKA) against Thai boxer Narongnoi Kiatbandit as part of the inaugural WKA world title event. Urquidez scored flash-knockdowns against Narongnoi in rounds three and six as well as five legal throws over three other rounds. Narongnoi was warned for illegal knee kicks and groin attacks on four occasions before being assessed with a point deduction in round nine. However, the point deduction came shortly after Narongnoi had scored his sole flash-knockdown which, in turn, provoked a riot among muay Thai fans in the audience. The audience invaded the ring moments before the final bell. Scores were never collected for round nine. The California State Athletic Commission declared the no-contest.
Next, on April 29, 1978, Urquidez faced his fourth Japanese opponent Shinobu Onuki in Tokyo; the event was co-promoted by the AJKBA and Shin-Kakuktojutsu Federation. Eventually, Urquidez executed a throw that dislocated Onuki's shoulder. Initially, because of the throw, Urquidez was given a TKO loss, however, the promoters acknowledged that Urquidez used the throw without knowing it was illegal under Japanese rules; the bout was then scored as a no-contest. Following this unsatisfactory result, the two faced each other again in Las Vegas on January 2, 1980. The fight was aired by NBC, and this time Urquidez knocked out Onuki with a left hook to the body. Later, in October 1981, when the AJKBA merged with the WKA, the WKA transmuted the original Onuki no-contest to a TKO victory for Urquidez because, in fact, Urquidez's fight contract had permitted throws.
Third, Urquidez fought to a seven-round NC (WKA) against Billye Jackson in West Palm Beach, Florida, on August 8, 1980. This non-title fight was first reported as a seven-round decision for Jackson; then was changed to a seven-round technical draw, and then to a no-contest. The WKA waited until March 1986 to unambiguously transmute this outcome owing to uneven glove assignments and a coerced last-minute rule change that unfairly affected Urquidez's performance in an otherwise close bout. The no-contest status of these fights has been corroborated in print by Paul Maslak (Chief Administrator of the STAR System world ratings
).
Meanwhile, on August 2, 1978, Urquidez faced the then fifth-ranked welterweight Thai boxer, Prayout Sittiboonlert, in Tokyo as part of the Shin-Kakutojutsu Organization's first independent event. The rules for the bout included six two-minute rounds, one-minute intervals, and no elbow contact as per agreement with Urquidez. Urquidez lost a heart-stopping decision to the Thai, who controlled the fight with relentless knee attacks and through the masterful use of Thai clinches. Afterward, Urquidez claimed he had been maneuvered into a competitive bout under unaccustomed “new rules” through deliberate misrepresentations. A rematch was set on October 30, 1978 at the Budokan (Martial Arts Hall) as part of the five world championships card for the Shin-Kakutojutsu Organization. However, for unknown reasons, Urquidez canceled the fight on the day of the event. According to one report, Urquidez did travel to Japan, but was unable to recover sufficiently from a high fever which he contracted from an allergic reaction to pain medication being used to treat a lingering left knuckle injury. This sanctioning organization was among several discontinued in 1981 for alleged ties to organized crime. Both the WKA and the STAR world ratings regarded this bout as muay Thai, a separate sport, and did not include it as part of Urquidez's rankings and record count for kickboxing.
After a six-year absence from the Japanese ring, Urquidez agreed to fight an exhibition against Nobuya Asuka on April 24, 1989 at the Tokyo Dome as part of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling event. The rules of the bout were five rounds at two-minutes each, one-minute intervals and without elbow or knee contact to the head. Additionally, it was established that, if the fight went the distance, it would automatically be scored as a draw. The bout did go five rounds without knockout or disqualification and a draw was immediately declared. However, Urquidez's STAR ring record lists the fight as a decision win.
After another four-year absence on December 4, 1993, in “The Legend’s Final Challenge” at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Urquidez fought Japanese champion Yoshihisa Tagami to establish the vacant WKA super welterweight world title. Despite having injured his left wrist in training, Urquidez proceeded with the bout and narrowly dominated his equally aggressive opponent with kicking attacks. Urquidez slipped to the canvas in round two; and Tagami scored a clean flash knockdown in round nine. Neither contestant was ever in serious trouble. The bout ended in a split decision, two judges scoring for Urquidez, one for Tagami.
