Brian Johnston (fighter)

Brian Johnston
Born (1969-07-28) July 28, 1969 (age 55)
Other namesFury
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight242 lb (110 kg; 17.3 st)
StyleJudo, Boxing, Wrestling, Taekwondo, Kick Boxing, Submission Wrestling
Fighting out ofSan Jose, California
Rank  Black Belt in Judo
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins5
By knockout1
By submission4
Losses6
By knockout1
By submission5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Brian Johnston
Birth nameBrian Johnston
Born (1969-07-28) July 28, 1969 (age 55)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Brian Johnston
Billed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight246 lb (112 kg)
Debut1997
Retired2001

Brian Johnston (born July 28, 1969) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who competed throughout the mid 1990s, most notably in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. His effective mix of precision striking and ground fighting, as seen with other fighters such as Erik Paulson, Matt Hume, and Marco Ruas, would set the standard for what are now common traits in modern-day fighting styles. Johnston holds a black belt in Judo and was a former Golden Gloves champion with an undefeated amateur Kickboxing record of 12-0 as well as an experienced Wrestler.

He fought many MMA legends in their prime such as Don Frye, Mark Coleman and Ken Shamrock while competing in the UFC.

Brian suffered a massive stroke in August 2001 while in Japan prior to a fight, at 32 years of age and 3 weeks after his wedding.[1]

Initially trained by Brad Rheingans. He made his pro wrestling debut in 1997, losing to Naoya Ogawa at NJPW G1 Climax Special 1997.[2][3] Throughout his whole career Johnston was used as a tag team wrestler, teaming with such names like Don Frye, Osamu Kido, Tadao Yasuda, Dave Beneteau, and Kazuyuki Fujita. He had a notable appearance at the 1999 G1 Tag League, teaming with Takashi Iizuka.[4] After a massive stroke, he was forced to retire in 2001.[5] Johnston would train several team mates to impressive MMA victories, over notables such as Mark Kerr, K-1 fighter Jan Nortje and MMA fighters Ryan Gracie and Ken Shamrock.

  1. ^ "Brian Johnston: Where is He Now? - A Survivor's Tale".
  2. ^ "NJPW G1 Climax Special 1997 - Tag 11 ~ Grapple Climax « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  3. ^ "Matches « Brian Johnston « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  4. ^ "G-1 Climax Tag Team League1999". ProWrestlingHistory.com. September 10–23, 1999. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  5. ^ "Wrestling and head trauma: More than just Chris Benoit and Test". 9 December 2009.