Jean Claude Van Damme's True Life story(He really did fight!)

[CountryBoy]

Early life
Van Damme began martial arts at the age of 10, enrolled by his father in a shotokan karate school.[1] He eventually earned his black belt in karate,[2] later winning the European Professional Karate Association's middleweight championship[1] (although he has claimed that he was "twice world champion"[3]). He also started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title.[4] At the age of 16 he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. He says of ballet that it "is an art, but it's also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport."[5]

At the age of 18, Van Damme opened up the California Gym in Brussels, which one article claimed brought in $15,000 a month.[5] Van Damme was first seen on screen in the French-made Rue Barbare, released in 1984, followed in the same year with Monaco Forever, where he was credited as 'Karate Man'[6].

This gave Van Damme the impetus to give up his profitable fitness business in favor of acting. He left for America in the early 1980s (having first tried Hong Kong), initially sleeping in a rented car and doing odd jobs until he broke into film.[5]

Van Damme has studied Taekwondo and Muay Thai, along with Shotokan Karate[citation needed].


Fight Career
At the age of 18, Jean Claude Van Damme embarked on his quest to capture a world martial arts title. Training under master Claude Goetz in Brussels, Belgium, Jean-Claude developed an impressive array of kicks and strikes. In Antwerp, Belgium, Van Damme, fighting under his birth name of Jean-Claude Van Varenberg, made his fighting debut by knocking out Eric Strauss in 23 seconds of the first round with a spinning back fist. A week later, he stopped Emile Leibman with an axe-kick in 33 seconds of a scheduled 3-round full-contact middleweight match in Isegham, Belgium. With-in a span of five months, Jean-Claude added first round victories over Andre Robaeys, Jacques Piniarski, and Rolf Risberg, to improve his full-contact karate record to 5-0 (5 knockouts). After knocking out Jean-Claude Bollaert to win the Belgium Middleweight Full-Contact Championship in Brussels, many European martial arts experts viewed Van Damme as a promising prospects. Among those who expressed this view were Mike Anders-founder of Professional Karate Magazine, and multiple European Karate champion, Gert Lemmens. Next, Van Damme captured the European Middleweight Full-Contact Championship by a knockout in 21 seconds. In 1979, Van Damme traveled to Florida in the United States to fight in the WAKO World Full-Contact Championships in Orlando. In his first U.S. match, Van Damme (still fighting as Jean-Claude Van Varenberg) defeated Sherman "Big Train" Bergman from Miami, by first round victory. However, in his next match, Jean-Claude lost to fellow countryman, Patrick Teugels, thus failing in his bid to capture a world title. In 1980, Van Damme continued his ring career in his hometown of Brussels. After scoring a second round knockout over a fighter named Verlugels, he signed for a rematch with Patrick Teugels. This time it was Jean-Claude Van Damme whose hand was held up in victory; he knocked out Teugels in less then 2 minutes. Following this victory, Van Damme announced his retirement from active competition. Some sources list his full-contact record as 12-1 (12 knockouts), others as 10-1 (10 knockouts), and 9-1 (9 knockouts).

[CFH]

Interesting, CC for the read.

[Kel]

Yeah CC, I never knew any of that. I wonder how good he would have been in the ring?

[BoxingGorilla]

I've heard tell that Van Damme was the man in the predator suit for the original film. Anyone know if there is truth to that?

[Kel]

I've heard tell that Van Damme was the man in the predator suit for the original film. Anyone know if there is truth to that?

Who told you that?

[BoxingGorilla]

I've heard tell that Van Damme was the man in the predator suit for the original film. Anyone know if there is truth to that?

Who told you that?

Some kid at the lunch table in highschool. A few other geeks confirmed it but I was always suspicious. I was a geek by association. I love chillin' with the brainiac types of the world. D&D is fine by me!

[BoxingGorilla]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

[CountryBoy]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

He got the lump on his head when a helper drop a board on his face(Carpenter)

[CutMeMick]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

He got the lump on his head when a helper drop a board on his face(Carpenter)

He has a lump on his head?

[JT Rock]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

He got the lump on his head when a helper drop a board on his face(Carpenter)

He has a lump on his head?

Yea WTF

[Punisher136]

i think its above his right eye i can't find a clear pic tho.

[Hulk]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

Hahaha. Yeah I too have noticed that lump on his forehead. But c'mon dude, he's FUCKING Jean Claude Van Damme, he's a MOTHERFUCKING PIMP!!! You think that lump did him in with the ladies? The man can do the splits, the splits damnit!

Duke, I'm a Van Damme fan too, but you are leaving out an important part of his life story. Besides competing in karate competitions, Van Damme had another love...Ballet. He trained for years in ballet, which is probably where he learned to do the splits, and at one time dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer. True story.

[Punisher136]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

Hahaha. Yeah I too have noticed that lump on his forehead. But c'mon dude, he's FUCKING Jean Claude Van Damme, he's a MOTHERFUCKING PIMP!!! You think that lump did him in with the ladies? The man can do the splits, the splits damnit!

Duke, I'm a Van Damme fan too, but you are leaving out an important part of his life story. Besides competing in karate competitions, Van Damme had another love...Ballet. He trained for years in ballet, which is probably where he learned to do the splits, and at one time dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer. True story.

So somebody shows up looking like david lee roth on roids and he's automatically a pimp?

[Hulk]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

Hahaha. Yeah I too have noticed that lump on his forehead. But c'mon dude, he's FUCKING Jean Claude Van Damme, he's a MOTHERFUCKING PIMP!!! You think that lump did him in with the ladies? The man can do the splits, the splits damnit!

Duke, I'm a Van Damme fan too, but you are leaving out an important part of his life story. Besides competing in karate competitions, Van Damme had another love...Ballet. He trained for years in ballet, which is probably where he learned to do the splits, and at one time dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer. True story.

So somebody shows up looking like david lee roth on roids and he's automatically a pimp?

Yes. Precisely.

[Punisher136]

Van Damme was scheduled to play the part of the camouflaged extraterrestrial monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Predator, but wearing the heavy alien costume in the jungle was too difficult, and Van Damme, unhappy with his role, left the production.
www.wikipwedia.com

SO... I was lied to by the nerds. Or maybe they never got the news that he couldn't hack it.

I have another question for you guys though... How did he get that perminant LUMP on his forehead? And how did the ladies overlook it?

Hahaha. Yeah I too have noticed that lump on his forehead. But c'mon dude, he's FUCKING Jean Claude Van Damme, he's a MOTHERFUCKING PIMP!!! You think that lump did him in with the ladies? The man can do the splits, the splits damnit!

Duke, I'm a Van Damme fan too, but you are leaving out an important part of his life story. Besides competing in karate competitions, Van Damme had another love...Ballet. He trained for years in ballet, which is probably where he learned to do the splits, and at one time dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer. True story.

So somebody shows up looking like david lee roth on roids and he's automatically a pimp?

Yes. Precisely.

fair enough