Five years ago on July 28th 2007, a man by the name of Karl Gotch passed away in Tampa, Florida. Born Karl Istaz in 1920’s Antwerp, Belgium, and having competed at the 1948 Olympics in both Greco Roman and Freestyle Wrestling, he went on to become one of the most influential figures in Japanese Pro Wrestling, and with his brand of Catch Wrestlng shaped many of the formative names in Japanese Mixed Martial Arts.
The resulting lineage of Gotch’s influence has resulted in at least 3 of the first major MMA promotions, 8 UFC champions and countless other fighters that could be put on his ‘family tree’.
Join us this week as we look back on the life and influence of Karl Gotch, and why he without doubt deserves his place in combat sports history along the likes of Jigoro Kano, Mitsuyo Maeda, Masahiko Kimura and Helio Gracie
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