Two martial artists from Vancouver Island have been inducted into the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame (CBBHoF).
Fighting legend Stan Peterec and founder of Canada’s Best Karate, Bob Mueller, will be inducted into the hall of fame at a ceremony in Vancouver in October.
Peterec, 67, is a martial arts legend and two-time kickboxing world champion. He’s fought professionally for more than 50 years, trained countless fighters, has never been knocked out, and recently received a Guinness World Record for being the first martial artist to fight professionally across six decades.
Last year, CHEK News covered his difficult journey to earn that record as he prepared to fight and cut through red tape in summer 2025.
It was a fight he’d end up winning against opponent Leigh Mueller, who was about two decades his junior.
Meanwhile, Bob Mueller studied karate starting in the 1970s in Parksville, before going on to co-found Canada’s Best Karate in 1980. He’s now a premier sports artist.
The pair will join 10 other inductees at an awards gala on Oct. 10. To be inducted into the hall of fame, nominees must have contributed to martial arts in Canada in significant ways, such as teaching world class students, winning several national or international titles or championships, published articles, books or developed websites focusing on martial arts in Canada, and more.
“They must also have the true spirit of a martial artist and be of good character that represents a strong role model to those who are coming after,” reads the CBBHoF website.
For Peterec, it won’t be the first hall of fame he’s joined. In 2014 he was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, by which point he’d already fought in more than 1,000 competitive martial arts bouts.
He’s also won multiple “outstanding male competitor” awards, trained athletes, and consulted with groups like Israeli Special Forces, Spetznaz Russian Special Forces, Allied Special Forces, and the LAPD SWAT team.
– With files from CHEK’s Jordan Cunningham
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