Martin Holm
Encyclopedia
Martin Holm was a Swedish
Muay Thai
kickboxer and former WMC Muaythai World Champion. In K-1
he fought against some of the biggest stars at the time, like Ernesto Hoost
, Ray Sefo
, Michael McDonald
and Glaube Feitosa
.
and practiced it for four years. Soon after he became interested in Shotokan Karate. When he was 14 he entered one of the Muay Thai
gyms in Stockholm
, "Slagskeppet Muay Thai," where he met Jörgen Kruth
and immediately was taken by the sport.
Martin was 18 years old and vacationing in Thailand
with friends when he had his first fight. He was not prepared for the fight but his opponent was an experienced local Muay Thai fighter. Holm attacked hard, fired a lot of shots and won the fight by a knockout with knee strikes at the 30 second mark in the first round. Martin decided to follow his training friend Jorgen Kruth to the most professional fighting gyms in Scandinavia, Vallentuna Boxing Camp www.vbc.se, in an attempt to get to the next level. From Vallentuna he had some professional fights and later entered K-1 two years after Kruth.
Holm fought over 30 fights before the WMC World Title match in 1999, in Thailand
.
In 2002, he made his K-1 debut at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Nagoya. He knocked out Namibia
n Jokki Oberholtzer at 1'38" in the first round. His next fight was against Brazil
ian karate
practitioner Glaube Feitosa
. Holm won again by a first round knock out.
In 2002, in Saitama
, Japan
, he faced his toughest opponent yet, K-1 superstar Ray Sefo
from New Zealand
. Holm lost the evenly fought battle by majority decision. He finished his rookie year in K-1 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002
Finals undercard against Canadian Michael McDonald
.
In 2003, in Paris
, Holm fought against four-time K-1 World Champion Ernesto Hoost
and lost by unanimous decision.
In 2004, after his fight against Albania
n Xhavit Bajrami
, as a rising star in K-1 and in a surprise to all his fans, Martin Holm retired from fighting in order to focus on his family and newborn son.
After three years off, in January 2007, he announced he will be making his comeback to K-1.
Martin Holm was found dead on 24 June 2009. The cause of death was suicide by hanging. Holm had been privately struggling with depression and an emotional imbalance.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
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...
kickboxer and former WMC Muaythai World Champion. In 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...
he fought against some of the biggest stars at the time, like Ernesto Hoost
Ernesto Hoost
Ernesto Fritz "Mr. Perfect" Hoost is a Dutch former kickboxer and four-time K-1 World Champion. He made his debut in 1993 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 1993, where he came just one win short of the world title...
, Ray Sefo
Ray Sefo
"Sugar" Ray Sefo is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.He holds notable wins in the K-1 over...
, 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...
and Glaube Feitosa
Glaube Feitosa
Glaube "Brazilian Warrior" Feitosa is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005 Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 finalist...
.
Biography and career
When Martin Holm was seven years old, he started swimming in the local swimming school. A few years later he became interested in AikidoAikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
and practiced it for four years. Soon after he became interested in Shotokan Karate. When he was 14 he entered one of the 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...
gyms in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, "Slagskeppet Muay Thai," where he met Jörgen Kruth
Jörgen Kruth
Jörgen "The Last Viking" Kruth is a Swedish super heavyweight Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is a former two time WMC Super Heavyweight Muaythai World Champion. He is considered to be among the greatest Scandinavian kickboxers of all time.- Biography and career :Jörgen started...
and immediately was taken by the sport.
Martin was 18 years old and vacationing in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
with friends when he had his first fight. He was not prepared for the fight but his opponent was an experienced local Muay Thai fighter. Holm attacked hard, fired a lot of shots and won the fight by a knockout with knee strikes at the 30 second mark in the first round. Martin decided to follow his training friend Jorgen Kruth to the most professional fighting gyms in Scandinavia, Vallentuna Boxing Camp www.vbc.se, in an attempt to get to the next level. From Vallentuna he had some professional fights and later entered K-1 two years after Kruth.
Holm fought over 30 fights before the WMC World Title match in 1999, in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
In 2002, he made his K-1 debut at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Nagoya. He knocked out Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n Jokki Oberholtzer at 1'38" in the first round. His next fight was against Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
practitioner Glaube Feitosa
Glaube Feitosa
Glaube "Brazilian Warrior" Feitosa is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005 Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 finalist...
. Holm won again by a first round knock out.
In 2002, in 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...
, he faced his toughest opponent yet, K-1 superstar Ray Sefo
Ray Sefo
"Sugar" Ray Sefo is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.He holds notable wins in the K-1 over...
from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Holm lost the evenly fought battle by majority decision. He finished his rookie year in K-1 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2002
K-1 World Grand Prix 2002
K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, December 7, 2002 in front of 74,500 spectators. It was the tenth K-1 World Grand Prix final, involving ten of the world's top fighters , with all bouts...
Finals undercard against Canadian 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...
.
In 2003, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Holm fought against four-time K-1 World Champion Ernesto Hoost
Ernesto Hoost
Ernesto Fritz "Mr. Perfect" Hoost is a Dutch former kickboxer and four-time K-1 World Champion. He made his debut in 1993 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 1993, where he came just one win short of the world title...
and lost by unanimous decision.
In 2004, after his fight against Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n 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...
, as a rising star in K-1 and in a surprise to all his fans, Martin Holm retired from fighting in order to focus on his family and newborn son.
After three years off, in January 2007, he announced he will be making his comeback to K-1.
Martin Holm was found dead on 24 June 2009. The cause of death was suicide by hanging. Holm had been privately struggling with depression and an emotional imbalance.
Titles
- 1994 SIMTA Pro Muay Thai European Champion
- 1997 WKA Amateur Kickboxing World Champion
- 1998 IAMTF Amateur Muay Thai European Champion
- 1999 IFMA Kings Cup Winner
- 1999 WMC Pro Muay Thai World Champion
See also
- List of K-1 events
- List of male kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations
- Muay ThaiMuay ThaiMuay 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...
External links
- Profile at K-1K-1K-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...