The Thomas & Mack Center on the...

The Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada,

Las Vegas, served as the setting Friday for the Ultimate Fighting

Championships 43: Meltdown, which included a showdown between a pair

of Huntington Beach fighters.

Legendary heavyweight David “Tank” Abbott battled submission

specialist Kimo Leopoldi in one of the night’s featured fights.

Known simply as Kimo in the fighting world, the 35-year-old won

the match at 1:59 of the first round, using a front choke on Tank. He

took Tank, 38, to the ground and was in full guard when he applied

the choke from which Tank couldn’t escape.

The fight had been hyped as the winner getting “ownership of the

streets of Huntington Beach.”

The loss was the second consecutive for Tank since he returned to

the octagon.

On July 14, 1995, Tank entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship

with a bang. In his first match, the street fighter from Surf City

rocked the Ultimate Fighting Championship with an impressive knockout

of John Matua, which left everyone talking about him.

For the next four years Tank delivered some of the most brutal

knockouts ever seen and, along with his wild party lifestyle, he

became the most popular fighter in the Ultimate Fighting

Championship.

In 1999, Tank left the fold to join the World Championship

Wrestling, but his thirst for “real” fighting has lead him back to

the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

On Feb. 28, 2003, Tank returned to the octagon, where he lost to

Frank Mir. The return of Tank brought about a resurrection in the

public’s interest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.