Don Nakaya Nielsen
Donald Eugene “Nakaya” Nielsen (July 4, 1959 – August 15, 2017) was an American kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and chiropractor.
| Don Nakaya Nielsen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Donald Eugene Nielsen 4 July 1959 Los Angeles, United States |
| Died |
15 August 2017 (aged 58) Bangkok, Thailand Heart attack resulting from surgical complications |
| Other names | Thunder |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Division |
Super heavyweight Heavyweight Light heavyweight Cruiserweight |
| Style |
Kickboxing Muay Thai Tang soo do |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Trainer |
Benny Urquidez Master Toddy Mike Stone |
| Rank | Black belt in Tang soo do |
| Occupation | Kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, chiropractor |
Early life
Nielsen was born in Los Angeles on July 4, 1959 to Howard and Beth Nielsen.[1] He began his formal martial arts training at age 10, studying tang soo do under a cousin who operated a dojo owned by Chuck Norris.[2] Competition in karate followed.[3] He attended Whittier College on an athletic scholarship, playing football and majoring in pre-medicine.[4]
Career
Kickboxing
After winning a Golden Gloves title in amateur boxing, Nielsen moved on to professional kickboxing. He excelled in this field, winning three major championships with the WKA and UKF.[1] His willingness to compete internationally led him to fight and train in Japan, where he embraced his Japanese heritage and adopted his mother’s family name en route to becoming one of the country’s most popular sports stars. With Japanese fans accepting him as one of their countrymen, he represented Japan in international bouts and was one of the nation’s only heavyweight kickboxers during his fighting career.[2]
Pro wrestling
Nielsen’s popularity allowed an easy expansion to professional wrestling, which he participated in alongside his kickboxing career. A participant of the shoot wrestling style, Nielsen’s matches were designed to look as realistic as possible with Nielsen wearing boxing gloves to emphasize his kickboxing background. His list of opponents from 1986 to 1993 includes ring legends Keiichi Yamada, Akira Maeda, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara. He wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Mixed martial arts
Nielsen’s most famous sporting endeavor was a one-time event in the budding field of mixed martial arts. On October 4, 1992, he met Ken Shamrock in a mixed rules bout - the first time in Japan that a wrestler had fought a kickboxer in televised no-holds-barred competition. Nielsen was quickly submitted by Shamrock, who took advantage of his opponent’s lack of grappling experience. The match elevated Japanese interest in MMA competition and helped lead to the formation of Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling.[5]
Acting
Nielsen made his acting debut in the 1984 film Fear City, playing an uncredited role as a boxer. He upgraded to larger roles in the 1990s, playing villains in the Dale Cook vehicles Blood Ring, Fist of Steel, and Blood Ring 2.
Chiropractic
Nielsen earned a chiropractic doctorate from Cleveland University-Kansas City in 1986. He began treating patients immediately after graduation, and the practice became his primary profession in 1993. He had previously traveled to Thailand to train at Muay Thai gyms, and upon realizing that chiropractic wasn't widely practiced in the country, he began participating in monthly charity tours in 1990 - offering chiropractic treatment to far-flung and impoverished villages. Nielsen sought to establish chiropractic as a legitimate business in Thailand and consequently opened Dr. Don’s Center for Natural Health in March 1993.[4]
His enterprise brought him into conflict with Thai authorities, at one point being arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license and running a hospital without a permit.[4][6] Though allowed to continue his business, he was required to do so under physical therapy and nursing licenses until 2007, when chiropractic became a legal profession in Thailand. Nielsen subsequently was appointed to the Subcommittee of Chiropractic by the Ministry of Public Health, on which he served from 2005 to 2009. He was also the founder and first president of the Chiropractic Association of Thailand and the founder of the Bio Energy Asia clinic in Bangkok.[4]
Death
On August 14, 2017, Nielsen underwent surgery in Bangkok to treat an infection on his legs that had caused sepsis and renal failure. During the procedure, he suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma. More heart attacks followed, and Nielsen died on August 15. He was 58 years old.[7]
Nielsen’s death was observed in Thailand and the United States. In Bangkok, funeral and cremation rites were performed at the Wat That Thong temple from August 22 to August 24. On September 16, a wake was held at the Rolling Hills Method Church in Los Angeles.[1]
Personal life
Nielsen was married to his wife Cheryl, and the couple had three sons: Corey, Casey, and Colby. He also had three brothers: Scott, Greg, and Jon.[1]
Nielsen was trilingual, being fluent in English, Japanese, and Thai.
