The MMA Mental Hall of Fame: Kimo Leopoldo
Filed Under (MMA) by admin on 25-03-2009
Tagged Under : Kimo Leopoldo, MMA Mental Hall of Fame
For the current induction into the renowned and hallowed MMA Mental Hall of Fame, we have a man who was once considered an undisputable MMA legend and who may even have eventually flirted with the UFC Hall of Fame, had his head been screwed on properly.
The mugshot to the left may unfortunately be the most resounding impression left with MMA fans, however, and we should probably give Kimo some credit for staying off the police radar for as long as he did, given that for the early part of his career his manager and spiritual mentor was none other than alleged gang-rapist-slash-Christian-fanatic Joe Son (see mugshot to the right).
Kimo began his career with a bang, putting in what was considered one of the elite performances of the early UFC era in pushing Royce Gracie to his physical limit and, despite eventually being submitted, leaving Gracie unable to continue in the tournament.
Kimo had already outed himself as an MMA Mental Case prior to the fight, however, when he entered the octagon with an enormous cross strapped to his back. This bizarre entrance was later repeated by Joe Son at future UFC events, when he unsuccessfully attempted a transition from manager to fighter.
Kimo’s valiant loss to Royce Gracie would stand out as one of the high points of his career. It would later be topped by victories over Tank Abbott and the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba, as well as a draw with Dan Severn. He was submitted and knocked out in two fights with Ken Shamrock, and by the end of his career he was losing to the likes of Dave Legeno and Wes Sims.
But Kimo is not a Mental Hall of Famer for his Jesus entrance antics alone. For one, he was twice suspended for positive steroids tests. For two, he followed up these positive tests with a campaign to become the official in charge of anti-doping for the California State Athletic Commission. For three, in the midst of this campaign, he was arrested for impersonating a police officer (in uniform) while in possession of illegal drugs.
Fourth and finally, he produced and released the following MMA instructional video…
And as something of a novelty, we have Kimo in one of his more unusual victories, defeating WWF wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow in his one and only professional MMA fight.