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Abbott i-STAT- Blood Gas Analyzer, Abbott iSTAT System, Abbott Blood Gas... blockscientific.com |
For other uses, see Tank (disambiguation).
David Lee Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "Pit Fighting". In addition to his MMA career, Abbott wrestled professionally between 1999 and 2001 under the ring name Tank Abbott. Tank is credited as the first fighter ever to wear what would be known as traditional MMA gloves in the UFC, though professional boxer Melton Bowen wore another style of fingerless leather martial arts gloves during his bout against Steve Jennum in UFC 4.
[edit] Mixed martial arts career[edit] 1995–1998Abbott was a frequent participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). 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 18 seconds.[2] Later that night he fought Oleg Taktarov for over 17 minutes before succumbing to a rear naked choke.[3] [1] Both men collapsed in exhaustion after the fight, and Taktarov had to be carried out of the cage.[3] In his first 4 UFC tournament appearances, Abbott advanced at least 1 round in all of them. Around the same time the UFC began switching away from the tournament format, his fortunes declined, as he won only 2 of 5 bouts in '97-'98 before retiring from MMA. [edit] 2003–presentTank waged an unsuccessful UFC comeback in the mid 2000's, losing fights to Frank Mir, Kimo Leopoldo and Wesley "Cabbage" Correira. He later defeated Cabbage by K.O. in a rematch. Tank would lose several more matches in regional shows. In February 2008, he had a first round knockout loss to Kimbo Slice at Elite XC's Street Certified event.[1] His next fight—against Mike Bourke on February 13, 2009 at The Selland Arena in Fresno, California—was a part of the Valentine's Eve Massacre Event. Abbott knocked out Bourke in the first round and secured a victory for the first time in nearly four years. As of 2009, he has won only 2 of 9 fights since his return to MMA. [edit] Professional wrestling career (1999–2001)Abbott worked as a professional wrestler with World Championship Wrestling (WCW);[4] initially he was brought in as an opponent for Goldberg,[4] on the understanding he was a "legitimate" fighter—who could render any opponent unconscious with a single punch, which became his wrestling finisher, 'The Phantom Right'—and could boost Goldberg's reputation. This feud, however, never developed. Mere days prior to the Souled Out pay-per-view in 2000, WCW head writer Vince Russo was given the responsibility of booking a match to crown a new WCW World Heavyweight Champion. This came at the news that both WCW Champion Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett, two of the company's top performers, were injured and could not participate at the event. To the dismay of company officials, Russo suggested having the mid-card Abbott win the Championship albeit only to hold it briefly. The scenario would not take place, and Russo was consequently released from the WCW while other bookers composed the Souled Out card. Abbott instead faced Jerry Flynn, a legitimate black belt in taekwondo and defeated him at the pay-per-view. He was then featured in segments with the boy band parody stable, Three Count as their "biggest fan".[5] He began feuding with the stable after they would not let him join the band; the feud ended when Abbott was released from WCW.[5] [edit] Acting careerIn 1997 Abbott appeared as a UFC fighter in the TV show Friends,[6] defeating Jon Favreau's character, the billionaire Pete Becker, who was dating Monica at the time. [edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
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