George Longinidis
Encyclopedia
George "The Iron Lion" Longinidis (born 5 September 1975) Australia
n kickboxer
of Greek
descent. His brother, Stan
, is also a well-known kickboxer.
parents Steve and Suzie. He has a brother, Stan "The Man" Longinidis
, who is 10 years older, and a sister Lana who is 9 years older. George was married in 2003 to wife Desi and they have two children Susannah and Isaac.
George started his martial arts career at the age of 8 and went on to claim a black belt in the art of bushidokai at the age of 15.
His professional kickboxing career started in 1998 and since then he has had 15 fights for 15 wins 10 wins by k.o. George was struck down with serious injuries during his fight career and was setback for a lengthy period of time. George has had a total of 14 operations to repair ruptures and tears including re-constructions to his knee and shoulders. His biggest win was on 23 September 2005 at the Osaka Dome in Japan where he faced Japanese legendary champion Nobuaki Kakuda
in front of 50,000 fans on the prestigious K1 circuit. George defeated his Japanese opponent by unanimous decision 3-0.
George created history on 24 July 2009 by winning the W.O.K.A World heavyweight kickboxing championship against Thai Asian champion Ramba Sitsianpo, and thereby with Stan becoming the only two brothers of Greek/Australian heritage to ever win World titles in any sport and the only two brothers to both be world 'Heavyweight' champion kickboxers.
George Longinidis also conducts personal training sessions for clientele in the city of Melbourne, Australia.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n kickboxer
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
of Greek
Greek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek ancestry, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity....
descent. His brother, Stan
Stan Longinidis
Stan "The Man" Longinidis is a retired Australian Heavyweight kickboxer and 8 time Kickboxing World Champion. Born in Australia of Greek ethnicity, Longinidis is one of the few fighters to have won World titles in three different styles, International Rules Kickboxing, Full Contact and Muay Thai,...
, is also a well-known kickboxer.
Biography and career
Longinidis was born in Melbourne, Victoria to GreekGreeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
parents Steve and Suzie. He has a brother, Stan "The Man" Longinidis
Stan Longinidis
Stan "The Man" Longinidis is a retired Australian Heavyweight kickboxer and 8 time Kickboxing World Champion. Born in Australia of Greek ethnicity, Longinidis is one of the few fighters to have won World titles in three different styles, International Rules Kickboxing, Full Contact and Muay Thai,...
, who is 10 years older, and a sister Lana who is 9 years older. George was married in 2003 to wife Desi and they have two children Susannah and Isaac.
George started his martial arts career at the age of 8 and went on to claim a black belt in the art of bushidokai at the age of 15.
His professional kickboxing career started in 1998 and since then he has had 15 fights for 15 wins 10 wins by k.o. George was struck down with serious injuries during his fight career and was setback for a lengthy period of time. George has had a total of 14 operations to repair ruptures and tears including re-constructions to his knee and shoulders. His biggest win was on 23 September 2005 at the Osaka Dome in Japan where he faced Japanese legendary champion Nobuaki Kakuda
Nobuaki Kakuda
is a Japanese Seidokaikan Karateka.-Career:Kakuda is famous for his first punch knockout win over German mixed martial artist Mavrick at 0:56 seconds in the K-1 Fields Europe GP 2005 as well as being the only K-1 fighter to lose to Akebono, a former Sumo wrestler whose long losing streak has made...
in front of 50,000 fans on the prestigious K1 circuit. George defeated his Japanese opponent by unanimous decision 3-0.
George created history on 24 July 2009 by winning the W.O.K.A World heavyweight kickboxing championship against Thai Asian champion Ramba Sitsianpo, and thereby with Stan becoming the only two brothers of Greek/Australian heritage to ever win World titles in any sport and the only two brothers to both be world 'Heavyweight' champion kickboxers.
George Longinidis also conducts personal training sessions for clientele in the city of Melbourne, Australia.
Titles
- I.S.K.A South Pacific Super Heavyweight Champion 1 April 2007.
- W.O.K.A Commonwealth Super Heavyweight Champion 6 October 2007.
- W.O.K.A World Heavyweight Champion 24 July 2009.