Don Frye
 |
Name | Don Frye |
| Nickname | The Predator | |
| Association | Team Frye | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight (219 lbs.) | |
| Height | 6' 1" (186 cm) | |
| Style | Wrestling, Judo, Boxing | |
| Birth Date | November 23, 1965 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Sierra Vista, Arizona | |
| Country | USA | |
| Don Frye Pictures | Don Frye's Official Site |
Don "The Predator" Frye is a retired American mixed martial artist, actor, and professional wrestler. Frye rose to fame fighting in early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, winning the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments. He is considered one of the first real mixed martial artist, who trained in more than one martial arts style.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 20 - 8 - 1 (Win – Loss – Draw) (1 NC) |
| Wins | 7 (T)KOs 11 Submissions 1 Decisions 1 Other |
| Losses | 4 (T)KOs 2 Submissions 2 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Dave Herman | TKO (Punches) | SF 6: Stars & Stripes | 9/12/2009 | 1 | 1:00 | |
| Win | Rich Moss | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | SF 4: Richards vs. Schoonover | 5/02/2009 | 1 | 2:12 | |
| Loss | Ikuhisa Minowa | Submission (Kneebar) | DEEP: Gladiator | 8/16/2008 | 1 | 3:56 | |
| Win | Bryan Pardoe | KO | NLF: Heavy Hands | 1/26/2008 | 1 | 0:47 | |
| Loss | James Thompson | TKO (Punches) | PRIDE 34: Kamikaze | 4/08/2007 | 1 | 6:23 | |
| Win | Min Soo Kim | KO (Punch) | K-1: Hero's 7 | 10/09/2006 | 2 | 2:47 | |
| Win | Yoshihisa Yamamoto | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | K-1: Hero's 6 | 8/05/2006 | 1 | 4:52 | |
| Draw | Ruben Villareal | Draw | KOTC: Predator | 5/13/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Chad Rowan | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | K-1: Hero's 5 | 5/03/2006 | 2 | 3:50 | |
| Loss | Yoshihiro Nakao | Decision (Unanimous) | K-1: Premium 2004 Dynamite!! | 12/31/2004 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| NC | Yoshihiro Nakao | No Contest (Accidental Headbutt) | K-1 MMA: ROMANEX | 5/22/2004 | 1 | N/A | |
| Loss | Gary Goodridge | KO (Head Kick) | PRIDE: Shockwave 2003 | 12/31/2003 | 1 | 0:39 | |
| Loss | Mark Coleman | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 26: Bad to the Bone | 6/08/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Hidehiko Yoshida | Technical Submission (Armbar) | PRIDE 23: Championship Chaos 2 | 11/24/2002 | 1 | 5:32 | |
| Win | Yoshihiro Takayama | TKO (Punches) | PRIDE 21: Demolition | 6/23/2002 | 1 | 6:10 | |
| Win | Ken Shamrock | Decision (Split) | PRIDE 19: Bad Blood | 2/24/2002 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Cyril Abidi | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001: K-1 vs. Inoki | 12/31/2001 | 2 | 0:33 | |
| Win | Gilbert Yvel | DQ (Eye Gouging) | PRIDE 16: Beasts from the East | 9/24/2001 | 1 | 7:27 | |
| Win | Eric Valdez | Submission (Choke) | USWF 5: Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 5 | 6/20/1997 | 1 | 0:49 | |
| Win | David Abbott | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UU 96: Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | 12/07/1996 | 1 | 1:22 | Won Ultimate Ultimate 96 Tournament |
| Win | Mark Hall | Submission (Achilles Hold) | UU 96: Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | 12/07/1996 | 1 | 0:20 | |
| Win | Gary Goodridge | Submission (Fatigue) | UU 96: Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | 12/07/1996 | 1 | 11:19 | |
| Win | Mark Hall | Submission (Forearm Choke) | U: Japan | 11/17/1996 | 1 | 5:29 | |
| Loss | Mark Coleman | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 10: The Tournament | 7/12/1996 | 1 | 11:34 | For UFC 10 Tournament winner |
| Win | Brian Johnston | Submission (Strikes) | UFC 10: The Tournament | 7/12/1996 | 1 | 4:37 | |
| Win | Mark Hall | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 10: The Tournament | 7/12/1996 | 1 | 10:21 | |
| Win | Amaury Bitetti | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 9: Motor City Madness | 5/17/1996 | 1 | 9:22 | |
| Win | Gary Goodridge | Submission (Position) | UFC 8: David vs. Goliath | 2/16/1996 | 1 | 2:14 | Won UFC 8 Tournament |
| Win | Sam Adkins | TKO (Cut) | UFC 8: David vs. Goliath | 2/16/1996 | 1 | 0:48 | |
| Win | Thomas Ramirez | KO | UFC 8: David vs. Goliath | 2/16/1996 | 1 | 0:08 | Fasted KO in UFC history until Todd Duffee in 2009. |
Biography
Don Frye began wrestling as a freshman in 1984 for Arizona State, where he was trained by fellow future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend, then assistant wrestling coach, Dan Severn. In 1987, he won the freestyle and Greco-Roman events during an Olympic qualifier. A year later, he transferred to Oklahoma State, where he encountered another future UFC star amongst his teammates: Randy Couture.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
UFC Career
In 1995, Frye helped train his old friend Dan Severn for the Ultimate Ultimate 1995, accompanying Severn's entourage to Denver. Severn returned the favour in 1996, when he acted as Frye's manager for UFC 8. Fighting three times in one night, Frye dispached all of his opponents in just over three minutes total, winning the tournament with relative ease. However, due to the controversial nature of the event, Frye was barred from both firefighting, his previous occupation in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and from training in the Buena High School gym he had used since his ASU days. Along with Marco Ruas, Frye is considered one of the original "cross trained" MMA competitors who have a background in multiple disciplines. Along with his collegiate wrestling experience, Frye holds a 2nd degree black belt in Judo and a professional Boxing record.
