Matt Wiman

Matt Wiman

The Turtle Bird circa 2014
Born (1983-09-19) September 19, 1983
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Nationality American
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Division Lightweight
Reach 69 in (175 cm)
Mixed martial arts record
Total 23
Wins 16
By knockout 4
By submission 5
By decision 7
Losses 7
By knockout 2
By decision 5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Matthew Charles Wiman[1] (born September 19, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Matt began training mixed martial arts with UFC fighter, Mikey Burnett, at the Lion's Den in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[2]

Wiman's initiation into professional fighting came on August 14, 2004. A relatively unknown fighter at the time, Matt entered the Extreme Fight Night tournament organized by kickboxer, Dale Cook. Matt won 3 fights that night to become the Extreme Fighting League Middleweight Champion. He defeated Joseph Garza and Greg Bossler, each by unanimous decision, before finishing Venn Johns by triangle choke for the championship belt.

Matt's first title defense came on November 13, 2004, when he defeated David Franks by armbar 42 seconds into the first round.

He defended the title again on February 5, 2005, with a 20-second KO of D.J. Randall.

Wiman first gained national attention at FFC 15-Fiesta Las Vegas on September 15, 2005 against fellow rising star Roger Huerta. It was a back and forth fight, with both fighters nearly finishing on several occasions. Matt lost a close decision. As a result of their impressive performances, Wiman and Huerta both caught the eyes of Dana White and UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva.

Wiman defended his Extreme Fight League championship belt for a third and final time on November 12, 2005 at Battle at the Brady 2 against Thomas Grissom. Matt won by referee stoppage in the 1st round due to multiple cuts sustained by Grissom.

Wiman's next fight was at MFC-Boardwalk Blitz on March 14, 2006 in Atlantic City, New Jersey against UFC veteran, Nick Agallar. Matt lost by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

When an injury forced Leonard Garcia out of his scheduled fight with Spencer Fisher at UFC 60, Wiman agreed to replace Garcia on short notice.[3] On May 27, 2006, Wiman he lost to Fisher by KO in the second round.[4]

The Ultimate Fighter Season 5

Wiman was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 5.[5] show. He was the second pick (after Gray Maynard) for B.J. Penn's team. His preliminary fight was against Marlon Sims. Wiman landed a devastating overhand right in the opening seconds of the fight, climbed on the back of Sims and choked him unconscious. Wiman was defeated by eventual finalist Manvel Gamburyan of Team Pulver in the quarterfinals by decision. Gamburyan and Wiman exchanged takedowns, but Gamburyan was on top most of the fight and got the victory, despite Dana White's thoughts that Wiman could make it to the finals of the show.

Wiman fought Brian Geraghty on June 23, 2007 at the The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale. He took his opponent down early and worked a ground and pound attack. Wiman landed strikes in Geraghty's guard and passed to full mount, where he unloaded with punches, causing referee Yves Lavigne to stop the fight due to unanswered strikes at 2:09 of round 1.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Wiman's next fight was against Japanese judoka Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 76. Wiman controlled the fight with takedowns and ground control, and won a unanimous decision.

His next fight was against Justin Buchholz at UFC Fight Night 12 on January 23, 2008. Wiman scored a takedown in the opening moments of the fight and worked quickly to the mount position. He landed an elbow below the right eye of Buchholz causing a cut. The UFC newcomer turned over to avoid further strikes to the face and Wiman secured the back position. After a brief struggle to secure the rear naked choke, Wiman forced Buchholz to submit at 2:58 of the first round, giving him his third straight UFC victory.[6]

Wiman's next fight was against Thiago Tavares at UFC 85. After many back and forth grappling exchanges in round one, he eventually KO'd Tavares with a right hook in the second round,[7] with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell in his corner.

At UFC: Fight for the Troops, Wiman lost a one-sided unanimous decision to fellow rising star, Jim Miller, replacing an injured Frankie Edgar.

On April 18, 2009, Wiman faced Canadian striker Sam Stout at UFC 97 in Montreal, Quebec.[8] In a closely contested fight, Wiman seemed hurt from a flush liver shot late in round two, but rallied and controlled Stout for the final round. He lost via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

He was scheduled to fight Rafael dos Anjos on September 19, 2009 at UFC 103, but was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury. He was replaced by Rob Emerson.[9]

On December 12, 2009, Wiman defeated Shane Nelson at UFC 107 via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).[10]

Wiman defeated Mac Danzig via first round submission at UFC 115. However, the stoppage was apparently premature and mistaken as Wiman had Danzig in a tight guillotine choke and referee Yves Lavigne called a stoppage despite the fact that Danzig had not submitted and was still conscious.

Wiman was expected to face Danzig in a rematch on September 15, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22,[11] however Danzig was forced off the card with an injury. Wiman was then set to face Efrain Escudero,[12] but Wiman was also forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Charles Oliveira.[13]

Wiman was expected to face Cole Miller on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125,[14] but the bout eventually took place on January 22, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 23.[15] Wiman dominated Miller for all 3 rounds, resulting in a unanimous decision victory.

Wiman faced Dennis Siver on July 2, 2011 at UFC 132.[16] He lost the fight via unanimous decision where UFC President Dana White stated he felt Wiman's pain at the post-fight press conference and understood why he wouldn't show up (to the post-fight press conference) after a fight like that.[17]

Wiman won a rematch with Mac Danzig via unanimous decision on October 1, 2011 at UFC on Versus 6,.[18] The back and forth action earned Fight of the Night honors.

Wiman was expected to face Mark Bocek on April 21, 2012 at UFC 145.[19] However, Wiman was forced from the bout with an injury and was replaced by returning UFC veteran John Alessio.[20]

Wiman defeated Paul Sass via first round armbar submission on September 29, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 5.[21]

Wiman faced TJ Grant on January 26, 2013 at UFC on Fox 6.[22] He lost the fight via KO in the first round.