Fighting style
An aggressive fighter characterized by his powerful striking ability, Nielsen synthesized his boxing and martial arts skills into a formidable offensive technique. He engaged his kickboxing opponents head-on, frequently forcing them into a corner or against the ropes and pummeling them with front kicks and punches. Nielsen was capable of a more intricate approach as well, utilizing lunging attacks with precision striking reminiscent of karate point fighting. He was a knockout-focused fighter, with 22 of his 37 wins in late 1992 being the result of KO.[2]
Nielsen's primary weakness was his defense, which remained largely untested in early bouts and was exploited by world champion-level opponents. K-1 Grand Prix '94 runner-up Masaaki Satake was able to control his matches against Nielsen with counter strikes, and 9-time world champion Rob Kaman knocked him down repeatedly during their bout with his trademark low kicks.
Championships
Universal Kickboxing Federation
- UKF International Heavyweight Champion
Kickboxing record (incomplete)
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Method | Round | Time | Location | Record |
| September 4, 1993 | Loss |  |
K-1 Sanctuary III | TKO (Right Hook) | 1 | 2:30 | | |
| Fight was for vacant UKF World Heavyweight title. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 1993 | Win | |
EVOLUTION Step 3 | KO | 2 | 2:37 | ||
| November 14, 1992 | Win |  |
AJKF in Las Vegas | TKO (Punch) | 1 | 0:26 |  |
|
| Wins vacant WKA International Heavyweight Championship. | ||||||||
| June 30, 1990 | Loss | |
AJKF Inspiring Wars - Heat | KO (Right Hook) | 1 | 2:07 | |
29-7 |
| Nielsen's corner protested the outcome, claiming he lost due to an illegal headbutt. | ||||||||
| September 5, 1989 | Loss |  |
AJKF Super Bout | KO (Right Hook) | 3 | |
28-6 | |
| May 14, 1989 | Loss | |
AJKF Knockout of the Century - Part 3 | KO | 6 | |
||
| Fight was for vacant WKA World Super Heavyweight title. | ||||||||
| January 29, 1989 | Win |  |
The First Clash of the Century | KO | 1 | 0:19 | ||
| 1987 | Win | |
WKA Kickboxing | TKO (Referee Stoppage/Straight Left) | 2 | 0:53 | |
|
| 1983 | Loss | |
Decision | 7 | 2:00 | |
||
Mixed martial arts record
Mixed rules
| 0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 Draws | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Method | Round | Time | Location | |
| October 4, 1992 | Loss | |
PWFG Stack of Arms | Submission (Americana) | 1 | 0:44 | | |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Fear City | Kid Rio | Uncredited |
| 1991 | Bloodring | Don Carlio | |
| 1992 | Fist of Steel | Wires | Also known as Eternal Fist |
| 1995 | Bloodring 2 | Caruko | |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Don Nakaya Nielsen". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
- 1 2 3 "Don Nakaya Nielson". Business Review. 22: 23. 1993.
- ↑ "Don Nakaya Nielsen Dies! (Japanese)". Citizen Journal. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
- 1 2 3 4 "Tribute to Our Founder". Bio Energy Asia. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
- ↑ Shamrock, Ken (2012). Beyond the Lion's Den: The Life, The Fights, The Techniques. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9780804846592.
- ↑ "Chiropractic Licensed in Thailand". ChiroWeb.com. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ↑ "[Old news] Don Nakaya Nielsen, who fought Akira Maeda, died (Japanese)". eFight. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2018-06-20.