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Gerrit Van Schalkwyk (born November 23, 1974) is a Dutch mixed martial artist and currently fighting in the UFC as a heavyweight. Van Schalkwyk is well known from his submission skills and he is sometimes called the "Master of Kneebar" as half of his 8 wins are via kneebar.

Background
Van Schalkwyk began training Traditional Jiu Jitsu when he was 15 years old. When he was 21 he competed at the World Jiu Jitsu Championships where he finished fifth in the Heavyweight category. After that he has competed around the world in many Jiu Jitsu competitions but he hasn't succeeded any better in the recent years.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Van Schalkwyk began training MMA after meeting Bas Rutten at the Vos Gym in 1995. Rutten was one of the biggest stars in the business at the time and he really inspired Van Schalkwyk. Rutten told the UFC about Van Schalkwyk and they made a five fight deal.

As a Heavyweight
Van Schalkwyk's start at the UFC at the UFC 22 and it was a rather promising one even thought he was defeated by Tank Abbott who completely nullified Van Schalkwyk's jiu jitsu by not getting taken down but Van Schalkwyk showed that his standing skills weren't too bad compared to many of the starting fighters who come from a grappling background. The fight was considered as one of the best fights to the date There was much talk about this fight in the public as Van Schalkwyk was seen as a great prospect as people thought that he was a protege of Bas Rutten.

Van Schalkwyk made his return to the octagon by losing a fight to Katsuhija Fuji at the UFC 26. Fuji was also successful to keep the fight standing just like Abbott and he secured a rather easy looking win as he punished Van Schalkwyk with his striking. Van Schalkwyk managed to take Fuji time twice but both times the take down wasn't useful as Fuji managed to get up from the ground almost as soon as he was taken down.

After a lot of negotiation Van Schalkwyk was confirmed to take on Semmy Schilt at the UFC 30. Schilt was completely surprised by Van Schalkwyk's flying kneebar at the second half of the first round. This fight got a lot of reputation for Van Schalkwyk as he finally got to show his great jiu jitsu skills. Schilt was one of the top heavyweights and this was supposed to be just another stepping stone for him as he made his way towards the title. This fight was a candidate to be the biggest upset of 1997 but it was later defeated by Kevin Jackson's win over Mark Schultz.

His next fight at the UFC 34 was against Royce Alger who came to the fight in a 3 fight winning streak. Alger was totally surprised when Van Schalkwyk managed to knock him down at the first round. In the second round Alger was knocked down once again and this time Van Schalkwyk managed to use the situation and he submitted Alger with a kneebar from guard. This was another big win for Van Schalkwyk as Alger was a well known wrestler and was defeated in his own game.

At UFC 38 Van Schalkwyk returned to the octagon and he defeated Kimo Leopoldo in a boring grappling match. He managed to finish the match with a standing guillotine at the second minute of the fourth round. This was a huge setback for Kimo who was supposed to face the UFC Heavyweight champion Rickson Gracie. Van Schalkwyk got another big victory for himself and he was driving his path towards the championship.

Van Schalkwyk's streak ended at UFC 42 where Jerome Cooper defeated him easily at the beginning of the second round. This was a big upset for many as Cooper was coming to the fight with a two fight losing streak. This loss was enough for Van Schalkwyk and he decided to move to the newly established Light-heavyweight division.

New dawn as a Light-Heavyweight
Van Schalkwyk didn't keep a break and he faced the #6 Light-Heavyweight at the time Mark Schultz. He surprised many as he took the win with a surprising rolling kneebar after getting his ass handed for himself in the first round. Many considered this as the Upset of the Year 1998. This boosted Van Schalkwyk's morale and reputation as a good fighter.

He continued his streak and submitted Kevin Jackson with a kneebar at the UFC 50. Jackson was one of the top Light-Heavyweights in the UFC at the time and this win lifted Van Schalkwyk's to the top ten in the Light-Heavyweight rankings and he was supposed to face the current UFC Light-Heavyweight champion Dan Henderson but Henderson demanded a fight against the #4 Light-Heavyweight Jason Delucia so Van Schalkwyk had a replacing fight against Joe Moreira.

Van Schalkwyk easily cut trough Moreira and submitted him with a flying guillotine choke at UFC 54. This pushed Van Schalkwyk to be the #3 Light-Heavyweight fighter at the time and he was also awarded the submission of the night award for the impressive choke he did.

Van Schalkwyk was defeated at the UFC 58 when Franco Fernández pulled of one of the biggest surprises of the year. He knocked Van Schalkwyk out clean after a minute to the first round. He surprised Van Schalkwyk with a knee when Van Schalkwyk shot in for a take down. This was the biggest setback in the Van Schalkwyk's career thus far as he was so close to a title shot.

At UFC 62 we saw Van Schalkwyk in the best shape that he says that he's ever been in. He defeated Don Starr with an arm triangle from the side mount. Van Schalkwyk was credited with the submission of the night for the second time in his career and for the first time after his debut he showed us that he can actually out strike his opponents.

UFC 65 was a good night for Van Schalkwyk as he defeated one of the top 10 fighters in the UFC Light-Heavyweight at the time, Bobby Patinkin. He defeated Patinkin with a guillotine choke after being taken down at the second half of the second round. This win also awarded him his first title fight during his career. He was to face Dan Henderson for the UFC Light-Heavyweight title at the UFC 69.

Van Schalkwyk was dominated by Henderson who literally wiped the floor with Van Schalkwyk's face. Henderson took the win for himself after taking Van Schalkwyk down and smashing his face in. There is still no report when Van Schalkwyk will return to the octagon but he promised to come back as soon as possible.

Personal Life
Van Schalkwyk is married to his long-time girlfriend Rebecca. Rebecca is pregnant at the time and according to Van Schalkwyk the kid is going to be a boy. Van Schalkwyk comes from a poor family and he is known for driving his old Ford Fiesta -82 even though he has made enough money to drive more expensive ones.

Van Schalkwyk also informed that he might start his own gym in the upcoming years to USA.

Championships and awards

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Fight of the Night (1 Time)
 * Submission of the Night (2 Times)