Paul Varelans

Paul Varelans (September 17, 1969 – January 16, 2021) was an American professional mixed martial artist. He competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1995 to 1996, and had a worked match in Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1996.

Paul Varelans
Born(1969-09-17)September 17, 1969
Sunnyvale, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 2021(2021-01-16) (aged 51)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Other namesThe Polar Bear
Height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight300 lb (140 kg; 21 st)
StyleTrapfighting, Boxing, Wrestling, Judo, Taekwondo
Fighting out ofFairbanks, Alaska
Years active1995–1998
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins9
By knockout6
By submission2
By decision1
Losses9
By knockout7
By submission1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Varelans attended West Valley High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, and San Jose State University, where he played football and participated in the boxing club until 1991.[1]

Career

Varelans made his UFC debut on July 14, 1995, at Ultimate Fighting Championship 6: Clash of the Titans, winning by KO over Cal Worsham.

On June 22, 1996, at ECW's Hardcore Heaven event, Paul Varelans faced and was choked out by ECW star Taz, in what was promoted as a "shoot fight". Although the event was promoted as a legitimate shoot fight, Varelans agreed beforehand to lose via submission.[2] In her 2001 autobiography Missy Hyatt, First Lady of Wrestling, Missy Hyatt claims that Varelans agreed to lose if she performed fellatio on him afterwards, but Hyatt refused saying that she did not "blow jobbers".[3] Subsequently, Varelans allegedly became irrational and destroyed the locker room.[4] He preceded this with two house show matches, defeating Jason Helton.

On July 29, 1997, he went to Japan for a one night appearance for Kingdom and lost a worked fight to Yoji Anjo by knockout.

Personal life and death

In December 2020, news surfaced that Varelans contracted COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia (U.S. state), was placed on mechanical ventilation and then into an induced coma.[5] He died in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 16, 2021, aged 51.[6][7]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
18 matches 9 wins 9 losses
By knockout 6 7
By submission 2 1
By decision 1 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 9–9 Dick Vrij KO (punch) Rings Holland: The King of Rings February 8, 1998 2 0:30 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Loss 8–9 Nick Nutter TKO (cut) World Vale Tudo Championship 5 February 3, 1998 1 3:42 Recife, Brazil WVC 5 semi-finals.
Win 8–8 Waldir dos Anjos TKO (submission to punches) 1 2:36 WVC 5 quarter-finals.
Loss 7–8 Carlos Barreto TKO (elbows and punches) Brazil Open '97 June 15, 1997 1 2:33 Brazil
Win 7–7 Scott Taylor Submission (forearm choke) Extreme Challenge 6 May 10, 1997 1 0:42 Battle Creek, Michigan, United States
Loss 6–7 Ryushi Yanagisawa Decision (lost points) Pancrase: Alive 4 April 27, 1997 1 15:00 Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
Loss 6–6 Mark Kerr TKO (knees and punches) World Vale Tudo Championship 3 January 19, 1997 1 2:06 São Paulo, Brazil WVC 3 quarter-finals.
Loss 6–5 Kimo Leopoldo TKO (corner stoppage) Ultimate Ultimate 1996 December 7, 1996 1 9:08 Birmingham, Alabama, United States Ultimate Ultimate 96 quarter-finals.
Win 6–4 Shinji Katase TKO (submission to punches) U-Japan November 17, 1996 1 0:35 Japan
Loss 5–4 Igor Vovchanchyn KO (punches) IFC 1: Kombat in Kyiv March 30, 1996 1 6:20 Kyiv, Ukraine IFC 1 semi-finals.
Win 5–3 Valery Nikkolin TKO (corner stoppage) 1 5:12 IFC 1 quarter-finals.
Win 4–3 Joe Moreira Decision (unanimous) UFC 8 February 16, 1996 1 10:00 San Juan, Puerto Rico UFC 8 quarter-finals.
Loss 3–3 Dan Severn Submission (arm-triangle choke) Ultimate Ultimate 1995 December 16, 1995 1 1:01 Denver, Colorado, United States Ultimate Ultimate 1995 quarter-finals.
Loss 3–2 Marco Ruas TKO (leg kicks and punches) UFC 7 September 8, 1995 1 13:17 Buffalo, New York, United States UFC 7 final.
Win 3–1 Mark Hall Submission (americana) 1 1:04 UFC 7 semi-finals.
Win 2–1 Gerry Harris TKO (submission to elbows) 1 1:07 UFC 7 quarter-finals.
Loss 1–1 Tank Abbott TKO (punches) UFC 6 July 14, 1995 1 1:53 Casper, Wyoming, United States UFC 6 semi-finals.
Win 1–0 Cal Worsham KO (elbow) 1 1:02 UFC 6 quarter-finals.

See also

References
  1. "Paul Varelans Fight News - MMA Fighting". www.mmafighting.com.
  2. Williams, Scott E. (2006). Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized story of ECW. Champaign, IL: Sports Pub. pp. x, 246. ISBN 978-1-59670-225-7. ISBN 978-1-59670-225-7 (soft cover), ISBN 1-59670-021-1 (hardcover)
  3. "Owow". Archived from the original on August 31, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  4. "Paul "The Polar Bear" Varelans - Page 3 - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums". www.sherdog.net. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  5. Pettry, Jay (December 18, 2020). "UFC Pioneer Paul Varelans Placed on Ventilator Due to COVID-19". sherdog.com.
  6. DNA, MMA (January 17, 2021). "UFC pionier Paul "The Polar Bear" Varelans (51) overleden". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  7. Doyle, Dave (January 16, 2021). "UFC pioneer, early fan favorite Paul Varelans dies after battle with COVID-19". MMA Junkie. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
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