Henri Hooft

Henri Hooft, also known as Harry Hooft (born May 21, 1969), is a Dutch former kickboxer and trainer. He is the head trainer at Sanford MMA and formerly the Blackzilians.

Henri Hooft
Born (1969-05-21) 21 May 1969
The Hague, Netherlands
Other namesHarry Hooft
ResidenceMiami, Florida, U.S.
NationalityDutch
DivisionHeavyweight
StyleKickboxing
TeamSanford MMA (2017–present)
Blackzilians (2011–2017)
Team Mr. Perfect (2009–2011)
Team Aerts (2004–2008)
Mejiro Gym (formerly)
TrainerRob Kaman, Jan Plas
Notable studentsTyrone Spong, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Anthony Johnson, Michael Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Kamaru Usman, Jake Shields, Matt Mitrione, Abel Trujillo, Gilbert Burns, Luke Rockhold, Robbie Lawler, Aung La Nsang, Derek Brunson

Career

Hooft was born and raised in The Hague, Netherlands. At the age of 15, he became interested in combat sports. He started training with his brother in full contact Karate, but later switched to kickboxing. He already began competing after training for three months, winning several competitions. At the age of 18, he was invited by Dutch kickboxing world champion Rob Kaman to move to Thailand to train with him. There, he discovered Thai boxing.[1][2]

Hooft began fighting professionally while coaching at the same time. He developed his own fighting system by combining the best of Thai boxing and Dutch kickboxing. He competed in more than 100 kickboxing fights.[1][2] His most notable fight was against Stefan Leko at the K-1 Grand Prix '99, which he lost by knockout in the first round. In 2004, he joined Team Aerts as the sparring partner and trainer of three-time K-1 champion Peter Aerts, training out of Kops Gym in Amsterdam under Jan Plas.[3] In 2007, he retired from fighting and continued as a coach. Among the fighters he trained was kickboxing world champion Tyrone Spong.[2]

In 2011, Hooft joined the mixed martial arts gym the Blackzilians in Florida, after he was brought in by Tyrone Spong to train him. There, he went on to become the head stand-up coach.[4] In 2017, he founded his own gym Hard Knocks 365, later rebranded as Sanford MMA.[5] Hooft trained top contenders such as Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Anthony Johnson, Michael Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Kamaru Usman, Jake Shields, Matt Mitrione, Derek Brunson and Gilbert Burns.[4]

In late 2020, Hooft and Greg Jones were suspended for three months after they broke COVID-19 protocols by leaving their hotel rooms while quarantining preceding Bellator 253.[6]

References
  1. "Henri Hooft". henrihooft.com. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  2. "Henri Hooft keeps it simple". UFC.com. 2014-08-27.
  3. "Peter Aerts Interview". K-1fans.info. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  4. "Henri Hooft on the transformations of 'Rumble' and Belfort". Bloody Elbow. 2014-05-22.
  5. "Hard Knocks 365 rebrands to Sanford MMA with sponsorship from Sanford Health". thebodylockmma.com. 2019-12-13.
  6. Marc Raimondi (November 20, 2020). "Henri Hooft, Greg Jones suspended 3 months for violating COVID-19 protocols". ESPN.
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