Name	UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	27 February 2011
Venue	Acer Arena
City	Sydney, Australia
Attendance	18,186
Gate	$3,500,000
Buyrate	260,000
Previousevent	UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort
Followingevent	UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann }}

''UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in North America. This was the second UFC event held in Sydney, following the sold-out UFC 110 in 2010.

Background[link]

Tickets for UFC Fight Club members went on sale on 14 December 2010. UFC 127 sold out moments after going on public sale on 16 December 2010, selling faster than tickets for UFC 110, and making it the fastest-selling event, along with UFC 115, in UFC history.

ESPN UK aired the Ross Pearson vs. Spencer Fisher fight, which was confirmed by Jon Anik on MMA Live. Ion Television aired the Pearson/Fisher, Te-Huna/Gustafsson and Ring/Fukuda preliminary bouts, while the Perosh/Blackledge and Zhang/Rheinhardt preliminary bouts were streamed on the UFC's official Facebook page.

On 9 February, it was announced that a knee injury had forced Carlos Condit out of his bout with Chris Lytle. Condit was replaced by promotional newcomer Brian Ebersole.

Results[link]

Preliminary card[link]

Lightweight bout: Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton :Warburton defeated Jewtuszko via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Heavyweight bout: Mark Hunt vs. Chris Tuchscherer :Hunt defeated Tuchscherer via KO (punch) at 1:41 of round 2. This fight aired on the PPV broadcast following the Penn vs. Fitch fight.

Preliminary card (Facebook)[link]

Featherweight bout: Zhang Tiequan vs. Jason Reinhardt : Zhang defeated Reinhardt via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:48 of round 1. This fight aired on the PPV broadcast following the Ebersole vs. Lytle fight. Light Heavyweight bout: Anthony Perosh vs. Tom Blackledge : Perosh defeated Blackledge via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:45 of round 1.

Preliminary card (televised)[link]

Middleweight bout: Nick Ring vs. Riki Fukuda : Ring defeated Fukuda via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Light Heavyweight bout: James Te-Huna vs. Alexander Gustafsson : Gustafsson defeated Te-Huna via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:27 of round 1. This fight aired on the PPV broadcast in the review of the event.

Lightweight bout: Ross Pearson vs. Spencer Fisher : Pearson defeated Fisher via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28).

Main card[link]

Middleweight bout: Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi :Noke defeated Camozzi via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:35 of round 1. Welterweight bout: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole :Ebersole defeated Lytle via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28). Lightweight bout: George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver :Siver defeated Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–28, 30–27). Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera :Bisping defeated Rivera via TKO (punches) at 1:54 of round 2. Welterweight bout: B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch : Penn and Fitch fought to a majority draw (28–29, 28–28, 28–28).

Bonus awards[link]

Fighters were awarded $75,000 bonuses.

Fight of the Night: Brian Ebersole vs. Chris Lytle Knockout of the Night: Mark Hunt Submission of the Night: Kyle Noke

Entrance music[link]

! Fighter	! Artist	! Title	! Album
Anthony Perosh	Mötley Crüe	"Kickstart My Heart"	Dr. Feelgood
BJ Penn	Israel Kamakawiwo'ole	"Hawaii '78" into "E Ala E"	E Ala E
Brian Ebersole	Tom Petty	"I Won't Back Down"	Full Moon Fever
Chris Camozzi	Mobb Deep	"Shook Ones, Pt. II"	The Infamous
Chris Lytle	P.O.D.	"Lights Out"	Testify
Chris Tuchscherer	AC/DC	"Highway to Hell"	Highway to Hell
Curt Warburton	Chase & Status	"Let You Go"	No More Idols
Dennis Siver	Papa Roach	"Last Resort"	Infest
George Sotiropoulos	AC/DC	"T.N.T"	TNT
Jason Reinhardt	Sick Puppies	"You're Going Down"	Tri-Polar
Jon Fitch	Johnny Cash	"Rusty Cage"	Unchained
	Kanye West (feat. Dwele)	"Power"	My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kyle Noke	Men At Work	"Down Under"	Business as Usual
Maciej Jewtuszko	Sobota	"Z buta wjeżdżam"	Sobotaz
Mark Hunt	???	???	???
Michael Bisping		"Song 2"	Blur
Ross Pearson	Steve Angello & Laidback Luke (feat. Robin S)	"Show Me Love"	Show Me Love
Spencer Fisher	Johnny Cash	"God's Gonna Cut You Down"	American V: A Hundred Highways
	???	???	???
Tom Blackledge		"Fuckin' In The Bushes"	Standing On The Shoulder of Giants

References[link]

Category:2011 in mixed martial arts Category:Sport in Sydney Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship events Category:2011 in Australian sport

fr:UFC 127 it:UFC 127 ja:UFC 127 pt:UFC 127 sv:UFC 127

Name	Dana White
Birth date	July 28, 1969
Birth place	Manchester, CT, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in
Style	Boxercise
residence	Las Vegas, Nevada
Known for	Managing The Ultimate Fighting Championship
Occupation	President
Spouse	Anne
Children	3
net worth	US$150 million (2010)
Nationality	American }}

Dana White (born July 28, 1967) is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.

Biography [link]

Born in Manchester, Connecticut on July 28, 1969, White grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ware, Massachusetts and Levant, Maine. White is a passionate Boston Red Sox fan. During his youth, he bounced back and forth between Boston and Maine. He attended the University of Massachusetts Boston but did not finish; however, while there he did launch a boxing program for inner-city youth.

White has a background as an aerobics instructor. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He conducted aerobics classes at three gyms in the Las Vegas area and began managing MMA fighters Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

While working as a manager, White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White contacted childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, an executive at Station Casinos, and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Within a month, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank bought the UFC, with White installed as its president. White currently owns about 9% of Zuffa, LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.

White failed to comment on a potential network broadcast deal at the UFC 136 press conference. The next day it was confirmed that the UFC and Fox broadcast networks had made a multiple year deal.

Controversy [link]

Loretta Hunt[link]

On April 1, 2009, White was videotaped in a verbal tirade against Loretta Hunt, a sportswriter for Sherdog, in response to an article she wrote. In the video posted on his YouTube account, White used derogatory language in an obscenity-laced rant. The video was pulled from his official UFC YouTube page but has been widely republished across the internet and come under fire, including by GLAAD for his use of anti-gay slurs. White would later apologize for his slurs. He specifically did not include Hunt in the apology. Hunt responded by saying "I stand by the story. It's accurate."

Miguel Torres[link]

In December of 2011, White cut fighter Miguel Torres from the UFC after Torres tweeted "If a rape van was called a surprise van, more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises." In an interview with Sports Illustrated confirming Torres' firing over the controversial remarks, White claimed "Now there's no explanation for that. There's absolutely nothing I could say to make any sense of that. And the fact that he even thinks that's funny or that's a joke, it disturbs me. It bothers me." The firing of Torres immediately sparked controversy after it was revealed that White did not similarly punish two fighters of greater marquee value – Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, both of whom have fought in the main event of multiple Pay-Per-View cards and the latter slated to fight in the main event of a fight card scheduled to air on the FOX network on January 28, 2012 – for making similarly offensive remarks: Griffin commenting that "Rape is the new missionary" and Evans invoking the recent child abuse scandal involving Penn State University while promoting a fight. Torres has since re-signed with the UFC after having a talk with Dana.

Charity [link]

In December 2010 White donated $50,000 to the Fransisco Espinoza foundation. White donated approximately $8,000 to help pay for the brain tumor treatment of two-year-old British girl, Ruby Owen. The young girl's family had described themselves as being "shocked and over the moon". Ruby Owen's uncle, being a UFC fan had contacted White via email and asked if he could help by donating to the Ruby Owen fund raising website. White and Owen have never officially met. In an act of compassion towards a fan, he gave $300 to one man without hesitation who said that he "just received a speeding ticket while racing across town to meet him". Shortly after being named 2009 Nevada Sportsman of The Year, White added $100,000 from his pocket to the $250,000 total raised for the fund raising marathon sponsored by ESPN Radio 1100 for Las Vegas.

