Kimo Leopoldo made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in 1994, losing to Royce Gracie by submission.
26 Facts About Kimo Leopoldo
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Kimo Leopoldo was credited with a black belt in taekwondo in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 3.
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Kimo Leopoldo was a natural athlete growing up, playing football and wrestling; he had an interest in surfing.
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Kimo Leopoldo was a dominant wrestler at Waianae High School and played on the team that won the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Championship.
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Kimo Leopoldo was a very talented middle linebacker in football, and attended the University of Washington on a partial athletic scholarship, but he was unprepared for college, and returned to Hawaii shortly after.
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At UFC 3, billed as a taekwondo fighter, Kimo Leopoldo fought the reigning, defending UFC 1 and UFC 2 champion Royce Gracie in the first round.
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Royce reversed it and mounted him, but only briefly, as Kimo Leopoldo flipped Gracie over and landed multiple headbutts through his guard.
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Kimo Leopoldo won his first fight against UFC 7 finalist Paul Varelans, but withdrew from the tournament after the win due to exhaustion.
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Kimo Leopoldo then traveled to Japan and fought the former 3 time UFC champion Dan Severn in the inaugural Pride Fighting Championships event.
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Kimo Leopoldo then returned for UFC 16 and fought top Japanese fighter Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.
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Kimo Leopoldo began the contest aggressive, securing a strong takedown and controlling Kohsaka for the first six and a half minutes.
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Kimo Leopoldo then began to fatigue and Kohsaka took advantage, restoring the fight back to its feet, before landing a stiff right jab to the face of Kimo Leopoldo.
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Kimo Leopoldo went on to fight in the main event of UFC 48, where he fought Ken Shamrock in a rematch.
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Kimo Leopoldo was knocked out in the first round from knees to the head.
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Kimo Leopoldo was suspended for six months and fined $5,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
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Kimo Leopoldo was to fight Bas Rutten at WFA: King of the Streets on July 22,2006.
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Kimo Leopoldo made his kickboxing debut on March 3,1995, at the K-1 Grand Prix '95 Opening Battle event in Tokyo, where he fought former world champion Masaaki Satake for the opportunity to compete in the K-1 Grand Prix '95 tournament.
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Kimo Leopoldo started aggressively, keeping his opponent on the defensive with powerful hooks.
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Kimo Leopoldo competed again eight years later at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Las Vegas II event.
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Kimo Leopoldo faced rising super heavyweight Bob Sapp in what turned out to be a brutal and controversial fight.
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Kimo Leopoldo has worked since 1996 as an actor in independent productions.
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In February 2009 Kimo Leopoldo was arrested in Tustin, California for possession of a controlled substance.
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Various media outlets reported that Kimo Leopoldo had died from complications from a heart attack at age 41.
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Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reported on his Twitter that Kimo Leopoldo's publicist refuted reports that Kimo Leopoldo was in Costa Rica and instead was seen alive in Orange County the night before.
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At a July 21,2009, press conference Kimo Leopoldo denied anyone close to him created the rumor, he expressed his desire to return to fight one last time.
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Kimo Leopoldo is well known for his Christian beliefs: he sports many religious tattoos, and entered the arena at UFC 3 carrying a large cross on his back.