Michael Kevin Guymon (born September 17, 1974) is a retired American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who formerly competed in

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

division. He has also competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

, as an alternate for the Tucson Scorpions in the IFL,

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

, and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstre ...

. He is the former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion. Michael was featured in the movie documentary "The Hurt Business" that debuted September 29, 2016 playing himself.

Background

Guymon was born in

Newport Beach, CA Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

but raised in Irvine, CA. He attended many different schools but graduated from Woodbridge High School and went to

Orange Coast College Orange Coast College (OCC) is a Public college, public community college in Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Ar ...

to further his studies. Guymon was trying to live his dream of playing professional baseball but while doing that he stumbled into mixed martial arts and instantly fell in love with the sport. He began training

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

and

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

soon after finding out about the new combat sport. Once Guymon noticed that to become successful in MMA he would need to start developing a ground game, he started taking classes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

Mixed martial arts career

In 1999, Guymon had his first professional fight against Zach Turnage with the fight resulting in a draw after fighting in three five-minute rounds and a five-minute overtime. He won two straight before opening the eyes of the matchmaker for the

promotion who offered him a fight against up and comer,

Diego Sanchez Diego Sanchez (born December 31, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes on the Super Lightweight division of Eagle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Sanchez is most known for his ...

. Guymon took the fight and lost by armbar submission with three seconds left in the first round. Guymon's next four fights came inside the

promotion all wins and all of them coming by submission in the first round. With the four wins he improved his overall record to 6-1-1 getting him signed to the IFL. He made his debut taking on Pat Healy losing via a split decision. Guymon then returned to

and won five straight fights, the last one being for the King of the Cage Welterweight Championship just three weeks after his suicide attempt.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Four days after defending the King of the Cage Welterweight Championship against

Quinn Mulhern Quinn Patrick Mulhern (born September 20, 1984) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2007 until 2014, ...

, Guymon received a call from the

about signing a contract. Guymon accepted and signed onto a four-fight deal. He lost his UFC debut on January 11, 2010, in

Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...

, at

UFC Fight Night 20 ''UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 20'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 11, 2010, at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Background Headlining ...

against 20-year-old

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

, Rory MacDonald. The fight stayed standing for the most part but ended when Rory took the fight to the ground and

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

submitted Guymon with an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...

near the end of the first round. Guymon defeated Yoshiyuki Yoshida on May 8, 2010, at

UFC 113 ''UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 8, 2010, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background UFC 113 featured the rematch between Lyoto Machida and Mauríci ...

by unanimous decision. Guymon faced Daniel Roberts on October 23, 2010, at

UFC 121 ''UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 23, 2010, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, United States. The event was the fourth time the UFC hosted at the Hond ...

. Guymon would go on to lose the fight after Roberts locked on an anaconda choke, following with a gator roll that tightened the squeeze forcing Guymon to tap. Guymon next faced DaMarques Johnson on January 22, 2011, at

UFC Fight Night 23 ''UFC: Fight for the Troops 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 23'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 22, 2011 at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. The event was the third that the UFC has ho ...

where he was injured early into the fight. He lost via verbal submission in the first round. After the fight, due to rupturing two discs in his back, Guymon announced his retirement from MMA.

Post-UFC

Guymon came out of retirement on March 16, 2012, dropping down to the

division where he defeated Chris Leyva by TKO due to punches in the second round at BAMMA USA: Badbeat 5. In his second fight at Lightweight in Bamma USA he beat Mike Dizack by split decision. Guymon faced

Savant Young Savant Young (born June 19, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 until 2013, he competed for the WEC, Bellator, Shooto, Affliction, the Tokyo Sabres of the IFL, King of the Cage, and Tachi ...

at Bellator 85. He suffered the first knockout loss of his career after a left hook from Young put Guymon out cold, just under a minute into the second round. After the fight, Guymon was taken to the hospital, where the doctor noticed he had fracture of the orbital, cheekbone and jaw. The doctor advised Guymon to never compete again in any combat sport. Days after his first Bellator win against Aaron Miller on November 2, 2013, Guymon announced his retirement from MMA for the second time.

Personal life

Mike Guymon is currently married to Nicole Guymon.

Suicide attempt

On August 11, 2009, Guymon attempted to commit suicide after a dispute with his wife about possibly divorcing. Guymon wrote his family a suicide note and had planned to shoot himself with a handgun, but before he could do so, his wife was able to wrestle the gun away. Guymon then got into his truck and drove away but was stopped a few blocks away by the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Guymon tried numerous times to get the deputies to shoot and kill him but all refused. The deputies were able to calm Guymon down and get him some help.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, , Aaron Miller , Submission (triangle choke) ,

Bellator 106 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:20 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6–1 ,

, KO (punch) , Bellator 85 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 , Mike Dizak , Decision (unanimous) , BAMMA USA: Badbeat 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Commerce, California Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , Cris Leyva , TKO (punches) , BAMMA USA: Badbeat 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:10 , Commerce, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5–1 , DaMarques Johnson , Submission (body triangle) , UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Bell County. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4–1 , Daniel Roberts , Submission (anaconda choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3–1 , Yoshiyuki Yoshida , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3–1 , Rory MacDonald , Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2–1 ,

, TKO (submission to punch) , KOTC: Distorted , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:32 ,

Highland, California Highland (inc. East Highlands) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States located 65 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles and roughly 50 miles west of Palm Springs, California. The city's population, inclusive to its neighbor ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2–1 , Kyacey Uscola , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Militia , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:12 , Highland, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2–1 , Anthony Lapsley , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , KOTC: Prowler , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3:37 , Highland, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2–1 , James Fanshier , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Bio Hazard , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 , Highland, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 , Chris Moore , TKO (punch) , KOTC: Fight Nite @ The Shrine , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:52 , Los Angeles, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2–1 , Pat Healy , Decision (split) , IFL: Las Vegas , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1–1 , Josh Ramage , Submission (triangle choke) , KOTC: Destroyer , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( , ; ) is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet, California, Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, Beaumont to its north. The mountains ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1–1 , Ken Cadoy , Submission (guillotine choke) , KOTC 63: Final Conflict , , align=center, 1 , align-center, N/A , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1–1 , Ray Perales , Submission (triangle choke) , KOTC 58: Prime Time , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:02 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1–1 , Joe Frainee , TKO (submission to punches) , KOTC 41: Relentless , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1–1 ,

, Submission (armbar) , KOTC 23: Sin City , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:57 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0–1 , Thomas Schulte , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Athlete 3: Vengeance , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 , Denver, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0–1 , Eric Duus , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Athlete 2: The Gathering , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 ,

Cabazon, California Cabazon (Spanish: ''Cabazón'') is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail. In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & S ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 0–0–1 , Zach Turnage , Draw , Kage Kombat 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 , Los Angeles, California, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guymon, Mike American male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1974 births Living people Mixed martial artists from California Sportspeople from Newport Beach, California Sportspeople from Irvine, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male Muay Thai practitioners American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 20th-century American sportsmen