(1981), starring Joe Lewis and Bong Soo Han
. Later, he made two movies with Jackie Chan
, Wheels on Meals
(1984) and Dragons Forever
(1988), wherein he fights against the characters played by Chan, Sammo Hung
and Yuen Biao
. Urquidez is depicted as a relentlessly tough opponent who is defeated in the climactic fight scenes of both movies. His final fight with Chan in Wheels on Meals
is considered to be among the finest fights of Chan's career. He cameoed as a kickboxer in the Troma film Ragin' Cajun. The movie, filmed in 1988 and released in 1991, wrongfully asserted that it featured Urquidez's first film appearance—the fallacious text, as written in the opening credits, is: "Introducing Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez." Urquidez appeared again in the 1989 film Roadhouse
as one of the fighters seen at a car dealership that is partially destroyed in some of the film's elaborately choreographed mayhem. He also trained Patrick Swayze
in his own fighting techniques for the film. He then made an appearance in the 1991 film Blood Match. In 1992, he played a referee in the James Woods
/ Louis Gossett, Jr. film Diggstown
and followed it with another cameo appearance in the movie Street Fighter
(1994), playing one of several prisoners put in a truck with Ken, Ryu, Sagat, and Vega; Urquidez also helped Grand L. Bush
train for his role as Balrog. He was set to play a different character in the franchise, this time in the game based on the movie, but the character, Raven, was later scrapped.
Urquidez performed in the film Grosse Pointe Blank
(1997) as Felix La Poubelle (note that la poubelle means the dustbin in French), a hitman sent to kill a character played by John Cusack
. More recently, he appeared in 1408
(2007), again with John Cusack. In reality, Urquidez is Cusack's long-time kickboxing trainer. Urquidez also appeared as one of several thugs who accost Kirsten Dunst
's character in the first Spider-Man
film during an attempted robbery; Urquidez plays the thug wearing a black-and-white-striped t-shirt who makes kissing noises at Dunst.
website. He also is believed to have 11 undocumented matches, winning 10, drawing one with all 10 victories by way of KO.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
, martial arts choreographer and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Nicknamed, The Jet, Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the U.S. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974 – the year of its inception in the U.S. – frequently fighting in bouts where the rules were ambiguous and contrasts in styles were dramatic. Urquidez is also known for once holding the rare achievement of 6 World Titles in 5 different weight divisions, and Urquidez remained largely undefeated in his 27 year career. His only loss came in a Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
bout.
Between 1974 and 1993, he amassed a documented professional record of 49-1-1 (win-loss-draw) with 35 knockouts and two controversial no-contests, although he is also supposed to have an additional record of 10-0-1 (10 KOs) in undocumented pro fights making a total of 59-1-2-2 (45 KOs). However, sources vary with Ratings listing Urquidez as 63-0-1, (57 knockouts) and on his own official webpage, Urquidez lists his fight record as 200-0, and says he was 63-0, with 57 knockouts in title defenses. Also, he claims to have been undefeated in the "Adult Black Belt Division" prior to entering full-contact karate. Black Belt magazine voted Urquidez "Competitor of the Year" in 1978.
Biography
Urquidez was born in Los Angeles County, CaliforniaLos Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, the son of a wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
mother and a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
father, who was born in Granada, Nicaragua
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
and is descended from Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
Spaniards and Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
Amerindians. His sister Lilly Rodriguez was a pioneer in kickboxing for women.
He began competing in 1958, at the age of five, in "peewee" boxing in Los Angeles. This was followed by martial arts instruction at the age of 8, for which his first formal teacher was Bill Ryusaki
Bill Ryusaki
Mutsuto "Bill" Ryusaki is a pioneer of Kenpo in the United States.-Early life:Bill Ryusaki was born October 14, 1936, in Kamuela, on the big island of Hawaii...
.. He received his black belt at the age of 14, a feat which was highly unusual during the 1960s. He entered the point circuit in 1964, and earned the reputation as an extremely colorful fighter. At the 1972 Santa Monica Kempo Open, Urquidez lost in the finals to Brian Strian. In the 1973 Internationals
Long Beach International Karate Championships
The Long Beach International Karate Championships — is an International Karate and martial arts tournament in Long Beach, California. It is well-known due to several appearances of the famous martial artist legend Bruce Lee, and his use of the one inch punch...
