- Height6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
- Erik Paulson grew up in Minnesota and began his training in Judo in 1974. He started training competition Tae Kwon Do in 1976. To get his hands better he joined Golden Gloves Boxing in 1978 and competed all throughout his junior and senior high years while still competing in many karate tournaments and full-contact kickboxing matches.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Victor Phan
- Erik Paulson is a native of Minnesota, United States, where he was born in 1966. His interest in martial arts began with Judo in 1974, then after two years changed to Taekwondo, a striking-based system. The experience of being in a fight lead him to believe that striking was the more effective way to fight. Paulson moved to California in the 1980s and started attending the martial arts academy of instructor Dan Inosanto Dan Inosanto. Inosanto taught him the arts of Muay Thai, Wing Chug, Silat and Jeet Kune Do. In 1986, Paulson became aware of the Gracie family of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters, and became a student at their academy. Paulson said he took two years of private lessons and a year of group classes. He learned grappling from the stand-up position from Royce Gracie Royce Gracie and Rorion Gracie Rorion Gracie. Rickson Gracie Rickson Gracie and Rigan Machado Rigan Machado taught Paulson how to grapple from a prone position on the ground. At Dan Inosanto's academy, Paulson was introduced to Yorinaga Nakamura, a shoot-fighter who demonstrated Shooto-based catch-wrestling and submission holds. Paulson began training in Shootfighting, and became interested in working for Satoru Satayama Satoru Sayama and his Shooto promotion in Japan. Nakamura and Paulson contacted the promotion and later received an invitation for Paulson to compete. Paulson made his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut in 1993in Shooto, where later became its first American champion. Paulson resigned undefeated as Shooto's champion. After leaving competition, Paulson became an instructor who created the fight style named Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW), founded the CSW Association and established the Coach Development Program (CDP).- IMDb Mini Biography By: invictorious
- Created his own form of martial art known as CSW (Combat Submission Wrestling) and trains some of the best fighters in the world.
- The only American to win the Shooto Wrestling World Championships, and remained undefeated until 2000 when he voluntarily retired the two belts he had won.
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