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   » » Wiki: Ray Sefo
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Ray Sefo (born 15 February 1971) is a New Zealand fight promoter and retired , , and mixed martial artist. He was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Runner-up, is a six-time World Champion, and was an eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant. He is the president of MMA promotion Professional Fighters League. In kickboxing, he defeated world champions Jerome Le Banner, , , , and . He is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers to have never won the K-1 World Grand Prix. As mixed martial artist, he most notably competed in the now defunct Strikeforce in 2009 and 2011.


Background
Training in as a youth, Sefo moved to under Thai fighting legend Kiosot, then continued training under Lollo Heimuli at the infamous Balmoral Lee Gar Gym.


Career

Early career
Sefo had an impressive unbeaten record as an amateur and a professional in the Oceania kickboxing league. Early in his career, he trained at Balmoral Lee Gar gym alongside , Jayson Vemoa, , John Conway, and his brother, . In 1996, Ray Sefo fought in a kickboxing match and overwhelmed Manaart with devastating speed and elusive footwork, knocking him down on numerous occasions. In the ring after the fight, Mannaart took the microphone and said, "...you should call him Sugarfist, not Sugarfoot..." Sefo's first major breakthrough was becoming a WKA Cruiserweight Champion. He also acted as a sparring partner for fellow , when Tua first returned to New Zealand for a fight after turning pro.


K-1
Sefo made his K-1 debut against future four-time World Grand Prix Champion, . Sefo held his own against the much more experienced Hoost but was finally knocked out in the 4th round by a leg kick. Sefo gained respect for standing up to such an elite fighter in just his first fight. Sefo gained more respect in his third K-1 fight where he knocked out K-1 legend in the 1st round. Sefo's hard right hand was enough to break the Frenchman's jaw in four places.

Sefo had an up and down first few years in K-1, unable to make it past the quarter-finals in the K-1 World Grand Prix against the likes of and . In 2000, he made it to the WGP final after knocking out Japanese star Musashi and French kickboxer , before losing again to Hoost. In 2002, Sefo defeated Dutch legend in the quarter-finals but lost again to his nemesis Hoost in the semi-finals.

In 2007, Sefo was thought to be a legitimate challenger to dethrone four-time World Grand Prix Champion for the new Super Heavyweight title. In the 1st round, Sefo became only the second man in history to knock Schilt down. However, he would go on to lose by KO in the second round. He went on to lose five more fights and would not find the winners circle again until he beat , , and , all by decision.

Sefo was then asked to fight at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Seoul Final 16 on ten days notice against . Sefo put up a decent fight on short preparation but was beaten by decision.

Https://www.giantbomb.com/k-1-premium-2004-dynamite/3030-29912/characters/


MMA and retirement
In mid-February 2011, Sefo, possessing and undefeated record of 2-0, had his third MMA fight in a reserve fight for the Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament. He fought Valentijn Overeem, brother of , the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix champion. Overeem had 50 MMA fights behind him and beat Sefo by submission in the first round. Sefo's striking on the feet looked average, and as an inexperienced grappler, he lost early on by neck crank.

On 12 June 2013, Sefo announced that he would return to fighting. At , Sefo announced that he would be facing Dave Huckaba. The two fought at on 10 August 2013. Sefo lost the fight via TKO in the second round. In an interview in April 2015, Sefo said, "I actually made a promise to myself that this year will be my last year." He did not fight again after losing against Huckaba. While he considered fighting again, Sefo officially announced his retirement in 2018.


Executive career
Sefo is the current president of MMA promotion Professional Fighters League. He was named president when the promotion was still known as World Series of Fighting. He helped the promotion ink a deal with to air 8 to 10 events on its network.


Titles
  • K-1
    • 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Runner-up.
  • World Kickboxing Association
    • 1997 WKA World Super Heavyweight World Champion.
  • World Muay Thai Federation
    • 1996 WMTF World Heavyweight Champion.
    • 1992 WMTF World Light Heavyweight Champion.
  • International Sport Karate Association
    • 1996 ISKA World Super Cruiserweight Champion.
    • 1994 ISKA World Light Cruiserweight Champion.
  • Regional
    • 1992 South Pacific Cruiserweight Champion.
    • 1991 New Zealand Cruiserweight Champion.
    • 1990 New Zealand Heavyweight Champion.


Personal life
Sefo lives in , Nevada, and continues to train out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts.