, he fought John Natividad in one of the greatest non-contact bouts in history. In an unprecedented 25-point overtime match, Natividad won the match and the Grand Title, 13-12 and the $2,500 purse. In May, 1974, at the PAWAK Tournament, Urquidez lost a 4-1 decision to Joe Lewis
Joe Lewis (martial arts)
Joe Lewis is an American kickboxer, point karate fighter, and actor. As a fighter, Lewis gained fame for his matches in the 1960s and 1970s. He has twice been voted the greatest fighter in karate history, and has attained the titles of "United States Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion," "World...
. He also competed in England and Belgium as a member of Ed Parker's 1974 US team. Also, in 1974, he began his move away from the non-contact style by entering and winning the World Series of Martial Arts Championship, which was effectively a tough-man contest with few rules. Over the next two decades he fought under various kickboxing organizations (NKL, WPKO, PKA
PKA
PKA, pKa, or other similar variations may stand for:* pKa, the symbol for the acid dissociation constant at logarithmic scale* Protein kinase A, a class of cAMP-dependent enzymes* Pi Kappa Alpha, the North-American social fraternity...
, WKA
WKA
WKA is a three-letter acronym with multiple meanings, as described below:*World Kickboxing Association *World Karting Association*World Kick Boxing Association *Wanaka Airport, New Zealand...
, AJKBA, Shin-Kakutojutsu Federation, NJPW and MTN) to amass a record of 58 wins with no losses. This undefeated record, though official, is controversial and highly disputed.
In 1977, Urquidez traveled to Japan for the first time and fought under the compromised rules which included leg kicks and knees to the body. In his first fight he defeated Katsuyuki Suzuki by 6th round KO (August 1977) as part of the professional wrestling event in which Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
fought Everett Eddy in what was said to be the wrestler/karate fighter mixed match (in reality this was just another pre-determined pro-wrestliing match). The Suzuki fight was materialized due to the fact that the WKA
WKA
WKA is a three-letter acronym with multiple meanings, as described below:*World Kickboxing Association *World Karting Association*World Kick Boxing Association *Wanaka Airport, New Zealand...
, then newly formed organization, could not compete against the PKA
PKA
PKA, pKa, or other similar variations may stand for:* pKa, the symbol for the acid dissociation constant at logarithmic scale* Protein kinase A, a class of cAMP-dependent enzymes* Pi Kappa Alpha, the North-American social fraternity...
in the stateside, therefore, WKA president Howard Hanson
Howard Hanson
Howard Harold Hanson was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American classical music. As director for 40 years of the Eastman School of Music, he built a high-quality school and provided opportunities for commissioning and performing American music...
and vice-president Arnold Urquidez had to look for actions in overseas. At the same time, the Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
, who gained the worldwide fame by fighting Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
in the controversial boxer/wrestler mixed-match in the previous year in Japan, had been looking for new opponents for what he called the world martial arts championship series. Eventually, promoter Ron Holmes discovered Everett Eddy for Inoki. By that time, Eddy had been coached by Arnold Urquidez, and suffered the 1st round KO to the PKA world heavyweight champion Ross Scott in the previous year. In the same event, Benny Urquidez knocked out Howard Jackson
Howard Jackson
Howard E. Jackson was a noted American kickboxer, point Karate fighter, and professional boxer.- Biography :He was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest of four children; two brothers died violent deaths, and his parents died early as well, leaving only Howard and his sister Corliss...
, but soon his lightweight title was stripped by the PKA
PKA
PKA, pKa, or other similar variations may stand for:* pKa, the symbol for the acid dissociation constant at logarithmic scale* Protein kinase A, a class of cAMP-dependent enzymes* Pi Kappa Alpha, the North-American social fraternity...
, and so both Eddy and Urquidez had no action in the US, and had to look for fights overseas. Even though the Inoki/Eddy bout was successful, it was the fight between Urquidez and Suzuki, which shocked Japan, where Japanese Kickboxing had been very popular.
