Brent Weedman (born February 10, 1984) is an American retired

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 has 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) ** ...

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. He has competed in several Bellator Tournaments, including the: Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournament, Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament, and the Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament. He is married to fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu player, Emily Weedman.

Background

Weedman is from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

and began his formal training in the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

when he was four years old. Weedman's father, who was a police officer and a longtime martial artist himself, also ran a martial arts school. In addition to full-contact

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

, Weedman began competitive

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

when he was eight years old and also played football and soccer.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Weedman's professional career began in 2005. Making his debut in the HOOKnSHOOT promotion, Weedman finished his first fight with a draw after two rounds. Weedman later racked up two successive victories in the promotion before meeting future

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 ...

veteran

Gray Maynard Bradley Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight and Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Between 2008 and 2011, he competed in a noted rivalry with forme ...

. Weedman lost via unanimous decision, which gave Maynard his entry onto ''

The Ultimate Fighter 5 ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a ...

''. After a further win via TKO, Weedman was ranked as the number one 183 lb fighter in the

Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a ...

rankings, despite him never competing in the Shooto organisation. Amongst his next fights were losses to

Dan Hornbuckle Dan Hornbuckle (born December 26, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist and a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. A professional since 2006, Hornbuckle has competed for Bellator, Legacy FC, World Victory Road, and DEEP. ...

via triangle choke and Anthony Lapsley via TKO due to a cut over his right eye. In May 2008, with his record at 8–5–1, Weedman faced

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. He formerly competed for Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is al ...

for the AFL welterweight title. Weedman was reportedly brought in to the fight to showcase Lima's skills, as Weedman was expected to be an easy fight. Weedman threatened early on with a triangle choke which was unsuccessful. Late in the second round, Weedman again caught Lima in a triangle choke, but transitioned to an armbar, which forced Lima to submit, giving Weedman the title. He would go on to say "They brought me in because Douglas Lima would make a great champ for them. Now, it's my turn to step up. I feel good about the fact that I did a one-fight deal with them. We're going to talk a multi-fight contract now." Weedman was scheduled to defend the belt at AFL's first ever pay-per-view, though the bout failed to transpire and Weedman never fought for the promotion again.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Following five successive wins after his AFL title win, Weedman made his Bellator Fighting Championship debut at Bellator 16 against

Rudy Bears Rudy Bears (born November 12, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, who competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division. A professional competitor who started his career in 2007, Bears has fo ...

. Weedman defeated Bears via KO at 4:19 of the opening round. Weedman returned at

Bellator 23 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010, and ended on June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight ...

, where he faced John Troyer. Weedman made quick work of Troyer, finishing him via armbar just before the end of the opening round. At Bellator 30, Weedman faced Jacob McClintock, a former Bellator Welterweight Tournament competitor. The winner would reportedly receive a slot in Bellator's fourth season welterweight tournament. After just three minutes, Weedman was able to win the fight via TKO due to punches. With the win, Weedman officially qualified for the Bellator Season Four Welterweight tournament, alongside the likes of

Jim Wallhead Jim Wallhead (born 14 March 1984) is an English former professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division. He has competed for BAMMA, Bellator MMA, Bellator, and M-1 Challenge and ...

Rick Hawn Richard Hawn (born September 15, 1976), known as Rick Hawn, is a former Olympic judoka and professional mixed martial artist. A professional MMA fighter from 2009 to 2015, Hawn most notably competed for Bellator MMA, where he won the Bellator S ...

and

. Weedman fought Hornbuckle in the first round of the tournament, winning the fight by unanimous decision. However, due to the facial laceration he received during the fight, Weedman has been suspended 60 days, putting his position in the tournament in doubt. In his next fight Weedman fought

Jay Hieron Jay Hieron (born July 29, 1976) is an American actor, stuntman and former mixed martial artist. Hieron was the final IFL Welterweight Champion, competing for the Los Angeles Anacondas, and has also competed in the UFC, WEC, Affliction, ...

for a spot in the finals at

Bellator 40 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

and lost a controversial unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). Weedman entered into the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. He fought Chris Lozano in the opening round held at Bellator 49 and lost the fight via unanimous decision. After Weedman realized he was a very small

