Lloyd van Dams
Encyclopedia
Lloyd "The Tornado" van Dams (born March 5, 1972 in Para District
) is a Dutch
–Surinamese super heavyweight
kickboxer. He is a former Dutch, European and World Muay Thai
champion. In 2006 Lloyd opened his own gym, Fight Club Van Dams in Utrecht
, Netherlands. He still continues to fight professionally but spends most of his time training young fighters at his gym.
and moved to the Netherlands when he was 7 years old. He began training kickboxing
when he was 12 at SWSU, a Surinamese gym in Utrecht
. When he was good enough, his trainer decided him to take him to Chakuriki. Van Dams had his first professioanl fight at the age of 18.
When he was 20 he moved from Utrecht to Dordrecht
and began training with Jan Vleesenbeek. This trainer was known for his hard training methods, which suited Van Dams very well. When Vleesenbeek decided to stop training, Van Dams moved to a gym called "Survivor" in Breda
.
When facing problems in his personal life in 1996, Van Dams moved back to Utrecht. He went training with Chakuriki Gym
in Amsterdam
, under Thom Harinck
and developed himself as one of the top fighters of the gym.
In 1999 he made his K-1
debut at the K-1 Braves '99. After beating Matt Skelton
in the semi-finals he lost to Xhavit Bajrami
at the finals. After a few years, Van Dams made his comeback in 2005. First he fought at an 8-man tourney "Fight at the Border" in Belgium, where he lost on his comeback to Petar Majstorovic
by unanimous decision. A week later he won a 4-man tournament in Romania. He defeated Pavel Majer and Alben Belinski.
Para District
Para is a district of Suriname, in the north. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, Sabana and Zanderij.Para has a population of 15,120 and an area of 5,393 km²....
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
–Surinamese super heavyweight
Super heavyweight
In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms . Introduced for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the division, despite its grandiose name, is merely the amateur equivalent of the professional heavyweight division...
kickboxer. He is a former Dutch, European and World Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
champion. In 2006 Lloyd opened his own gym, Fight Club Van Dams in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, Netherlands. He still continues to fight professionally but spends most of his time training young fighters at his gym.
Biography and career
Lloyd Daniël van Dams was born in SurinameSuriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
and moved to the Netherlands when he was 7 years old. He began training 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....
when he was 12 at SWSU, a Surinamese gym in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
. When he was good enough, his trainer decided him to take him to Chakuriki. Van Dams had his first professioanl fight at the age of 18.
When he was 20 he moved from Utrecht to Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
and began training with Jan Vleesenbeek. This trainer was known for his hard training methods, which suited Van Dams very well. When Vleesenbeek decided to stop training, Van Dams moved to a gym called "Survivor" in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
.
When facing problems in his personal life in 1996, Van Dams moved back to Utrecht. He went training with Chakuriki Gym
Chakuriki Gym
Chakuriki Gym is a kickboxing gym, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1972, it is one of the oldest kickboxing gyms in the Netherlands.-History:...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, under Thom Harinck
Thom Harinck
Thom Harinck is a Dutch kickboxing trainer and founder of the Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam.Harinck began learning martial arts at the age of seventeen while working on a cruise ship, and also started boxing while serving in the military...
and developed himself as one of the top fighters of the gym.
In 1999 he made his 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...
debut at the K-1 Braves '99. After beating Matt Skelton
Matt Skelton
Matt Skelton is an English boxer who changed sports from kickboxing. He is a former English, British, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight champion. He has also held the lightly regarded WBU "World" Heavyweight title....
in the semi-finals he lost to Xhavit Bajrami
Xhavit Bajrami
Xhavit Bajrami is a Swiss kickboxer of Kosovar Albanian descent.-Biography:Bajrami was born in Pristina to Kosovar Albanian parents, the family later relocated to Switzerland. His family originate from south of Pristina. He became an accomplished kickboxer and won the K-1 Braves 1999 Champion...
at the finals. After a few years, Van Dams made his comeback in 2005. First he fought at an 8-man tourney "Fight at the Border" in Belgium, where he lost on his comeback to Petar Majstorovic
Petar Majstorovic
Petar Majstorovic is a Swiss-Croatian heavyweight karateka and kickboxer, fighting out of Durante's Box Gym. He is WKN former World Champion and two times K-1 preliminary tournaments champion in Croatia and Germany....
by unanimous decision. A week later he won a 4-man tournament in Romania. He defeated Pavel Majer and Alben Belinski.
Titles
- 2010 Amsterdam Fight Club 4 man tournament champion
- 2004 King Of The Ring World GP tournament champion
- 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix in Fukuoka Repechage A Runner Up
- 2000 WFCA World champion
- 1999 WMTA World champion
- 1998 EMTA European champion
- 1998 KO-Power Tournament champion
- 1997 Battle of the Best tournament champion
- 1996 NKBB Dutch champion
Kickboxing record
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| MMA record | |
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