“Kickboxer: Retaliation” Hollywood action star and international Martial Arts icon, “The Muscles from Brussels”, Jean-Claude Van Damme, appears as a very special guest of honor at the highly-anticipated 2019 Scotland Comic Con on October 12 at the esteemed Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The legendary Van Damme, an acclaimed 2nd Dans Black belt in Shōtōkan-ryū, officially registered an impressive and revered professional Kickboxing record of 19 fights, 18 wins (all via Knockout) and one loss. Sixteen out of eighteen of Van Damme’s professional Kickboxing victories came in round one; Van Damme triumphantly defeated Frenchman Georges Verlugels via KO in the second round at the PKA Championship in 1980 and additionally defeated Belgian compatriot Lenny Leikman via KKO in the third round at the 1st Journée des Arts Martiaux in Brussels, Belgium in 1980. Van Damme’s six year Martial Arts career, which spanned from 1976 to 1982, witnessed the Belgian compete in a plethora of marquee Martial Arts events, including the honorific WAKO World Championships; Van Damme was trained by Claude Goetz and Dominique Valera and is a practitioner of Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo and Karate.
Van Damme’s only loss on his decorated resume throughout his legendary professional Kickboxing career came at the hands of Etienne Aubry after the relentlessly no-nonsense, hard-hitting Belgian was unceremoniously disqualified in the first round of their intensely fought and epic full contact encounter.
Throughout Van Damme’s prolific semi/light contact Amateur Kickboxing record, the accomplished and skilled Belgian registered an impressive 48 fights and 44 wins; three wins of Van Damme’s 48 Amateur Kickboxing matches came within the opening round. Van Damme’s light contact loss against Patrick Teugels witnessed both athletes compete in Karate gi uniforms without no pads or gloves.
The renowned Belgian’s well-documented Hollywood film career has officially witnessed the international Martial Arts icon and action hero star in “The Expendables 2” alongside Sylvester Stallone, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and Jason Statham, “Kickboxer: Retaliation” co-starring Alain Moussi, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and Mike Tyson, “Universal Solider: The Return” with Michael Jai White and Bill Goldberg, coupled alongside Hollywood cult classic favorites: “Kickboxer”, “Blood Sport”, “Lionheart”, “Universal Solider” and “Street Fighter”.
Van Damme’s Hollywood movies have collectively grossed a lifetime $610.7 million at the box office with “Kung Fu Panda 2”, “The Expendables 2”, “Timecop”, “Street Fighter” and “Hard Target” presently leading as the Belgian’s highest-grossing films worldwide; “Kung Fu Panda 2” grossed $665.7 million globally.
Tickets for Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Special Guest Appearance at the 2019 Scotland Comic Con are Available Here: https://www.comicconventionscotland.co.uk/jean-claude-van-damme
Dean Perretta is a 2x SEA Award-winning creative, Broadcast Journalist, Reporter, Courtside Analyst for BBC televised London Lions and Executive Producer who currently contributes to FOX Sports Radio, FourFourTwo Magazine and Muscle & Fitness Magazine.