Rayen Simson
Encyclopedia
Rayen "Red Bean" Simson is a Suriname
se-Dutch
former super middleweight
Muay Thai
kickboxer. Despite not being as well recognised as fellow Dutch Muay Thai
fighters Ramon Dekkers
and Rob Kaman
, he is still one of the best kickboxers ever; claiming 7 world titles in 3 different organizations and was ranked number 2 at the Lumpinee Stadium
- a notoriously difficult achievement for a farang
fighter. He has also won a European title, 2 Dutch titles and has won tournaments in Shoot Boxing
and K-1 MAX
. During his career he has amassed over 100 wins and he holds notable victories over fighters such as Ramon Dekkers
, Ashwin Balrak
and Faldir Chahbari
. He had his last ever fight in 2010.
in Osaka, Japan, along with eight other fighters from across the world. The young Simson was unable to make much of an impact at the event, losing in the quarter final stage after a tough five round battle with Thai
Bovi Chorwaikan. He returned to Europe
where he won the W.P.K.L. European title and went on an impressive winning streak, culminating in a victory over the legendary Ramon Dekkers
in a memorable match in Roosendaal in 1997. Rayen recovered from two knockdowns (one the famous double knockdown) to defeat Dekkers by technical knockout at the end of the second round.
His confidence high Rayen headed back to Japan
to participate in the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 1997, which he had qualified for by beating the ’95 finalist Roni Lewis the previous year. Rayen defeated ’95 champion Hiromu Yoshitaka in the semi finals before defeating Mohamed Ouali in the final by unanimous decision
to claim his first major title. Over the next few years he would win a number of fights before defeating Najim Ettouhlali in 1997 for the W.P.K.L European title and Hassan Ettaki in 1998 for the W.P.K.L. World title. In 1999 Rayen faced multiple Muay Thai
world champion and living legend Ivan Hippolyte
in the first of their two fights, inflicting a rare defeat on Hippolyte after five gruelling rounds. The two fighters would meet again the next year in a rematch in what would be Hippolyte's last ever match. This time Simson was unable to defeat Hippolyte, being knocked down in the third before withdrawing from the fight in the fourth due to a leg injury.
Simson would go back to winning ways at the start of the millennium, between 2000 and 2002 he won the Dutch
national Muay Thai
title, the I.K.B.O World title and the 72.6 kg version of his W.P.K.L World title against Ashwin Balrak
. Towards the end of 2002 he faced Joerie Mes
in Haarlem, Netherlands. Rayen lost by technical knockout after being outworked by the relentless Mes over four rounds. This match would spark the beginning of a fierce rivalry between the two men – they would fight two more times, with Mes being something of a nemesis to Simson, winning all three times. In 2003 he would win the W.K.N.
World title in his native Suriname
before making his K-1 debut at the K-1 Holland Grand Prix 2003, losing by decision to Perry Ubeda
. He would meet Ubeda several years later in 2005 in a losing bid for the W.F.C.A. 72.5 kg title.
In 2006 Simson would return to K-1
at the K-1 MAX Netherlands 2006 eight man tournament where the prize for winning was a reserve fight at the forthcoming K-1 MAX World Final. Simson booked his flight to Tokyo
by defeating Faldir Chahbari
in the final by extra round decision. He faced Artur Kyshenko
at the K-1 World MAX 2006 Final but lost by third round majority
decision, although the result would not mean overmuch as no injuries occurred during the final. At the end of the year and after a nine year absence, Rayen was invited back to the S-Cup to take part in another reserve fight at the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2006. The ’97 S-Cup winner won his bout against Koichi Kikuchi but would not have the chance to proceed as there were no injuries. This event would be his last major international tournament.
Between 2006 and 2009 Rayen would enter several small tournaments in Europe
, winning the TaoThai "Cosa Nostra" Kombat League in Italy
. By this point, despite the odd victory, age was taking its toll and his career was winding to a close. In 2009 he faced Eugene Ekkelboom in Montego Bay, Jamaica for Eugune’s W.M.C. Super Middleweight World title in what would be Simson's last title fight. Simson lost the bout by technical knockout, suffering an arm injury at the start of the fourth. In 2010 he had his final match at It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam against Şahin Yakut
, who was a replacement for his initial opponent Khalid Bourdif, who Rayen had handpicked for his retirement match. Rayen was unable to finish his career with a win, battling valiantly but ultimately losing by unanimous decision
.
Suriname
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...
se-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...
former super middleweight
Kickboxing weight classes
Kickboxing weight class names and its system are not unified at all, so each weight division system of every kickboxing organization is shown in this article.-Amateur:-Professional:Males and females follow the same weight division system....
