Benny Urquidez (born June 20, 1952) 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 USA. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974 – the year of its inception in the US – frequently fighting in bouts where the rules were ambiguous and contrasts in styles were dramatic. Between 1974 and 1993, he amassed a record of 57-1-0 (win-loss-draw) with 49 knockouts and two controversial no-contests. Black Belt Magazine voted Urquidez "Fighter of the Year" in 1978. is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Kickboxer redirects here. ... Stage Combat is a specialized method of physical theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat for theatrical, operatic and ballet productions. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ...

Biography

Urquidez was born in Los Angeles County California, the son of a wrestling mother and a boxing father, and is descended from Basque Spaniards and Amerindians. 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. In the 1973 Internationals, he fought John Natividad in one of the greatest non-contact bouts in history. 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 different kickboxing organizations (NKL, WPKO, PKA, WKA, AJKBA, KATOGI, NJPW and MTN) to amass a record of 58 wins with no losses. There is a good deal of controversy surrounding this record. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two competitors competing for a physical advantage. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortiz Boxing, also referred to as prizefighting, the noble art, the sweet science, and pugilism is a combat sport in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a series of... Languages Basque - few monoglots Spanish - 1,525,000 monoglots French - 150,000 monoglots Basque-Spanish - 600,000 speakers Basque-French - 76,000 speakers [4] other native languages Religions Traditionally Roman Catholic The Basques (Basque: Euskaldunak) are an indigenous people[5] who inhabit parts of northwestern Spain and southwestern France. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1977, Urquidez travelled to Japan for the first time and fought under WKA rules which included leg kicks. In his first fight he defeated Katsuyuki Suzuki by 6th round KO (August 1977). To avenge this loss, the undefeated fighter Kunimatsu Okau came out of retirement to challenge Urquidez. Urquidez won this bout by 4th round KO (November 1977). 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 Muay Thai rules, winning by 6th round TKO. His ring career largely came to a halt after 1985, after which he fought only two fights: once in 1989 against Nobuya Azuka, and once in 1993 (at the age of 41) against Yoshihisa Tagami. He won both fights by decision. From that time on, he devoted himself to acting, teaching kick boxing and martial arts choreography. 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. ... Actresses Uma Thurman (right) and Vivica A. Fox performing a fight choreography Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. ...

Urquidez has obtained black belts in nine styles: judo, kempo, shotokan, taekwondo, lima lama, white crane kung fu, jujutsu, aikido, and karate. He is the founder of Ukidokan Karate.Today, he continues to teach at "The Jets Gym" in North Hollywood, California. Urquidez has also authored various instructional books and videos. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Judo ), meaning gentle way, is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō) and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. ... Kenpo or Kempo (拳法; lit. ... Shotokan is a school of karate, developed from various martial arts by master Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) and his son Yoshitaka. ... Taekwondo (also spelled as taekwon-do, tae kwon do, tae kwon-do, or tae-kwon-do) is a martial art and combat sport originating in Korea. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... There are two main schools of White Crane Kung Fu (白鶴拳; pinyin: bái hé quán; Hokkien: pek hok kun) with very different origins and techniques. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Aikido ), translated as the way of harmonious spirit, is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō) developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. ... Karate ) ( ) or karate-dō ) is a martial art that developed from a synthesis of indigenous Ryukyuan fighting methods and Chinese kempo [1]. Karate originally meant Te, or hand, i. ... Benny Urquidez (born June 20, 1952) is an American kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. ...

Controversial Fight Decisions

Urquidez fought in three bouts which were eventually ruled no-contest (NC). The first, in Los Angeles in March 1977, was a nine-round NC (WKA) against Thai boxer Narongnoi Kiatbandit. The second and most controversial fight was against another Thai fighter, Prayuth (sometimes spelled Prayoud) Sittiboonlert in August 1978 in Tokyo, Japan. The fight was ruled a six-round NC (KATOGI). Many observers and sports columnists consider this fight a loss and Benny really was not undefeated as his inferior watered down kick boxing was shown up by a superior muay thai fighter. Finally, Urquidez fought to a seven-round NC (WKA) against Billye Jackson in Palm Beach, Florida. The no-contest status of these fights has been corroborated in print by Paul Maslak (Chief Administrator of the Star System) ^[1].

Movie Roles

Urquidez played a leading role in various martial arts movies. The first was Force: Five (1981) starring Joe Lewis and Bong Soo Han. Later, he made two movies with Jackie Chan: Wheels on Meals (1984) and Dragons Forever (1988), where he fights against the characters played by Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, with Urquidez as a 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 one of the finest fights of the movie genre. Urquidez also starred 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. In reality, Urquidez is Cusack's long-time kickboxing trainer. Martial arts film is a film genre that originated in the Pacific Rim. ... Chan Kong-Sang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) or Jackie Chan SBS, (born on April 7, 1954) is a Chinese martial artist, action star, actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, singer and stunt performer. ... Wheels on Meals (Kwai tsan tseh) is a 1984 Hong Kong action film starring Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao as Thomas and David, two men who run a fast food van in Barcelona. ... Dragons Forever is a 1988 action movie made in Hong Kong. ... Sammo Hung (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born January 7, 1952) is a Chinese actor, producer and director known for his work in many Kung fu films and Hong Kong action cinema. ... Yuen Biao (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (born 26 July 1957) is a Chinese actor from Hong Kong. ... Wheels on Meals (Kwai tsan tseh) is a 1984 Hong Kong action film starring Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao as Thomas and David, two men who run a fast food van in Barcelona. ... Grosse Pointe Blank is an 1997 American comedy movie, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver. ... John Paul Cusack (born June 28, 1966) is an American film actor and writer. ... Kickboxer redirects here. ...

References

• J. Corcoran and E. Farkas, Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. W.H. Smith (New York, 1983)
• Benny Urquidez, King of The Ring. Pro Action Publishing (Los Angeles, 1995) ISBN 0-9615126-4-4

Notes

1. ^ Benny Urquidez, King of The Ring. Pro Action Publishing (Los Angeles, 1995) ISBN 0-9615126-4-4, p. 318

External links

• Benny Urquidez at the Internet Movie Database
• Urquidez biography from the Paradise Warrior Retreat Center
• An interview with Urquidez from Mike Miles' website

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

See also

• List of male kickboxers