Steven Lopez Demo

[@AdolescentWings]

My instructor is 21, and he wrestled for 4 years and received the athlete of the year award at his high school. He's going for the 2008 Olympics. He can kick ass in more ways than just TKD sparring...because he's practiced TKD since he was 3.

[@TzenglishMuffin]

steven lopez is killer. i just wonder how much longer he is going to compete before retiring. he is right now in my opinion on the top. going for his third straight gold medal in the olympics.

[@29622]

And they are one of the few countries in both Olympics to send 4 players and recieve 4 medals, 3 Gold and 1 Silver in 2000 and 2 Gold and 2 Bronze in 2004.

[@29622]

I believe Je Kyoung Kim holds the title as best competitor. 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist and 8 time World Champion. And he's undefeated with 300+ wins to losses.

[@nfinkelstein71]

Steven is THE BEST...he did not win 2 Olympics and 4 Worlds because he isn't! His family is a dynasty! I can honestly say it was a honor for my to kids to be trained by them this past weekend. BTW, they are fighting in March. Mark and Diana are 6 min. from making the US Olympic Team. They are also fighting Feb 8-10 in New Orleans at the US Taekwondo Open.

[@bkmeahan]

the song is called boom by p.o.d.

[@bigtaekwondist]

steven lopez 4 ever.... the best taekwondist of the world

[@bigtaekwondist]

steven lopez 4ever..... the best taekwondist of the world

[@29622]

Great, I am glad you like Lopez. I do too. But to brag about your accomplishments does not help your point. I am currently a 3rd dan and I have been taking TKd for about 12 years, and I am 17. I haven't won nationals, but I have achieved my share of gold medals.

[@letbonist]

I love how the title reads "The best taekwondo PLAYER in the world". I didn't know you played Tae Kwon Do.

[@29622]

There are people who have won many more titles as him. To use my instructor as an example who has a much more impressive resume: 1992 Olympic Gold, 8 Time World Champion, 2000 Korean Olympic Head Coach, Sang Moo Elite Korean Military TKD Team Captain, and he is undefeated. Yet he is THE most modest person I have ever met.

[@jmh1189]

i met Steven lopez at the junior olympics fer Tae Kwon Do in Florida.

[@AznSupaStar14]

Damn, me too dude. That'd be one badass fight

[@jawk321]

I agree with Jbonerz. He is a little too cocky lol, but he is a two time Olympic Gold Medalist. He does have the ability to ko someone who throws a punch, guaranteed. World class athlete my friends.

[@cody93rox]

oh my god FINALLY thank you

[@h2q]

song: P.O.D. - Boom

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Re-read my post. Sparring is just practice. I stand by what I said... Name a championship title holder in any organization that allows all martial art styles, and see if any uses TKD as their base art.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

I'm not speaking for anyone either, merely giving my opinion. Yet you had to bring the hysterics into it.

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Whoever says that there is "no such thing as a good martial art but there's such thing as a good fighter" has the whole concept backwards. Helio Gracie said "It's not my sons who are great. It is the art." Meaning, even a smaller, less physically gifted person can overcome in battle due to the martial art. If an Instructor is promoting only gifted people regardless of martial art or technique, go to a different school unless you are a superior athlete compared to everyone you meet.

[@29622]

Yeah, the real winners are the ones who kick total *** but can still remain polite and curteous in the ring. Moon Dae Sung, on the other hand was not only a great competitor but a great sportsman as well. It was really heartwarming to run to his fallen opponent after he won the match.

[@peeeuh]

If The Electronic Chest gear is really happening, and you need to make powerful kicks to scored points, then the rules have been changed? the olympic sparring rules i've been taught say that just kick contact counts as a point. but punches do not. what about punches? would the electro count a punch as a point? i'm really just wondering. yeah im a TKD student.

[@29622]

Now, Lopez is certainly a good and talented competitor. But there are people out there who are better, as there are for everybody.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

OMG, you sure showed me!

[@EricTyce]

saei hadi 2000 sydney olympic champion 66Kg 2004 athens olympic champion 66kg 2008 beijing olympic champion 80kg the best in taekwando's history

[@clock02]

Steven lopez sure is strong, my tkd idol.

[@29622]

Indeed, my 3 favorite TKD teams are Iran, Korea, and Taiwan. =)

[@29622]

And P.S., the number one competitor in the world (my instructor) is Korean. And his credentials far surpasses Lopez's.

[@kanuzumbi]

what name the music???