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. Despite not being as well recognised as fellow Dutch 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...
fighters Ramon Dekkers
Ramon Dekkers
Ramon "The Diamond" Dekker is a retired Dutch kickboxer and an eight time Muay Thai world champion.-Early years:Dekker was born in Breda, North Brabant . He began learning martial arts at age 12, studying Judo for a few months. He then started boxing for a year. After that, Dekker started...
and Rob Kaman
Rob Kaman
Rob "The Dutchman" Kaman is a Dutch retired 9 time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion considered by many as the greatest kickboxer of all time. Often called "Mr. Low Kick" because of his feared low kicks which he used to set up his devastating offensive attacks.- Biography :In his early days...
, he is still one of the best kickboxers ever; claiming 7 world titles in 3 different organizations and was ranked number 2 at the Lumpinee Stadium
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium is an indoor sporting arena located in Bangkok, Thailand. Opened more than a decade later than Rajadamnern Stadium, the Lumpinee is run by Royal Thai Army on behalf of Thai Government. It has become the symbol of modern Muay Thai. Only Rajadamnern Stadium rivals the...
- a notoriously difficult achievement for a farang
Farang
Farang , also spelled falang, is the generic Thai word for a Westerner. A general term for foreigners is khon tang prathet . There is no expressly negative or positive implication in the word itself. However when it is used along with other words, it can bring a negative meaning depending on...
fighter. He has also won a European title, 2 Dutch titles and has won tournaments in Shoot Boxing
Shoot boxing
Shoot boxing is both a combat sport and a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was founded by former kickboxer Caesar Takeshi in 1985....
and K-1 MAX
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...
. During his career he has amassed over 100 wins and he holds notable victories over fighters such as Ramon Dekkers
Ramon Dekkers
Ramon "The Diamond" Dekker is a retired Dutch kickboxer and an eight time Muay Thai world champion.-Early years:Dekker was born in Breda, North Brabant . He began learning martial arts at age 12, studying Judo for a few months. He then started boxing for a year. After that, Dekker started...
, Ashwin Balrak
Ashwin Balrak
Ashwin "Bad Boy" Balrak is a Dutch–Surinamese heavyweight kickboxer. He is a former WPKL European Muay Thai champion, currently competing in K-1...
and Faldir Chahbari
Faldir Chahbari
"Fast" Faldir Chahbari is Moroccan-Dutch welterweight kickboxer, fighting out of Brummen, Netherlands. He a x2 Muay Thai amateur world champion and is the former W.F.C.A...
. He had his last ever fight in 2010.
Biography and Career
Rayen Simson entered his first major tournament in 1995 where he competed in the inaugural Shoot Boxing World Tournament 1995Shoot Boxing World Tournament 1995
Shoot Boxing World Tournament 1995 or S-Cup 1995 was a shoot boxing event promoted by Caesar Takeshi. It was the inaugural Shoot Boxing World Tournament, featuring an eight single elimination format, fought under Shoot Boxing Rules. In total there were eight fighters at the event, representing...
in Osaka, Japan, along with eight other fighters from across the world. The young Simson was unable to make much of an impact at the event, losing in the quarter final stage after a tough five round battle with Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
Bovi Chorwaikan. He returned to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
where he won the W.P.K.L. European title and went on an impressive winning streak, culminating in a victory over the legendary Ramon Dekkers
Ramon Dekkers
Ramon "The Diamond" Dekker is a retired Dutch kickboxer and an eight time Muay Thai world champion.-Early years:Dekker was born in Breda, North Brabant . He began learning martial arts at age 12, studying Judo for a few months. He then started boxing for a year. After that, Dekker started...
in a memorable match in Roosendaal in 1997. Rayen recovered from two knockdowns (one the famous double knockdown) to defeat Dekkers by technical knockout at the end of the second round.
His confidence high Rayen headed back 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 participate in the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 1997, which he had qualified for by beating the ’95 finalist Roni Lewis the previous year. Rayen defeated ’95 champion Hiromu Yoshitaka in the semi finals before defeating Mohamed Ouali in the final by unanimous decision
Unanimous decision
A unanimous decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....
to claim his first major title. Over the next few years he would win a number of fights before defeating Najim Ettouhlali in 1997 for the W.P.K.L European title and Hassan Ettaki in 1998 for the W.P.K.L. World title. In 1999 Rayen faced multiple 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...
world champion and living legend Ivan Hippolyte
Ivan Hippolyte
Ivan "The Hydro" Hippolyte is a Dutch-Surinamese former kickboxer and Muay Thai World champion. He is currently a martial arts coach at the Vos Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the same gym he used to fight out of during his active career...
in the first of their two fights, inflicting a rare defeat on Hippolyte after five gruelling rounds. The two fighters would meet again the next year in a rematch in what would be Hippolyte's last ever match. This time Simson was unable to defeat Hippolyte, being knocked down in the third before withdrawing from the fight in the fourth due to a leg injury.
Simson would go back to winning ways at the start of the millennium, between 2000 and 2002 he won the 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...
national 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...
title, the I.K.B.O World title and the 72.6 kg version of his W.P.K.L World title against Ashwin Balrak
Ashwin Balrak
Ashwin "Bad Boy" Balrak is a Dutch–Surinamese heavyweight kickboxer. He is a former WPKL European Muay Thai champion, currently competing in K-1...
