Brennan Ward (born June 28, 1988) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 ...

and Bare Knuckle Boxer who most recently competed in

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. The promotion was founded in April 2018, and is presided over by David Feldman. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official st ...

. A professional competitor since 2008, Ward formerly competed for CES MMA,

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

and was the Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament Winner.

Background

Ward was born in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

, and raised in

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut ...

. Ward's father, Kent, owns a

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

gym, Whaling City Boxing (New London), where Ward began training from a young age. He competed in

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 ...

at Waterford High School, graduating in 2006, before continuing his career at Colby Community College. Ward later transferred to

Johnson & Wales University Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is a private university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU enrolled 7,357 students across its cam ...

, which has a Division III program. At Johnson & Wales, Ward demonstrated his talents, earning

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 ...

honors and was also the runner-up in the nation for his weight class, after winning the New England title.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ward started his professional career in 2008, but only became active in 2012. He fought mainly for Rhode Island's promotion ''Classic Entertainment and Sports'' (CES MMA). With a record of 5 and 0, Ward signed with

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) ** ...

Bellator MMA

Ward was expected to make his debut against Valter Roberto on November 16, 2012, at

Bellator 81 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

. However, Roberto was replaced by Sam McCoy due to undisclosed reasons. Ward won via KO in the very first round. Ward faced Aaron Johnson on February 14, 2013, at

Bellator 89 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 ...

. He had his first career's defeat via submission at 15 seconds of round one. Ward was expected to face Vadiano La Luz on February 28, 2013, at Bellator 91. However, La Luz was replaced by Yair Moguel due to undisclosed reasons. Ward won via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round. Ward was expected to face Dave Vitkay on September 7, 2013, at

Bellator 98 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 ...

. However, he was called to replace

Andreas Spång Andreas Christian Spång (born November 7, 1978) is a Swedish professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who last competed in 2014. A professional competitor since 2008, he has competed for Bellator, the MFC, and Strikeforce. Personal life A ...

against Justin Torrey in the quarterfinal match of Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament at the same event. Ward won via TKO in the second round and advanced to the semifinal. Ward was expected to face Perry Filkins in the semifinal on October 4, 2013, at Bellator 102. Filkins, however, was injured and replaced by Joe Pacheco. Ward won the fight via submission in the second round. Ward faced

Mikkel Parlo Mikkel Parlo (born May 3, 1990) is a Danish retired mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. Mixed martial arts career Early career Parlo began competing as an amateur in 2008, compiling a record of 3- ...

in the finals on November 8, 2013, at Bellator 107. He won the fight via TKO due to punches in the second round. Ward faced

Bellator Middleweight Champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") was an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

Alexander Shlemenko Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko (, born 20 May 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships, where he is the former Bellator Middlew ...

Bellator 114 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight ...

on March 28, 2014. Despite doing well in the first round, Ward lost the bout due to a submission early in the second round. Ward was expected to face James Irvin at

Bellator 123 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight ...

on September 5, 2014, however, the bout was cancelled for unknown reasons. Ward instead faced

Tamdan McCrory Tamdan Wade McCrory (born November 5, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2006, McCrory has also former ...

on the same card. Ward lost the bout via knockout in the first round. Ward was expected to make his Welterweight debut against

Jesse Juarez Jesse Juarez (born May 8, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut. A professional competitor since 2006, Juarez has also formerly competed for Strik ...

on February 27, 2015, at Bellator 134. However, Ward has been moved up to the main card to face

Curtis Millender Curtis Millender (born December 1, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2013, Millender has formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA ...

after Millender's opponent,

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987), known as Michael "Venom" Page or MVP, is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divi ...