[@29622]

And buddy, my instructor is Je Kyoung Kim. I was wrong about the World Championships thing, but actually since his international career began he went undefeated. Here's a site that lists most of his achievments: www.lacancha.com/jgkim2.html

[@attie3]

I HAVE TO MEET THIS GUY

[@chrisnahm]

hey was there no 7-point difference rule in athens? cuz if u see the lopez vs. iraq part of this video, the score is 10-1 to lopez

[@29622]

For an edit above I mean 300+ wins to 0 losses.

[@febianorendain7219]

what's the song called?

[@zcarenow]

one really big advantage he has is his height. it gives him a longer reach. there are many taekwon do fighters just as good and quick, but much shorter than steven.

[@SharkTKD]

what is the name of the song?

[@megan00b]

jawk321 I'm with you !

[@jhanna3108]

T LOVE YOY SVEN LOPEZZZZZZZZ

[@fatcontroller8878]

Hi hope you can answer this who wins and why on Koryo vs Koryo Man or Girl,As every Black Belt or assistant instructor or Instructor should be able to answer this or do none follow the tenent of honesty,or will it take it going world wide to get answers then all will be asked why they did not answer?

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Yes. TKD is a sport but so is MMA and the UFC. The difference is that TKD is just one part of MMA. Olympic TKD is like watching the Three Point Shootout, while UFC is like watching a real game. Just to keep your analogy going because they are not two completely different things, like you tried to imply. TKD is just a fraction of what martial arts embodies, while MIXED Martial Arts attempts to combine all elements to make a complete combatant.

[@garryyL]

lol.. i've worked out with him acouple times.. lol.. i used to go to elite.. but i couldnt to taekwondo anymore. but i might go back sometime.... wow.. was i lucky.. lol, did u go to the juniors in atlanta?

[@jawk321]

I didn't know they were going to use electronic chest protectors. Seems kind of cheap to me. If you are able to displace your opponent even if it is a pushing kick I still think that should count as a point. On the other hand, I think it will benefit distinguishing between slicing round house kicks and round house kicks that actually land solid on the target. It will be interesting to see how that technology plays out in 2008.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

And if it was just about the art, Royce would still be dominating in the UFC, and no fighter would bother with physical training of any kind.

[@amjkwfhenjkvan]

why is everyone hating???????????

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"Who are YOU to say that they haven't learned the basics?!" Who are you to say they have? "Manny Pacquiao Boxing's #1 P4P fighter said that MMA is harder due to the more diverse skillset. Who are YOU to disagree?!" Who are you to agree with a guy who's only #1 because he beat down a past-his-prime boxer who was barely even there? Twenty bucks says if he said boxing was harder, you wouldn't have even brought it up.

[@zcarenow]

is he gonna go into MMA after the olympics?

[@taekwondo96]

Hadi Saei Rocks!!!!!!

[@seung89]

holy shit i just saw some comments on dissing TKD. First of all none of the people that are leaving commets here dissing SL arn't even half as good him. And all the peole that say oh "i use to do TKD, but i switch to a better style" i have nothing to say to them win half the shit this guy has won and then diss him....

[@PubliusAfricanus]

It depends. We've never seen Lopez do anything other than Olympic-style TKD--which means he could really be a deadly sob who's just "dumbing" down his style for the benefit of the judges.

[@thatoneguyagain]

the video was pretty good. the song was a good choice. the editing was good so that it matched the song but the pictures here and there were kind of a disappointment because it removed the excitement from the video. more videos of steven mabey would have been better. well thats my opinion. great job!

[@southbest05]

lol what day is the taekwondo on in the olympics?

[@29622]

Good. Now go up against the people in the S-1 Samsung team and the elite Tiger Military team in South Korea. When you beat them then you have room to gloat. Oh, Shin Joon Sik (I believe that is his name), was able to tie Lopez in the 2000 Olympics WITH an ailment, and was able to beat him in a World Championship (forget which one). Now, if Shin Joon Sik was not ill and was able to fight to his fullest, I would bet that he would have beaten Lopez in the 2004 Olympics too.

[@DonMack279]

That stuff looks like a game of tag with feet

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

"Who are you to say they have" I'm not speaking for anyone. YOU WERE THE ONE who accused them of not desiring to learn the basic, and I used to A. Rogerio Nogueira's success in boxing as an example that they DO aspire to learn the basics. But they do not fight that way when more skill are added to the equation, because it would limit them if they only chose to box in an orthodox manner.

[@hessflaw]

what channel ?

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"Your generalization about MMA is misleading (about it becoming an amateur boxing league), its like saying the only exciting boxers are the sluggers... we both know thats not true." What? Most recent UFC, and general MMA, fights have featured many guys standing up and duking it out instead of going to the ground. That's not an opinion or preference, merely an observation.

[@amphixious]

his brother (john) sat behind me in my spanish class

[@PubliusAfricanus]

I'd like to point out that Charlotte Craig, a 17 year old, is better at TKD than all the Lopezes combined.