Feud with M-1 Global [link]

After signing negotiations with M-1 Global Russian Heavyweight MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko fell through in 2009, White and the UFC became the subject of debate and criticism from fans and experts alike. On several occasions, White referred to Emelianenko as "a fake, a phony and a farce.

On June 26th, 2010 following Emelianenko's first legitimate defeat of his career to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum, White shared a simple ":)" via Twitter. The same symbol was expressed by White following Emelianenko's 2nd round doctor stoppage loss to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in the opening round of the 2011 Strikeforce GP. White followed this with an insult to Fedor's manager and M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelstein. This began a war of words on the social networking site. M-1 Global’s director of operations, Evgeni Kogan, stood up for Finkelstein and invited White to repeat his words to Finkelstein in person. When fans attempted to reason with White, they were met with similar contempt and insults.

There is controversy over whether Fedor Emelianenko and White have actually met. White has claimed to have met Emelianenko on a "crazy island in the middle of nowhere". In 2011, Emelianenko denied that this encounter ever took place.

Personal life[link]

White and his wife have two sons and a daughter.Dana and his sister were raised by their mom. Biography 2011, Dana White, King of MMA. He is an atheist, and has stated that he is 'fascinated' by religion.

Accomplishments [link]

Nevada Sportsman of the Year (2009)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards

Promoter of the Year (2005–2011/present)

World MMA Awards

*Leading Man of the Year 2011

*Leading Man of the Year 2010

Armed Forces Foundation

Patriot Award

References[link]

External links[link]

UFC homepage

June/July Men's Fitness cover story

Dana White Signs Fox

Category:Living people Category:1969 births Category:Mixed martial arts executives Category:People from Manchester, Connecticut Category:American atheists Category:American skeptics

de:Dana White fr:Dana White it:Dana White ja:ダナ・ホワイト no:Dana White pt:Dana White ru:Уайт, Дэйна

name	B.J. Penn
birth name	Jay Dee Penn
nationality	American
birth date	December 13, 1978
birth place	Kailua, Hawaii, U.S.
death date
other names	The Prodigy
residence	Hilo, Hawaii
height
weight lb	169
weight class	Lightweight (155 lb) Welterweight (170 lb) Middleweight (185 lb) Light Heavyweight (205 lb)
reach in	70
style	Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing
stance	Orthodox
team	BJ Penn's MMA
rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
years active	2001–2011
mma kowin	7
mma subwin	6
mma decwin	3
mma koloss	2
mma decloss	6
mma draw	2
children	2
school	Hilo High School
url	http://www.bjpenn.com/
sherdog	1307
updated	October 11, 2011 }}

Jay Dee "B.J." Penn (born December 13, 1978) is a retired American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Penn was the first non-Brazilian winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the black-belt category. BJ Penn is regarded as one of the most gifted martial arts fighters in the world. He is known for his incredible flexibility and his willingness to fight anyone regardless of their weight class, fighting as high as Light Heavyweight (weighed in at 191 lb) when he competed against Lyoto Machida (who weighed in at 225 lb) in 2005. His jab and his boxing are considered the best in MMA. He is the most decorated Jiu-Jitsu athlete in America.

A former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is only the second fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes, with the first being UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. Penn served as a coach on ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' reality show. As of February 2012, Penn is ranked as the #10 welterweight fighter in the world by Sherdog. Penn holds the distinction of being one of only a very few fighters who have never been submitted and never been knocked down. He is on hiatus after losing to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Early life[link]

Penn was born to Jay Dee Penn, an Irish American and Loraine Shin, a third generation Korean-American. At the age of seventeen, Penn began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after being introduced to it by his neighbor, Tom Callos. Callos had put up fliers in local gyms looking for people to train with, and BJ's father Jay Dee Penn had called Callos and said his boys were interested. Callos then taught BJ and his brother what he knew. Shortly thereafter, BJ moved to San Jose, California to begin training at AKA with Dave Camarillo and Bob Cooke, who he lived with and became close friends with. It was here during his time in San Jose that he decided to pursue a career in martial arts (albeit not mixed martial arts at the time).

Fighting career[link]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[link]

In 1997 Penn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ralph Gracie, eventually earning his purple belt from Gracie. At that point he moved to Nova União where he was eventually awarded his black belt in 2000 by Andre Pederneiras. A few weeks later he became the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While Penn's most well-known and prestigious achievement was placing first in the black belt division in the 2000 world championships, he had success at the Mundials in previous years. In 1999, at the age of 20, Penn finished 3rd in the brown belt division, losing only to Fernando Terere. Penn is thought to have earned the fastest black belt of all active Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

His accomplishments in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship caught the attention of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which convinced him to switch to MMA. Penn made his mixed martial arts debut with the company on May 24, 2001 with a win over Joey Gilbert at ''UFC 31''. He then demonstrated strong striking skills, knocking out lightweights Din Thomas and Caol Uno before suffering a decision loss in a championship fight against UFC Lightweight Champion, Jens Pulver. In 2003, after Pulver left the UFC and relinquished his title, a tournament to crown a new champion flopped when Penn fought Uno to a draw in the finals at ''UFC 41'', a failure which caused the UFC to later suspend its lightweight division. Penn bounced back later in the year with a victory over Takanori Gomi, future Pride Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion, in ''Rumble on the Rock'', an MMA organization promoted by Penn's brother.

Penn received his first MMA championship in 2004 at ''UFC 46''. Penn jumped up in weight classes to challenge the five-time defending UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes to fill a title contention slot in a division where Hughes had already defeated all the available opposition. Heavily favored to win, Hughes lost the fight four minutes into the first round by rear naked choke after giving up his back with only 23 seconds left in the round.

Fighting and Entertainment Group[link]

Shortly after defeating Hughes, Penn signed to fight for the Japanese Fighting and Entertainment Group's (FEG) K-1 promotion citing a lack of challenging fights left for him in the UFC. The UFC promptly stripped him of the welterweight title, claiming Penn breached his contract and that the signing constituted him refusing to defend his title. Penn filed a suit against the UFC and publicized his side of the conflict, claiming his UFC contract had already expired. Penn filed a motion to stop the UFC from awarding a new welterweight title, but that motion was denied.

In his first fight for FEG, Penn fought again at welterweight (170 pounds) and defeated Duane Ludwig at the 2004 ''K-1 MMA Romanex'' show in under five minutes by arm triangle choke. Following the Ludwig fight, Penn moved up in weight class to face the undefeated Rodrigo Gracie at middleweight (185 pounds). Penn won by decision, extending his winning streak to four fights. On March 26, 2005, at the inaugural event of FEG's new MMA promotion Hero's, Penn faced light heavyweight Lyoto Machida, losing by unanimous decision at ''K-1 Hero's 1''. The fight happened at an open weight class with Penn weighing in at and Machida . Later that year at ''K-1 World Grand Prix Hawaii'', Penn returned to middleweight to face Renzo Gracie and won by unanimous decision.

Return to the UFC[link]

In early 2006 at ''UFC 56'', UFC president Dana White announced that Penn and the UFC had agreed to a settlement and Penn was to return as a top welterweight contender. Penn re-debuted on March 4 at ''UFC 58'', losing to Georges St. Pierre by split decision in a fight that determined the number one welterweight contender.

