Robert Diem Kaman (5 June 1960 – 30 March 2024) was a Dutch nine-time kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion. He was often called "Mr. Low Kick" because of his feared low kicks which he used to set up his devastating offensive attacks.

Biography

Early life

Rob Kaman was born in Amsterdam on 5 June 1960. In his early days, he played football for the AFC Ajax Youth Team. Kaman was a good player, but never liked team sports. At the age of 16, he became interested in martial arts and started training in the Indonesian style pencak silat with Ruud van Weldam. Two years later, he watched a fight of kickboxer Lucien Carbin, after which he started training in Muay Thai and kickboxing at Mejiro Gym, first under Carbin and then Jan Plas. In 1980, Kaman became an A-class fighter in the Netherlands. He won most of his fights by K.O. The turning point for him was his fight with Blinky Rodriquez, the cousin of Benny Urquidez. Kaman knocked him out in the 2nd round with a low kick to the leg. That was his international breakthrough. From then on, Kaman started fighting in Thailand. His first fight in Thailand was against Dennoi, a local champion. Kaman won by K.O. and was asked to fight Lakchart, a Thai champion, in Bangkok.

Winning world title

On 23 September 1983 he fought John Moncayo for the world title WKA of kickboxing. Kaman knocked him out in the 3rd round with a low kick and became the first European WKA world champion in kickboxing. On 12 January 1984 he fought Payap Premchai, the champion of Thailand, in the Jaap Edenhal in Amsterdam and was declared the winner by unanimous decision. In April 1984 he had a rematch with John Moncayo in Miami, Florida. This time he knocked Moncayo out with a punch in the 3rd round. At the end of that year he beat the great Thai fighter Samart Prasarnmit in Hong Kong as well as Jean Marc Tonus for the European title of full contact. During the year 1985, he beat Larry McFadden in the 3rd round by a knockout and three months later he took his revenge on Lakchart. He knocked Lakchart out in the 4th round. After that, Kaman fought many different fighters in Amsterdam: Ernest Simmons (WKA rules), Ernesto Hoost (WKA rules), Payap (rematch on Muay Thai rules), Roger Hurd (WKA rules) and Sittisak (Muay Thai rules). He won them all and at the end of 1987 the Japanese asked him to come fight in Japan. His first fight in Japan was against Lakchart. Kaman knocked Lakchart out in the 1st round. From then on he fought many times in Japan. He fought against Kirkwood Walker, Hansu Premchai, Santiago Garza, and Don Nakaya Nielsen. On 9 April 1989, Kaman fought in the Netherlands again against Jan Wessels from Arnhem. Kaman also organized that event and did not have the time to prepare properly for the fight. He lost the fight and many people thought that his career was over. At the end of the year, he came back and beat Wessels by knock out in the 2nd round for a WKA world title. In 1989 Kaman played in the movie Bloodfist with Don Wilson and Billy Blanks and fought three times against Changpuek Kiatsongrit from Thailand and Eddy Matthieu from France. During the summer he had a fight in Japan against Peter Smit. Smit was a newcomer and a WKA European champion. Kaman became a father with the birth of his son Gaby just before the fight. Rob lost his world title. Kaman came back again. He fought against the Japanese fighter Yoshinori Nishi in Japan and won by 1st round knock out. The promoters in the Netherlands matched him a super fight with the new upcoming fighter Ernesto Hoost. This fight was in Amsterdam in a sold out Jaap Edenhal in 1990. Before the fight Hoost was the favorite but Kaman managed to knock him out in the 5th round. The fight "Ernesto Hoost vs. Rob Kaman 2" was the second time that Kaman won. Most fans and experts consider the second fight between mister perfect and mister low kick one of the best kickbox fights ever. On 29 June 1991, Kaman fought against Luc Verheye in France for the world WKA title. Luc Verheye had beaten Peter Smit and was the new world champion. Kaman beat Luc Verheye and took the title back. Kaman fought in France against fighters such as Rick Roufus, Mark Russell, Justin Ward, and Zito Polyo. One of Kaman's best fights was against Marek Piotrowski, whom he beat by K.O. in the 7th round. On 25 January 1992, Kaman challenged his first professional MMA bout in RINGS against Nobuaki Kakuda. He won by TKO with a knee shot to grounded opponent in 3rd round. On 20 June, Rob fought "the fight of the fights" against Jean-Yves Thériault. Rob won the fight by TKO and became the new ISKA world champion. He was at the same time world champion in WKA kickboxing and world champion in Muay Thai. On 26 November 1993 Rob fought against another great Dutch champion Rick V.D. Vathorst. Kaman knocked him out in the 2nd round. After that he fought again in France, this time in Marseille, again against a newcomer from the Netherlands, Orlando Breinburg. He won by TKO in the 3rd round. In 1995 he participated in the K-2 tournament in Paris, France. His first fight was against Lavelle Robinson and he won by KO. In his second fight, he fought the Australian Tosca Petridis and was the winner again. In the finals, after two fights that night, he went against Jerome Turcan from France. Rob was full of injuries from his previous fights. During round four, he was bleeding heavily but knocked Turcan out with two high kicks at the end of the round. After all his world titles, he also won the K-2 tournament in Paris, France. After only a few fights in the later years, because of too many injuries and a new movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme (Legionnaire), Rob decided to end his career, back where it all started, in the Netherlands. On 2 September 1999 Rob married film writer artist Carlotta Torchia, and five weeks after, on 24 October 1999, he fought for the last time, against Alexey Ignashov, a 21-year-old amateur world champion in kickboxing. Rob won the fight by points, but after the fight he said that his opponent was the real winner and gave his trophy to Ignashov. Kaman later trained UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera on kickboxing for MMA. He also trained MMA fighter Jason Miller.

Acting career

Towards the end of his sports career, Kaman tried his hand at acting, playing in three movies with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Legionnaire, Maximum Risk and Double Team with Dennis Rodman and Mickey Rourke. In 1993, Nikko Toshogu Press produced 8 videotapes on Muay Thai training with him and one videotape with highlights and knock outs of his career.

Prison sentence

In 1985, Kaman was sentenced to 18 months in prison for robbing a bank in Eindhoven on 28 May of the same year. Police arrested Kaman and a 22-year-old accomplice in Best, only 29 minutes after the robbery. The two carried out the robbery armed and masked and looted 9000 Dutch guilders.

Death

Kaman died on 31 March 2024, at the age of 63 from a blood clot.

Titles

Fight record

! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins K-2 France Grand Prix '95. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Retains I.S.K.A. Oriental Rules Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Fight was for Roufus's I.S.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins vacant I.S.K.A. Oriental Rules Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins Thériault's I.S.K.A. Full Contact Super Middleweight World title and retains W.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins W.K.A. Full Contact Super Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |For Roufus's I.S.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. Initially a Roufus decision win, the bout was later declared a no-contest after protest as only 1 minute had been fought in the 4th Round while Kaman had his opponent hurt. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins Verheye's W.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Loses W.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins Matthieu's I.S.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Loses I.M.T.F. Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins I.M.T.F. Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins Wessel's W.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Loses W.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Retains W.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins W.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |For the vacant W.M.T.A World Super Middleweight title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Retains W.K.A. Full Contact Middleweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins P.K.A. Full Contact Middleweight European title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Retains W.K.A. Full Contact Middleweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins Moncayo's W.K.A. Full Contact Middleweight World title. ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Retains Dutch title.

Professional boxing record

Mixed martial arts record