Tank Abbott: the fighter is out of time

As is known, in any case there are so-called "pioneers", that is, people who are the pioneers of something. Therefore, relying on this term, we can say with confidence that Tank Abbott is the man who opened the world such a popular sport today as mixed martial arts, which at the end of the twentieth century were natural fights without rules and were distinguished by their cruelty , But at the same time, entertainment.

Beginning of life

Tank Abbott was born in California, Huntington Beach, on April 26, 1965. It is worth noting that the real name of the American is David.

It is noteworthy that this guy was never a follower of a healthy lifestyle and did not go through full-fledged sports camps, like many of his opponents. However, this did not prevent him from writing his name in the history of the MMA.

Training

Tank Abbott was always remarkable for his remarkable physical strength. In his youth, his bench press rate from his chest was about six hundred pounds. In addition, he was considered a good freestyle wrestler and even won some tournaments in his youth while studying in college. But there is another factor that distinguishes him from many other athletes - he fought on the street more than two hundred times and this experience played a significant role during the performances in the octagon.

Speeches

His debut fight in the cage Tank Abbott held in 1995 at the tournament UFC 6, which was held in the state of Wyoming. His first opponent was John Matua. David knocked him out in eighteen seconds. And this despite the fact that Matua weighed about 400 pounds! The same evening, Abbott got together in a fight with the famous Russian sambo wrestler Oleg Taktarov. The fight was extremely tense and lasted seventeen minutes. Taktarov won by suffocation from behind. But after the fight, both fighters literally collapsed on canvas from fatigue. The audience was delighted.

A year later, David "Tank" Abbot was able to get to the final of the tournament called Ultimate Ultimate, where he eventually lost to Don Fry.

At the end of the 90s, the charismatic soldier's career began to decline. In the octagon appeared such warriors as Morris Smith, Victor Belfort, Pedro Rizzo, who differed in their technicality and versatility. Unfortunately, Abbot could not make them a serious competition and lost all of them in the first round. After suffering three defeats in a row, David withdrew from mixed fights.

Return

In 2003, Tank Abbot, whose photo had long since disappeared from glossy publications, decided to return to the cage. His first opponent was a young at that time titanium MMA Frank Mir. Despite his wealth of combat experience, Abbott never managed to stand in battle against the gaining avenue and lost by a painful reception.

At the moment, his last fight, David spent in April 2013 and lost ahead of schedule in the second round. According to Abbott, he more than ever prepared himself for the fight and felt great, and after the defeat left the cage with a smile on his lips. But at the same time, "Tank" said that it was beginning to feel old.

Interesting Facts

Tank Abbott, whose biography is full of many episodes of hooliganism, has always behaved in an extraordinary way. In particular, everyone knows that he often celebrated his victories in bars. And the defeat did not cause him much sadness. So, for example, after losing to Taktarov, David went to a drinking establishment, and at the same time Oleg was hospitalized with injuries.

In general, it should be noted that often Abbot won not very skillful fighters, and as soon as his opponent became a real professional, then David often lost, and demonstrative and devastating. Although, even in spite of the fiasco, tournament organizers liked to invite an outrageous American to tournaments, if only because his antics and aggressive manner of fighting were very popular with the public, who was ready to wear this big man literally in his arms.

By the way, it was Abbott who first came up with the use of finger pads during fights. Such a decision on his part was due to the fact that, relying on his heavy baggage of street fights, he often injured the joints on his fingers.

In the resolution I would like to note that David always claims that he never regrets about how his life was formed, and is not ready to change anything in his way of life. As for his private life, Abbott does not have a wife or children.