Semmy Schilt, Greatest K-1 Fighter ever

Semmy Schilt, the Greatest K-1 Fighter ever

SEMMY “HIGHTOWER” SCHILT
NICKNAME: Hightower, Semtex
BIRTHDATE: October 27, 1973
BIRTHPLACE: Rotterdam, Netherlands
FIGHTING OUT OF: Zuidlaren, Netherlands
HEIGHT: 6’11.5″ (212 cm)
WEIGHT: 282-293 lbs (128-133 kg)
REACH: 88″ (224 cm)
SHOE SIZE: 15.5 (50)
NATIONALITY: Dutch
STYLE: Ashihara Karate, Kickboxing
OCCUPATION: professional Dutch Ashihara karateka and kickboxer, mixed martial artist (MMA)
MMA PRO DEBUT: 1996 (at 22 years old)
KICKBOXING PRO DEBUT: 2002 (at 28 years old)
KICKBOXING RECORD: 39-6-1 (18)
MMA RECORD: 26-14-1

Who said that giant fighters are always plodding and clumsy? Here is a proof of the contrary, 6’11.5″ (212 cm), 291 lbs (132 kg) with a wingspan of 88″ (224 cm) “Hightower” Semmy Schilt is a four time (three times consecutive) K-1 Kickboxing World GP champion. He is the only fighter in K-1 history to win the championship three times in a row, and also shares the record with Ernesto Hoost for most GPs won, with four. And he is also an accomplished MMA & Ashihara Karate fighter.

Semmy Schilt is so superior and dominant that in 2009 he won his fourth WGP title getting the record of fastest GP win with a total time over all 3 matches of 352 seconds. Think about it, he streamrolled 3 world-class kickboxers in only 352 seconds! For an average of 1:57 per fight!!

Many experts believes he is “the greatest K-1 fighter of all time“. Let’s see some facts to proove their claim.

K-1 Kickboxing

- 2005 K-1 Regional Grand Prix Champion in Paris
- 2005 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
- 2006 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
- 2007 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
- 2009 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion

- The first ever K-1 Super Heavyweight Championship in 2007 (One time; Current) Also becoming the first man to KO’d Ray Sefo in K-1 competition.
- Record Holder of the Most WGP Titles: 4 times in his 4 first participations (ex-aquo with Ernesto Hoost who was the first in history to won 4 K-1 WGP championships).
- Record Holder of the Most consecutive WGP Titles: 3
- Record Holder of the fastest WGP win: 3 opponents in 352 seconds (5:52). Beating the 1998’s Peter Aerts WGP record winning time of 6:43.
- Record Holder of the third fastest WGP win
- Record Holder of the Longest K-1 Winning Streak: 13 Fights from September 2006 to June 2008

Record vs K-1 Greats:

vs. 1994,1995,1998 WGP Champion Peter Aerts: 2(1 TKO)-3

vs. 1997,1999,2000,2002 WGP Champion Ernesto Hoost: 2(1 TKO)-0-1

vs. 2001 WGP Champion Mark Hunt: 1(KO)-0

vs. 2003,2004,2008 WGP Champion Remy Bonjasky: 3(2 KO)-0

vs. Mushashi: 2-0

vs. Jerome LeBanner: 4(2 KO)-0

vs. Badr Hari: 1(KO)-1(KO)

vs. Glaude Feitosa: 3(1 KO)-0

vs. Ray Sefo: 2(1 KO)-0

vs. Alexey Ignashov: 1-1(KO)

Kickboxing Glory World Series
- Glory World Heavyweight Championship 2012 (One time; First; Current)

Mixed Martial Arts

Pancrase
- Openweight King of Pancrase 1999-2000 (One time; 2 title defenses)

Karate

2 times Daido Juku Hokutoki champion. open-weight division, 1996/1997
2 times IBK (International Budo Kai) European Champion Full contact karate (Knockdown karate rules) 1995/1996
3 times IBK (International Budo Kai) Dutch Champion Full contact karate (Knockdown karate rules) 1993/1994/1995

Black Belt Magazine
- 2008 Full-Contact Fighter of the Year

Rank
- 6th dan black belt in Ashihara kaikan

No fighter has dominated an era in K-1 history like four-time champion Semmy Schilt. The High Tower from Holland is, quite simply, the most powerful K-1 champion in history and a man who dominated the last ten years by breaking K-1’s most time-honored records. Long live Semmy Schilt! Long live the King!However, K-1 veteran Peter Aerts is probably his closest rival for the title of the greatest K-1 fighter of all-time. If Schilt dominated the 2000s era with his four Grand Prix titles, Peter Aerts dominated the 90s era by winning three Grand Prix tournaments. And as seen above in the section ‘record vs. K-1 greats’, Semmy Schilt got the upperhand in his feud against K-1 greatest fighters except for one, Peter Aerts. The veteran Peter Aert bested Schilt three times by judges decision (2006, 2008, 2010) in Schilt’s era. Schilt defeated him twice, once by TKO (leg injury) and the other by decision. So how’s the best? Watch the video below and make your choice.

The Best of Semmy Schilt