The All-Japan Kickboxing Association, for which Suzuki had been rated as No.2, became interested in the American sport of full-contact karate, decided to promote series of mixed-rules bouts between the American full-contact karate fighters and Japanese kickboxers. On November 14, 1977, the AJKF held the first of such event which featured Benny Urquidez, his brother-in-law Blinky Rodriguez, Marc Costello, Brendan Leddy, Tony Lopez, Leonard Galiza and Freddy Avila. Only Benny Urquidez and Costello came out as the winners for the American team. Urquidez's victory over Kunimitsu Okao convinced the Japanese fight fans, and eventually began to be featured as the central figure for what was supposed to be the documentary comic book called, "The Square Ring" until he declined to avenge his loss against the Thai opponent Prayout Sittiboonlert. After 1980, Urquidez' ring appearances became less frequent. Between 1981 and 1984 he fought only sporadically. In 1984, he fought Ivan Sprang in Amsterdam under modified Muay Thai rules (no elbows), winning by 6th round TKO. His ring career largely came to a halt after 1985, and he retired after facing Yoshihisa Tagami at the age of 41. From that time on, he devoted himself to acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, teaching kick boxing and martial arts choreography
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
. Urquidez's late brother Reuben was also a competitive martial artist and actor; they appeared together in a 1982 training video "World Of Martial Arts", together with Steve Sanders
Steve Sanders
Steven Ike Sanders is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
, Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
and John Saxon
John Saxon (actor)
John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
.
In 2000, Urquidez and Emil Farkas founded the Los Angeles Film Fighting Institute, which was one of the first schools of its kind in the United States to teach martial artists the intricacies of stunt work.
Urquidez has had training in nine styles: judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, kajukenbo
Kajukenbo
Kajukenbo is a hybrid martial art that combines Western Boxing, Judo, Jujutsu, Kenpo Karate, Eskrima, Tang Soo Do, and Kung Fu. It was founded in 1947 in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Palama Settlement. The original purpose of the art was to deal with local crime and to help the people defend themselves...
, shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
, taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, lima lama, white crane kung fu, jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
, aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
, and karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
. He is the founder of Ukidokan Karate.
He continued to teach at "The Jets Gym" in North Hollywood, California. Urquidez has also authored various instructional books and videos. He also has a special friendship with actor/client John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
with whom talks of opening up a bigger gym in Santa Monica, targeting former champions as clients and trainers are in the works as Cusack has shown interest in taking part as co-owner.
"The Jets Gym" in the North Hollywood location closed in 2007, to make way for a shopping mall. Today, he is still very active teaching privately, and working as a stunt coordinator in the entertainment business. He teaches Ukidokan Kickboxing at Team Karate Center in Woodland Hills, and Karate at the Santa Clarita Martial Arts Academy.
Controversial fights
Benny Urquidez was the first kickboxing champion with an international profile who also operated as a free agent under different rules for different sanctions. Consequently, he fought in several unorthodox match-ups and hotly disputed bouts. In late 1974, in the grand finale of an early mixed martial artsMixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
-style tough man contest in Honolulu, Hawaii, a 5-foot 6-inch 145-pound Urquidez decisioned a 6-foot 1-inch 230-pound Dana Goodson after scoring a takedown and pin against Goodson in the third and final round.
A year later, in Detroit, Urquidez was disqualified for knocking out his opponent with a fourth punch under the subsequently-discontinued three-punch rule. The disqualifying referee was the opponent’s own karate instructor. The bout was excoriated on network television, prompting state athletic commissions across the United States to become interested in regulating the sport. Chuck Norris’ short-lived International Karate League (IKL) and later the STAR System world ratings
STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings
The Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System was the premier rating service for international kickboxing, from 1980 through 1989, as syndicated in fifteen martial arts and sports magazines throughout the world...
reversed this outcome.
