Imani Lee is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, 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....

, mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 and professional wrestler

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

.

Career

Lee was an avid football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player during his high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 years and had try outs for the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 on two occasions. He began studying taekwondo

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

 at the age of ten, with the African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 characters in the films Enter the Dragon

Enter the Dragon

Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts co-production with Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. studios, directed by Robert Clouse; starring Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly and John Saxon. This is Bruce Lee's final film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973...

and The Last Dragon

The Last Dragon

The Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...

his early martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 heroes.

He also had an interest in boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 and made his professional

Professional Boxing

Professional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...

 debut at the age of 23 when a local promoter named Sharriff Davis suggested a career in the sport to him. His first loss came at the hands of veteran fighter Sedreck Fields

Sedreck Fields

Sedreck Sylvester Fields, born September 11, 1972, in Augusta, GA, is a heavyweight boxer. Nicknamed "Big Buck", Fields is a journeyman fighter who fought several significant fighters of his era.Fields turned pro in 1997 and won 22 fights while losing 37...

 via first round knock out in 1998 after winning his first three bouts. He continued his career in boxing until 2003 when he retired with a record of 8 wins (5 KOs) and 3 losses.

In 2005, he entered the world of kickboxing

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....

 with the K-1

K-1

K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...

 promotion. He made his debut against South African giant Jan Nortje

Jan Nortje

Johannes "Jan" Nortje is a South African kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and undefeated pro boxer who has fought for Strikeforce, DREAM, K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championship, and New Japan Pro Wrestling....

 in a reserve bout at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas II on August 13 and won via decision. He returned the following year to take part in the Grand Prix. He was eliminated by Alexey Ignashov

Alexey Ignashov

Alexey "The Red Scorpion" Ignashov is a Belarusian Super Heavyweight kickboxer. He is a four-time Muay Thai World champion, K-1 World GP 2003 in Paris and K-1 World GP 2001 in Nagoya tournament champion...

 in the quarter-finals but Ignashov was unable to continue due to injury, meaning Lee would take his place in the semi-finals where he was defeated by Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald (kickboxer)

Michael "The Black Sniper" McDonald is a retired Canadian Heavyweight kickboxer. He is the former three time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion.-Early life:Michael McDonald was born in Birmingham, England...

.

He took part in the Las Vegas Grand Prix again in 2007 but was knocked out by Rick Cheek

Rick Cheek

"Savage" Rick Cheek is an American Super Heavyweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist, from Santa Rosa, California. He's former IKF and WKA North American Super Heavyweight Muay Thai champion and former United States Air Force boxing champion.- Biography & career:Cheek started training...

 at the quarter-finals stage.

Lee made his mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 debut in November 2006 againstformer UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. He has also competed in Pride Fighting Championship, EliteXC, International Fight League, BAMMA, World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage.-Early life:Rodriguez grew up in the...

 and lost via submission in the first round. After taking one win and one loss from his next two MMA bouts, he headed to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 to take on Minowaman

Ikuhisa Minowa

is a Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler currently competing in Dream as . He was a long time veteran of Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 HERO'S, Cage Rage, UFC, and DEEP. At 5'9" he is notable for taking...

, a catch wrestler famous for fighting opponents much larger than himself, at Dream 14. He again lost via first-round submission.

In May 2008, he signed with World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

 as a professional wrestler

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

.

Boxing record

Boxing record
Legend:

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record
Legend:

Mixed martial arts record

|Win
|align=center|2-3
|  Terry Blackburn
|Decision (split)
|Art of Fighting 9: Apocalypse
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|1-3
|  Ikuhisa Minowa

Ikuhisa Minowa

is a Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler currently competing in Dream as . He was a long time veteran of Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 HERO'S, Cage Rage, UFC, and DEEP. At 5'9" he is notable for taking...

|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|Dream 14
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:16
|Saitama

Saitama, Saitama

' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|1-2
|  Giovanni Sarran
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|Art of Fighting 7: Payday
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:04
|Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-1
|  Sal Farnetti
|TKO (knee injury)
|Art of Fighting 5: Rumble at Robarts 5
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:12
|Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-1
|  Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. He has also competed in Pride Fighting Championship, EliteXC, International Fight League, BAMMA, World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage.-Early life:Rodriguez grew up in the...

|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Beatdown in Bakersfield
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:12
|Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-

External links

• Profile at K-1
  K-1
  K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...