Stan Longinidis was born on June 25th, 1965 to Suzy and Steve Longinidis. He has a sister, Lana, and also a brother 10 years younger, George.

As a youngster growing up in Melbourne's western suburbs, Stan excelled in soccer and represented his home state of Victoria in under-age teams and played for Brunswick Juventus. He also played basketball, cricket and Australian Rules football. It wasn't until seeing a friend, who practiced the martial arts, fend off a group of attackers outside a nightclub that Stan gained an interest in the fighting arts.

In the early 1980's, Stan trained in the style of Bushido Kai with close friend George Konstas who would become his very first trainer. After discovering he had some natural talent and flexibility as far as his fighting went, Stan was persuaded to try his hand at kickboxing, which was then in its early stages in Australia and was then largely unknown although it enjoyed a good local following by fight fans. Stan's road to kickboxing fame started in 1982 at Fame Nightclub, his first opponent was George Dimitropoulos, a bout won on a 3 round decision. In Stan's words "I felt I would have some fun and give the sport a go, but I never expected to stay with it long term. My goal back then was to be Victorian amateur champ". He went one better in 1984 when he won the Australian title. Soon he had gained a large following around Melbourne and was being talked about. As he continued his amateur career, he held down a good job as a computer programmer and expected his future to lie there.

In 1987 in Perth Australia, after 30 amateur bouts, Stan turned pro against the very experienced Mexican Santiago Garza, a man who had already shared the ring with world champions such as Rob Kaman. Interestingly the bout was set at super light heavyweight, and Stan had to shed 12kg to make the weight, the only non heavyweight bout he has ever fought. After 12 exciting rounds, the fight was judged a draw, though with a knockdown to his credit Stan appeared to have the edge and everyone agreed was hard done by in the decision. What Stan didn't know was at the time there were scouts from the famous and then world renowned US kickboxing stable, the Jet Centre, at ringside who were extremely impressed by the young Stan's talent and considered the Australian would be marketable back home and a potential world star in a sport screaming for some. They offered Stan the chance to go to the US to live and train at the Jet Centre while they guided him to a world title. It was Stan's most important decision, which came on the heels of him being offered a comfortable promotion at his computer job. Would he take a gamble and dedicate his life to a sport, which while growing, still had a meager profile? Or play it safe and go back to his normal existence? While on lunch break one day, Stan flipped through an American martial arts magazine which mentioned his potential and asked "Could Stan be Australia's first World Champion?" Stan handed in his two weeks notice to his boss and packed his bags! He was going to take the talent he was blessed with and gamble and dedicate his life to becoming a star and world champion in his new profession. It was a road that had previously never been taken by many in kickboxing, none in Australia, the sacrifice of giving up your normal life to take a chance at making it big in the sport, to separate yourself from family and friends and adjust to the training and lifestyle of another world. It was a sacrifice for Stan who paved the way for future generations and made the world fully aware of Australian kickboxing.

Stan didn't let his American backers down as he tore through the ranks. From late 87 onwards, Stan scored 17 straight wins in the US, winning the US, North American and Intercontinental titles and becoming the most talked about young heavyweight in the world. People with twice his experience and gallant world title bids against their name were blown out in quick fashion. Stan made his intentions clear, he was gunning for American icon and world champ Dennis Alexio, the man to beat! The exchanges between the two as they taunted each other in the press came to a head when Stan scaled the ropes following the North American title victory and yelled at Alexio as he sat ringside "I want you!".

Stan honed his skills by training with the best. His regular sparring partners in the early days included former World Heavyweight boxing Champions Mike Weaver, Tony Tucker and Michael Dokes. His training partners also included fomer IBF Super Middleweight champ Michael Nunn and junior welterweight Hector Lopez. Stan struck up a close friendship with Weaver, who invited Stan to spend time with his family and be part of the team when one of the Weaver boxers fought.

With word of his success spreading back home, Australian kickboxing hit the big time as a then record Aussie crowd of 8000 saw him return to Australia to KO American Charlie Archie in a bout that saw media interest in Stan explode as he appeared on talk shows and mainstream newspapers nationwide. Stan was putting a public face on the sport of kickboxing. Its profile was lifting as mainstream fans were attracted and became aware of it. Stan and his sport gained publicity in the following years with many appearances on popular early morning and late night talk shows and unprecedented newspaper and sports magazine coverage.

Over the next couple of years Stan would capture a Full Contact world title (first Australian world title win, April 1990) and fight in the US, Mexico and Australia.
1991 saw the famous Maurice Smith vs. Stan Longinidis epic in Sydney, Australia. In a bid for Maurice's prestigious WKA World Heavyweight Title, the veteran and the new star traded blows for 12 unforgettable rounds in an instant classic that saw Smith win on a split decision. In Stan's word "Maurice was a guy I idolized and that was fight that I never dwelled in depression on. It brought me to new horizons and did so much for me. We were both elevated from that fight and it took us both to another level". Critics have hailed it as the greatest heavyweight title fight in the sports history.

Stan came back by claiming the WKA World Super Heavyweight title in a then record of 15 seconds with a first round blitz of Melvin Cole as negotiation to fight Alexio were on and off, on and off. A great 12 round title defense in Melbourne against Branko Cikatic, which drew a new record of 8500 further paved the way, and with Stan being regarded by many observers as the best heavyweight in the world, the pressure was on promoters to match him with Alexio in the superfight. And after a grudge match and title defense with Aussie Grant Barker, it appeared the fight was a go after years of negotiation. With the big fight around the corner, Stan ventured to Tokyo where he was already popular, the Japanese featured him in comic strips and the like. He tuned up against fellow Aussie Adam Watt on this occasion, won on a first round TKO, and then underwent a grueling training regime to prepare for kickboxing's superfight between two heated rivals that had the kickboxing world debating with excitement and anticipation. Australian media made the fight a leading sports story, and the press conference saw the two exchanging heated comments! Kickboxing was now in the mainstream, with the whole country waiting with anticipation as the most largely hyped and long awaited clash was about to go down. A sell out of 10,000 fans at Melbourne's Sports and Entertainment Centre on December 6th 1992, as well as a further 3000+ watching the show live on closed circuit at Melbourne's Metro nightclub, were on hand as Australian kickboxing's single biggest night climaxed with a shock result of a quick, record setting KO with Stan breaking Alexio's leg with a shin kick in the opening moments of the first round. Stan's primary goal and motivating force during his early years was complete, he had taken down the man and a new icon had taken his place in history.

  

Above: Stan delivers the fight ending kick, the "kick heard round the world" and celebrates with Alexio down and out!