[@jlk2100]

helluva fighter, no doubt

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"Boxing is limited to the point were it doesnt work" No one uses their fists anymore!

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

im explaining they have more a more diverse skillset. Who are YOU to say that they haven't learned the basics?! Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won Boxing Gold at the Brazil and South America Games and Bronze at the Pan Ams. He does not BOX the way he truly FIGHTS in MMA. Manny Pacquiao Boxing's #1 P4P fighter said that MMA is harder due to the more diverse skillset. Who are YOU to disagree?! Source: URCC Interview, youtube will not let me post the link, but I can PM anyone who wants to read it.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"By the way, defending a wrestler's takedown from a traditional boxer's stance is as easy as shifting your front leg back?" You shift your leg back to go into a square stance. I said nothing about defending the takedown.

[@EricTyce]

hadi saei rocks

[@jawk321]

Lopez will win Gold in 2008. Watch it happen.

[@catha86]

steven lopez won the semi finale by kicking spains ass. it was not a score but the judges gave him the score. but he won the finale against iran fair. it was a tough fight.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"Boxers can't can't defend a takedown. TKD has no clinch. Kickboxers have no ground game. I can go on." I don't recall saying any of this, so what an odd response. "To say that a fighter in the UFC is not striving to be a more complete fighter is the REAL joke." If they can't throw a simple punch, then no, they are not even close to being a complete fighter, nor do they desire to be if they won't even learn the basics.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

You mean the best fighters in MMA.

[@29622]

Really? He is my instructor too. What's your name?

[@Sthriven]

steven lopez - best and cheapest tkd fighter in the world

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"re you saying Manny Pacquiao is only #1 P4P because he beat DLH... and NOT because he cleared his divisions as the titleholder in four consecutive weightclasses?" Yes. Before the DLH fight hardly anyone believed he was #1 anything, and certainly everyone believed he'd get his clock cleaned. Now that he's one everyone's falling on their knees and pretending like they knew it all along.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"but a guy has gotta be ready for a tackle.." Not if he's fighting Liddell, W. Silva, Jackson, etc. etc. MMA is fast becoming an amateur boxing league.

[@HaykAmirbekyanTKD]

i dont know... you never know... steven lopez may actually know how to fight, its not like hese gonna use 100 percent tkd in a fight. so u cant say.

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Are you saying that martial arts were not developed for combat? "Olympic" TKD is sport. The ART of TKD is a combat system. Just like Judo. Judo was developed for sport... but its base is a combat art. Don't revert to name-calling when you are the one who is incorrect.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

won.

[@KJEWLE]

do you see steven lopez get hit in the face by the ref @ 2:14

[@southbest05]

lol u know what i want 2 see i want 2 see moon dae sung vs steven lopez

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"Its proven on sports science that 205 Rampage Jackson punches at 1800lbs and a heavyweight boxing champion punches at 993 lbs" Let me get this straight: It's been proven that some guys can hit harder than other guys? Oh, my god. Why didn't anyone tell me!?

[@AdolescentWings]

And it does matter if your instructor sucks. If my grandmaster wasn't teaching here in America, he'd be part of the WTF. A good instructor should pass on what he/she knows, whether it's skill or experience. If your instructor never won anything, I doubt he had any skill or experience...so then tell me, what would he pass onto you? Would you learn anything?...NO! Don't boast just because you won a couple junior olympics. I know plenty of people who have won more than just two of them.

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Chuck Liddell kills me by the way. Not only is he a bad boxer from a boxer's perspective, but anyone can clearly see he stalks with his chin out and fists cocked back for an overhand right. ugh. i agree with every negative statement about him, but the same does not apply to all fighters in MMA. (he has since been exposed). Reminds me of when HBO was hyping Prince Naseem because of his flashy KOs against tailormade opponents... until Barrera embarrassed that kid into retirement.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"and boxing use a clinch as a rest there is no rest when your in clinch in MMA" All the leaning up against the fence must be real exhausting. The lying on the floor and not moving for five minutes, too. How do they do it!?

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"Now you are being hypocritical." I have a good feeling that you don't know what this means.

[@29622]

Nobody is hating. I am simply irrated by Romeo's arrogance. What really made me angry is when he was like "Why aren't you any good?"

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Your ignorance of MMA astounds me. Classic footwork and striking techniques must be adjusted to defend takedowns. So what you are seeing isn't "bad boxing", its boxing tailored towards threat of wrestling/grappling. Boxers are told never to square up, but how else would one defend double- and single-leg takedowns? If they maintained a "hands always up" approach, how would they acheive underhooks on a shoot? Your level of competency in fight allowing a more diverse skillsets is apparent.