. Towards the end of 2002 he faced Joerie Mes
Joerie Mes
Joerie "The Shark" Mes is a Dutch former welterweight kickboxer, fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam. He is former Dutch and European Muay Thai champion who later competed in K-1 MAX. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest combination specialists in kickboxing history.-Biography and...
in Haarlem, Netherlands. Rayen lost by technical knockout after being outworked by the relentless Mes over four rounds. This match would spark the beginning of a fierce rivalry between the two men – they would fight two more times, with Mes being something of a nemesis to Simson, winning all three times. In 2003 he would win the W.K.N.
World Kickboxing Network
The World Kickboxing Network is a professional kick boxing and thai boxing organization and is one of the largest professional sanctioning organizations in the world, represented in more than 100 countries....
World title in his native Suriname
Suriname
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...
before making his K-1 debut at the K-1 Holland Grand Prix 2003, losing by decision to Perry Ubeda
Perry Ubeda
Perry "Dynamite" Ubeda is a Dutch former super middleweight kickboxer. Between 1992 and 2008 he has won thirteen titles in kickboxing and Muay Thai, as well as titles in taekwondo and pro-boxing...
. He would meet Ubeda several years later in 2005 in a losing bid for the W.F.C.A. 72.5 kg title.
In 2006 Simson would return to 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...
at the K-1 MAX Netherlands 2006 eight man tournament where the prize for winning was a reserve fight at the forthcoming K-1 MAX World Final. Simson booked his flight to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
by defeating Faldir Chahbari
Faldir Chahbari
"Fast" Faldir Chahbari is Moroccan-Dutch welterweight kickboxer, fighting out of Brummen, Netherlands. He a x2 Muay Thai amateur world champion and is the former W.F.C.A...
in the final by extra round decision. He faced Artur Kyshenko
Artur Kyshenko
Artur Kyshenko is a Ukrainian middleweight Muay Thai kickboxer, fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
at the K-1 World MAX 2006 Final but lost by third round majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
decision, although the result would not mean overmuch as no injuries occurred during the final. At the end of the year and after a nine year absence, Rayen was invited back to the S-Cup to take part in another reserve fight at the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2006. The ’97 S-Cup winner won his bout against Koichi Kikuchi but would not have the chance to proceed as there were no injuries. This event would be his last major international tournament.
Between 2006 and 2009 Rayen would enter several small tournaments in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, winning the TaoThai "Cosa Nostra" Kombat League in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. By this point, despite the odd victory, age was taking its toll and his career was winding to a close. In 2009 he faced Eugene Ekkelboom in Montego Bay, Jamaica for Eugune’s W.M.C. Super Middleweight World title in what would be Simson's last title fight. Simson lost the bout by technical knockout, suffering an arm injury at the start of the fourth. In 2010 he had his final match at It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam against Şahin Yakut
Sahin Yakut
Şahin "Kaas" Yakut is a Turkish-Dutch kickboxer and mixed martial artist, currently living in Heerhugowaard, Netherlands and training in Gym Alkmaar under Edwin van Os. He is a member of the It's Showtime Team and is a training partner of Gago Drago and Joerie Mes...
, who was a replacement for his initial opponent Khalid Bourdif, who Rayen had handpicked for his retirement match. Rayen was unable to finish his career with a win, battling valiantly but ultimately losing by unanimous decision
Unanimous decision
A unanimous decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....
.
Titles
- 2007 Kombat League Champion
- 2006 K-1 MAX Netherlands 2006 The Road to Tokyo Champion
- 2005 Rings Fight Gala Muaythai tournament champion -72.5 kg
- 2003 W.K.N.World Kickboxing NetworkThe World Kickboxing Network is a professional kick boxing and thai boxing organization and is one of the largest professional sanctioning organizations in the world, represented in more than 100 countries....
World Champion -76.2 kg - 2002 W.P.K.L. World Champion -76.2 kg
- 2001 I.K.B.O. World Champion
- 2000 M.T.B.N. Dutch Champion
- 1998 W.P.K.L. World Champion -72 kg
- 1997 W.P.K.L. European Champion -72 kg
- 1997 Shoot Boxing World Tournament 1997 Champion
- 1995 W.P.K.L. European Champion
- Ranked Number 2 at Lumpinee StadiumLumpinee Boxing StadiumLumpinee Boxing Stadium is an indoor sporting arena located in Bangkok, Thailand. Opened more than a decade later than Rajadamnern Stadium, the Lumpinee is run by Royal Thai Army on behalf of Thai Government. It has become the symbol of modern Muay Thai. Only Rajadamnern Stadium rivals the...
Kickboxing record
| Kickboxing Record | |
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Legend: |
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See also
- List of male kickboxers
- List of K-1 events
- 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...