After new top contender St. Pierre injured himself during training, the UFC announced that Penn would replace St. Pierre in an upcoming title fight, setting up a highly anticipated rematch with Hughes for ''UFC 63'' on September 23, 2006. In the bout, Penn controlled the first two rounds, but sustained a rib injury during the scramble to take Hughes' back in round two. He was visibly different in the third round, appearing exhausted and missing punches he was landing earlier. Hughes was able to take Penn to the mat, and in side control crucifix position rained punches on Penn's head until referee "Big" John McCarthy stopped the fight at 3:53 of the third round, making this the first time that Penn had been stopped in a fight. In an interview found on Penn's personal website, Penn stated that by round three he could hardly breathe and had no "mobility in his core." Despite the injury, Penn congratulated Hughes, calling him a great fighter and saying he deserved the victory.

Penn was a coach for ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'', which aired on April 5, 2007. Penn lead a team of eight lightweight fighters, and fought a rematch against Jens Pulver at the conclusion of the series on June 23, 2007. He won with a rear naked choke in the second round after controlling Pulver from the mount and then taking Pulver's back. Although he held the choke for a moment after Pulver tapped out, the two then embraced, with both later saying they no longer held any ill will against each other.

On July 7, 2007, during the post-fight press conference of ''UFC 73'', UFC president Dana White announced that Penn would stay at lightweight to fight current UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. However, Sean Sherk subsequently was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission, and the status of the possible title fight was left in limbo as he pursued his appeals. With Sherk's title status still in limbo after months of hearings, the UFC scheduled Penn to fight Joe Stevenson at ''UFC 80'' on January 19, 2008 for an interim lightweight title. The subsequent final decision by the California State Athletic Commission, which did not overturn Sherk's suspension, led to the title being stripped from Sherk and the Penn-Stevenson fight being upgraded to a full title bout, with the winner facing Sherk in their first defense.

Lightweight Championship[link]

Penn knocked Stevenson down seconds into the first round with a right uppercut, then took Stevenson down, delivering a well placed elbow from the top position that inflicted a serious cut near Stevenson's hairline. In the second round, Stevenson fought more aggressively but was still unable to threaten Penn. Penn worked to back mount and defeated him by rear naked choke at 4:02 of the second round to win the Lightweight Championship. He celebrated the win by licking Joe Stevenson's blood off of his gloves. The win for Penn was awarded Beatdown of the Year by Sherdog for 2008. With this win, Penn became the second man (after Randy Couture) to win UFC titles in two different weight classes.

On May 24, 2008 at ''UFC 84'' at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Penn fought former champion Sean Sherk in his first title defense bout. The fight was billed by play-by -play commentator Mike Goldberg as the "greatest fight in the history of the UFC lightweight division". Sherk attempted to take Penn down only once (in the first round), instead the fighters traded punches and leg kicks for the remainder of the fight. Penn landed jabs several times, utilizing his reach advantage over Sherk. In the closing seconds of the third round, Penn threw a punch and a hook that backed Sherk into the cage. Sherk then ducked under another punch – possibly to shoot for a takedown – when he was hit in the head by a flush flying left knee from Penn. Sherk went down and Penn continued with strikes, but the round ended before the referee stopped the fight. However, Sherk was unable to continue and Penn was declared the victor by TKO (strikes) and it's debatable if this can be counted as the only fight to end right on the final buzzer of the fight, because the referee might've not stopped the fight, but Sherk was definitely out cold after the flying knee and punches. After the fight, in response a question by Joe Rogan about his future, Penn asked the crowd if they wanted to see him fight Georges St. Pierre and was answered with a loud ovation. Later, Penn told Fighters Club TV that he would face the winner of ''UFC 87'' Welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Jon Fitch, which St-Pierre ended up winning by unanimous decision. St-Pierre's victory led to the scheduling of BJ's next fight as a Welterweight Championship fight.

Welterweight Title shot[link]

Penn challenged Georges St-Pierre for St-Pierre's welterweight title on January 31, 2009, the night before the Super Bowl. The date led ''UFC 94'' to be billed as the "UFC Super Bowl Weekend," and it was anticipated to be the biggest UFC pay-per-view event ever. Before the fight with St-Pierre, Penn made a controversial comment that he was going to try to kill St-Pierre in the ring, but he later explained that he was speaking figuratively.

The first round of the fight was somewhat even, with Penn exercising elusive head movement, fast hands and good take-down defense, thwarting all of St-Pierre's take-down attempts while both exchanged punches. In the ensuing three rounds, however, Penn turned out a lackluster performance. St-Pierre scored his first take-down of the night midway through the second round, and by the end of the round Penn was visibly tired. At the start of round three, St-Pierre landed a "superman punch" that bloodied Penn's nose and shortly took Penn down again. From that point on, St-Pierre took Penn down almost at will, repeatedly passed Penn's renowned guard, and persistently punished the Hawaiian with a ground-and-pound attack. Penn later admitted that he could not recall anything that happened during the 3rd and 4th rounds because "I was probably borderline knocked out or something." At the end of the fourth round, after more of St-Pierre's ground-and-pound onslaught, Penn's brother requested that the referee stop the fight. After the fight, Penn failed to attend the post-fight press conference due to having stayed in the hospital. Subsequently in an interview he revealed that had he won, he would have retired "on top", while holding the lightweight and the welterweight belts.

A controversy arose during the fight as St-Pierre's corner-men were spotted rubbing St-Pierre's back immediately after applying Vaseline to his face. Members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) came into the octagon and wiped St-Pierre's torso down, though no significant amounts of Vaseline were discovered at this time. After the fight, on ESPN's MMA show, St-Pierre claimed that the rubbing was part of a routine to line up his energy for improved breathing, and he apologized for any Vaseline that may have been transferred to his body. Penn, however, sent a formal request to the NSAC, asking them to investigate. Despite all of the complaints by the Penn camp, the NSAC took no action.

In response to the incident, the rules of the UFC were modified so that only the official "cut men" would be allowed to have or apply Vaseline to the fighters. The procedures governing the transition from the fighters walk-in to the cage and while in the cage were also changed. Previously, fighters would walk up next to the cage, see the cut man who would apply Vaseline, be checked by the referee, and then have an opportunity to speak with or hug their coaches or cornermen before entering the cage. To prevent an opportunity for the fighters to have Vaseline applied illicitly, fighters now must first part from any company, have Vaseline applied by the cut man, be checked by the referee, and then go directly to the cage. Finally, no cornermen will be allowed to have Vaseline in the cage between rounds. In this way, the fighter's contact with Vaseline is fully controlled by the cut men and referee, who work independently for the UFC.

UFC President Dana White said that the incident had no effect on the outcome of the fight although he wished the incident had not happened. In his first post-fight interview Penn spoke of his belief that if St-Pierre were found to have been "greased" he would lose all respect for him, while admitting that "[I] definitely got my butt kicked." Penn claims that before the match he warned the NSAC that St-Pierre might use grease intentionally. St-Pierre responded to the allegations by offering to fight a rematch against Penn. Penn went on record as accepting the offer for a re-match. Following his informal acceptance of a proposed second rematch, Penn filed a formal complaint with Nevada State Athletic Commission seeking to prevent St-Pierre from fighting by suspending St-Pierre's fighter's license. In addition, Penn requested the suspension of St-Pierre's cornermen, Greg Jackson and Phil Nurse, a fine of $250,000, and overturning the result of the fight to a no-contest. The NSAC has since then instituted new rules that will not allow foreign substances in the cage, coined "The BJ Penn Rule" by some of the NSAC officials.

UFC 101 and return as Lightweight Champion[link]

Penn began negotiations to fight Kenny Florian in the summer of 2009. The Florian-Penn title fight was scheduled for ''UFC 99'', but BJ Penn requested more time off after his fight with GSP. He defended his title against Florian on August 8, 2009 at ''UFC 101''. Penn looked noticeably in better physical shape than his previous outings at 155 lbs and negated any sort of takedown offense from Florian the entire match despite his opponent's persistence in grappling and engaging the clinch.

