Legendary Kickboxer Robin van Roosmalen Retires

It’s always a sad sight to see an early retirement in combat sports. However, some things are just not meant to be. This was the case for the legendary kickboxer Robin van Roosmalen who made a name for himself in the Japanese promotion, Glory. Here he became the champion in two separate weight classes and solidified his reputation as one of the best dutch kickboxers in history.

A true martial artist, Roosmalen also went on to fight in MMA where he joined FFC and retired with a 2-0 record. In his late 20s, he’d even signed with Bellator but sadly never fought in the promotion due to the injuries that caused his early retirement.

These injuries were retained in a car crash back in 2021 which left Roosmalen in a critical condition. Unfortunately, this accident also killed his sister Melissa.

As a result, Roosmalen never fully recovered from the injuries he picked up from the crash and last week announced his retirement on Instagram. Here, Roosmalen said, “As you all know I’ve been working hard, mentally and physically, to recover from the tragic car accident I’ve been involved in 1,5 years ago. During the last couple of weeks I’ve come to conclusion that I will not be able to go back to the level I was before the accident.”

For fans of kickboxing, this will be met with sadness but it’s also understandable considering what his mind and body went through. He retires from kickboxing with an impressive 51-18 record and was known for his hard, powerful kicks.