Rob Kaman
Mr. Low Kick, co-founder of the Dutch style
- Born
- June 5, 1960, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Died
- March 30, 2024 (aged 63)
- Nationality
Netherlands- Height
- 185 cm (6′1″)
- Style
- Dutch-style low-kick pioneer
- Weight
- Middleweight, Light Heavyweight
- Active
- 1978–1999
The record
Kickboxing and Muay Thai combined, Wikipedia infobox (112 bouts); the NOS obituary confirms 97 wins and 77 knockouts in 112 official fights. Also one boxing draw and one MMA win. record
The story
ob Kaman was the Amsterdam fighter who showed the world what a Dutch low kick could do. In 1983 he became the first European to win a kickboxing world title, stopping American John Moncayo with a low kick in the third round at the Jaap Edenhal. Trained by Jan Plas at Mejiro Gym, he went on to win nine world titles in kickboxing and Muay Thai, knocking out Thai fighter Samart Prasarnmit in 1984 and a young Ernesto Hoost in 1990. His method was simple and brutal: punish the thigh until the guard came down, then finish with hooks. He retired in 1999 after 112 official fights, played small roles in three Jean-Claude Van Damme films, and died in 2024 at 63. In the mid-1980s he had serious trouble with the law.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- WKA full-contact middleweight world champion (1983–1987)
- WKA full-contact light heavyweight world champion (1988–1991)
- IMTF Muay Thai light heavyweight world champion (1990)
- ISKA oriental rules light heavyweight world champion (1992–1994)
- K-2 France Grand Prix champion (1995)
Defining fights
- 1983WINvs John Moncayo (KO 3, low kick, WKA middleweight world title)
- 1984WINvs Samart Prasarnmit (KO 2, left hook to the body)
- 1990WINvs Ernesto Hoost (KO 5, left hook)
- 1992WINvs Jean-Yves Thériault (TKO 5)
- 1999WINvs Alexey Ignashov (decision, final fight)
Use the low kick as a setup, not just a scoring shot: chop the lead thigh until the opponent drops their hands or shifts their weight, then step in with a left hook to the head or body.
