Don "The Dragon" Wilson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Don "The Dragon" Wilson (born September 10, 1954 in Illinois) is an American champion kickboxer and actor. He is most famous for his acting roles in action-adventure films, including nine titles in Roger Corman's Bloodfist series. His first film was Corman's Killer Instinct.
Wilson had a long and successful career in the ring. He was perhaps the best known and most successful kickboxer of his era. He was one of the very few American kickboxers of the time (the 1980s) to travel to Thailand and compete in Muay Thai under local rules. These rules differed from the kickboxing rules prevalent in the West at the time, in that American kickboxing generally allowed only kickboxing above the waist, together with boxing techniques. Muay Thai, on the other hand, allowed then as now leg kicks, elbows and knees (delivered usually during a clinch).
Often Western kickboxing of the era was undertaken with leg guards, forbidden in Thailand where the fighters would have had a lifetime of conditioning their shins. As a result, most Westerners facing Thais were defeated by unfamiliarity with Thai leg-checking techniques and by the superior conditioning of the Thais. Seen in that context, Wilson's record of two defeats in Thailand on points is more credible, as is his decision to fight in Thailand in the first place.
Wilson won a total of 11 World Titles with several Sanctioning bodies that included the IKF, WKA, KICK, ISKA, STAR and the PKO. He won his IKF (www.IKFKickboxing.com) FCR Cruiserweight World Title on May 15, 1999 in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, when he defeated Dick Kimber. (Lynn, Massachusetts, USA PRO: 23-3/21, AM: 25-0/25 5'9" 197 ) At the end of the 3rd round Wilson came alive and exploded with a flurry that eventually knocked Kimber to the floor motionless. Referee Dan Stell counted Kimber out on the floor, a count that went into the round break. Kimber never stood during the count.
Having never been challenged for his title, Wilson Voluntarily Retired it to move down to the Light Heavyweight Division where he eventually retired from fighting a few years later.
Wilson was also a fight commentator and interviewer in many of the early UFC events. He stated several times that he would be willing to fight in the UFC himself if enough fans requested it, but it never happened. He went on to be a commentator for KOTC.
Some Movies to his credit include: Futurekick, Bloodfist 1-9, Ring of Fire 1 & 2, Out for Blood, Operation Cobra, Blackbelt, Cyber Tracker 1 & 2, Sci Fighters, Redemption, Capitol Conspiracy, and Batman and Robin as the leader of the Neon Gang.
Married well known Film and Television Makeup artist Kathleen Karridene in 1996. They have three children together; Jonathan, Drayden, and Aubrianna.
[edit] External links
- Don "The Dragon" Wilson Official site