On his feet, Penn avoided virtually any damage, constantly stuffing or evading any attempts of a left high kick, punches, or elbows from Florian when the two departed from the clinch. In a measured performance, Penn preferred to pace himself in his standup, occasionally showing explosive bursts of striking up until the fourth round, where he executed a powerful takedown and quickly assumed the half guard position, punishing the contender with elbows until gaining the full mount, where punches followed to continue the ground and pound assault from the BJJ specialist.

A scramble ensued, where Florian gave up his back twice but was unable to escape Penn's mount, the second time Penn took his opponent's back, he looked to trap Florian's arm with one of his legs, but was unable to do so, instead striking the liver of Florian with his heel, which eventually led Penn to secure a rear naked choke at 3:45 of the fourth round to defend his lightweight championship title.

Penn fought Diego Sanchez for the UFC Lightweight Championship on December 12, 2009 at ''UFC 107''. Penn negated virtually any offense from the contender, exercising good footwork and elusive head movement whilst remaining flawless in his takedown defense on 27 attempts from Sanchez. He stalked his opponent for large periods of the match and stunned Sanchez early, dropping him; following up with multiple clean shots, which Sanchez showed good durability in weathering. Penn, showing good conditioning for the duration of the bout, continued to stuff all takedowns, punches and left high kicks from Sanchez and dominated with aggressive bursts of striking throughout. He hurt Sanchez several times, until finally rocking him with a flurry in the final round, swarming to finish the combo with a right high kick. The kick opened up a huge cut on Sanchez's forehead above his left eye, causing the fight to be halted on doctor's advice at 2:47 of the fifth round with a TKO. This also marked only the second fight in UFC history to end in the fifth round.

The performance marked the third time Penn had successfully finished a fight in defending his UFC Lightweight Championship. Later during the post-fight press conference UFC President Dana White told the media he was proud of Penn's willingness to take MMA more seriously in his training when earlier he felt Penn had coasted through the UFC solely on natural talent.

Losing the title[link]

Penn's next defense was on April 10, 2010 at UFC 112 against Frankie Edgar. Despite being an overwhelming favorite coming into the fight, Penn lost the closely contested bout by unanimous decision. After the fight, Penn congratulated Edgar on winning the belt and claimed that he had not felt quite right in the octagon. A report arose from his camp, saying, "He was battling a sinus infection and was on anti-biotics."

Penn fought Edgar in a rematch at UFC 118. In the card, UFC Hall of Famer and former five-time UFC Champion Randy Couture was set to fight world class boxer James Toney, making it the first and only event which had the two dual-division champions in UFC history. During the bout he was taken down three times during the first two rounds – and though Penn took Edgar down twice in the final two rounds – Edgar was able to negate his ground offense and control the fight with good movement and striking combinations. All three judges scored the fight 50–45 for Edgar.

Return to Welterweight and retirement[link]

Penn fought welterweight Matt Hughes at UFC 123 in a rubber match after their previous two fights at UFC 46 and UFC 63. Penn defeated Hughes in 21 seconds of the first round by knockout after flooring Hughes with a right hand and following with additional strikes on the mat. Penn earned knockout of the night honors for his performance.

Following the UFC 123 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said that Penn would fight top welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 127 in Australia. Penn trained with Matt Hughes and Floyd Mayweather, Sr. in preparation for the fight. Penn surprised Fitch by taking him to the ground instead of using his stand up skills. The fight ended in a draw and Penn stated that he would gladly have a rematch in the future. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva stated that neither the fans nor the UFC are interested in a Penn-Fitch rematch.

Penn was expected to face Carlos Condit on October 29, 2011 at UFC 137. B.J. Penn has relocated his camp to Southern California in an effort to prepare for the bout. Penn was joined in California by former UFC middleweight and Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove and B.J.’s brother Reagan Penn, as they both prepared for their August 27 fights on the ProElite show in Hawaii. However, on September 7, Condit was pulled from the bout and replaced Nick Diaz in the main event against Georges St. Pierre. Dana White stated that Penn will fight Nick Diaz in the main event at UFC 137 after GSP pulled out due to knee injury. Penn lost via unanimous decision after winning the first round against the former Strikeforce welterweight champion, but was unable to mount any significant offense or defense against Diaz's brutal stand-up attack in the remaining two rounds.

Immediately following the loss to Diaz, Penn announced his plans to retire, saying into the microphone, "I don't want to go home looking like this." On November 1, Penn posted a message to fans on his website indicating that he plans to take some time off, but the retirement decision is not yet official. He said, "I want to thank all the fans for their love and support. I have decided to take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach. I will keep you guys posted with what’s next." BJ tweeted angrily at Jon Fitch and Nick Diaz, his manager has stated that the old BJ is back and could be returning to MMA.

Personal life[link]

His nickname "B.J." is a shortened version of another nickname "Baby Jay", which itself derives from the fact that Penn is the youngest of his brothers all named "Jay Dee Penn". BJ's father, who is Irish and English, named 3 of his 4 children "Jay Dee", while the fourth is Reagan. In order to avoid confusion each of the sons named "Jay Dee" goes by a nickname: "Jay", "Jay Dee", and "Baby Jay". Penn's mother, Lorraine Shin, is of Korean and Native Hawaiian descent.

Penn takes much pride in his Hawaiian heritage, his trainer Rudy Valentino had stated once that Penn played Hawaiian music during his entrances as a tribute to it; a tradition which Penn still continues. Penn has also stated that he identifies strongly with his Korean roots and has traveled to Korea to hold seminars. He also said that he gets his hot temper from his Korean side which helps him use this energy in his fights.

Penn's girlfriend, Shealen Uaiwa, gave birth to their daughter, Aeva Lili'u, on October 25, 2008. His new baby, Kulia, was born on January 8, 2012. Penn is the co-author of ''Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge'', an instructional book on mixed martial arts fighting. Penn, along with Dave Weintraub, authored the autobiography ''Why I Fight: The Belt is Just an Accessory'' in 2010. The book debuted at #22 on the New York Times bestseller list. Penn appeared in the film ''Never Surrender'' in 2009.

Championships and accomplishments[link]

grappling_credentials">Grappling credentials

CBJJ World Championships

*2000 – Black Belt Pena: 1st Place

*1999 – Brown Belt Leve: 3rd Place

*1998 – Blue Belt Pena: 2nd Place

*CBJJ Brazilian Team Championships

*2000 – Marrom Preta Leve: Nova União, 1st Place

Misc.

*Grapplers Quest Lightweight Championship Super fight winner

*1997 Joe Moreira tournament – blue belt, 1st place.

*1999 Copa Pacific tournament – Gold medal.

*Black belt awarded by Andre Pederneiras

jiu-jitsu_career_highlights">Jiu-Jitsu career highlights

May 1997 – Enters first tournament in Bakersfield, CA and wins both his weight and the open weight class.

June 1997 – Enters the Joe Moreira tournament as a blue belt winning his weight class.

June 1997 – Wins submission grappling tournament

1997 – Receives blue belt from Ralph Gracie

1997 – Enters Brasileiro and places 4th in his weight class, blue belt category

1997 – Continues to enter tournaments upon return from Brazil placing first consistently

1998 – Silver medal at Brazilian Mundials competition in his weight division; receives purple belt upon return

1999 – Bronze medal at Brazilian Mundials in heavier weight class as a newly promoted Nova Uniao brown belt.