Kickboxing record (incomplete)
|- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2012-03-10 || Loss ||align=left| Mirko Cro Cop || Cro Cop Final Fight || Zagreb, Croatia || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 56-22-1 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2010-10-02 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Seoul Final 16 ||Seoul, South Korea || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 56-21-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2010-05-21 || Win ||align=left| Ionuţ Iftimoaie || K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Bucharest ||Bucharest, Romania ||Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 56-20-1 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2009-12-31 || Win ||align=left| || Dynamite!! 2009 || Saitama, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 55-20-1 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2008-12-06 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 Final || Yokohama, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 54-20-1 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2008-09-27 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Seoul Final 16 || Seoul, Korea || Ext.R decision || 4 || 3:00 || 53-20-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2008-07-13 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Taipei || Taipei City, Taiwan || 2nd Ext.R decision (split) || 5 || 3:00 || 53-19-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2008-04-13 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Yokohama || Yokohama, Japan || TKO (referee stoppage) || 1 || 2:43 || 53-18-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2007-09-29 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Seoul Final 16 || Seoul, South Korea || TKO (corner stoppage) || 1 || 3:00|| 53-17-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2007-08-11 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Las Vegas || Las Vegas, Nevada, USA || Decision (split) || 3 || 3:00 || 53-16-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2007-03-04 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Yokohama || Yokohama, Japan || KO (punch) || 2 || 0:26 || 53-15-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2006-12-02 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 Final || Tokyo, Japan || KO (right hook) || 1 || 0:40 || 53-14-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2006-09-30 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Osaka opening round || Osaka, Japan || Ext.R decision (unanimous) || 4 || 3:00 || 52-14-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2006-08-12 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas II || Las Vegas, Nevada, USA || TKO (referee stoppage) || 3 || 2:02 || 52-13-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2006-06-03 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Seoul || Seoul, South Korea || KO (right hook) || 1 || 1:42 || 51-13-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2006-03-05 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Auckland || , New Zealand || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 50-13-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2005-11-19 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 Final || Tokyo, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 49-13-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2005-09-23 || Win ||align=left| Kaoklai Kaennorsing || K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Osaka – final elimination || Osaka, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 49-12-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2005-06-14 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Hiroshima || Hiroshima, Japan || TKO (referee stoppage) || 1 || 0:37 || 48-12-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2004-12-31 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite!! || Osaka, Japan || KO (right Uppercuts) || 1 || 0:24 || 47-12-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2004-11-04 || Loss ||align=left| Musashi || K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 Final || Tokyo, Japan || Ext.R decision (unanimous) || 4 || 3:00 || 46-12-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2004-09-25 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 final elimination || Tokyo, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 46-11-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2004-08-07 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Las Vegas II || Las Vegas, Nevada, USA || TKO (referee stoppage) || 1 || 1:32 || 45-11-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2004-06-26 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 Beast 2004 in Shizuoka || Shizuoka, Japan || KO || 2 || 0:29 || 44-11-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2003-12-06 || Loss ||align=left| Musashi || K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Final || Tokyo, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 43-11-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2003-10-11 || Win ||align=left| Carter Williams || K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 final elimination || Osaka, Japan || Decision (majority) || 3 || 3:00 || 43-10-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2003-07-13 || Win ||align=left| Tatsufumi Tomihira || K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Fukuoka || Fukuoka, Japan || TKO (corner stoppage) || 5 || 2:15 || 42-10-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2003-03-30 || Win ||align=left| Pelé Reid || K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Saitama || Saitama, Japan || TKO (corner stoppage) || 3 || 1:15 || 41-10-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2002-12-07 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final || Tokyo, Japan || TKO (Shin Injury) || 1 || 1:49 || 40-10-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2002-12-07 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final || Tokyo, Japan || Decision (split) || 3 || 3:00 || 40-9-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2002-10-05 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 final elimination || Saitama, Japan || Decision (majority) || 3 || 3:00 || 39-9-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2002-07-14 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Fukuoka || Fukuoka, Japan || KO (Low Kicks) || 2 || 2:07 || 38-9-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2002-06-02 || Win ||align=left| Julio Cesar Santana || K-1 Survival 2002 || Toyama, Japan || KO (right hook) || 1 || 0:37 || 37-9-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2002-03-03 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Nagoya || Nagoya, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 3:00 || 36-9-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2001-10-08 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Fukuoka || Fukuoka, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 35-9-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2001-06-24 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 Survival 2001 || Sendai, Japan || Ext.R TKO (corner stoppage) || 4 || 3:00 || 34-9-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2001-04-29 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Osaka || Osaka, Japan || TKO (right hook) || 1 || 2:20 || 34-8-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2001-03-17 || Win ||align=left| Michael McDonald || K-1 Gladiators 2001 || Yokohama, Japan || KO (right hook) || 1 || 1:56 || 33-8-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2000-12-10 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final || Tokyo, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 32-8-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2000-12-10 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final || Tokyo, Japan || TKO (referee stoppage) || 1 || 1:45 || 32-7-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2000-12-10 || Win ||align=left| Musashi || K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final || Tokyo, Japan || TKO (referee stoppage) || 1 || 1:38 || 31-7-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2000-08-20 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Yokohama || Yokohama, Japan || TKO (corner stoppage) || 2 || 3:00 || 30-7-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2000-08-20 || Win ||align=left| Frank Otto || K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Yokohama || Yokohama, Japan || TKO (referee stoppage) || 1 || 2:24 || 30-6-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2000-08-20 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 The Millennium || Osaka, Japan || KO (right low kick) || 3 || 2:24 || 29-6-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 1999-12-05 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 1999 Final quarter-finals || Tokyo, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 29-5-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1999-10-03 || Win ||align=left| Samir Benazzouz || K-1 World Grand Prix '99 opening round || Osaka, Japan || TKO (referee stoppage) || 1 || 2:14 || 29-4-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1999-06-06 || Win ||align=left| Jim Mullen || K-1 Survival '99 || Sapporo, Japan || KO (right hook) || 2 || 0:45 || 28-4-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 1999-04-25 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 Revenge '99 || Yokohama, Japan || TKO (corner stoppage) || 4 || 3:00 || 27-4-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 1998-12-13 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix 1998 Final quarter-finals || Tokyo, Japan || TKO (referee Stoppage/Two Knockdowns) || 2 || 2:28 || 27-3-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1998-09-27 || Win ||align=left| || K-1 World Grand Prix '98 opening round || Osaka, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 3:00 || 27-2-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 1998-05-24 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 Braves '98 || Fukuoka, Japan || TKO (corner stoppage) || 2 || 3:00 || 26-2-1 |- |- bgcolor="#c5d2ea" | 1998-04-09 || Draw ||align=left| Francisco Filho || K-1 Kings '98 || Yokohama, Japan || Draw || 5 || 3:00 || 26-1-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1998-01-23 || Win ||align=left| Stephane Reveillon || N/A || N/A || KO || 2 || N/A || 26-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1997-10-00 || Win ||align=left| Jean-Claude Leuyer || N/A || N/A || Decision || 5 || 3:00 || 25-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1997-07-20 || Win ||align=left| Jean-Claude Leuyer || K-1 Dream '97 || Nagoya, Japan || Decision (unanimous) || 7 || 3:00 || 24-1 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1997-04-29 || Win ||align=left| Jérôme Le Banner || K-1 Braves '97 || Fukuoka, Japan || KO (right hook) || 1 || 1:31 || 23-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1997-03-16 || Win ||align=left| Petar Majstorovic || K-1 Kings '97 || Yokohama, Japan || TKO (referee stoppage) || 4 || 1:36 || 22-1 |- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 1996-12-08 || Loss ||align=left| || K-1 Hercules '96 || Nagoya, Japan || KO (Low Kicks) || 4 || 0:25 || 21-1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1996-09-09 || Win ||align=left| Kirkwood Walker || N/A || || KO || N/A || N/A || 21-0 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1996-08-01 || Win ||align=left| Lee Swaney || New Zealand vs England || , New Zealand || KO || N/A || N/A || 20-0 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1996-02-25 || Win ||align=left| || NZ - AUS - HOL || , New Zealand || KO (punches) || 4 || N/A || 19-0 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1995-08-25 || Win ||align=left| Michael McDonald || N/A || , New Zealand || KO (right hook) || 3 || N/A || 18-0 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1995-04-27 || Win ||align=left| Rob Martin || N/A || , New Zealand || KO (left hook) || 1 || N/A || |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1995 || Win ||align=left| Alex Hooker || ||, New Zealand || Decision || || N/A || |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1994-07 || Win ||align=left| Dan Wilson || ||, New Zealand || Decision || || N/A || |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1995 || Win ||align=left| Aj Wilson || ||,New Zealand || Decision || || N/A || |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1994-07 || Win ||align=left| Dan Wilson || ||, New Zealand || TKO || 1 || N/A || |-


