Ben "The Guvner" Edwards (born 17 February 1985) is an Australian heavyweight kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Canberra tournament champion.[1] Edwards won the tournament by three 1st-round KO's the fastest win in K-1 history in total time of 3 minutes and 28 seconds breaking the previous record held by Jerome Le Banner of 4 minutes and 4 seconds in K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Osaka. Fighting out of Bulldog Gym, Canberra, Australia, he has competed in the K-1, Capital Punishment, Kings of Kombat, SUPERKOMBAT and It's Showtime promotions and is currently signed to GLORY.
| Ben Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Born | Benjamin Edwards 17 February 1985 Sydney, Australia |
| Other names | The Guvner, Bangin' |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 121.5 kg (268 lb; 19.13 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 76 in (190 cm) |
| Style | Kickboxing |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Canberra, Australia |
| Team | Bulldog Gym Canberra |
| Trainer | John Verran (2003–2009) Jamie McCuaig (2009–present) |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 5 |
| Wins | 4 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 50 |
| Wins | 38 |
| By knockout | 33 |
| Losses | 10 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 5 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Other information | |
| University | Dickson College |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Last updated on: 3 May 2014 | |
Biography and career edit
Ben Edwards was born in Sydney and has been living in Canberra since he was 4, currently residing in Queanbeyan. Edwards played Rugby league until he was 19. He represented the Canberra Raiders sides in both Harold Matthews Cup and SG Ball sides.[citation needed] He went to Dickson College where he played first grade for the Queanbeyan Blues.[citation needed]
Ben Edwards started kickboxing in 2003 at the Bulldog Gym under late John Verran his coach and mentor.[citation needed]
After winning multiple ISKA kickboxing titles he made his K-1 debut at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Canberra. He knocked out all three of his opponents in the first round, including tournament favourite, Paul Slowinski, whom he had lost to twice in his career. He still maintains the record for the fastest kickboxing tournament in K-1 history, at 3 minutes and 28 seconds. At the K-1 Final 16, in the main event he lost to the eventual World Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem in the first round.
Following the loss he decisioned Carter Williams and knocked out Mighty Mo in 2011. He finished the year with a loss against Roman Kleibl in the semi-finals of the SUPERKOMBAT Fight Club tournament. After being dropped by Daniel Sam in the quarter-finals he finished off his opponent in the second round. Despite dropping Kleibl in the second round he was TKOed in the final round after running out of energy.
He started out 2012 with a decision win against Ricardo van den Bos. He is now scheduled to face Rico Verhoeven on March, 17 in Australia.[2]
He faced Raul Cătinaş at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo final 16 on 14 October 2012[3][4] and won via TKO in round two.[5]
Edwards was drawn against Zabit Samedov in the quarter-finals of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final, held on 15 March 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia.[6] However, he decided not to compete[7] as he was already booked to fight Paul Slowinski for the fourth time on 23 March 2013 in Canberra, Australia at Capital Punishment 7.[8] He defeated Slowinski by decision.[9]
He joined Glory in July 2013.[10]
He won the vacant Kings of Kombat Heavyweight Championship with a majority decision win over Cătălin Moroșanu at Kings of Kombat 10 in Melbourne, Australia on 7 September 2013, relying heavily on low kicks in the fight rather than use his usual brawling style.[11][12][13]
In a slugfest at Glory 12: New York - Lightweight World Championship Tournament in New York City on 23 November 2013, Edwards landed numerous unanswered shots on Jamal Ben Saddik throughout round three before eventually putting him away with a big right hand towards the end.[14][15][16][17]
He was initially set to face Errol Zimmerman in the main event of Glory 15: Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkey on 12 April 2014[18] but the match was transferred to the semi-finals of the Glory 16: Denver - Heavyweight Contendership Tournament in Broomfield, Colorado, US on 3 May 2014.[19][20] He lost to Zimmerman via TKO, suffering two knockdowns in the first round.[21][22]
Titles edit
Kickboxing edit
- 2013 Kings of Kombat Heavyweight champion
- 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix in Canberra champion
- 2009 ISKA Super-heavyweight World champion (2 title def.)