1999 – Gold medal, Copa Pacifica Tournament in Los Angeles, CA

1999 – Receives Black belt from Andre Pederneiras just 3 weeks before the 2000 Mundials

1999 – Joins Nova Uniao Competition Team (reserved for the four top team competitors)

2000 – First non-Brazilian to win gold medal in black belt division of the Mundial World Championships held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

mixed_martial_arts">Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship

*UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)

*UFC Welterweight Championship (One time)

*Submission of the Night (Two times)

*Fight of the Night (One time)

*Knockout of the Night (One time)

*Most successful Lightweight title defenses (three)

*Most consecutive Lightweight title defenses (three)

*Most Lightweight wins in UFC history (10)

*First and only UFC Champion to challenge another UFC Champion for a chance at holding two belts simultaneously in two different divisions.

*Only man in UFC history to face seven different UFC Champions.

*One of only two man in UFC history to win UFC championship titles in two different weight categories.

Rumble on the Rock

*Lightweight Championship

Sherdog

2008 Beatdown of the Year vs Joe Stevenson

Bleacher Report

2000's Lightweight of the Decade

Greatest Lightweight of All Time

Mixed martial arts record[link]

|- | Loss |align=center| 16–8–2 | Nick Diaz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 137 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Draw |align=center| 16–7–2 | Jon Fitch | Draw (majority) | UFC 127 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Sydney, Australia | |- | Win |align=center| 16–7–1 | Matt Hughes | KO (punches) | UFC 123 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:21 | Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 15–7–1 | Frankie Edgar | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 118 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 5:00 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 15–6–1 | Frankie Edgar | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 112 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |- | Win |align=center| 15–5–1 | Diego Sanchez | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 107 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 2:37 | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 14–5–1 | Kenny Florian | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 101 | |align=center| 4 |align=center| 3:54 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 13–5–1 | Georges St-Pierre | TKO (corner stoppage) | UFC 94 | |align=center| 4 |align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 13–4–1 | Sean Sherk | TKO (flying knee and punches) | UFC 84 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 12–4–1 | Joe Stevenson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 80 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 4:02 | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | |- | Win |align=center| 11–4–1 | Jens Pulver | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 3:12 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 10–4–1 | Matt Hughes | TKO (punches) | UFC 63 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 3:53 | Anaheim, California, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 10–3–1 | Georges St-Pierre | Decision (split) | UFC 58 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 10–2–1 | Renzo Gracie | Decision (unanimous) | K-1: World Grand Prix Hawaii | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 9–2–1 | Lyoto Machida | Decision (unanimous) | K-1: Hero's 1 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 9–1–1 | Rodrigo Gracie | Decision (unanimous) | Rumble on the Rock 6 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 8–1–1 | Duane Ludwig | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | K-1 MMA: Romanex | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:45 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 7–1–1 | Matt Hughes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 46 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:39 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 6–1–1 | Takanori Gomi | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Rumble on the Rock 4 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 2:35 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Draw |align=center| 5–1–1 | Caol Uno | Draw (split) | UFC 41 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 5–1 | Matt Serra | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 39 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 4–1 | Paul Creighton | TKO (punches) | UFC 37 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 3:23 | Bossier City, Louisiana, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 3–1 | Jens Pulver | Decision (majority) | UFC 35 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 3–0 | Caol Uno | KO (punches) | UFC 34 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:11 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 2–0 | Din Thomas | KO (knee and punches) | UFC 32 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:42 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 1–0 | Joey Gilbert | TKO (punches) | UFC 31 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:57 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |

See also[link]

List of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners

References[link]

External links[link]

UFC Profile

BJJ Heroes BJ Penn Profile

|-

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:American mixed martial artists Category:American people of Anglo-Irish descent Category:American people of Korean descent Category:American sportspeople of Korean descent Category:Native Hawaiian people Category:American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:Mixed martial artists from Hawaii Category:Lightweight mixed martial artists Category:Welterweight mixed martial artists Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship champions

de:B.J. Penn es:B.J. Penn fr:BJ Penn ko:BJ 펜 it:B.J. Penn ja:BJペン no:B.J. Penn pl:B.J. Penn pt:B.J. Penn ru:Пенн, Би Джей simple:B.J. Penn fi:B. J. Penn sv:B.J. Penn uk:Бі Джей Пенн

name	Jon Fitch
birth name	Jonathan Parker Fitch
birth date	February 24, 1978
birth place	Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
death date
nationality	American
height
weight lb	170
weight class	WelterweightMiddleweightLight Heavyweight
reach in	74
stance	Orthodox
fighting out of	San Jose, California
team	American Kickboxing Academy
rank	Black belt in Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu
wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling
years active	2002 – present (MMA)
mma kowin	5
mma subwin	5
mma decwin	13
mma koloss	2
mma subloss	1
mma decloss	1
mma draw	1
mma nc	1
am win	2
am subwin	2
university	Purdue University
school	Carroll High School
url	Official UFC Profile http://www.fitchfighter.com/
sherdog	4865
updated	March 7, 2012 }}

Jonathan Parker Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing as a welterweight in the UFC. As of March 2012, Fitch is ranked as the #5 welterweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.

Background[link]

After graduating from Carroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana), Fitch enrolled in at Purdue University in 1997 and graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor's in Physical Education and a minor in History. As a walk-on to the Purdue wrestling team, Fitch – a four-year letterman – wrestled under the tutelage of Tom Erikson and eventually became the team captain of his wrestling squad. Fitch compiled an 18-10 record in his final year, and finished with a 45-49 record overall for his collegiate wrestling career. Tom Erikson– a former PRIDE fighter – would occasionally bring other mixed martial artists to the wrestling gym, and Fitch would be introduced to such fighters as Mark Coleman and Gary Goodridge. The sport, and the money that the top-tier fighters were making interested Fitch, and he started his mixed martial arts career in 2002.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Jon Fitch began his career at Light-Heavyweight with a record of four wins, two losses and one No Contest. Understanding that the sport required cross training in the martial arts, Fitch soon left for San Jose, California to train with the American Kickboxing Academy.

In his next seven fights, Fitch amassed wins over fighters such as Shonie Carter, Alex Serdyukov and Jeff Joslin. After failing to make the selection process for the first season of The Ultimate Fighter – a last-minute decision by the production team that left Fitch stranded in an airport with his luggage already boarded – he earned a shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 3, 2005, where Fitch defeated Brock Larson in a middleweight fight.

Drop to welterweight[link]

Soon after, Fitch dropped to the welterweight division and won his next six fights. With victories over Josh Burkman, Thiago Alves, Luigi Fioravanti and Diego Sanchez, Fitch was now seen as a welterweight contender. At UFC 82, Fitch defeated Chris Wilson by unanimous decision. This marked his 8th consecutive victory in the UFC, tying the record set by Royce Gracie for most consecutive wins in the UFC. UFC President Dana White praised Fitch's performances inside the Octagon, and indicated that Fitch would fight the winner of the Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra Welterweight title fight.

Championship fight[link]

Fitch was defeated by Georges St-Pierre via unanimous decision with scores of 50–43, 50–44, 50–44 at UFC 87. After the fight GSP spoke to Fitch about the growth that his own loss prompted and said that Fitch's experience should be no different. Had Fitch beaten St-Pierre he would have had a nine fight winning streak in the UFC, surpassing Royce Gracie's streak of eight straight wins (a record that has since been broken by Anderson Silva, currently on fourteen as of August 2011). The loss also snapped Fitch's 16 fight winning streak, both in and out of the UFC.

Back to title contention[link]

Fitch was released from the UFC on the 20 November 2008. The dispute was over his reluctance to sign a lifetime contract to allow his name and likeness to be used in a video game the UFC released with THQ. In the end, Fitch ended up signing a licensing agreement that will allow the UFC to feature him in their UFC Undisputed video game release and returned to the UFC. Fitch's exile from the UFC lasted less than 24 hours.

Fitch dominated Pride Fighting Championships veteran Akihiro Gono en-route to a convincing unanimous decision scored 30–27, 30–27 and 30–26 at UFC 94. Fitch defeated Paulo Thiago by unanimous decision at UFC 100.

