This was from a martial arts magazine called Grappling, back in November 2004...
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Steve "Croc Hunter" Irwin - The Greatest Fight Ever
There are many grappling matches that deserve recognition. In the early days of vale tudo (anything goes) the original Gracie brother Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Helio - put their reputations on the line and fought men who outweighed them by over 100 pounds. Later generations followed in their footsteps including Carlson, Rolls, Rorion, Rickson, Royce, Royler and others. Although now uncommon in the States, you'll sometimes still see David vs Goliath matches overseas. The most significant recent recent contest was when Aussie Firebrand Tony "Gun" Bonello at 185lbs choked out legendary Dam "The Beast" Severn, at 275 lbs., in less than two minutes at XFC IV in Brisbane. Any of those matches deserve serious consideration for the greatest fight ever. But if weight difference and putting everythin on the line defines the importance of a fight, then my vote for the greatest battle goes out to Steve Irwin the world famous "Croc Hunter", for his match against a foe who weighed 1500 lbs. and was 15 feet long! What was on the line in this match? Only his best friend's life.
For those who don't know, Steve Irwin, owner of the top tourist attraction Down Under, the Australia Zoo on Sunshine Coast, is an avid submission grappler who trains several times a week with bodyguard Danny Higgins, a no-holds-barred fighter and submission grappler who has competed in Australia and in KOTC in America. "Steve's a natural grappler" says Danny. "Strong well-balanced, and very determined. Once he gets a grip on you he won't let go - a lot like a croc." Not only does Steve train but also wife Teri, an Americal from Oregon, and all his children. If you happen to bump into Steve or Teri at their amazing Australia Zoo, they will likely talk your ear off about grappling. "I love training without the gi" Steve says. "From wrestling crocs all my life, I got used to doing ubnderhooks, back mounts and leveraging my weight to keep 'em down. So when Danny introduced me to submission grappling it was an instant hit with me."
Several years ago, according to Danny, Steve was stalking a large croc with a crew which included his best friend. As they approached it, the monster suddenly burst out of the water, grabbed his friend's leg, nearly biting it in two, and dragged him into the water. "It all happened so fast I was in a state of shock," Steve's friend said afterwards. "My last thoughts were about my family, because I knoew they would soon be making my funeral plans." Steve Irwin however, had other plans.
As everyone froze in horror, Steve grabbed a paddle, smashed the blood-mad croc over the head making it temporarily release it's prey, and then leaped into the water, onto the back of the croc, and started grappling it! The croc began flipping and turning in a engraged feeding frenzy, trying to crush the mosquito on it's back who had dared challange the king of the swamp. But Steve held on. "Get him out! Get him out!" Steve screamed, putting in the leg hooks and wrapping his arms around the monster's neck. Only when the crew pulled the injured man out of the water did Steve release the monster and clamber to safety. The croc, not wanting any more of this crazy foe, swam off quickly. "Crikey!" Steve said, reaching down to tend to his friend's wounds. "That was a close one!" And just like that it was over.
Happily, the victim made a full recovery and a picture of his wound is on display outside of Steve and Teri's office. Steve, when pressed about Danny's descripyion of the incredible fight, is typically self-effacing. "Oh, I don't know it wa ssuch a big deal" says Steve. "When I'm wrestlin' crocs I don't really think about how big and poerful they are or how many teeth they got, I just think about how I'm going to enter, tie-up with 'em, and neutralize 'em. It's more instinct than anything else."
If you're in Australia make a special point of visiting the Australia Zoo on Sunshine Coast. It's worth a special trip Down Under all by itself. It's the cleanest, most well run zoo you'll ever see, the employees are friendlyto a fault, and it's owned by Steve and Teri, two grappling fanatics! And if you're lucky enought to run into Steve between expeditions, as he rides around the zoo on his moped with Teri on back, chatting with the visitors, you might just be lucky enough to here THE STORY firsthand. If you do, I'm sure you'll say the same thing I did when I first heard it - Crikey!
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