Instantly a fan favorite in the UFC, Frye returned at UFC 9 to take a single bout TKO victory over Brazilian Amaury Bitetti instead of the scheduled Marco Ruas. At UFC 10, Frye returned to tournament format and defeated Mark Hall and Brian Johnston both by TKO. But in the finals for UFC 10, Frye faced his toughest challenge yet - Mark Coleman. Coleman came out on top via TKO after eleven minutes, handing Frye his first loss in seven fights.
Frye would return to his winning ways at U-Japan in November 1996, taking a submission victory over Mark Hall. Just one month later, Frye entered the UFC's Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournament, held to find the best of the best from past UFC winners and runners up. Frye took wins over Gary Goodridge, and Mark Hall (for the third time), with both wins coming by submission. In the finals of UU 96, Frye faced feared striker Tank Abbott, who landed early devastating shots, opening a cut on Frye's face, and causing swelling but Abbott lost his balance and fell, allowing Frye to secure a rear naked choke, to take the title of Ultimate Ultimate 96 Champion, his second UFC Tournament Championship. After winning the Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournament, Don Frye retired from the UFC.
PRIDE FC
In 2001, because of his Japanese Pro-wrestling career Frye was still a successful celebrity in Japan, PRIDE Fighting Championships signed The Predator to a multi fight contract. Appearing for the first time in five years, Frye was noticeably bigger, ripped and seemed much stronger. In a controversial bout at PRIDE 16, Frye faced Dutch kickboxer Gilbert Yvel, who repeatedly gouged Frye's eyes and was eventually disqualified for continuously holding the ropes (several bouts later, Yvel was disqualified for punching the referee). Three months later, at K-1's New Years Eve show Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001 K-1 vs. Inoki, Frye submitted Cyril Abidi by rear naked choke. Frye returned to PRIDE in February 2002, facing long-time rival Ken Shamrock at PRIDE 19. After an exciting hard tough battle, Frye pulled out a decision victory. The two hugged after the fight ended, putting an end to their rivalry.
Just four months after defeating Ken Shamrock, Frye returned to face Japanese pro wrestling legend Yoshihiro Takayama at PRIDE 21. In a fight that many consider to be one of PRIDE's most exciting matches, Frye and Takayama clinched in a "hockey fight" pose, each holding the head and hitting, with Takayama finally going to the body after more than a full minute of unrelenting, undefended shots. This would happen three times in the fight, until the referee stopped the bout after Frye mounted Takayama, who was visibly much worse from the wear.
Riding a new wave of popularity, Frye returned at PRIDE 23 to face Japanese Olympic Gold Medalist Hidehiko Yoshida. Taking his first loss since fighting Mark Coleman in 1996, Frye was submitted by Yoshida via armbar in the first round. While Frye did not tap out, the referee stopped the bout in fear of serious injury. Just one month later, Frye fought at the K-1/PRIDE New Years Eve event, PRIDE Shockwave, taking on K-1 Champion Jerome Le Banner. The match was not a mixed martial arts event as kickboxing rules were followed. It should be noted that Frye had mentioned in an interview prior to the fight that (besides some knee strikes) he had never thrown a kick in his life. Frye's disadvantage was obvious as he couldn't use his wrestling skills and at 1:30 of the first round, for the first time in his career, Don Frye was knocked out.
Frye took seven months off following the loss to Le Banner, and returned at PRIDE 26 to try and avenge his loss to Mark Coleman. In a rather long battle, Frye lost a unanimous decision to Coleman after three rounds. Another rematch was on tap for PRIDE Shockwave 2003, when Frye faced Gary Goodridge for the third time. In a stunning bout that lasted all of 0:39, Goodridge scored a vicious high kick to the head, knocking Frye out completely. He made his Pride return at PRIDE 34 fighting James Thompson and lost due to strikes.
K-1 & HERO's
In 2004 Frye signed with Japan's K-1 mixed martial arts promotion HERO's, which held both kickboxing and mixed martial arts matches. In K-1 MMA-Romanex, Frye faced Japanese firebrand Yoshihiro Nakao, but the bout was called a no contest in the first round due to an accidental headbutt. The pair would face off at K-1's New Years Eve show K-1-Premium 2004 Dynamite to settle the score, with Frye ultimately losing a unanimous decision. After another brief retirement, Frye returned in May 2006 to fight Akebono at K-1 Hero's 5, winning by guillotine choke in the second round.