Fitch was expected to fight Ricardo Almeida on November 21, 2009, at UFC 106 but due to a knee injury sustained by Almeida, the fight was cancelled. Fitch was then scheduled to face Thiago Alves on December 12, 2009 at UFC 107 in a highly anticipated rematch. However, Alves suffered an injury and was forced off the card. Mike Pierce stepped in to fight Fitch instead. Fitch later defeated Pierce via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Fitch was expected to finally face Thiago Alves on March 27, 2010 at UFC 111: St.Pierre vs. Hardy, but on March 25, 2010, Alves was forced off the card due to a brain irregularity that appeared on a pre fight CAT scan. Jon Fitch replaced Jake Ellenberger on the card and face Muay Thai fighter Ben Saunders. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

The Alves/Fitch rematch, originally slated for UFC 107 and UFC 111 was moved to UFC 115. Once again the fight was moved until, finally, it took place at UFC 117. This fight was confirmed to be the number one contendership for the welterweight championship (to fight the winner of the St-Pierre/Koscheck bout). Alves again failed to make weight, weighing in at 171.5 lbs, meaning he had to give up 20% of his fight purse. Fitch went on to defeat Alves via unanimous decision. Dana White later made remarks that the manner of Fitch's victories (primarily judges' decisions rather than finishes) and lack of connection with the UFC fans has put Fitch's number one contender status in doubt. Following Jake Shields' victory over Martin Kampmann at UFC 121, White confirmed Shields as the next in line for the Welterweight title shot, leaving Fitch's status in the division unconfirmed.

Fitch was expected to face Jake Ellenberger on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126. But after B.J. Penn defeated Matt Hughes at UFC 123, UFC president Dana White decided to match Fitch up against Penn at UFC 127 in Australia instead.

On February 27, 2011, Fitch fought BJ Penn in UFC 127. At the end of the fight the scorecards of the judges were 29-28 for Fitch, 28-28 and 28-28. It was declared a Majority Draw. When asked by Joe Rogan if Fitch would like a rematch, Fitch replied that he wants another title shot more than anything. No confirmation of a rematch resulted from the interview of either fighter.

A rematch with Penn was expected to take place on July 2, 2011 at UFC 132., but in late March, Fitch pulled out of the bout with an injury.

After months of dealing with a shoulder injury, Jon Fitch is back in business. “I’m back! Dr. Kavitne gave me the ok to fight,” he tweeted. Fitch has made no small secret of his desire to fight on the UFC 139 fight card that takes place in his city of residence, San Jose, Calif.

Fitch fought Johny Hendricks on December 30, 2011 at UFC 141. He was knocked out 12 seconds into the fight.

Personal life[link]

Jon and his longtime girlfriend Michele got engaged the day after UFC 100. The couple were married on September 4, 2010.

Jon Fitch appeared on the November 5, 2008 episode of ''MythBusters'', "Coffin Punch". The MythBusters were attempting to determine if someone could punch their way out of a coffin. For his part, Jon Fitch laid on his back and punched up into a sensor, attached to a punching bag that was a few inches above Fitch, allowing his arm only three inches of travel before contact with the sensor. The sensor read that the power behind Fitch's punch was just under 1,500 pounds of force (6672 N).

Championships and Accomplishments[link]

mixed_martial_arts">Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship

*Fight of the Night (One time)

*Fitch and Georges St-Pierre hold the record for the most number of wins by decision in the UFC. He has won 9 fights by way of decision.

Mixed martial arts record[link]

|- |Loss |align=center|23–4–1 (1) |Johny Hendricks |KO (punch) |UFC 141 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:12 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Draw |align=center|23–3–1 (1) |B.J. Penn |Decision (majority draw) |UFC 127 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Sydney, Australia | |- |Win |align=center|23–3 (1) |Thiago Alves |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 117 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Oakland, California, United States |Catchweight (171.5 lb) bout; Thiago Alves did not make weight |- |Win |align=center|22–3 (1) |Ben Saunders |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 111 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Newark, New Jersey, United States | |- |Win |align=center|21–3 (1) |Mike Pierce |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 107 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Memphis, Tennessee, United States | |- | Win |align=center|20–3 (1) |Paulo Thiago |Decision (unanimous) | UFC 100 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|19–3 (1) |Akihiro Gono |Decision (unanimous) | UFC 94 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|18–3 (1) |Georges St-Pierre |Decision (unanimous) | UFC 87 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |For the UFC Welterweight Championship, Fight of the Night |- |Win |align=center|18–2 (1) |Chris Wilson |Decision (unanimous) | UFC 82 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Columbus, Ohio, United States | |- |Win |align=center|17–2 (1) |Diego Sanchez |Decision (split) | UFC 76 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Anaheim, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|16–2 (1) |Roan Carneiro |Submission (rear naked choke) |UFC Fight Night: Stout vs Fisher | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:07 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|15–2 (1) |Luigi Fioravanti |Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC 68 | |align=center|2 |align=center|3:05 |Columbus, Ohio, United States | |- |Win |align=center|14–2 (1) |Kuniyoshi Hironaka | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 64 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|13–2 (1) |Thiago Alves |TKO (upkick and punches) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:37 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|12–2 (1) |Josh Burkman |Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4 | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:57 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |Moves to Welterweight full time |- |Win |align=center|11–2 (1) |Brock Larson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Ultimate Fight Night 2 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |Middleweight bout |- |Win |align=center|10–2 (1) |Jeff Joslin |Decision (split) | Freedom Fight: Canada vs USA | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 | Hull, Quebec, Canada | |- |Win |align=center|9–2 (1) |Alex Serdyukov |TKO (punches) | MMA Mexico: Day 1 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:15 |Ciudad Juárez, Mexico | |- |Win |align=center|8–2 (1) |Jorge Ortiz | Decision (unanimous) | MMA Mexico: Day 1 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Ciudad Juárez, Mexico | |- |Win |align=center|7–2 (1) |Mike Seal | TKO (injury) | MMA Mexico: Day 1 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:35 |Ciudad Juárez, Mexico | |- |Win |align=center|6–2 (1) |Kengo Ura | Decision (unanimous) | Venom: First Strike | |align=center|2 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|5–2 (1) |Shonie Carter | Submission (slam) | Shooto USA: Warrior Spirit – Evolution | |align=center|3 |align=center|0:41 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|4–2 (1) | Gabe Garcia |TKO (punches) | X-1 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:41 |Yokohama, Japan | |- |Win |align=center|3–2 (1) |Kyle Jensen | Decision (unanimous) | Battleground 1: War Cry | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Chicago, Illinois, United States | |- | NC |align=center|2–2 (1) | Solomon Hutcherson |No Contest | HOOKnSHOOT: Boot Camp 1.1 | |align=center|2 |align=center|N/A |Evansville, Indiana, United States |Ruled a no contest after Hutcherson kicked Fitch on the ground, opening up a cut. |- |Loss |align=center|2–2 |Wilson Gouveia |KO (knee) | HOOKnSHOOT: Absolute Fighting Championships 1 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:38 |Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|2–1 |Eric Tix | KO (punch) | Ultimate Wrestling | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:07 |Fridley, Minnesota, United States | |- |Win |align=center|1–1 |Dan Hart | Submission (guillotine choke) | Ultimate Wrestling | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:14 |Fridley, Minnesota, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|0–1 |Mike Pyle | Submission (rear naked choke) | Revolution Fighting Championship 1: The Beginning | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:35 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |

References[link]

External links[link]

Official UFC Profile

Homepage of Jon Fitch

Official Jon Fitch Facebook Fan Page

Official Jon Fitch YouTube Videos

Michele Cao Fitch Biography

Category:American mixed martial artists Category:Mixed martial artists from Indiana Category:Purdue University alumni Category:Welterweight mixed martial artists Category:1978 births Category:Living people

fr:Jon Fitch it:Jon Fitch ja:ジョン・フィッチ pt:Jon Fitch

name	Michael Bisping
other names	The Count
birth name	Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping
birth date	February 28, 1979
birth place	Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus
nationality	English
height
weight lb	185
weight class	Middleweight (2008 – ''present'') Light Heavyweight (2004–2007)
reach in	76
style	Kickboxing
fighting out of	Manchester, England Orange County, California, United States
years active	2004 –''present''
mma kowin	14
mma subwin	4
mma decwin	4
mma koloss	1
mma decloss	3
url	http://www.bisping.tv/
sherdog	10196
updated	11 October 2011 }}

Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (born 28 February 1979) is an English mixed martial artist. He fights as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight Champion, former Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 3 Light Heavyweight Tournament winner. As of March 2012, Bisping is ranked the No. 4 middleweight in the world by Sherdog.

