Michael Shawn Bernardo was a South African kickboxer and boxer from Cape Town.
19 Facts About Mike Bernardo
1.
2.
Mike Bernardo was known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994.
3.
Mike Bernardo holds notable wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Andy Hug, Francisco Filho, Branko Cikatic, Stan Longinidis, Gary Goodridge and three consecutive wins over K-1 legend Peter Aerts.
4.
Mike Bernardo was of Italian and English heritage and was born in Fishhoek near Cape Town on 28 July 1969.
5.
Mike Bernardo's surname was actually Barnardo, but most people knew him as Bernardo.
6.
Mike Bernardo met Kalakoda during his compulsory military service where the latter worked as a physical training instructor in the navy.
7.
Mike Bernardo quickly established a fearsome reputation as a heavy-hitting knockout fighter.
8.
Mike Bernardo made his debut in the K-1 World Grand Prix 1995 against Andy Hug.
9.
Mike Bernardo pulled off the shocking win via third round stoppage.
10.
In 1996, just one year into his K-1 run, Mike Bernardo competed in the K-1 World Grand Prix for the second time.
11.
Mike Bernardo faced a tough task as he would meet Peter Aerts in the first round of the tournament.
12.
Just as he did against Hug one year before, Mike Bernardo scored a big upset with a huge right cross that knocked the former K-1 World Grand Prix champion out.
13.
Mike Bernardo made it to the finals that year, ultimately losing to Andy Hug in a great fight.
14.
Mike Bernardo won all three fights that night by KO.
15.
Mike Bernardo was able to knock out Delius in the third round.
16.
In 2001, on 8 June, Mike Bernardo defended his WBF title against Peter McNeeley in Cape Town and knocked McNeely out in just 41 seconds.
17.
In May 2002, due to being inactive for long, Mike Bernardo was stripped of the belt.
18.
Mike Bernardo died on February 14,2012, at the age of 42.
19.
Mike Bernardo is survived by his long-term partner Claire Oschmann and their two children, Kai Oschmann-Barnardo and Sascha Oschmann-Barnardo.