| Ron van Clief | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1943-01-25)January 25, 1943 (age 82) Brooklyn,New York City,United States |
| Other names | Black Dragon |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) |
| Fighting out of | New York City,U.S. |
| Teacher(s) | Moses Powell, George Coffield |
| Rank | Black Belt inKung Fu Black Belt inKarate Black Belt inJudo Black Belt inKali Black BeltinJujutsu Black BeltinTaekwondo[1] |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 1 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Ron Van Clief (born January 25, 1943, inBrooklyn,New York) is an Americanmartial artist and an actor inHollywood andHong Kong action films. He is best known for starring in 1970sblaxploitation andkung fu films. He is the father of poet Shihan van Clief.He also founded the "Chinese Goju System" in 1973.[2]
Ronald Van Clief was born and raised inBrooklyn,New York City on January 25, 1943. He joined theUnited States Marine Corps, serving atMarine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC from March 30, 1961, to March 21, 1962. He was stationed inOkinawa with theThird Marine Division from June 6, 1962, to June 1, 1963. He returned to Camp Lejeune and served there from August 3, 1963, until April 16, 1964, at which time he was sent on Temporary Additional Duty to the Marine Barracks atU.S. Navy Base Guantanamo, Cuba until September 12 that year. He returned to Camp Lejeune once more, where he remained until his release from Active Duty on April 16, 1965.[3] His military decorations include:Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal,National Defense Service Medal, and Rifle "Sharpshooter" Badge.
Ron van Clief began his martial arts career competing in both full-contact and non-contactkarate tournaments in New York then internationally, going on to win several national tournaments and world championships.
Van Clief was a student ofGōjū-ryū mastersPeter Urban andFrank Ruiz, as well asWing Chun GrandmasterLeung Ting,Modern Arnis (Remy Presas) andBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Joe Moreira).[1]
He also was trained in Sanuces RyuJiu Jitsu withMoses Powell,Shotokan Karate with George Cofield and Tom LaPuppet, andNinjutsu with Ronald Duncan.
On December 16, 1994, Ron Van Clief returned to the ring to fight in the 4thUltimate Fighting Championship, as the oldest competitor to date to fight in the UFC at the age of 51.[4] Van Clief's sole fight in the tournament was againstBrazilian jiu-jitsu expertRoyce Gracie. Gracie won the match bysubmission with arear naked choke near the four-minute mark. Ron went on to serve as the commissioner of the UFC. Ron Van Clief retired from competition in 2002 after winning the All American Karate Championship at 60 years old.
Van Clief competed in over 900 tournaments in over 40 years on the tournament circuit. Retired as a 5 time world karate/kungfu champion and 15 time all American champion.
Has been competing in BJJ tournaments since 2015 and still competes as of 2021.
Van Clief is also the author and creator of a number of instructional books and video recordings. His notable students includeTaimak (Star of the Cult Classic “The Last Dragon”, Shidoshi Glen Perry, Shidoshi GJ Torres (Founder of the Torres Hei-Long System) and many more.
Ron Van Clief's first acting job came when he was selected to star in the 1974 Hong Kong filmThe Black Dragon (akaSuper Dragon) opposite Jason Pai Piao. Some of his film roles during the 1970s wereBlaxploitation films which capitalized on the then-novelty of anAfrican-American martial artist, following in the tradition ofJim Kelly's role inEnter the Dragon. He starred alongsideLeo Fong in a Filipino action film calledBamboo Trap in 1975. Van Clief's film roles earned him the nickname "The Black Dragon", and the name inspired the titles of his filmsThe Black Dragon's Revenge (akaThe Black Dragon Revenges the Death of Bruce Lee) (1975) andWay of the Black Dragon (1979). He appeared in the 1977 Italian crime filmThe Squeeze oppositeLee Van Cleef andKaren Black, and also traveled toSouth Korea andTaiwan to co-star inKung Fu Finger Book withDragon Lee.
In the mid-1980s, Van Clief would later become the fight choreographer for the filmThe Last Dragon.
Ron Van Clief performed variousvoice-over roles for the international television series titledKung Faux.
He was a member of theScreen Actors Guild for over 3 decades.[1]
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Royce Gracie | Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC 4 | December 16, 1994 | 1 | 3:49 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |