Aaron Michael Simpson (born July 20, 1974) is an American

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 ...

. A professional competitor from 2000 until 2013, he is perhaps best known for his 11-fight stint with the UFC, but also fought for the pre-Zuffa owned WEC and the

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

Background

Simpson was born in Gunnison, Colorado and grew up in Wellton, Arizona, where he attended Antelope Union High School. In high school he was a standout wrestler, compiling an amazing 142–1 record, and earned four state wrestling championships before going to compete in the sport for

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

originally as a walk on before earning his scholarship. He compiled 110 wins and earned

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

status in 1996 and 1998 and then became an assistant coach for ASU and spent nine years there in that position. Simpson then worked as an assistant coach at

California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...

Mixed martial arts

World Extreme Cagefighting

Simpson made his WEC debut against accomplished grappler David Avellan at WEC 36. Simpson won in the first round with a highlight-reel KO.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Simpson was part of the transfer of

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

and

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

fighters in the WEC to the UFC. He made his debut at UFC Fight Night 18 by defeating Tim McKenzie via TKO in the first round. He was set to have his second fight against Dan Miller on September 16, 2009, at UFC Fight Night 19. Instead the fight was moved to UFC 102 where he fought Ed Herman. Simpson won by technical knockout when Herman went down with a knee injury in the second round. Simpson faced Tom Lawlor on January 11, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 20, defeating him via controversial split decision. Simpson was expected to face Chris Leben at UFC 114, but the bout took place instead on June 19, 2010, at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale. Simpson lost the fight via TKO at 4:17 of round 2. Simpson started out strong, using his wrestling to bring the heavier hitting Leben down multiple times. In the second round, Simpson came out gassed and ate multiple shots against the cage before turning and running away, falling against the cage, forcing the referee to save him. Simpson was expected to face David Branch on September 15, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 22, but was forced to pull out of the bout with a staph infection. Simpson faced Mark Muñoz on November 20, 2010, at UFC 123. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Simpson returned to winning by defeating Mario Miranda on March 26, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 24. Simpson dominated the fight by controlling Miranda on the ground en route to a unanimous decision victory. The judges scored the fight (30–27, 30–27, 30–26). Simpson was expected to face returning UFC veteran Jason Miller on July 2, 2011, at UFC 132. However, on May 27, 2011, it was revealed that Miller would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 14, opposite to

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

and had been pulled from the bout, while Simpson faced Brad Tavares. Simpson won via unanimous decision. Simpson was expected to face Nick Catone on October 8, 2011, at UFC 136. However, Catone was forced out of the bout after tearing an Achilles tendon, and replaced by Eric Schafer, who he defeated by unanimous decision. Simpson faced

Ronny Markes Ronny Markes (born April 21, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Markes has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fig ...

on February 15, 2012, at

UFC on Fuel TV 1 The year 2012 was the 20th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started with UFC 142, UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended with UFC 155, UFC 155: dos Santos ...

. Markes defeated Simpson via split decision. Following his split decision loss to Markes, Simpson confirmed he would drop down to the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division. Simpson was expected to face

Jon Fitch Jon Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League ...

on July 11, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman. However, Fitch pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by returning veteran Kenny Robertson. Simpson won a unanimous decision over Robertson. Simpson fought Mike Pierce on October 5, 2012, at UFC on FX 5. After nearly finishing Pierce on two occasions in the first round, Simpson was knocked out 29 seconds into the second round. After the loss, the UFC chose not to renew Simpson's contract.

World Series of Fighting

Following his UFC release, Simpson signed with the new MMA company World Series of Fighting. He fought Josh Burkman at World Series of Fighting 2 on March 23, 2013. He lost his debut via TKO in the first round.

Personal life

Simpson and his wife Kendra Sirignano have twins, a boy named Domenico and a girl named Mia, who were born in June 2008 via a surrogate, Simpson's mother-in-law. The couple also adopted a 16-year-old girl named Claire. Simpson and Sirignano also competed individually on an episode of American Gladiators Season Two against another married couple. Simpson and his wife are vegetarians. "I read a book called ‘ Eating Animals’ that changed my thoughts,” he said. “And I’m an animal lover. I couldn’t justify what I was eating any more by the way meat is factory produced now and full of hormones, the way the animals are killed, it really turns me off."

Championships and accomplishments

Collegiate wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

out of

(1996, 1998) **

177 lb: 4th place out of

(1998) **

177 lb: 8th place out of

(1996) ** Pac-10 Conference 177 lb: Champion out of

(1997–98)

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

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

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Tom Lawlor ** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Tim McKenzie **UFC.com Awards ***2009: Ranked #3 Newcomer of the Year ***2010: Ranked #8 Fight of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–5 , Joshua Burkman , KO (knee and punches) , World Series of Fighting 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Mike Pierce , KO (punch) , UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:29 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Kenny Robertson , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

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Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Eric Schafer , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 136 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Brad Tavares , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 132 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Mario Miranda , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Mark Muñoz , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 123 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 , Chris Leben , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Tom Lawlor , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Ed Herman , TKO (knee injury) , UFC 102 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Tim McKenzie , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , David Avellan , KO (punch) , WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Travis Degraw , TKO (punches) , Full Moon Fighting 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:22 , Rocky Point, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Scott Dingman , TKO (punches) , Tuff-N-Uff: Thompson vs. Troyer , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Tim Coulson , TKO (punches) , Proving Grounds 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:44 , Cayman Islands , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Billy Onlewski , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Arizona Cage Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:02 , Payson, Arizona, United States ,

References

External links

*
Aaron Simpson profile at the National Wrestling Hall of FameOfficial UFC Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Aaron Living people American male mixed martial artists 1974 births American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Gunnison, Colorado Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 20th-century American sportsmen