Another three bouts were eventually ruled no-contests (NC). The first, in Los Angeles on March 12, 1977, was a nine-round NC (WKA) against Thai boxer Narongnoi Kiatbandit as part of the inaugural WKA world title event. Urquidez scored flash-knockdowns against Narongnoi in rounds three and six as well as five legal throws over three other rounds. Narongnoi was warned for illegal knee kicks and groin attacks on four occasions before being assessed with a point deduction in round nine. However, the point deduction came shortly after Narongnoi had scored his sole flash-knockdown which, in turn, provoked a riot among muay Thai fans in the audience. The audience invaded the ring moments before the final bell. Scores were never collected for round nine. The California State Athletic Commission declared the no-contest.
Next, on April 29, 1978, Urquidez faced his fourth Japanese opponent Shinobu Onuki in Tokyo; the event was co-promoted by the AJKBA and Shin-Kakuktojutsu Federation. Eventually, Urquidez executed a throw that dislocated Onuki's shoulder. Initially, because of the throw, Urquidez was given a TKO loss, however, the promoters acknowledged that Urquidez used the throw without knowing it was illegal under Japanese rules; the bout was then scored as a no-contest. Following this unsatisfactory result, the two faced each other again in Las Vegas on January 2, 1980. The fight was aired by NBC, and this time Urquidez knocked out Onuki with a left hook to the body. Later, in October 1981, when the AJKBA merged with the WKA, the WKA transmuted the original Onuki no-contest to a TKO victory for Urquidez because, in fact, Urquidez's fight contract had permitted throws.
Third, Urquidez fought to a seven-round NC (WKA) against Billye Jackson in West Palm Beach, Florida, on August 8, 1980. This non-title fight was first reported as a seven-round decision for Jackson; then was changed to a seven-round technical draw, and then to a no-contest. The WKA waited until March 1986 to unambiguously transmute this outcome owing to uneven glove assignments and a coerced last-minute rule change that unfairly affected Urquidez's performance in an otherwise close bout. The no-contest status of these fights has been corroborated in print by Paul Maslak (Chief Administrator of the STAR System world ratings
STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings
The Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System was the premier rating service for international kickboxing, from 1980 through 1989, as syndicated in fifteen martial arts and sports magazines throughout the world...
).
Meanwhile, on August 2, 1978, Urquidez faced the then fifth-ranked welterweight Thai boxer, Prayout Sittiboonlert, in Tokyo as part of the Shin-Kakutojutsu Organization's first independent event. The rules for the bout included six two-minute rounds, one-minute intervals, and no elbow contact as per agreement with Urquidez. Urquidez lost a heart-stopping decision to the Thai, who controlled the fight with relentless knee attacks and through the masterful use of Thai clinches. Afterward, Urquidez claimed he had been maneuvered into a competitive bout under unaccustomed “new rules” through deliberate misrepresentations. A rematch was set on October 30, 1978 at the Budokan (Martial Arts Hall) as part of the five world championships card for the Shin-Kakutojutsu Organization. However, for unknown reasons, Urquidez canceled the fight on the day of the event. According to one report, Urquidez did travel to Japan, but was unable to recover sufficiently from a high fever which he contracted from an allergic reaction to pain medication being used to treat a lingering left knuckle injury. This sanctioning organization was among several discontinued in 1981 for alleged ties to organized crime. Both the WKA and the STAR world ratings regarded this bout as muay Thai, a separate sport, and did not include it as part of Urquidez's rankings and record count for kickboxing.
After a six-year absence from the Japanese ring, Urquidez agreed to fight an exhibition against Nobuya Asuka on April 24, 1989 at the Tokyo Dome as part of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling event. The rules of the bout were five rounds at two-minutes each, one-minute intervals and without elbow or knee contact to the head. Additionally, it was established that, if the fight went the distance, it would automatically be scored as a draw. The bout did go five rounds without knockout or disqualification and a draw was immediately declared. However, Urquidez's STAR ring record lists the fight as a decision win.
After another four-year absence on December 4, 1993, in “The Legend’s Final Challenge” at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Urquidez fought Japanese champion Yoshihisa Tagami to establish the vacant WKA super welterweight world title. Despite having injured his left wrist in training, Urquidez proceeded with the bout and narrowly dominated his equally aggressive opponent with kicking attacks. Urquidez slipped to the canvas in round two; and Tagami scored a clean flash knockdown in round nine. Neither contestant was ever in serious trouble. The bout ended in a split decision, two judges scoring for Urquidez, one for Tagami.
