Mark Miller (kickboxer)

Mark Miller
Born	Mark Jason Miller (1971-09-17) September 17, 1971 (age 50) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	Fightshark, Meat Missle, The Shark
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	230 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
Division	Heavyweight
Style	Kickboxing, Muay Thai
Fighting out of	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Team	Iron City Gym Team Fightshark Golden Glory
Trainer	Jim Gardner Rick Roufus
Kickboxing record
Total	24
Wins	15
Losses	8
Draws	1
last updated on: October 6, 2012

Mark Jason Miller^[1] (born September 17, 1971) is an American kickboxer who competes in the heavyweight division.

Biography and career[]

Early life[]

Miller grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and became involved with martial arts through his love of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris films. His father sent him to a boxing gym at a young age, and he also practiced Tang Soo Do, Hapkido, Uechi-ryu and Taekwondo as a child. He began competing in amateur boxing at the age of 18.^[2]

He later began Muay Thai and trained and fought in Thailand.^[3]

Career[]

Mark Miller made his debut in the K-1 promotion in August 2000 at K-1 USA Championships 2000, where he lost to Tommy Glanville via unanimous decision. He re-matched with Glanville in May the following year at K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Preliminary USA, and avenged his loss with a split decision victory. In February 2002, he took part in the Grand Prix at K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Preliminary North America and lost to Canada's in the first round. This was to be his last bout in K-1.

In 2006, Miller was set to compete in a bout for the S-1 Muay Thai promotion in Miami, Florida. However, he failed the Florida Athletic Commission's medical test due to a heart condition. According to the specialists, Miller was having a fifteen percent cardiac output along with an enlarged heart.^[4] In 2007, he had heart surgery due to the condition.^[5]

He made his return to the ring on May 28, 2011 at in Moscow, Russia against Nikolaj Falin. Miller knocked Falin out with a right hook nine seconds into the first round. Following this match, Miller joined the famous Golden Glory gym in the Netherlands.^[6]

He faced Koichi Pettas at Glory 2: Brussels on October 6, 2012 in Brussels, Belgium^[7] and lost via KO in the second round.^[8]

Kickboxing record[]

Kickboxing record

15 Wins, 8 Losses, 1 Draw
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time
2012-10-06	Loss	Koichi Pettas	Glory 2: Brussels	Brussels, Belgium	KO (Right Cross)	2
2012-03-23	Loss	Sergei Kharitonov	United Glory 15	Moscow, Russia	KO (Right Hook)	1	1:59
2011-05-28	Win			Moscow, Russia	KO (right hook)	1	0:09
2002-02-09	Loss		K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Preliminary North America, Quarter Finals	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA	TKO	2	2:07
2001-08-11	Loss	Dewey Cooper	K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Las Vegas	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	TKO	2
2001-05-05	Win		K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Preliminary USA	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	Decision (split)	5	3:00
2000-08-05	Loss		K-1 USA Championships 2000	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Personal life[]

Miller's memoir Pain Don't Hurt: Fighting Inside and Outside the Ring was published in 2014 by Ecco Press, an imprint of HarperCollins curated by chef and author Anthony Bourdain. The book, co-written with Miller's longtime corner woman Shelby Jones, tells of his origins in a troubled family, heart surgery, struggles with addiction, and his kickboxing career. Kirkus Reviews described the book as "thoughtful but unsentimental" and "a force to be reckoned with".^[9]

References[]

External links[]

• Fighters Profile