, pulled out of the fight due to a cut over his left eye. Ward defeated Millender via submission in the first round. Ward was expected to face English fighter Gavin Sterritt at Bellator 140 on July 17, 2015. However, a week before the fight, his opponent was changed to Roger Carroll. Ward won the fight via knockout in the first round. Ward next faced Dennis Olson at Bellator 144 on October 23, 2015. He won the fight via KO in the first round. Ward made his international MMA debut on December 31, 2015, as a Bellator MMA representative at Rizin Fighting Federation 2. He faced Ken Hasegawa in a 179-pound catchweight bout and won the fight via submission in the second round. On March 1, 2016, it was announced that Ward would face

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

vet

Evangelista Santos Evangelista Santos ( born December 12, 1977) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 1997 until 2016, Santos competed for Strikeforce, Bellator MMA, the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Ch ...

on April 22, 2016, at Bellator 153. He lost the fight via heel hook submission in the first round. Ward next faced Saad Awad at Bellator 163 on November 4, 2016. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Ward made a quick return to the cage, facing

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bella ...

in the co-main event at Bellator 170 on January 21, 2017. He lost the fight due to a flying knee in the first round. Ward faced Fernando Gonzalez at Bellator 182 on August 25, 2017. He lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the third round. Ward was expected to face David Rickels at Bellator 185 on October 20, 2017. Ward pulled out of the fight due to an injury and, as a result, Rickels was removed from the fight card. After a 15-month layoff, Ward was scheduled to face Andre Fialho on October 12, 2018, at Bellator 207. However on September 10, 2018, Ward notified the promotion that he will retire from MMA.

Bare-knuckle boxing

On April 8, 2019, Bare Knuckle FC president David Feldman announced that Ward had signed a contract with the organization. Ward was expected to face former UFC Welterweight champion

Johny Hendricks Johny Hendricks (born September 12, 1983) is an American former mixed martial artist and collegiate wrestler. He competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is a former UFC Welterwei ...

at ''World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federations inaugural event on November 9, 2018. During the fight week, Ward announced that he wouldn't be fighting at the event due to a contract dispute. On December 20, 2024, it was announced that Ward had signed with the

(BKFC). Ward faced James Dennis on February 1, 2025 at BKFC on DAZN: Mohegan Sun. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. Ward faced JR Rumsley on June 14, 2025 at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the third round.

Return to Bellator MMA

Ward battled with drug addiction throughout his career and after spending time in jail Ward decided to attend rehab and get sober. His first mixed martial arts bout in four and a half years took place at Bellator 274 on February 19, 2022, against Brandon Bell. He won the bout in dominant fashion, finishing Bell in the second round via technical knockout. On April 15, 2022, it was announced that Ward signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator. Ward's next bout in Bellator was at

Bellator 282 ''Bellator 282: Mousasi vs. Eblen'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on June 24, 2022, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, United States. Background Gegard Mousasi defended his Middleweight ...

on June 24, 2022, against Kassius Kayne. He won the bout via TKO stoppage in the second round. Ward faced Sabah Homasi on February 4, 2023, at

Bellator 290 ''Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on February 4, 2023, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, United States. The card aired live on CBS and Paramount Plus, the first ti ...

. Ward won by technical knockout in the second round, after dropping Homasi with a head kick and finishing the bout with ground and pound. Ward faced Logan Storley on August 11, 2023, at

Bellator 298 ''Bellator 298: Storley vs. Ward'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on August 11, 2023, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. Background The event marked the promotion's fou ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.It was later revealed that Brennan Ward was severely injured going into the Storley fight, having sustained a torn bicep tendon,as well as a torn UCL ligament in his left arm three weeks before the fight, essentially leaving him with one arm during the entire fight. Brennan's youngest daughter had also just recently been born, complicating his training. Despite this, Brennan insisted on fighting saying "In my younger days, I might've pulled out of that fight. But it was the main event, fighting Logan in his hometown, I know that I had a puncher's chance with my right hand...and I went out there and fought, 'cause that's what I do bro" "But I was not, I was probably about forty percent of myself during that fight"

Professional Fighters League

Ward participated in the 2024 PFL season in the Welterweight division, facing Don Madge at PFL 3 on April 19, 2024. He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Ward next faced Magomed Umalatov at PFL 6 (2024) on June 28, 2024 at

Sanford Pentagon The Sanford Pentagon (colloquially known as The Pentagon) is an indoor arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Pentagon opened in September 2013 and has a seating capacity of 3,250 spectators. It hosts the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA ...

stadium in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

. He lost the fight via an anaconda choke submission in the first round. Ward subsequently retired from MMA competition after the bout.