Movie roles
Urquidez has played a number of roles in various martial arts movies. The first was Force: FiveForce: Five
Force: Five is a 1981 film directed by Robert Clouse. It stars Joe Lewis and Bong Soo Han.-Cast:*Joe Lewis as Jim Martin*Bong Soo Han as Rev. Rhee*Sonny Barnes as Lockjaw*Richard Norton as Ezekiel*Benny Urquidez as Billy Ortega...
(1981), starring Joe Lewis and Bong Soo Han
Bong Soo Han
Han Bong-Soo , also known as Bong Soo Han, was a martial arts instructor, author, the founder of the International Hapkido Federation, and one of the foremost practitioners of hapkido through his participation in books, magazine articles, and popular films featuring this Korean martial art...
. Later, he made two movies with Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, Wheels on Meals
Wheels on Meals
Wheels on Meals is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action film written and directed by Sammo Hung. Starring in the film are Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao...
(1984) and Dragons Forever
Dragons Forever
Dragons Forever is a 1988 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung. Film stars Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. The three actors, known colloquially as the Three Brothers, had attended the famous China Drama Academy together, and became members of the Seven Little Fortunes...
(1988), wherein he fights against the characters played by Chan, Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
and Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer...
. Urquidez is depicted as a relentlessly tough opponent who is defeated in the climactic fight scenes of both movies. His final fight with Chan in Wheels on Meals
Wheels on Meals
Wheels on Meals is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action film written and directed by Sammo Hung. Starring in the film are Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao...
is considered to be among the finest fights of Chan's career. He cameoed as a kickboxer in the Troma film Ragin' Cajun. The movie, filmed in 1988 and released in 1991, wrongfully asserted that it featured Urquidez's first film appearance—the fallacious text, as written in the opening credits, is: "Introducing Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez." Urquidez appeared again in the 1989 film Roadhouse
Roadhouse
Roadhouse may refer to:* Roadhouse * Texas Roadhouse, a western theme restaurant chain* Logan's Roadhouse, western theme steakhouse* Receiving house, a type of theatre venue- Film :* Road House ,...
as one of the fighters seen at a car dealership that is partially destroyed in some of the film's elaborately choreographed mayhem. He also trained Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
in his own fighting techniques for the film. He then made an appearance in the 1991 film Blood Match. In 1992, he played a referee in the James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
/ Louis Gossett, Jr. film Diggstown
Diggstown
Diggstown is a 1992 movie directed by Michael Ritchie, and starring James Woods, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Bruce Dern. It also features Heather Graham, Oliver Platt and Randall "Tex" Cobb.-Synopsis:...
and followed it with another cameo appearance in the movie Street Fighter
Street Fighter (film)
Street Fighter is a 1994 American action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It is based loosely on the same-titled video games produced by Capcom, and stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Raul Julia, along with supporting performances by Byron Mann, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na...
(1994), playing one of several prisoners put in a truck with Ken, Ryu, Sagat, and Vega; Urquidez also helped Grand L. Bush
Grand L. Bush
Grand Lee Bush is an American actor of stage, television and major motion pictures.-Personal life:Bush was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Essie and Robert Bush, who was an actor...
train for his role as Balrog. He was set to play a different character in the franchise, this time in the game based on the movie, but the character, Raven, was later scrapped.
Urquidez performed in the film Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American Black comedy film, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver.In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Grosse Pointe Blank the 21st greatest comedy film of all time. The film's soundtrack features mainly independent music hits...
(1997) as Felix La Poubelle (note that la poubelle means the dustbin in French), a hitman sent to kill a character played by John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
. More recently, he appeared in 1408
1408 (film)
1408 is a 2007 American psychological horror film based on the Stephen King short story of the same name directed by Swedish director Mikael Håfström, who earlier had directed the horror film Drowning Ghost. The cast includes John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mary McCormack. The film was released...
(2007), again with John Cusack. In reality, Urquidez is Cusack's long-time kickboxing trainer. Urquidez also appeared as one of several thugs who accost Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
's character in the first Spider-Man
Spider-Man (film)
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp...
film during an attempted robbery; Urquidez plays the thug wearing a black-and-white-striped t-shirt who makes kissing noises at Dunst.
