Benny Urquidez
America's full-contact pioneer who fought all comers
- Born
- June 20, 1952, Tarzana, California, US
- Nationality
United States- Height
- 168 cm (5′6″)
- Style
- Versatile karate-boxer
- Weight
- Lightweight, Super Lightweight, Welterweight
- Active
- 1974–1985, 1989, 1993
- Status
- Retired · age 74
The record
Wikipedia infobox; the one loss is a disputed 1978 Muay Thai decision against Prayut Sittiboonlert. His own site lists 63-0 with 57 KOs; his claim of 200-0 across all bouts is unverified. record
The story
enny Urquidez earned a black belt at 14 and moved from non-contact karate to full-contact fighting in 1974, the year the sport arrived in the United States. Known as The Jet, the Tarzana-born lightweight adapted to whatever styles and rules he faced and fought top Japanese opponents, knocking out Kunimatsu Okao and Katsuyuki Suzuki in 1977. He won six world titles across five weight divisions, including a WKA reign with 14 defenses, and his only recorded loss, a 1978 Muay Thai decision against Prayut Sittiboonlert, is disputed. He later founded the Ukidokan system, opened the Jet Center gym in 1981, trained actors and appeared in Jackie Chan films such as Wheels on Meals. He entered the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.
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- Six world titles in five weight divisions
- WKA lightweight / super lightweight world champion (1977–1985, 14 defenses)
- PKA lightweight world champion (1976–1977)
- NKL lightweight champion (1974–1975)
- Black Belt Magazine Competitor of the Year (1978)
- World Kickboxing League Hall of Fame (2013)
- International Sports Hall of Fame (2019)
Defining fights
- 1977WINvs Kunimatsu Okao (KO 4)
- 1977WINvs Katsuyuki Suzuki (KO 6)
- 1978LOSSvs Prayut Sittiboonlert (decision, disputed)
- 1980WINvs Shinobu Onuki (KO 7, rematch)
- 1993WINvs Yoshihisa Tagami (split decision)
Build your kickboxing on a solid jab-cross-hook foundation like Urquidez, so when kicks are restricted or the fight goes close, your hands still win the exchange.
1972–1999
1976–1995
1977–2000