Bob Sapp is a NFL wash out who jokingly confesses he was inept at the sport of gridiron. Physically, it appeared he had all the tools. Given any physical test he measured very well among his peers. He had speed. He had strength. He had size. The only thing that kept the strong and fast 170kg player from success was the game itself. When asked what position he played, Sapp told one interviewer he played, "Assback." Apparently, every coach told him to get his "ass back" whenever he stepped on the field.

When the NFL dream came to an end, Sapp was destitute. He held a job moving coffins in a funeral parlor. Given his immense size and athletic potential, Sapp decided to give fake-wrestling an honest effort. The organization that was to give him his first chance was the now-defunct WCW. Recovering from the fallout of the WCW collapse, Sapp accepted a toughman match against former NFL superstar William "the Refrigerator" Perry. The scouts that saw him thought he might appeal to the Japanese fans.  

In retrospect, Sapp's first fight was so quick that it is a wonder anyone still remembers it. He entered a promotional group called "Pride" and scored a quick knockout over a fake-wrestler.

At the time, K-1 and Pride we're cooperating to develop the general Kakutogi fan base. Surely, K-1 fans could enjoy Pride style matches and Pride fans could appreciate K-1 rules bouts. It now appears that the relationship was not of highest value compared to the desire to recruit new fighters. Pride would eventually walk away with Mirko Filipovic, Stefan Leko and Mark Hunt. K-1, on the other hand, would lay claim to Gary Goodridge, Tom Erikson and Bob Sapp. 

At the end of the 2001 K-1 Grand Prix, the K-1 had shown an interest in bringing a massive strongman to the K-1. It turns out that it was none other than Nathan Jones, an ex-con from Australia who later balked in favor of a WWF contract.  

2002/06/02

Bob Sapp's first fight was a corrupt scheme with Japanese journeyman Tsuyoshi Nakasako as the victim. From the opening bell, Sapp pushed Nakasaoko into the corner, pulled his head down and hit him in the back of the head with an elbow. When Nakasako fell to the ground, Sapp then  threw a knee to the fallen opponents head. The referee finally separated the fighters and called for the doctors. Sapp returned to his own corner and exchanged words with his trainer, Maurice Smith. Officials then demanded that he stand in the neutral corner. The referee issued a red card (one point deduction at the time) for the blatant foul and gave Nakasako time to recover. When the fight resumed at the 16 second mark, Sapp picked up where he left off, pushing Nakasako to the ground and unloading two punches to the prone opponent. Sapp succeeded in angering his opponent to engage in a brawl that continued after the referee signaled for the bell to stop the fight. Sapp then threw Nakasako to the ground and delivered a knee and a stomp before the officiating staff pinned him to the ground. Kazuyoshi Ishii, K-1 producer, even stepped into the ring to regain control. Sapp had lost his first K-1 fight by DQ.

The first hint fans had that the K-1 condoned the whole fiasco was Sapp's post fight comments that showed no fear of any consequences. He maintained that he had actually won the fight and that it was clear to all who witnessed the melee. The next hint was the print media coverage of the event. Sapp had made the front cover of nearly all the magazines and newspapers despite losing by, of all things, a first round DQ. The third and final piece of evidence was K-1 Producer Kazuyoshi Ishii bringing Sapp back to fight Cyril Abidi with none other than himself as the referee. The man who had a mere 0-1 record seemed very interested in developing his character. Promotional footage showed him eating a picture of Cyril Abidi followed by Sapp's spooky laugh.

2002/09/22

The Sapp-Abidi fight was as ugly as a fight could be. That said, ugliness can be forgiven. What happened in this fight was unforgivable. Abidi was not only out-muscled; he was out-numbered. Sapp tossed him into the corner and began to rain heavy blows to the back of the Frenchman's head. K-1 Producer Ishii then called an 8-count, or standing down, against Abidi. When the fight resumed, Sapp pulled Abidi's head down and dropped a heavy hammer punch to the back of the opponent's head followed by more rabbit punches. Referee Ishii then credited Sapp with a second knockdown. Two more hammer punches to the back of Abidi's head prompted Ishii to stop the fight and declare the victory to Sapp.

2002/10/05

Sapp's next test would be none other than Ernesto Hoost, then 3 time Grand Prix Champion. The winner of the match would qualify for the 2002 Grand Prix tournament. Up to that date, Hoost had an unprecedented travel/fight schedule. In August, he fought 211cm 143kg Jan Nortje in Las Vegas. Ten days later, he fought 211cm 122kg Sem Schilt in Tokyo. The jetlag took its toll on his immune system and the recurrent skin ailment that eliminated him from the 1998 Grand Prix resurfaced. The match produced both the expected and the unexpected. In the fight, Hoost's sharp techniques stung Sapp as predicted. Surprisingly, Sapp's unskilled attacks came from angles that no trained defender would imagine. For instance, Sapp reached his right arm far behind his back and swung a wide arc. At 170kg of solid muscle, Hoost quickly realized that an unpredictable oaf can be a real danger. Sapp managed to collect his first knockdown by pushing Hoost into a corner with his left hand and unloading his ham fisted strikes with the right. The second knockdown was a slip as Hoost was throwing a low kick. When the bell sounded, Sapp unleashed 3 extra punches. During the break, the ringside doctor refused to clear Hoost to continue due to cuts. Sapp in one match seized Hoost's berth to the 2002 Grand Prix and his #1 Rank in the CKO.

Sapp's next opponent was Sem Schilt, or so we expected. Schilt took an unusual match between the qualifier and the Grand Prix in K-1's rival organization, Pride. The writing was on the wall. The K-1 was hoping that Schilt would get injured in the MMA match up and free up a Grand Prix opening. He did lose the fight but not due to injuries. He submitted to a triangle choke and left the ring uninjured. The unbelievable news that then surfaced was that Schilt had injured his shoulder while bowling and would not be able to participate in the Grand Prix. In his place, Ernesto Hoost would accept the berth. The K-1 PR engine worked overtime to promote the Beast, Bob Sapp. By the time the 2002 Grand Prix rolled around, Sapp was already a household name in Japan.

2002/12/07

Sapp-Hoost II was supposed to be the revenge match where Hoost would punish Sapp mercilessly. However, a new character in the Bob Sapp story surfaced, Referee Nobuaki Kakuda. As a television talent in Japan himself, Kakuda would take the role of protecting the K-1's newest PR tool.

It appeared that Hoost had the game in hand when he hit Sapp with a body blow that made the American giant squeal. Discovering the new weakness, Hoost scored a knockdown with a solid body blow. In the second round, Hoost again tried to get the body, but Sapp stood him up with one punch and knocked him down with the follow up. Hoost took control of the fight again but in the closing seconds Sapp pushed the Dutchman into the corner and started swinging. The punches were ineffective, either missing entirely or hitting Hoost's gloves. Surprisingly, referee Kakuda leaped between the two fighters to stop the fight just before the bell rang. Sapp, the winner, fell against the ropes beaten and exhausted.  

Sapp didn't continue to fight in the Grand Prix due to a hand injury. Ironically, the reserve fighter couldn't advance either because of a leg injury, so Hoost himself re-entered the tournament and eventually went on to win an unprecedented 4^th title.