Tank Abbott
David L. "Tank" Abbott (born 1965 in Huntington Beach, California) is a Mixed martial arts fighter whose fighting style is self-described as "Pit fighting". He was also a professional wrestler for a short time.
Mixed Martial Arts career
Abbott was a frequent participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2005 he had a record of 8-10 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 lb, 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 in 41 seconds .
On August 28, 2005, Abbott was defeated in his Pride debut by Japan's Hidehiko Yoshida during the Final Conflict event.
At Cage Rage 17 in London, England on July 1st, Tank was to fight Amokrane "Kiane" Sabet, a former bodyguard. However, Sabet was forced to drop out of the fight due to an injury sustained during his training. Plans are currently being made for the fight to be rescheduled for September.
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 - who could render any opponent unconscious with a single punch, which became his wrestling finisher, 'The One-Punch' - , 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. Many wrestling fans consider his career irreparably damaged after he jobbed for actor (and then WCW Champion) David Arquette, losing by pinfall.
Physical abilities
In 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. 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.
MMA record
Life Outside The Cage
His bad boy image and tough biker look, which has much to do with the promoters of the UFC attempting create a villain of sorts out of Tank, have led many people to believe that Abbot is nothing more than a common hoodlum with a natural ability to throw punches. In reality, he never practiced any style called "Pit Fighting" and had been boxing for up to 13 years before his UFC debut and had been wrestling since high school and during his years at college. He had been coached in boxing under Jesse Reid and Tyrone Bennett and his wrestling career began at the age of 9 and by the age of 18 he became a Junior college All-American. He is also a well educated man with a degree in history.[2]
See also
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