Personal life

On October 24, 2016, at approximately 7:00 pm, Ward rescued a baby trapped in a stroller abandoned along a busy New London road. The baby was subsequently taken to a nearby fire department – and later hospital – where she was determined to be without injury.

Controversies

On July 4, 2016, at approximately 12:10 pm, Ward was arrested by the Waterford Police Department on the charges of breach of peace, interfering with a police officer, threatening a public safety officer, and assault on a public safety officer. According to the police report, an inebriated Ward got into an altercation with his female companion (who was also arrested for breach of peace) and subsequently resisted arrest by physically and verbally assaulting the officers present. Officers were also unable to process Ward at the time of his arrest due to his continued belligerence as he repeatedly banged his head on the Plexiglas divider of the squad car and “continued extreme aggression” in his jail cell. Ward proceeded to call three of the four policemen by their first names as well as threatened them and their families. Police also noted that Ward urinated all over the floor and door of his jail cell. He was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 16, 2016. In December 2019, news surfaced that Ward was sentenced to 120 days in prison and is expected to be released early 2020. Ward also had a pending case from a January 3, 2014, incident, where he was charged with disobeying the signal of a police officer, reckless driving, and interfering with a police officer.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur 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 III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

out of

(2010) **

184 lb: Runner-up out of

(2010) *New England Wrestling Association **NEWA Championship 184 lb: Champion out of

(2011) * Ithaca College Athletics **Ithaca College Invitational 184 lb: Champion out of

(2009) **Ithaca College Invitational 197 lb: 3rd place out of

(2010)

Mixed martial arts

** Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament Winner

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–9 , Magomed Umalatov , Submission (anaconda choke) , PFL 6 (2024) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 , Don Madge , Submission (rear-naked choke) , , PFL 3 (2024) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 , Logan Storley , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:05 ,

, United States , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 , Sabah Homasi , TKO (head kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Kassius Kayne , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Brandon Bell , TKO (punches) , Bellator 274 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:32 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 , Fernando Gonzalez , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 182 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenos ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, KO (flying knee) , Bellator 170 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Saad Awad , KO (punches) , Bellator 163 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , Bellator 153 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Ken Hasegawa , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:52 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Dennis Olson , KO (punches) , Bellator 144 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Roger Carroll , KO (punch) , Bellator 140 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 134 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:22 ,

West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and an inner suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Utah after Salt Lake City. The city inco ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Bellator 107 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:39 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located near the Texas state border. The population was 400 at the 2020 census. Geography Thackerville is situated near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and State High ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Joe Pacheco , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 102 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 ,

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-most populous city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 38th most populous in California, and 183 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Justin Torrey , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:28 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Yair Moguel , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 91 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho () is the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is the thi ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Aaron Johnson , Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Sam McCoy , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

Kingston, Rhode Island Kingston is a village and a census-designated place within the New England town, town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, South Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the mai ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Shedrick Goodridge , TKO (punches) , CES MMA: Real Pain , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Harley Beekman , Decision (unanimous) , CES MMA: Never Surrender , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lincoln, Rhode Island Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistica ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Brennan Scholz , TKO (punches) , CES MMA: Extreme Measures , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mike Manna , TKO (punches) , USFL: War in the Woods 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Ledyard, Connecticut Ledyard ( ) is a New England town, Town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a American Revol ...

, United States ,

Bareknuckle boxing record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , JR Rumsley , TKO , BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:34 ,

, United States , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , James Dennis , KO (punch) , BKFC on DAZN: Mohegan Sun , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, United States , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Brennan 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from New London, Connecticut American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Connecticut Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling People from Waterford, Connecticut Johnson & Wales University alumni