Issue 159
October 2017
How a UFC pioneer discovered his second calling on the decks.
When you think of jiu-jitsu stylists in the early days of the UFC, you think of one country: Brazil. However, the Netherlands’ Remco Pardoel also represented the discipline in the clash-of-styles competition.
“I competed in judo and jiu-jitsu at that time,” he says. “There was an advertisement in KO Magazine in the Netherlands for athletes who were interested in a different type of competition. There is one way to prove that your style works in a different setting: enter a competition with less rules.
“We did not have a clue when we entered and after seeing the first UFC, it was a challenge. I love competition, and MMA was a welcome change in my life.”
The Dutchman was one of the strongest competitors in the brackets he entered, and only the stiffest competition stopped him from achieving Octagon glory. First Royce Gracie in the semi-final of UFC 2, then Marco Ruas in UFC 7. Both tournament champions stopped him by submission. But that didn’t end his involvement with MMA.
“Thanks to the Gracie Family and Art Davie, I had the opportunity to travel the world, meet new people and be part of history. In 1993, I introduced BJJ and Grappling in Europe. I always trained or assisted athletes at the top level – Lee Murray, Heath Herring, Melvin Manhoef and now Stefan Struve – and I had the privilege to provide Fedor Emelianenko with my view on the game of MMA. I produced some nice BJJ athletes, and some of them can make a living from the sport. That is great to see.”
Due to personal reasons, ‘Grizzly’ walked away from his gym and training career, but the arts are in his blood and he still trains fighters on an individual basis.
“Without the sport, there is no life for me,” he adds. “The past few years had enough personal drama and I am glad that I can breathe again. The funny thing is that I have learned that a lot of people who had the biggest part of my heart just left me for dead or back stabbed me. It’s sad, but true. I quit temporarily with teaching.”
He has worked closely with local promotions in an advisory role to lend his valuable knowledge, experience and ideas to up and coming promoters. He also retains a strong belief in the appeal of mixed martial arts to an even larger, growing worldwide audience.
He’s also busy with the other passion that runs as deep as his love for martial arts. After falling in love with house music in the mid '80s while stationed in the Royal Netherlands Air Force in Germany, ‘DJ Remco’ jumped behind the decks in 2005. He spent a few years as a bedroom DJ until April 2011 when he was offered his first gig. He specializes in techno in his home country, and hopes to take his performances international.
“I found a lot of peace in spinning the wheels and now have a gig every few weeks as a DJ,” he adds. “I won a few competitions, one between 60 DJs, and that gave me a boost.
I can always be booked for seminars or a DJ appearances!”
