Clifford Starks

Clifford Starks
Born (1981-04-25) April 25, 1981
Sacramento, California, United States
Nationality American
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Division Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach 78.0 in (198 cm)
Fighting out of Tempe, Arizona, United States
Team Arizona Combat Sports
Years active 2009-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 16
Wins 13
By knockout 3
By submission 3
By decision 7
Losses 3
By knockout 1
By submission 1
By decision 1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Clifford Bernard Starks (born April 25, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division for the World Series of Fighting. A professional competitor since 2009, he has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, and Shark Fights.

Background

Starks was born in Sacramento, California and attended Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona. At Mountain Pointe, Starks competed in wrestling, football, and track and field. Talented, Starks earned a total of ten varsity letters and won a State Championship in wrestling. Starks later attended Mesa Community College where he competed in football and track and field until 2002 when he transferred to Arizona State University.[1] At Arizona State, Starks competed for the school's NCAA Division I wrestling team alongside former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and had a third-place finish in the PAC 10.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Starks made his professional MMA debut in 2009 and fought primarily for the Rage in the Cage promotion in Arizona. He quickly amassed an undefeated record of 7-0 during the first two years of his career before joining the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Starks made his UFC debut less than two weeks removed from his last fight as a short-notice replacement for injured Brad Tavares against fellow UFC newcomer Dustin Jacoby at UFC 137.[3] He won the fight via unanimous decision (30-27, 30–27, 30–27).

Starks next faced Ed Herman on February 4, 2012 at UFC 143.[4] He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Starks next faced Yoel Romero on April 20, 2013 at UFC on Fox 7.[5] He lost the fight via KO in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.[6]

Bellator MMA

In September 2013, Starks made his debut for Bellator MMA. He faced Joe Yager at Bellator 100 and won the fight via unanimous decision.

Starks faced Kobe Ortiz on September 26, 2014 at Bellator 126.[7] He won the fight via submission in the second round.

World Series of Fighting

Starks made his debut at WSOF 19. He was originally scheduled to face Eddie Arizmendi on the card. However, a last minute card change the day of the event led to Starks facing Jake Heun on the main card. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–3 David Branch Decision (unanimous) WSOF 30 April 2, 2016 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For the WSOF Middleweight Championship
Win 13–2 Krasimir Mladenov Decision (unanimous) WSOF 23 September 18, 2015 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 12–2 Mike Kyle Decision (unanimous) WSOF 22 August 1, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Light Heavyweight bout.
Win 11–2 Jake Heun Submission (Arm-triangle choke) WSOF 19 March 28, 2015 2 4:11 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Light Heavyweight bout.
Win 10–2 Kobe Ortiz Technical submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 126 September 26, 2014 2 0:52 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win 9–2 Joe Yager Decision (unanimous) Bellator 100 September 20, 2013 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Loss 8–2 Yoel Romero KO (flying knee and punches) UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez April 20, 2013 1 1:32 San Jose, California, United States
Loss 8–1 Ed Herman Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 143 February 4, 2012 2 1:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–0 Dustin Jacoby Decision (unanimous) UFC 137 October 29, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–0 Artenas Young Decision (unanimous) Shark Fights 20 October 15, 2011 3 5:00 Laughlin, Nevada, United States
Win 6–0 Rudy Aguilar TKO (punches) Rage in the Cage 152 May 21, 2011 1 1:42 Chandler, Arizona, United States
Win 5–0 Roe Harris KO (punch) Rage in the Cage 151 April 16, 2011 1 2:59 Chandler, Arizona, United States
Win 4–0 Tony Johnson Decision (unanimous) MEZ Sports: Pandemonium 4 February 25, 2011 3 5:00 Riverside, California, United States
Win 3–0 Mike Heidenreich TKO (punches) Rage in the Cage 144 September 11, 2010 1 1:23 Chandler, Arizona, United States
Win 2–0 Reyes Ortiz Decision (split) Rage in the Cage 139 February 13, 2010 3 5:00 Tucson, Arizona, United States
Win 1–0 Chad Menneke Submission (americana) Rage in the Cage 138 December 4, 2009 2 1:35 Mesa, Arizona, United States

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://athletics.mesacc.edu/all-sports/former-mcc-thrower-and-football-player-clifford-starks-fight-ufc-137-card
  2. ↑ http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Clifford-Starks?id=
  3. ↑ "Tavares out of 137; Starks to face Jacoby". UFC.com. October 21, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks Added to UFC 143". mmafighting.com. December 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Yoel Romero vs Clifford Starks set for UFC on FOX 7". bloodyelbow.com. January 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ "UFC releases middleweight Clifford Starks". bloody elbow.com. May 5, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Bellator 126 fight card finalized for Sept. 26 in Phoenix on Spike TV". mmamania.com. September 9, 2014.

External links

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