Branko Cikatić

Branko Cikatić Passes Away at Age 65 Legendary Croatian heavyweight kickboxer Branko Cikatić has passed away at the age of 65. Cikatić also had a short stint as a mixed martial artist with legendary mixed martial arts promotion "Pride." Many different combat sports publications documented the somber news. The vast coverage of the unfortunate passing shows how loved Cikatić was within the combat sports community. It's reported that Branko died due to Parkinson’s disease. The Parkinson's was diagnosed after Cikatić had a pulmonary embolism. While in the hospital, he got an infection causing sepsis back in 2018. Nearly two years later, Cikatić passed away. https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/1242049802172588032 Cikatić and his Accomplishments Cikatić accomplished a lot in his nearly two-decade career. Part of those accomplishments includes winning the inaugural K-1 World Grand Prix Championship in 1993. Here is a list of the rest of his standout accomplishments: Professional Career: 1998 World Champion WMTA (Zagreb) 1995 K-1 Grand Prix 3rd Place (Tokyo) 1993 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion (Tokyo) 1991 World Champion in Thai boxing 86 kg (Berlin) 1990 IKBF World Champion in kick-boxing 86 kg 1989 WKA in kick-boxing 86 kg 1987 World champion in Thai boxing 82.5 kg (Amsterdam) 1986 European champion in Thai boxing (Paris) 1985 European champion in Thai boxing (Amsterdam) Amateur Career: 1983 European Championships in Caen Gold (Full-Contact) 1982 European Championships in Berlin Gold (Full-Contact) 1981 W.A.K.O. European Championships in Dublin Gold -79 kg (Full-Contact) 1981 W.K.K.A. World Championships in Miami Gold 79 kg (Full-Contact) 1980 W.A.K.O. European Championships in London Gold -79 kg (Full-Contact) 1979 W.A.K.O. European Championships in Milan Gold -79 kg (Full-Contact) Remembering the Legacy Cikatić will always be remembered as one of the best professional athletes to ever come out of Croatia. His legacy in the mixed martial arts community isn't as strong due to having a 2 fight career. However, when thinking of combat sports in its entirety, the story of kickboxing and K-1 simply can not be written without mentioning him. May the family of Cikatić have the ability to grieve and heal during this troubled time.