Early life [link]

Bisping was born on a British military base in Cyprus in 1979, but moved to Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England when he was a child. Taking an early interest in martial arts, Bisping began training in a traditional form of jiu-jitsu known as Yawara Ryu under Paul Lloyd Davies when he was 8 years old. In 1994, at the age of 15, Bisping competed as an amateur in England's first "no holds barred" competition, a precursor to modern MMA, called ''Knock Down Sport Budo'' (KSBO), organised by Davies.

At the age of 18, Bisping decided to abandon his martial arts training in order "to pursue real life". But less than a year later Bisping began training kickboxing and karate on the advice of Alan Clarking, owner of Black Knights gym, who saw potential in the young fighter. Bisping enjoyed a short, but successful kickboxing career, winning the North West Area title and later the Pro British light heavyweight kickboxing title. After again briefly quitting competition in 1998, Bisping returned to kickboxing to take the Pro British light heavyweight title for a second time. Soon after winning his second kickboxing title, Bisping was forced to abandon his full-time training for a "real job". Bisping worked in factories, slaughterhouses, as an upholsterer, a postman, a tiler, a plasterer, a double-glazing door salesman,production line operative making barbeques at Rectella in Clitheroe and also a relatively successful DJ around the north-west club scene.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Early career[link]

Bisping made his professional mixed martial arts debut at ''Pride & Glory 2: Battle of the Ages'' on 4 April 2004, taking a 0:38 submission victory over Steve Mathews. Just one month later, Bisping scored his first knockout against John Weir at ''UK MMA Challenge 7: Rage & Fury''. In his third MMA match, Bisping became the Cage Rage light heavyweight champion at Cage Rage 7, defeating Mark Epstein by technical knockout. Bisping went on to defend his championship title in a rematch against Epstein at Cage Rage 9 in a knockout victory that solidified Bisping as one of the top light heavyweight fighters in England. It also earned him the moniker "The Great British Hope", by UFC.com.

At ''The Ultimate Fight Club UK: Natural Instinct'' on 29 January 2005, Bisping made his cage kickboxing debut against David Brown in a light heavyweight contest. With Brown badly cut, Bisping picked up the win via medical stoppage in round 2.

Bisping, who trains with the Wolfslair MMA Academy, the professional fight team of Cage Warriors, made his debut for the promotion at ''Ultimate Force'' on 30 April 2005, defeating Dave Radford to win the vacant Cage Warriors light heavyweight title. Bisping then competed in another light heavyweight cage kickboxing contest, against Cyrille Diabate at ''CWFC: Strike Force 1'' on 21 May 2005, losing to Diabaté via decision after the end of the first extra round. He captured the FX3 light-heavyweight title on 18 June 2005 and was reigning on UK's major federations. In his first Cage Warriors title defence, Bisping defeated Miika Mehmet at ''CWFC: Strike Force 2'', on 16 July 2005.

In September 2005, Cage Rage stripped the light heavyweight title from Bisping due to "management issues that Michael currently has", though Cage Warriors however stated that "Bisping was willing to defend his title but is being punished by Cage Rage due to his Wolfslair and Cage Warriors links". Towards the end of 2005, Bisping continued to successfully defend the Cage Warriors title against Jakob Lovstad and Ross Pointon in the ''CWFC: Strike Force'' series of events, leading to a record of 10 wins and no losses.

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

In early 2006 Bisping was featured on the UFCs ''The Ultimate Fighter'' reality television series as a contestant training under Tito Ortiz. He won a preliminary bout against Kristian Rothaermel by TKO, followed by a semi-final win against Ross Pointon by submission after landing a flying knee and a series of strikes. In the finals, Bisping defeated Josh Haynes by TKO at 4:14 into the second round, making Bisping the second Light Heavyweight winner of ''The Ultimate Fighter'' television series.

Five months after his victory in the ''TUF 3'' finals, Bisping was slated to fight Eric Schafer at ''The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale'', but withdrew because of problems acquiring his visa. The fight was re-scheduled and held on 30 December at ''UFC 66''. Bisping defeated Schafer by TKO at 4:24 in the first round.

On 21 April 2007, Bisping scored a TKO win over Elvis Sinosic at ''UFC 70'' in Manchester, England. Sinosic came out fighting and Bisping eagerly obliged, firing back before throwing the Australian to the canvas. Bisping then launched a vicious ground and pound attack, opening a cut on Sinosic's forehead. In the second round Bisping was knocked down from a knee. Then Sinosic almost secured a kimura before Bisping reversed and pounded away until Steve Mazzagatti stopped the bout at 1:40 of the second round.

Bisping was a special guest referee at the Cage Warriors events ''Enter The Wolfslair'' on 5 March 2005 and ''CWFC: Strike Force 6'' on 27 May 2006.

On 8 September 2007, Bisping faced former Ultimate Fighter 3 rival Matt Hamill in London, England and won a controversial split decision after 3 rounds. Hamill pushed the pace and took Bisping down numerous times in the first two rounds, with Bisping hitting solid strikes and blocking numerous takedown attempts towards the end of the second and in the third round. Both American judges scored the bout 29–28 for Bisping, the lone British judge voted 30–27 for Hamill.

Bisping's next match at UFC 78 against fellow Ultimate Fighter winner Rashad Evans resulted in his first loss, via split decision with the scores being 29-28 for Bisping, and 29-28 (twice) for Evans.

Move down to Middleweight[link]

Since the start of his MMA career, people had been advising Bisping that he was a little too small for light heavyweight and would do better at middleweight, and after his loss to Rashad Evans, Bisping decided to drop down a weight division, with Dana White's support. On 19 April 2008 at UFC 83, Bisping made his debut as a Middleweight against Charles McCarthy who had a rather lackluster record in MMA. Bisping won by TKO, as McCarthy was unable to continue after the first round due to a forearm injury he sustained after receiving an unanswered series of knees and uppercuts from Bisping.

Bisping's next fight at middleweight, was on 7 June 2008 at UFC 85 in London, against Jason Day.

Bisping was originally set to face Chris Leben, but Jason Day stepped in as Leben was in jail for 35 days and unable to compete. Bisping won the fight in dominant fashion in the first round, securing two takedowns and applying a high paced pressure; it was his second 1st round TKO in a row.

Bisping headlined UFC 89 on 18 October, in a matchup against Chris Leben, who Bisping was supposed to face in UFC 85. Bisping won a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 30–27 (twice), and 29–28 for Bisping. Bisping used effective counter punching in the fight to keep the aggressive Leben at bay. After the fight Leben tested positive for Stanozolol and was suspended for nine months.

After the fight with Leben, Bisping was confirmed as one of the coaches on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. The other coach was American Dan Henderson, whom Bisping would fight after the show ended, on 11 July 2009 at Mandalay Bay at UFC 100. The fight was believed to be an eliminator for the UFC Middleweight Championship top contender spot. Bisping had received a high-end Land Rover for being a coach on the show, along with Dan Henderson.