- 2008 ISKA Super-heavyweight South Pacific title
Mixed Martial Arts edit
- 2013 C8 Heavyweight Champion
Boxing edit
Kickboxing record edit
| 38 Wins (33 (T)KO's), 11 Losses, 2 Draws | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-10-09 | Loss |  Jahfarr Wilnis |
Glory 24: Denver – Heavyweight Contender Tournament, Semi-finals | Denver, Colorado, USA | TKO (2 knockdowns) | 2 | 1:36 | |
| 2014-05-03 | Loss |  Errol Zimmerman |
Glory 16: Denver – Heavyweight Contender Tournament, Semi-finals | Broomfield, Colorado, USA | TKO (right hook) | 1 | 2:50 | |
| 2013-11-23 | Win |  Jamal Ben Saddik |
Glory 12: New York | New York City, USA | KO (right hook) | 3 | 2:52 | |
| 2013-09-07 | Win |  Cătălin Moroșanu |
Kings of Kombat 10 | Melbourne | Decision (majority) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Wins Kings of Kombat Heavyweight title. | ||||||||
| 2013-03-23 | Win |  Paul Slowinski |
Capital Punishment 7 | Canberra, Australia | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2012-10-14 | Win | Raul Cătinaș |
K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo final 16, First Round | Tokyo, Japan | TKO (referee stoppage) | 2 | 2:24 | |
| 2012-03-17 | Loss | Rico Verhoeven |
Capital Punishment 5 | Canberra, Australia | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2012-01-28 | Win | Ricardo van den Bos |
It's Showtime 2012 in Leeuwarden | Leeuwarden, Netherlands | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2011-11-17 | Loss |  Roman Kleibl |
SUPERKOMBAT Fight Club, Semi-finals | Oradea, Romania | KO (Left Hook) | 3 | 2:38 | |
| 2011-11-17 | Win |  Daniel Sam |
SUPERKOMBAT Fight Club, Quarter-finals | Oradea, Romania | TKO (Referee Stoppage) | 2 | 2:43 | |
| 2011-07-30 | Win |  Mighty Mo |
Capital Punishment 4 | Canberra, Australia | KO (Knee) | 2 | 2:18 | |
| 2011-04-02 | Win | Carter Williams |
Kings of Kombat 3 | Keysborough, Australia | Decision (Majority) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2010-10-02 | Loss | Alistair Overeem |
K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Seoul Final 16 | Seoul, Korea | KO (right hook/3 knockdowns) | 1 | 2:08 | |
| 2010-07-10 | Win | Paul Slowinski |
K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Canberra, final | Canberra, Australia | TKO (Three knockdowns/punches) | 1 | 1:24 | |
| Wins K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 tournament title. | ||||||||
| 2010-07-10 | Win |  Tafa Misapati |
K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Canberra, semi-final | Canberra, Australia | TKO (Three knockdowns/left uppercut) | 1 | 0:59 | |
| 2010-07-10 | Win |  Faisal Zakaria |
K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Canberra, quarter final | Canberra, Australia | KO (Left hook) | 1 | 1:03 | |
| 2010-04-01 | Win |  Mick Siebert |
Marrara International Stadium | Darwin, Northern Territory | TKO (Referee stoppage/shin injury) | 1 | 0:30 | |
| 2010-02-20 | Win | Thor Hoopman |
Capital Punishment | Canberra, Australia | TKO (Referee stoppage) | 1 | ||
| Defended his ISKA Super Heavyweight(+95kg) World title. | ||||||||
| 2009-10-09 | Loss | Paul Slowinski |
Evolution 18 | Melbourne | TKO (Low kicks) | 3 | ||
| Fight was for International Kickboxer Super Heavyweight(+95kg) title. | ||||||||
| 2009-08-29 | Win | Andrew Peck |
World Domination II, Rydges Lakeside Hotel | Canberra, Australia | TKO (Referee stoppage) | 1 | 2:24 | |
| Defended his ISKA Super Heavyweight(+95kg) World title. | ||||||||
| 2009-04-04 | Win | Rick Cheek |
World Domination | Canberra, Australia | KO (Right cross) | 1 | 1:39 | |
| Wins ISKA Super Heavyweight(+95kg) World title. | ||||||||
| 2008–11 | Win | Mick Siebert |
Australia | KO (Left hook) | 2 | 1:03 | ||
| Wins ISKA Super Heavyweight(+95kg) South Pacific title. | ||||||||
| 2008-04-20 | Loss |  Nobu Hayashi |
Titans | Tokyo, Japan | Decision (Split) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2008-03-29 | Win |  Ramazan Ramazanov |
Xplosion 18 Super Fights | Sydney | KO (Left hook) | 2 | ||
| 2007–12 | Win |  Duško Basrak |
Serbia | KO | 2 | |||
| 2007-03-03 | Loss | Jason Suttie |
Philip Lam Promotions | Auckland, New Zealand | Decision (Split) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2006-11-11 | Win | Erik Nosa |
N&J promotion presents "Men at War" | Canberra, Australia | KO | 2 | ||
| Wins Super Heavyweight(+95kg) Australian title. | ||||||||
| 2006-08-04 | Draw | Erik Nosa |
War on the North Shore III | Brookvale, New South Wales | Decision draw | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2006-06-24 | Loss | Peter Sampson |
