The website insidethegames.biz is reporting the death of David Rudman, regarded by some as the greatest sambo practitioner in history, at the age of 78. Born in the former Soviet Union, Rudman took up what was created to be the USSR's national grappling and self defense form at the age of 15. He would go on to win the Soviet championships 6 times as well as taking gold in the 68 kg class at the first ever Sambo World Championships in 1973.

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Rudman was also among the first generation of Soviet judo competitors who, making almost exclusive use of their sambo training, would leave their mark on the international judo scene in the 1960s. Winning the 1969 European Judo Championships in the 70 kg class, Rudman went on to capture the bronze medal at the World Judo Championships that same year.

Perhaps his biggest impact on martial arts, though, came through founding the Sambo-70 sports academy, widely considered the world's premier sambo school, in Moscow. A Russian Jew, Rudman moved to Brooklyn, N.Y. following the collapse of the Soviet Union. There, he continued to promote sambo as president of the American Amateur Sambo Federation.