Titles and awards
- Black Belt Magazine
- 1978 Competitor of the Year
- KATOGI
- KATOGI super-lightweight (-63.6 kg) world champion (0 title defences - vacated): 1978
- Muay Thai Bond Nederland
- M.T.B.N. welterweight (-66 kg) world champion (0 title defences - vacated): 1984
- National Karate League
- N.K.L. lightweight (-70.5 kg) world champion (3 title defences - vacated): 1974-1975
- Professional Karate AssociationProfessional Karate AssociationThe Professional Karate Association was originally a martial arts sanctioning organization, now transformed into a martial arts promotion company....
- P.K.A.Professional Karate AssociationThe Professional Karate Association was originally a martial arts sanctioning organization, now transformed into a martial arts promotion company....
lightweight (-65.9 kg) world champion (2 title defences - vacated): 1976-1977
- P.K.A.
- STAR System World Kickboxing RatingsSTAR System World Kickboxing RatingsThe Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System was the premier rating service for international kickboxing, from 1980 through 1989, as syndicated in fifteen martial arts and sports magazines throughout the world...
- S.T.A.R.STAR System World Kickboxing RatingsThe Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System was the premier rating service for international kickboxing, from 1980 through 1989, as syndicated in fifteen martial arts and sports magazines throughout the world...
undisputed welterweight (-66.8 kg) world champion: 1985 - S.T.A.R.STAR System World Kickboxing RatingsThe Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System was the premier rating service for international kickboxing, from 1980 through 1989, as syndicated in fifteen martial arts and sports magazines throughout the world...
undisputed super-welterweight (-70.5 kg) world champion: 1974
- S.T.A.R.
- World Kickboxing AssociationWorld Kickboxing AssociationThe World Kickboxing Association is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of kickboxing in the world for the sport. Its official name is "World Kickboxing and Karate Association"....
- W.K.A.World Kickboxing AssociationThe World Kickboxing Association is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of kickboxing in the world for the sport. Its official name is "World Kickboxing and Karate Association"....
super-welterweight (-70 kg) world champion (0 title defences - vacated): 1993 - W.K.A.World Kickboxing AssociationThe World Kickboxing Association is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of kickboxing in the world for the sport. Its official name is "World Kickboxing and Karate Association"....
welterweight (-66.8 kg) world champion (0 title defences - vacated): 1985 - W.K.A.World Kickboxing AssociationThe World Kickboxing Association is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning organizations of kickboxing in the world for the sport. Its official name is "World Kickboxing and Karate Association"....
super-lightweight (-64.5 kg) world champion (14 title defences - vacated): 1977-1985 Note that 1 of the defences were for the W.K.A. lightweight world title (-65.9 kg) but the weight classes were later restructured
- W.K.A.
- World Professional Karate Organization
- W.P.K.O. lightweight (-65.9 kg) world champion (0 title defences): 1975
- World Series of Martial Arts Championships
- W.S.M.A.C. lightweight (-79.5 kg) world champion (4 title defences - vacated): 1975-1976
- W.S.M.A.C. openweight (unlimited weight) world champion (1 title defences - vacated): 1974-1976
Kickboxing record
Note that the record below is the documented professional record of Benny Urquidez from the S.T.A.R.STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings
The Standardized Tournaments And Ratings System was the premier rating service for international kickboxing, from 1980 through 1989, as syndicated in fifteen martial arts and sports magazines throughout the world...
website. He also is believed to have 11 undocumented matches, winning 10, drawing one with all 10 victories by way of KO.
| Kickboxing Record | |
|---|---|
Legend: |
|
External links
- Official Benny "The Jet" Urquidez website.
- Benny The Jet's Academy of Stunt Actors
- Urquidez biography from the Paradise Warrior Retreat Center.
- Benny Urduidez YouTube channel
See also
- List of male kickboxers
- Gracie ChallengeGracie challengeThe Gracie challenge was an open invitation issued by some members of the Brazilian Gracie family, known for their Brazilian Jiu-jitsu mastery, to martial artists of other styles to fight them in a Vale tudo match. A precursor to the Ultimate Fighting Championship , the purpose of these...