Karl WEBBER

Karl Webber was inducted into the ICNZ Hall of Fame on the 6th of June 2009 on our ICNZ 6 Show.

• Began training Ju Jitsu under Terry Evans competing under the old Sport Ju Jitsu rules.
• Became the first Kiwi to compete in Full contact Ju-Jitsu losing his world championship match by a cut, in Canada in 1999
• Karl teamed up with the late Michael Gent to bring the first Vale Tudo shows to Auckland audiences.
• Started his own MMA and Ju-Jitsu fight team. Universal Ju Jitsu.
• Universal JJ became a one of the most successful fight teams in NZ combat sports
• Top ranked Light Heavy weight in Sport Ju Jitsu around the same time.
• Won 6 National Championships in sport Ju Jitsu and BJJ.
• Ran the first submission wrestling tournament in NZ “War on the Floor 1999″.
• Got a personal invitation to compete in Abu Dhabi in 2000. The first New Zealander to compete there.
• Karl was matched against Jorge “Macaco” Patino BJJ and Vale Tudo legend from Brazil. Karl managed to last the distance but lost that bout on points.
• Back in NZ Karl went on to win the NZ Cage Kumite Championship 8 man tournament.
• Karl’s involvement with the sport grew as he helped promote MMA in NZ through getting MMA bouts running on various kickboxing and boxing cards, including a Shane Cameron undercard.
• Karl has trained 4 people to NZ Mixed Martial Arts Titles. Rob Cooper, Reuben de Jong and more recently Sammy ‘Striker’ Brown who held both the NZ Heavy Weight and the NZ Light Heavy weight title simultaneously.
• In more recent times Karl has joined forces with Aaron Boyes and formed Strikeforce MMA.
• Karl now runs his own gym in Christchurch. Strikeforce Canterbury. One of NZ’s fastest growing clubs.

Karl has been a hard working pioneer of Mixed Martial Arts and ICNZ would like to thank him for all his work for the sport.