He began to make an international name for himself fighting on the K-1 circuit in 2005. He lost as many bouts as he won initially, but in 2007, he won the first ever K-1 Heavyweight Championship. He seemed to hit his stride after that. To date, he has won 102 of his 114 professional matches, 88 of them by knockout. He has had numerous run-ins with the law over the years, and is currently under investigation in relation to an assault charge.