Croatian "Tiger" and martial arts legend
In the 1990s in Japan, a thirty-eight-year-old Dalmatian had pride, will and courage, and most of all, experience.
Branko Cikatić is a legend of martial arts. The winner of many European and world medals in Thai boxing and kick boxing was born in Split. He started his sports career in the Solin Karate Club, and soon started working in the "Hajduk" Karate Club from Split, where he also held the position of secretary for a time. As an eighteen-year-old, Cikatić already had a black belt in taekwondo and karate and a blue belt in judo.
But the eighties were his years. In amateur kick-boxing, he was the world champion in 1981, and he won the European title as an amateur as many as five times. Performing as a professional, he was world champion in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1992, and European champion in 1986. However, his greatest success is certainly the victory at the first K-1 "grand prix" tournament in Japan.
- In Japan, Thailand and Korea, they haven't heard of Croatia, but that's why most people know about Ivanišević, Kukoč and me. Branko would say.
Namely, in 1993, Croatia was still a small, newly recognized country. That is exactly why it was a great honor and motivation for Branko to fight under the Croatian flag.
He was already thirty-eight years old then. Nevertheless, the 189-centimeter-tall and one-hundred-kilogram Dalmatian had pride, will and courage, and most of all, experience.
Already in the first match, Branko was targeted by Thailand's Kiatsongrit. But in a duel of strength against speed, the Croatian "Tiger" defeated the legend of Thai boxing. He also knocked out the Japanese Sateke, while his biggest challenge was the Dutch legend - Ernest Hoost.
Croatia celebrated at the moment when Branko's cross landed right on the Dutchman's ear. Due to his age, he surprised the world of martial arts with his victory. No one older than him has ever won a K-1 Grand Prix.
Branko thus went down in history as one of only four fighters who won the tournament without being Dutch. Of course, with our Mirko Filipović.
A few years later, in addition to sports, Cikatić also tried his hand at acting, and thus, together with Anne Nicole Smith and other famous actors, he played in the movie "Skyscraper" in which he played one of the criminals.
The fact that in 1989, the German magazine Karate Budo Magazine awarded him the "Golden Glove" award, declaring him the most popular athlete in martial arts, speaks of his sports fame.
In addition to his sporting successes, Branko also stood up for his homeland, so he did a lot for the establishment of the Croatian-Japanese Society, which promotes business and cultural contacts between the two countries. The then president Franjo Tuđman awarded him the Order of the Croatian Trefoil for his dedicated work on promoting Croatia in the world.
