MMA-legende Joop Kasteel: Wereldkampioen in de kooi en zijn strijd tegen Kanker

Joop Kasteel is a legend in martial arts, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The Amersfoort giant, nicknamed "The Black Pearl," dominated international free fighting—as MMA was known in the 1990s and 2000s—for years. Joop became the MMA world champion, and before entering combat sports, he had a background in Amersfoort's nightlife, bodybuilding, and arm wrestling—in the latter of which he also became the world champion. Despite his martial arts career, Joop's biggest fight wasn't in the cage. He fought the fight of his life at the AMC (Amsterdam Medical Center) in 2015: Joop was diagnosed with MDS, an acute form of leukemia. Joop decided to take on the fight and gave it his all to fight cancer. It was a tough battle, but after three years of treatment, Joop was declared cured. At his former gym, Fight and Power Academy (FPA), where he taught for years and co-owned, he answered Aernout Kolijn's questions and shared his life story. Joop wrote a book about his work, "Leeuwenhart" (Lionheart). This interview was made possible by: Fight and Power Academy (FPA) Robin Joshua (camera work) Maarten van Heugten Bahrom Safi (design)