Kristof Midoux

Kristof Midoux was born in Nice, France. Initially trained in Kyoushin Karate, he became interested in competing in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He moved to St-Joseph-de-Sorel, Quebec, Canada, and opened a martial arts gym in Montreal. Because MMA was illegal in his native country, Midoux--nicknamed "The French Hurricane"--represented Canada in international competitions, while attaining Russian sponsors. Weighing two-hundred and forty pounds, Midoux competed as a heavyweight. In Canada, where MMA was also banned, Midoux competed on sovereign Indian reservations. His first three professional bouts happened in International Fighting Championship (IFC),where he defeated Mike Morris, Anthony Durante, and lost to Travis Fulton. Midoux's first loss by submission came against Jeremy Horn in TKO Major League MMA. During an event in Morocco, he also lost by submission to Fabricio Werdum. Midoux fought in the American promotion HOOKnSHOOT and lost to Antoine Jaoude. His losing streak ended when he beat Tom Howard in Japan's K-1, and won again when he returned to the United States and defeat Mike Malone in Rumble on the Rock. In another K-1 bout, he was submitted by Sylvester 'Bear' Terkay. Midoux fought at open weight at K-1 HERO'S 2005 in South Korea. Jun Soo Lim defeated him early in the first round. In 2006, Kristof Midoux was set to debut in UFC at the same event as his protege Georges St-Pierre. He was scheduled against Tom Murphy at UFC 58: USA vs. Canada (2006), but was injured and could not participate. His promotional debut came at UFC: Fight Night 6 (2006), where he lost to Jake O'Brien in the second round. In two different bouts in Russia, Midoux was defeated by Roman Zentsov. In his next fight in Canada he was defeated by Brad Morris. In 2007, Midoux entered the X-Impact World Cup tournament held in South Korea. He submitted Andrei Chagin in the opening round of the tournament, and then lost a decision to Blaga Agaev in the quarterfinal. Midoux retired from competition and continued operating his gym. As an instructor, Midoux's most notable student is Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre sought out Midoux after noticing him compete at Kahnawake, a Mohawk reservation. About Midoux's influence, St-Pierre wrote: "Kristof Midoux is the single most important figure in my becoming a mixed martial artist, and the only reason why I understood so many years ago that I could become a champion."