Paul Varelans
Paul Varelans (September 17, 1969 – January 16, 2021) was an American professional mixed martial artist. He competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1995 to 1996, and had a fixed match in Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1996.
| Paul Varelans | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1969 Sunnyvale, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 2021 (aged 51) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Other names | The Polar Bear |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Weight | 300 lb (140 kg; 21 st) |
| Style | Trap Fighting, Boxing, Wrestling, Pro Wrestling |
| Fighting out of | Fairbanks, Alaska |
| Years active | 1995–1998 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 18 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Varelans attended West Valley High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, and San Jose State University, where he played football and participated in the boxing club until 1991.[1]
Career
Varelans made his UFC debut on July 14, 1995, at Ultimate Fighting Championship 6: Clash of the Titans, losing by TKO to Tank Abbott in under two minutes.
On June 22, 1996, at ECW's Hardcore Heaven event, a "shoot fight" was promoted between Varelans and ECW star Taz. Although the event was promoted as a legitimate fight, Varelans agreed beforehand to lose via submission.[2] He preceded this with two house show matches, defeating Jason Helton.
On July 29, 1997, he went to Japan for an one night appearance for Kingdom, losing a worked fight to Yoji Anjo by knockout.
Personal life and death
In December 2020, news surfaced that Varelans contracted COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia (U.S. state), was placed on mechanical ventilation then into an induced coma.[3] He died on January 16, 2021, at the age of 51.[4][5]
Championships and accomplishments
- International Fighting Championship
- IFC Kombat in Kyiv tournament semifinalist
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- World Vale Tudo Championship
- WVC 5 tournament semifinalist
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 18 matches | 9 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 7 |
| By submission | 2 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 9–9 | Dick Vrij | KO (punch) | Rings Holland: The King of Rings | February 8, 1998 | 2 | 0:30 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Loss | 8–9 | Nick Nutter | TKO (cut) | World Vale Tudo Championship 5 | February 3, 1998 | 1 | 3:42 | Brazil | |
| Win | 8–8 | Waldir dos Anjos | TKO (submission to punches) | World Vale Tudo Championship 5 | February 3, 1998 | 1 | 2:36 | Brazil | |
| Loss | 7–8 | Carlos Barreto | TKO (elbows and punches) | Brazil Open '97 | June 15, 1997 | 1 | 2:33 | Brazil | |
| Win | 7–7 | Scott Taylor | Submission (forearm choke) | Extreme Challenge 6 | May 10, 1997 | 1 | 0:42 | Battle Creek, Michigan, United States | |
| Loss | 6–7 | Ryushi Yanagisawa | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase: Alive 4 | April 27, 1997 | 1 | 15:00 | Urayasu, Chiba, Japan | |
| Loss | 6–6 | Mark Kerr | TKO (knees and punches) | World Vale Tudo Championship 3 | January 19, 1997 | 1 | 2:06 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Loss | 6–5 | Kimo Leopoldo | TKO (corner stoppage) | Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | December 7, 1996 | 1 | 9:08 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 6–4 | Shinji Katase | TKO (submission to punches) | U-Japan | November 17, 1996 | 1 | 0:35 | Japan | |
| Loss | 5–4 | Igor Vovchanchyn | KO (punches) | IFC 1: Kombat in Kyiv | March 30, 1996 | 1 | 6:20 | Kyiv, Ukraine | |
| Win | 5–3 | Valery Nikkolin | TKO (corner stoppage) | 1 | 5:12 | ||||
| Win | 4–3 | Joe Moreira | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 8 | February 16, 1996 | 1 | 10:00 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| Loss | 3–3 | Dan Severn | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Ultimate Ultimate 1995 | December 16, 1995 | 1 | 1:01 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Marco Ruas | TKO (leg kicks and punches) | UFC 7 | September 8, 1995 | 1 | 13:17 | Buffalo, New York, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Mark Hall | Submission (americana) | 1 | 1:04 | ||||
| Win | 2–1 | Gerry Harris | TKO (submission to elbows) | 1 | 1:07 | ||||
| Loss | 1–1 | Tank Abbott | TKO (punches) | UFC 6 | July 14, 1995 | 1 | 1:53 | Casper, Wyoming, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Cal Worsham | KO (elbow) | 1 | 1:02 |
See also
References
- "Paul Varelans Fight News - MMA Fighting". www.mmafighting.com.
- Williams, Scott E. (2006). Hardcore history : the extremely unauthorized story of ECW. Champaign, IL: Sports Pub. pp. x, 246. ISBN 978-1-59670-225-7. ISBN 978-1-59670-225-7 (soft cover), ISBN 1-59670-021-1 (hardcover)
- Jay Pettry (December 18, 2020). "UFC Pioneer Paul Varelans Placed on Ventilator Due to COVID-19". sherdog.com.
- DNA, MMA (2021-01-17). "UFC pionier Paul "The Polar Bear" Varelans (51) overleden". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- Doyle, Dave (2021-01-16). "UFC pioneer, early fan favorite Paul Varelans dies after battle with COVID-19". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
External links
- Professional MMA record for Paul Varelans from Sherdog
- Paul Varelans at UFC
- "Paul Varelans (Profile at K-1 PRIDE UFC Fansite)". K-1.azplayers.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
- Profile at FC Fighter