Boxing Record
|- |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2001-09-02 || Loss ||align=left| Chester Hughes || Elgin, Illinois, USA || KO || 1 || N/A || 5–1 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2001-06-03 || Win ||align=left| Joe Lenhart || Elgin, Illinois, USA || TKO || 1 || N/A || 5–0 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 2001-02-11 || Win ||align=left| Steve Griffin || Elgin, Illinois, USA || TKO || 1 || N/A || 4–0 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1996-10-05 || Win ||align=left| Nicky Faamata || , New Zealand || TKO || 3 || N/A || 3–0 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1995-03-16 || Win ||align=left| Paul Baker || , New Zealand || PTS || 4 || N/A || 2–0 |- |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" | 1994-11-24 || Win ||align=left| Alex Katu || , New Zealand || TKO || 1 || N/A || 1–0 |- | colspan=9 | Legend:


Mixed martial arts record
|- | Loss | align=center| 2–2 | Dave Huckaba | TKO (punches) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 4:32 | Ontario, California, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 2–1 | Valentijn Overeem | Submission (neck crank) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:37 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 2–0 | Kevin Jordan | TKO (knee injury) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 0:24 | Bixby, Oklahoma, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 1–0 | Kim Min-soo | KO (head kick) | Hero's 2 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 0:30 | , Japan |


See also
  • List of male kickboxers
  • List of K-1 events
  • Champions of Champions Elite


External links

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