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

regardless, they aspire to learn the basics and A. Rogerio is an example Boxing writers and experts and Ring had Manny as #1 P4P since early June... even before beating David Diaz for his fourth division title. Your generalization about MMA is misleading (about it becoming an amateur boxing league), its like saying the only exciting boxers are the sluggers... we both know thats not true.

[@29622]

I mean the 2000 Olympics =P

[@shuriken86]

MMA is mostly just bralwing, and wrestling, not exactly MA, but still they can beat up these olympic guys, however if you wanna watch tru martial arts in the UFC, i suggest watching Cung Le. but still these olympic guys make a better living off of being an olympian than the UFC brawlers, and im sure they can fight pretty good also.

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Africanus, check your message box! Comments are open again! hahaha Im sure youre ready to burn me! Recap: Fighters care about paydays and peanuts, but all the same... Floyd was in talks with Mark Cuban to join MMA through HD Net FIghts. AND i know you didnt talk about defending the takedown, but i'm saying the "sloppy footwork" is a result of the wrestling factor. Im sure a TKD agrees with you because you cant throw a cut kick squared up... but a guy has gotta be ready for a tackle..

[@CueyTKD]

Boom by P.O.D.

[@Fliparo]

asi sere yo acuerden el nombre de cristian araujo

[@nikolastynan]

you can believe what you want to...who's to say he doesnt know how to sprawl? This isn't a BJJ meet, but for all we know he could cross train, and if you honestly think you could get past the barrage of kicks from him, then i guess youd deserve to take hime down, but good luck getting past his strikes

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

"a guy who's only #1 because he beat down a past-his-prime boxer" Are you saying Manny Pacquiao is only #1 P4P because he beat DLH... and NOT because he cleared his divisions as the titleholder in four consecutive weightclasses? Not only are you blind to MMA, but your views on boxing are starting to make me wonder why we are even in this healthy debate. (Manny was #1 before the DLH fight.)

[@JoeNelo]

kim je gyoung isn't an 8 time world champion. get your facts straight b4 you post. check wtf.org. Kim je gyoung was an amazing fighter. having only lost once. he was definately the best heavyweight out of korea. But the record for most work championships won is not held by him. It is held by a now professor at the Korea sports University. Name to be posted later. the female i believe is Jang Jae Eun. I am not taking anything away from Kim Je Gyung, but he does not hold that record.

[@liberalclownshow]

peter is peruvian and not related to him; he just trains w/them. same last name only by coincidence.

[@AdolescentWings]

I'm going to have to agree with 29622 on most of this. And RomeoTKD, learn some proper grammar...I'm sure your instructor emphasizes on working hard in school as well as Taekwondo.

[@nikolastynan]

P.O.D.---Boom!

[@PubliusAfricanus]

Millionaires are not going to fight in the UFC for peanuts. That's now cowardice, just good sense. A handful of random comments does not prove a thing. If it did we could have settled this shortly after Mayweather dissed MMA. Oddly enough, though, that #1 P4P's words didn't mean a damn thing to you.

[@PubliusAfricanus]

"Boxers are told never to square up, but how else would one defend double- and single-leg takedowns?" It takes maybe a millisecond to shift your front leg back. Don't act like a square stance is brain surgery now.

[@AdolescentWings]

Lol...alright, we'll see. He took gold in forms and sparring as a finweight in the 2007 Taekwondo U.S. Open.

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

Google "Mayweather backs off UFC" Even former #1 P4P boxer back-peddled when offered a chance to represent boxing in a fight. Boxing analysts and promoters are the only respectable voices left not giving MMA its credit. Boxing greats like Roy Jones, Sugar Ray Leonard, and George Foreman have all shown their love/respect for MMA. RJJ was upset the match between him and Anderson didnt pan out, while admitting he would be lost even with wrestling experience, if they met in MMA.

[@29622]

He. Is. Not. The. Greatest. Fighter. Of. All. Time. Period. Seriously look him up, Master Je Kyoung Kim: 1992 Olympic Gold Medal, 8 Time World Champion, 2000 South Korea Olympic Coach, and a former Sang Moo Military Team captain. He is also considered among the top 5 TKD competitors of all tiem and is in the TKD Hall of Fame.

[@TrapsetJiuJitsu]

GET THINGS STRAIGHT PLEASE. Your analogy is misleading. UFC combat = basketball. One aspect of combat (TKD, striking, Muay Thai, etc.) does not make a complete combatant. Steve Kerr won the NBA Three Point Shootout title, but is NOT a better complete player than Michael Jordan. Steven Lopez may have better leg strikes than Georges St Pierre, but St Pierre is a better complete fighter.