After an absence of nearly two years, Wiman returned from an extended hiatus and faced Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC Fight Night 57 on November 22, 2014.[23] He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.

Wiman was expected to face Leonardo Santos on March 21, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 62.[24] However, Wiman was forced out of the bout on February 11 with a back injury and was replaced by Tony Martin.[25]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–7 Isaac Vallie-Flagg Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson November 22, 2014 3 5:00 Austin, Texas, United States
Loss 15–7 TJ Grant KO (elbows and punches) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson January 26, 2013 1 4:51 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win 15–6 Paul Sass Submission (armbar) UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic September 29, 2012 1 3:48 Nottingham, England Submission of the Night
Win 14–6 Mac Danzig Decision (unanimous) UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson October 1, 2011 3 5:00 Washington D.C., United States Fight of the Night
Loss 13–6 Dennis Siver Decision (unanimous) UFC 132 July 2, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–5 Cole Miller Decision (unanimous) UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 January 22, 2011 3 5:00 Fort Hood, Texas, United States
Win 12–5 Mac Danzig Technical Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 115 June 12, 2010 1 1:45 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win 11–5 Shane Nelson Decision (unanimous) UFC 107 December 12, 2009 3 5:00 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Loss 10–5 Sam Stout Decision (unanimous) UFC 97 April 18, 2009 3 5:00 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Fight of the Night
Loss 10–4 Jim Miller Decision (unanimous) UFC: Fight for the Troops December 10, 2008 3 5:00 Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States Fight of the Night
Win 10–3 Thiago Tavares KO (punches) UFC 85 June 7, 2008 2 1:57 London, England Fight of the Night
Win 9–3 Justin Buchholz Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman January 23, 2008 1 2:56 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 8–3 Michihiro Omigawa Decision (unanimous) UFC 76 September 22, 2007 3 5:00 Anaheim, California, United States
Win 7–3 Brian Geraghty TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale June 23, 2007 1 2:09 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 6–3 Spencer Fisher KO (flying knee) UFC 60 May 27, 2006 2 1:43 Los Angeles, California, United States
Loss 6–2 Nick Agallar Decision (unanimous) MFC: Boardwalk Blitz March 4, 2006 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 6–1 Mark Thomas Grissom TKO (corner stoppage) XFL 18: Battle at the Brady 2 November 12, 2005 1 3:00 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Loss 5–1 Roger Huerta Decision (unanimous) FFC 15: Fiesta Las Vegas September 14, 2005 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5–0 D.J. Randall TKO (punches) XFL: Xtreme Fighting 3: Superbrawl February 5, 2005 1 0:20 Miami, Oklahoma, United States
Win 4–0 David Frank Submission (armbar) XFL: EK 14: Heavyweight Gladiators November 13, 2004 1 0:42 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win 3–0 Venn Johns Submission (triangle choke) XFL: EK 13: Elimination August 14, 2004 2 1:30 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win 2–0 Greg Bossler Decision (unanimous) XFL: EK 13: Elimination August 14, 2004 3 5:00 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win 1–0 Joe Garza Decision (unanimous) XFL: EK 13: Elimination August 14, 2004 3 5:00 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Matt Wiman UFC Profile". UFC. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  3. ↑ "SHERDOG.COM PREVIEW: UFC 60 "HUGHES VS. GRACIE" PT I". Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "UFC 60 - Hughes vs. Gracie". sherdog.com. 2006-05-27. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  5. ↑ "The Ultimate Fighter 5: Team Penn vs. Team Pulver". UFC. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
  6. ↑ Bolduc, Justin (August 5, 2007). "Nakamura to Make UFC Debut at UFC 76". Nokaut. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  7. ↑ "The Official Website of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC)".
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  9. ↑ Morgan, John. "Injury forces Matt Wiman out of UFC 103, Rob Emerson expected to face Rafael dos Anjos". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig Rematch Set for UFC Fight Night 22 in September". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  12. ↑ "Escudero vs. Wiman new UFN 22 co-headliner, Edwards vs. Gunderson on prelims". mmajunkie.com. August 18, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Matt Wiman vs. Cole Miller in the works for UFC 125 in January". mmajunkie.com. October 20, 2010.
  15. ↑ "UFC NEWS: Miller vs. Wiman moved from UFC 125 to UFC Fight for the Troops 2 in January". mmatorch.com. November 16, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Dennis Siver Faces Matt Wiman in Lightweight Bout at UFC 132". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  17. ↑ "White supports Siver's UFC 132 win; Bieber, Fertitta felt Wiman rightful victor". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  18. ↑ "UFC on Versus 6: Matt Wiman vs Mac Danzig rematch set for October event". mmamania.com. July 16, 2011.
  19. ↑ "UFC 145; seven bouts shift to Atlanta". mmajunkie.com. January 20, 2012.
  20. ↑ "John Alessio returning to octagon, replaces Matt Wiman at UFC 145". mmmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  21. ↑ "Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman added to UFC on FUEL TV 5 in September". mmajunkie.com. June 18, 2012.
  22. ↑ "T.J. Grant vs. Matt Wiman set for UFC on FOX 6 in Chicago". mmajunkie.com. November 7, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Matt Wiman returns at UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, meets Isaac Vallie-Flagg". mmajunkie.com. August 27, 2014.
  24. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (2015-01-22). "UFC Fight Night 62 filling up fast with addition of three new match-ups". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  25. ↑ Jason Floyd (2015-02-11). "Matt Wiman out of UFC Fight Night 62 due to back injury, Leonardo Santos will now meet Tony Martin". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2015-02-11.

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