Friday, February 24, 2006

"Tank" Abbott UFC


David L. "Tank" Abbott (born 1965 in Huntington Beach, California) is a heavyweight Mixed martial arts fighter whose fighting style is self-described as "Pit fighting". He was a professional wrestler for a short time.

Mixed Martial Arts career
Abbott is a frequent participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2005 he had a record of 9-11 in that promotion. Abbott made his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut in 1995 at UFC 6 Clash of the Titans in Casper, Wyoming. In his opening fight, he knocked out John Matua, who weighed 400 lbs, in 20 seconds. Later that night he fought Oleg Taktarov for over 17 minutes before succumbing to a rear naked choke. [1]

Despite never winning a UFC title, Abbott achieved some popularity due in part to his displays of power and aggression. He also gained a degree of notoriety for his unorthodox look and fighting style, more reminiscent of a street fighter than a martial artist. Abbott is known for having a direct and blunt attitude in and out of the octagon, having been quoted as saying "I don't respect anybody, not even you" (to a UFC reporter who queried about whether he respects his opponents).

After the demise of WCW, Abbott returned to MMA at UFC 41, where he lost by submission to Frank Mir .

On August 28, 2005, Abbott was defeated in his Pride debut by Japan's Hidehiko Yoshida during the Final Conflict event.

Professional wrestling career
Abbott worked as a professional wrestler with World Championship Wrestling (WCW); initially he was brought in as an opponent for Goldberg, on the understanding he was a "legitimate" fighter, and could boost Goldberg's reputation. This feud never developed, and Abbott remained mostly a comedic wrestler, frequently being featured in segments with the boy band parody stable, 3 Count. The most success he had in his wrestling career was when he teamed with Rick Steiner to feud with Scott Steiner. He also nicknamed the head of WCW security, Doug Dillinger, "Duck," and would make quacking noises at him.

Physical abilities

Abbott's 600 pound benchpress
Abbott sitting upIn 2003, Abbott performed a 600 pound bench press which was recorded on video. Technically, the press was improperly done because the barbell bounced off Abbott's chest, alleviating part of the force needed to lift the weight up. However, Abbott responded to this claim during an interview, highlighting the ridiculousness of someone "bouncing" 600 pounds of weight off their chest without sustaining massive injury.

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