Just ten days later, in his first appearance in the US since 1996, Don Frye took on Ruben Villarreal in King of the Cage: Predator. After three rounds of what many considered to be a lackluster fight, the bout was ruled a draw. Three months later he defeated Yoshihisa Yamamoto at K-1 Hero's 6 using the rear naked choke in the end of the first round. Frye later faced Min Soo Kim at K-1 Hero's 7 and knocked him out with a punch in the second round.
IFL
In 2007 Frye assembled and coached the Arizona based Tucson Scorpions in the International Fight League (IFL), but on November 9, 2007 Don announced on TAGG radio, that he and the IFL had parted ways. They were one of four new teams established at the beginning of the 2007 season. He also wrote a humorous weekly column called "Dear Don: Advice from The Predator" in which he gives fans advice on love, life, friendship, and more. However, Don is currently on TAGG radio on Fridays on a segment known as "Don Fryedays" which is a follow up to his Dear Don segments from the IFL.
Post IFL
On February 8, 2008, Frye announced on TAGG Radio that he would be fighting Oleg Taktarov on the debut card for YAMMA Pit Fighting on April 11 in the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ. The fight would be the first fight in YAMMA's Masters Division, a division for fighters over the age of 39. However, he had to withdraw due to an injury sustained whilst drinking and was replaced by UFC 1 entree Pat Smith.
Following his tenure with the IFL and a one-off fight with Texas-based promotion NoLimit Fighting, Don Frye competed in his inaugural fight with the DEEP organization, fighting Japanese fan favorite Ikuhisa Minowa. Minowa won by Kneebar at the 3:56 mark of Round 1, dropping Frye's record in Japan to 8-6. Frye later admitted to not taking the fight seriously and was quoted as saying that he thought he could "charm" his way through the fight with "Minowaman" only to find out "He (Minowa) didn't find me very charming."
Frye faced Ritch Moss on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at Shark Fights in Lubbock, Texas. Frye won with a (Rear Naked Choke).
On September 12, 2009, Dave "Pee Wee" Herman took just sixty seconds to secure a TKO victory over Frye at "Shark Fights 6: Stars & Stripes" PPV at the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum in Texas.
Retirement
In an interview in late December 2009, Frye expressed his interest in continuing to act, as he was done with professional mixed martial arts. The announcement came on the cusp of him being in numerous AT&T commercials for the holiday season.
- “I'm pretty much quitting MMA. I’ve had enough of the (expletive). I'm done with it,” announced Frye. “The competitive urges still flow through me, but I'm tired of the (expletive) of the promoters.
- “I'm tired of the (expletive) treatment, being lied to and tired of getting bounced checks from people. They can go pound sand as far as I'm concerned.”
- “The fight game isn't a respectful profession any more,” he stated. “They've made a mockery out of it by letting Jose Canseco fight, and now Hershel Walker, and all these other jackasses in their 40's who have never fought.
- “They're getting paid more than the guys who have been putting years into it. It's an embarrassment and a shame.”
Acting
Don Frye began acting in movies with Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), playing the role of Captain Douglas Gordon. In an interview, Frye mentions that unlike his fights where he has complete control, acting in a Godzilla film he had no control but enjoyed the experience nonetheless. The director of the film, Ryuhei Kitamura, mentioned that he wrote the role with Frye in mind since he was a fan of Frye's fighting matches. Kitamura found Frye's tough-guy/good-heart demeanor to be the perfect role for the comic book character of Gordon. Curiously, a prominent character in a Japanese-language film, all of his dialogue was spoken in English.
2005 turned out to be a busy year for Frye as he made several appearances. In Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy, he played Rocco Piedra, the father of a wrestling family who dreams on marrying their child off to a famous wrestler. He also appeared in No Rules and starred in Nagurimono. In 2006, he made an appearance in Miami Vice and even lent his voice for The Ant Bully.
Frye is also set to appear in Apparitions: The Darkness (formerly Paper Dolls) and in the up coming Rob Schneider prison comedy Big Stan, along with fellow MMA fighters, Randy Couture and Bob Sapp.
He is also currently set to play Clarence Hurt, a Texas Ranger, in Public Enemies for director Michael Mann.
Since he competed in Pride FC, he has also appeared in several commercial ads in Japan. The latest one is a television ad for a yakisoba product named "UFO" produced by Nissin Foods (an executive officer was a fierce fan of Frye).
Frye appeared in an episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" entitled "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops," in which he played a professional wrestler that was getting pummeled by Roddy Piper's character, The Maniac. The part did not involve any lines and he is not currently credited on IMDB for it, but his name is in the end credits of the episode.
Frye will also be appearing in a new AT&T mini-movie advertisement for the Blackberry Bold 9700 entitled "Stay One Step Ahead" this 2009 holiday season
Personal Life
Frye is married and has two daughters.
Championships and Accomplishments
- UFC 8 Tournament Champion
- Ultimate Ultimate 96 Tournament Champion
- Once held the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history (00:08) with James Irvin in his victory over Houston Alexander.
