Miodrag Stojanović

Miodrag "Gidra" Stojanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Миодраг Гидра Стојановић; 24 October 1950 – 18 February 2001) was a Montenegrin Serb boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He achieved a Guinness World Record with the highest number of abdominal push-ups, doing fifty in ten seconds.[1]

Miodrag Stojanović
Born(1950-10-24)24 October 1950
Bar, PR Montenegro, FPR Yugoslavia
Died18 February 2001(2001-02-18) (aged 50)
Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia
Other namesGidra
NationalityYugoslavian
Height1.69 m (5 ft 6 1⁄2 in)

Biography

Stojanović began his career as the "Strongest Yugoslav" as he was then known when he arrived in Belgrade for his post-secondary education. He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics.[1]

In 1993, he moved to Los Angeles where he began a short film career. In the United States, he trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Magic Johnson. He wrote the screenplay and played the main role in the 1994 film Born to Be a Warrior which was dubbed the first Serbian action film.

Upon returning to Yugoslavia, he dedicated himself to introducing a new type of martial arts known as mixed martial arts to the Yugoslav public. At this time, newspapers began printing rumours that Stojanović had ties with the Belgrade underground.[2]

Death and legacy

Stojanović was assassinated on 18 February 2001 in broad daylight as he was entering his Audi A4 at the tennis courts of the Partizan Stadium.[3] Stojanović was shot with a bullet to the neck while the other bullets hit his chest.[1] The perpetrator was never found. Stojanović was survived by his three children: two sons and a daughter.

A memorial tournament named after Stojanović takes place annually.[4]

References
  1. Glas javnosti (18 February 2001). "Usmrćen najjači Jugosloven" (in Serbian). Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  2. Vreme (20 February 1995). "The Belgrade Ring: Born a Boxer". Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  3. B92 (18 February 2001). "Ubijen Miodrag Stojanović Gidra" (in Serbian). Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  4. ESPN (5 November 2011). "MSG: Memorijal Gidra Stojanovic". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
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