On 11 July at UFC 100, Bisping was knocked out by Dan Henderson with a flush overhand right while he was circling to his left. Henderson followed up with a strike after Bisping had fallen to the ground before the fight was stopped. It marked the first occasion Bisping had ever conceded a knockout loss and also only his second loss in his MMA career to date.

Bisping faced Spirit MC & Pride veteran Denis Kang on 14 November 2009 at UFC 105. Bisping TKO'd Kang in the 2nd round. Kang dropped Bisping with a right hand in the first round which stunned Bisping. Kang followed Bisping to the floor and attempted submissions, but Bisping defended well and neutralised Kang's attacks despite Kang briefly having full mount. In the 2nd round Bisping secured a single-leg takedown and the complexion of the fight changed. He unleashed a ground and pound attack on the Canadian, which Kang failed to recover from. The fight was awarded "Fight of the Night" giving both Kang and Bisping a $40,000 bonus.

Bisping next faced former PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva on 21 February 2010 at UFC 110. Wanderlei Silva's ability to flurry in the final seconds of the second and third rounds, two knockdowns and an attempted guillotine choke contributed to his victory by a clear unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Bisping defeated Dan Miller by unanimous decision on 29 May 2010 at UFC 114.

Bisping faced and defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama on October, 16th 2010 at UFC 120, winning 30–27 on all three judges' scorecards. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night honours. Though Bisping was rocked early in the fight by Akiyama, he regained his composure and landed combos repeatedly on Akiyama to sweep all three judges scorecards.

Bisping faced off in an emotionally charged fight against Jorge Rivera on 26 February 2011 at UFC 127. Both fighters had trash talked each other before the fight, having to be restrained at the weigh-in during a verbal argument. Bisping dominated the first round scoring a few takedowns until he delivered an illegal knee to the head of Rivera. A point was taken from Bisping and, after a lengthy halt to the action, the fight continued. The fight ended with a TKO from Bisping in the second round. After the fight Bisping spat at Rivera's corner and confronted Rivera on pre-fight comments that Bisping thought disparaged his family. Rivera denied the comments and tried to mend things but Bisping told him to "Go home" and called him a "loser." In the aftermath of the incident Bisping faced "disciplinary actions" and was fined. Multiple fighters have since come forward saying they want to fight Bisping in light of the incident including UFC middleweight notables Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Demian Maia, Alan Belcher, and Nate Marquardt.

On 27 May 2011, it was revealed that Bisping would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 14, opposite to Jason Miller. There were concerns that Jason Miller had spies in Michael Bisping's training camp, but Bisping was confident that was not true. Bisping defeated Jason Miller via third round TKO on 3 December 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale.

Bisping was expected to face Demian Maia on 28 January 2012 at UFC on Fox 2 However, an injury forced Mark Muñoz out of his bout on the same card with Chael Sonnen and Bisping will now face Sonnen at the event. Dana White has stated in an interview that if Bisping beats Chael Sonnen he will face Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title. Bisping lost the fight via a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 all for Sonnen.

Bisping was expected to face Tim Boetsch on 7 July 2012 at UFC 148. However, the bout is now expected to take place on 21 July at UFC 149.

Personal life[link]

Bisping's grandfather Andrew (''Andrzej'') was a Polish noble, a military leader of the "Bishop's Pings" (hence ''"Bisping"'' and his nickname ''"The Count"''). After World War II, Bisping's grandparents relocated to England. His father Jan was in the British military.

Bisping has three children with his wife, Rebecca. Bisping's third child was born just before he set off to the USA for final preparation in his fight against Dan Miller.

Bisping has family around the globe, including in Germany, England, Ireland and the United States.

He currently resides in Orange County, California.

Championships & accomplishments[link]

mixed_martial_arts">Mixed martial arts

Cage Rage

*Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

*One successful title defenses

Cage Warriors

*Cage Warriors Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

*Three successful title defenses

Ultimate Fighting Championship

*The Ultimate Fighter 3 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner

*Fight of the Night (Three times)

Mixed martial arts record[link]

|- | Loss |align=center| 22–4 | Chael Sonnen | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois | |- | Win |align=center| 22–3 | Jason Miller | TKO (knees to the body & punches) | The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 3:34 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Win |align=center| 21–3 | Jorge Rivera | TKO (punches) | UFC 127 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 1:54 | Sydney, Australia | |- | Win |align=center| 20–3 | Yoshihiro Akiyama | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 120 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | London, England | |- | Win |align=center| 19–3 | Dan Miller | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 114 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Loss |align=center| 18–3 | Wanderlei Silva | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 110 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Sydney, Australia | |- | Win |align=center| 18–2 | Denis Kang | TKO (punches and knees) | UFC 105 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 4:24 | Manchester, England | |- | Loss |align=center| 17–2 | Dan Henderson | KO (punch) | UFC 100 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 3:20 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Win |align=center| 17–1 | Chris Leben | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 89 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Birmingham, England | |- | Win |align=center| 16–1 | Jason Day | TKO (punches) | UFC 85 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:42 | London, England | |- | Win |align=center| 15–1 | Charles McCarthy | TKO (arm injury) | UFC 83 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 5:00 | Montreal, Quebec | |- | Loss |align=center| 14–1 | Rashad Evans | Decision (split) | UFC 78 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey | |- | Win |align=center| 14-0 | Matt Hamill | Decision (split) | UFC 75 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | London, England | |- | Win |align=center| 13–0 | Elvis Sinosic | TKO (punches) | UFC 70 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 1:40 | Manchester, England | |- | Win |align=center| 12–0 | Eric Schafer | TKO (punches) | UFC 66 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:24 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Win |align=center| 11–0 | Josh Haynes | TKO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 4:14 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |- | Win |align=center| 10–0 | Ross Pointon | Submission (armbar) | CWFC: Strike Force 4 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:00 | Coventry, England | . |- | Win |align=center| 9–0 | Jakob Lovstad | Submission (strikes) | CWFC: Strike Force 3 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:10 | Coventry, England | . |- | Win |align=center| 8–0 | Miika Mehmet | TKO (corner stoppage) | CWFC: Strike Force 2 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:01 | Coventry, England | . |- | Win |align=center| 7–0 | Alex Cook | Submission (choke) | FX3: Xplosion | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:21 | Reading, England | |- | Win |align=center| 6–0 | Dave Radford | TKO | CWFC: Ultimate Force | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:46 | Sheffield, England | . |- | Win |align=center| 5–0 | Mark Epstein | KO (punch) | Cage Rage 9 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 4:43 | London, England | |- | Win |align=center| 4–0 | Andy Bridges | KO | P & G 3: Glory Days | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:45 | Newcastle, England | |- | Win |align=center| 3–0 | Mark Epstein | TKO (punches and knees) | Cage Rage 7 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 1:27 | London, England | . |- | Win |align=center| 2–0 | John Weir | TKO | UKMMAC 7: Rage & Fury | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:50 | Essex, England | |- | Win |align=center| 1–0 | Steve Mathews | Submission (armbar) | P & G 2: Battle of the Ages | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:38 | Newcastle, England |

References[link]

External links[link]

Official UFC Profile

Category:The Ultimate Fighter winners Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:English mixed martial artists Category:Middleweight mixed martial artists Category:Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:English kickboxers Category:Light heavyweight kickboxers Category:British jujutsuka Category:British Muay Thai practitioners Category:People from Clitheroe Category:English people of Polish descent Category:Cypriot mixed martial artists

de:Michael Bisping fr:Michael Bisping it:Michael Bisping ja:マイケル・ビスピン no:Michael Bisping pt:Michael Bisping fi:Michael Bisping sv:Michael Bisping