Benny Urquidez

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benny Urquidez

Benny "The Jet" Urquidez (born June 20, 1952 in Tarzana , California ) is an American martial artist , trainer and actor .

Athletic career

Benny Urquidez started boxing when he was five . Later he started with karate , where he received the 1st dan at 14. Gradually he received Dan degrees in eight other martial arts. In the 1970s he began his career in full contact karate. In 1976 he became world lightweight champion in the PKA ( Professional Karate Association ). Later he joined the WKA ( World Karate Association ) and won world championship titles in several weight classes (lightweight, super-lightweight and welterweight).

Urquidez completed 200 professional fights, won 57 of them by knockout . He won 63 title fights. His trademark is the backflip , which he performed after every win.

He remained champion for 27 years, making him the longest reigning world champion of all professional sports.

His last fight took place in 1993 when he - at the age of 42 - defeated 25-year-old Japanese welterweight champion Yoshihisa Tagami.

Movies

Since 1981 Urquidez has appeared in numerous films. His roles have little or no dialogue, but numerous fight scenes. He became famous as the adversary of Jackie Chans in the films Powerman and Action Hunter .

Trainer

In 1984 Urquidez and his brother-in-law Blinky Rodriguez, also a professional kickboxer, opened the Jet Center in Hollywood , where he teaches martial arts, actors and stuntmen . His students include Nicolas Cage , Tom Cruise , John Cusack , Louis Gossett Jr. , Woody Harrelson , Michael Keaton , Nicole Kidman , Michelle Pfeiffer , David Lee Roth , Rene Russo , Kurt Russell , Patrick Swayze , Duff McKagan, and Mark Wahlberg .

Others

Filmography

swell

personal data
SURNAME Urquidez, Benny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Urquidez, The Jet (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American martial artist, trainer, and actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 20, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Tarzana , California