K-1 Kings of Oceania 2006 Round 1 | Auckland, New Zealand | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2006-03-05 | Loss | Jay Hepi |
K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Auckland | Auckland, New Zealand | Decision (Majority) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2005-12-10 | Loss | Paul Slowinski |
K-1 Kings of Oceania 2005 Round 3 | Gold Coast, Australia | KO | 2 | ||
| 2005-10-08 | Win | Sidney Asiata |
K-1 Kings of Oceania 2005 Round 2 | Auckland, New Zealand | Ext. R Decision | 4 | 3:00 | |
| 2005-06-17 | Win | Martin Opetaia |
JNI promotion "50th Show" | Hurstville, New South Wales | ||||
| 2005-04-29 | Win | Jason Boneham |
JNI "Unfinished Business" | Hurstville, New South Wales | ||||
| 2005-02-01 | Win | arren Berry |
Jabout Show @ Penrith Panthers | Penrith, New South Wales | ||||
| 2004-08-20 | Win |  Wesam El Dahabi |
JNI "Wicked Ways" | Hurstville, New South Wales | ||||
| 3 Wins (3 (T)KO's), 0 Losses, 1 Draws | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-11-15 | Win | Tafa Misipati |
Hellenic Club of Canberra | Canberra, Australia | KO | 1 | 4–0–1 | |
| 2011-05-13 | Draw | Michael Kirby |
The Melbourne Pavilion | Flemington, Victoria, Australia | Decision (Split) | 10 | 3:00 | 3–0–1 |
| Fight was for vacant Australian heavyweight title. | ||||||||
| 2011-02-18 | Win | Leamy Tato |
Rydges Lakeside Canberra Hotel | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | KO | 1 | 3–0 | |
| 2009-07-23 | Win | Sam Leuii |
AIS Arena | Bruce, Australian Capital Territory | TKO | 1 | 2–0 | |
| 2007-04-13 | Win | John Hopoate |
Erindale Vikings Club | Wanniassa, Australian Capital Territory | TKO | 1 | 1:29 | 1–0 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | ||||||||
Mixed martial arts record edit
| 6 matches | 5 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 5–1 | Francimar Barroso | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 6 | 8 August 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Wallace To'o | TKO | MFC 29 | 16 Feb 2019 | 2 | Canberra, Australia | ||
| Win | 4–0 | Felise Leniu | TKO | Hex Fight Series 14 | 30 Jun 2018 | 1 | Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Win | 3–0 | Jeremy Joiner | KO | MFC 26 | 11 Dec 2017 | 1 | 1:35 | Canberra, Australia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Brandon Sosoli | TKO (submission to strikes) | MFC 25 | 17 Jun 2017 | 1 | 3:53 | Canberra, Australia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Donnie Lester | TKO | Combat8:03 | 29 Aug 2013 | 1 | Sydney | MMA debut. Wins C8 Heavyweight Title. |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Ben Edwards K-1 profile". k-1.co.jp/en/. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Emotion charged fight". queanbeyanage.com.au/. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ K-1 Final 16 Matches Unveiled
- ^ K-1 WGP Final 16, Finalized Fight Card For This Sunday, 14 October
- ^ K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 Live Results
- ^ K-1 WGP Final 8 Match-Ups
- ^ Badr Hari to Replace Ben Edwards in K-1 World Grand Prix
- ^ Capital Punishment 7 in Canberra Line-Up
- ^ Weekend Winners: Ben Edwards, Sanny Dahlbeck, Suleiman Magomedov, Errol Koning
- ^ Hesdy Gerges and Ben Edwards to Fight for GLORY
- ^ Walsh, Dave (4 July 2013). "Ben Edwards vs. Catalin Morosanu on Sept. 7th in Australia". Liver Kick. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ^ "Ben Edwards vs Catalin Morosanu in Melbourne". FightMag. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013.
- ^ Walsh, Dave (8 September 2013). "Ben Edwards Bests Catalin Morosanu in Australia". Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ^ Ky Hollenbeck vs. Shemsi Beqiri and Jamal Ben Saddik vs. Ben Edwards official for Glory 12 Archived 21 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Glory 12 Results and Recap: Andy Ristie shocks the world with two huge knockouts Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ GLORY 12 Live Results and Updates
- ^ GLORY 12 results: Upsets galore as Giorgio Petrosyan falls short to tourney winner Andy Ristie Archived 28 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ GLORY Announces GLORY 15 Card
- ^ GLORY Announces GLORY 16 Card – Pat Barry's Debut
- ^ Glory 16 Denver Fight Card
- ^ UFC Veteran Pat Barry Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss to Zack Mwekassa at Glory 16
- ^ Glory 16 Results Archived 20 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine
External links edit
- Boxing record for Ben Edwards from BoxRec (registration required)
- Ben Edwards on Facebook
- Ben Edwards on Instagram
- Profile at K-1