Mark Robinson (martial artist)

Mark Robinson (born 18 March 1963) is a South African martial artist and powerlifter. He is considered one of South Africa's most accomplished athletes with his most notable accomplishments being world champion in submission wrestling, sumo and powerlifting.[2][3]

Mark Robinson
Born (1963-03-18) 18 March 1963[1]
NicknameWhite Rhino
Gentle Giant
ResidenceJohannesburg
NationalitySouth African
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight300 lb (136 kg; 21 st 6 lb)
DivisionSuper heavyweight
StyleJudo, Wrestling, Sumo, Schwingen, Muay Thai
TeamMark Robinson MMA
Mixed martial arts record
Total2
Wins1
By submission1
Losses0
No contests1
Other information
Notable relativesNorman Robinson (Father)
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  ZAF
Submission wrestling
ADCC World Championships[2]
Gold medal – first place2001 Abu Dhabi+99 kg
Sumo
World Championships[2][3][4]
Silver medal – second place1998 TokyoOpen
Bronze medal – third place1997 TokyoOpen
Gold medal – first place1996 TokyoOpen
Freestyle wrestling
African Wrestling Championships[5][6]
Bronze medal – third place1994 Cairo+100 kg
Greco-Roman wrestling
African Games[5][6]
Silver medal – second place1995 Harare130 kg
African Wrestling Championships[5][6]
Bronze medal – third place1996 El Menzah+100 kg
Silver medal – second place1994 Cairo+100 kg
Powerlifting
WPC World Championships[1]
Gold medal – first place1990 Pescara+140 kg
Silver medal – second place1989 Stone+125 kg
Bronze medal – third place1988 Johannesburg+125 kg

Background

Robinson was born to a family of martial artists.[7] His father, Norman Robinson, was one of the first practitioners of Shotokan Karate in South Africa and helped instigate the establishment of the South African branch of the Japan Karate Association.[8] His grandfather, Jack Robinson, was a pioneer of judo in South Africa and set up an establishment that would later become Judo South Africa.[8]

Grappling career

Robinson's earliest sporting achievement was in 1982, when he became the South African Judo Champion in the heavyweight division.[7]

Robinson later started pursuing various forms of amateur wrestling including both Greco-Roman and Freestyle.[7] From 1994 to 1996, he won multiple medals in wrestling at the African Wrestling Championship and African Games.[7] His strong performance at the 1996 Acropolis Wrestling Grand Prix qualified him for a spot at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling.[7] However, he was unable to compete due to budget restrictions.[7]

Robinson competed in the 1996 Sumo World Championship with only a few months of training.[2][3] In the finals he defeated Emmanuel Yarbrough to become champion of the openweight class.[2][3][9]

Robinson competed at the 2001 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship in the +99 kg category against many strong candidates.[3][10] He defeated Valeriy Yureskul, Vitor Belfort and Ricco Rodriguez to reach the final.[3][10] He defeated Jeff Monson in the final to become the tournament's champion.[3][10]

Powerlifting career

Around the same time he started his grappling career, Robinson also participated in powerlifting.[7]

He is a multiple time medalist at WPC World Championships including winner of the 1990 World Championship at the +140 kg category.[7][1]

Personal Bests
  • Squat – 496/936.9 lb (Raw/Single)
  • Bench press – 297.6/595.2 lb (Raw/Single)
  • Deadlift – 545.6/821.2 lb (Raw/Single)
  • Total – 1289.7/2353.4 lb (Raw/Single)

Mixed martial arts career

Robinson had a brief career in mixed martial arts.[11]

On 26 August 2000, he fought for the promotion, World Extreme Fighting at the event WEF – New Blood Conflict. He faced Joe Leyva and won by submission in less than 30 seconds.[11]

On 23 February 2001, he fought for the promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship at the event UFC 30.[11] He faced Bobby Hoffman and was knocked out in the first round by a standing elbow strike.[11][12] However Hoffman failed a drug test afterwards and the decision was changed to a no-contest.[11]

Personal life

Robinson lives in Johannesburg with his wife Deirdre and daughter.[7]

Robinson set up a martial arts academy in 2001 in South Africa.[7]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
2 matches 1 win 0 losses
By submission 1 0
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
NC 1–0 (1) Bobby Hoffman NC (overturned) UFC 30 23 February 2001 1 3:27 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Originally a KO win for Hoffman; overturned due to Hoffman failing drug test.
Win 1–0 Joe Leyva Submission (neck crank) WEF: New Blood Conflict 26 August 2000 1 1:22 N/A

[11]

Submission wrestling record
10 Matches, 7 Wins, 3 Losses
Result Rec. Opponent Method Event Division Date Location
Lose7–3United States Reese AndyADCC 2003Absolute2003Brazil São Paulo
Lose7–2United States Mike van ArsdaleADCC 2003+99 kg2003Brazil São Paulo
Win7–1United States Jeff MonsonPointsADCC 2001+99 kg2001United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi
Win6–1United States Ricco RodriguezPenalty
Win5–1Brazil Vitor BelfortPenalty
Win4–1Ukraine Valeriy YureskulSubmission
Lose3–1Brazil Ricardo MoraisADCC 2000+99 kg2000United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi
Win3–0United Kingdom Lee Hasdell
Win2–0Brazil Luis Roberto DuarteADCC 1999+99 kg1999United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi
Win1–0Japan Yasuaki Hiramatsu

References
  1. "Robinson Mark – results in powerlifting and benchpress, records, personal data, photos and video". en.allpowerlifting.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  2. "All About the ADCC: +99Kg Division | BJJ Heroes". 6 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  3. Calitz, Wilna (28 December 2015). "South African Sports stars – the guys and gals in green and gold". FinGlobal. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. "international sumo federation". www.ifs-sumo.org. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. "International Wrestling Database". www.iat.uni-leipzig.de. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  6. "International Wrestling Database". www.iat.uni-leipzig.de. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. "Mark Robinson Mixed Martial Arts". 15 November 2018. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  8. "50 years of martial arts – Steve Bazzea". Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  9. "Results of the Fifth Sumo World Championships" (PDF). 24 August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  10. "ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship 2001 • ADCC NEWS". adcombat.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  11. "Mark Robinson". Sherdog. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  12. Winston, Dallas (2 September 2012). "Future Evolutions In MMA: Muay Thai Standing Elbows (Part One)". Bloody Elbow. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
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