Ron Tripp



Ron Tripp (born April 1953) Battle Creek, Michigan, is a World sambo (martial art) and Judo champion and the current general secretary of USA Judo. He is also a member of the board of directors of the United States Olympic Committee.

His name is well-known in the MMA world, especially among jujutsu and submission grappling enthusiasts, as he is the only person to hold an official victory in competition over veteran Brazilian fighter Rickson Gracie. Tripp was promoted to 10th degree in Sambo in 1995 and became America's first Distinguished Masters of Sport in 1996. He was promoted to 6th dan by USA Judo in November 2006.

A native of Lake Orion, Michigan, and graduate of Hillsdale College and Palmer College of Chiropractic, the 6 foot, 205 pound Tripp excelled in both the sports of Judo and Sambo. Trained by Pat Burris, 2 time Judo Olympian and Olympic Judo Coach, Tripp's fight career in judo lasted from 1982 to 1995. He is also a Doctor of Chiropractic. Tripp trained in Japan for six years, and during that time trained under Sensei Takagi at NichiDai University, home of MMA star Makoto Takimoto and 2 Time All Japan Judo Champion Jun Konno. In 2006 he founded C3Fights, a professional MMA company, and still personally trains C3Fighters at the USA Stars Training Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Career highlights

 * 1970-1994: Competed in over 2,000 Judo, Sambo, and Wrestling matches.
 * 1982-1994: Reportedly compiled a tournament record of 900 wins and 4 defeats.
 * 1990: Submitted by Rigan Machado in 39 seconds, Pan Am finals
 * 1993: Defeated Rickson Gracie by Uchimata in 47 seconds.
 * 1994: At 41, defeated 24 year old Andrew Bourdeau to win the World Heavyweight Championship of Sambo in Montreal, Canada.

The Rickson Gracie fight
In 1993 at the U.S. Sambo Championships in Norman, Oklahoma, undefeated Rickson Gracie, of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu family was matched with multiple Judo and Sambo champion Ron Tripp. The 6 foot, 205 pound Tripp threw the 5 foot 10 inch, 185 pound Gracie to the canvas by "Uchi mata" in 47 seconds and Gracie's shoulders touched the floor, thus giving Tripp "absolute" victory under U.S. Sambo rules. Rickson disputed this loss, claiming he was misinformed of the rules of the event.

Awards and titles

 * World Sambo Champion
 * 7-time World Medalist
 * Distinguished Master of Sports
 * Olympic Festival Judo Champion Open Division
 * 8-time Olympic Festival Medal winner
 * 12-time Judo and Sambo National Champion and Pan American Champion
 * President of USA Judo 2000-2008
 * Member of U.S. Olympic Committee
 * Co-Founder C3Fights
 * President of the Oklahoma Board of Chiropractic Examiners (1997–)
 * District Director, Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (2006–)
 * Vice-Chairman of the Board of International Oil and Gas Holdings