, he decided to drop to the

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 was granted instant entry to the Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament. In the quarter-finals of the tournament, Weedman fought J.J. Ambrose at Bellator 62 on March 23, 2012. Weedman won the fight via submission (VonFflue choke) in the second round. In the semi-final round Weedman fought

Thiago Michel Thiago Michel Pereira Silva, a.k.a. Thiago Michel (born May 15, 1984) is a Brazilian people, Brazilian professional kickboxer and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter formally competed for Bellator Fighting Championships in their Bellator Fighting Ch ...

at Bellator 66. He won the fight via split decision. Weedman then faced

in the finals on May 25, 2012, at Bellator 70 in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In the opening round of Bellator Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Weedman faced off against Marius Zaromskis at Bellator 86. He won via unanimous decision. Weedman was supposed to face

in the semi-finals at

Bellator 90 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 c ...

. Weedman would be forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury. He was then replaced by Bryan Baker. Weedman returned for the Season 9 Welterweight Tournament. He faced Justin Baesman in the quarterfinal opening round at Bellator 100 and won via first-round submission. In the semifinals, he had a rematch with

and lost via unanimous decision. Weedman has retired from MMA.

Skepticism

Weedman approached the

James Randi Educational Foundation The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) is an American grant-making institution founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. As a nonprofit organization, the mission of JREF includes educating the public and the media on the dange ...

(JREF) expressing interest in representing the organization. In an interview with foundation president D.J. Grothe, Weedman discussed his interest in

scientific skepticism Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism (also spelled scepticism), sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking scientific evidence. In practice, the term most commonly ref ...

. Weedman states, "The work that

James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.#Rodrigues, Rodrig ...

and the JREF do is very important, and I'm proud to be involved with you guys. I feel strongly about the cause." He cites

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysics, astrophysicist, author, and science communication, science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia Univ ...

, and

Phil Plait Philip Cary Plait (born September 30, 1964), also known as The Bad Astronomer, is an American astronomer, skeptic, and popular science blogger. Plait has worked as part of the Hubble Space Telescope team, images and spectra of astronomical obj ...

as inspirations. Weedman presented at The Amaz!ng Meeting 2013 where he discussed

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

in the martial arts.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from '' bellātor'', the Latin word for "warrior". Bellato ...

** Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament Runner-Up

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

Bellator 104 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 ...

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Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

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Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States , Bellator Season 9 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal , - , Win , align=center, 21–8–1 , Marius Zaromskis , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 86 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 70 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Decision (split) , Bellator 66 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, United States , Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament Semifinal , - , Win , align=center, 19–7–1 , J.J. Ambrose , Submission (

Von Flue choke A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza () is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air (choking)''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1999). Oxford University press. . or blood (str ...

) , Bellator 62 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:26 ,

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

, United States , Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7–1 , Chris Lozano , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 49 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city in and the county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly ...

, United States , Welterweight Tournament Semifinal , - , Win , align=center, 18–5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

Bellator 35 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

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

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

, United States , Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal , - , Win , align=center, 17–5–1 , Jacob McClintock , TKO (knee to the body & punches) , Bellator 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

, United States , Qualified for the Bellator Season Four tournament , - , Win , align=center, 16–5–1 , John Troyer , Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5–1 ,

, KO (punches) , Bellator 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:19 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 ,

Akbarh Arreola Akbarh Omar Arreola Jiménez (born January 14, 1983) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He also had competed in the Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts career ...

, TKO (punches) , MMA Xtreme 23 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:42 , Cancun, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , Robert Thompson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFA: Rebels Without a Cause , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 ,

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the parish seat and largest city of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolitan statistical ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5–1 , John Mckean , TKO (punches) , EFA: Rebels Without a Cause , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5–1 , Tim Stout , TKO (punches) , Bullet Fight Gear: Last Man Standing , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 ,

Kennesaw, Georgia Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5–1 , David Gaston , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFL: Fight Night at The Murat , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:49 ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

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, Submission (armbar) , AFL: Bulletproof , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:39 ,

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, United States , Won the AFL Welterweight Championship , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5–1 , Rhomez Brower , Decision (split) , Bullet Fight Gear: Showdown , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4–1 , Matt Shaw , Submission (punches) , Wild Bill's: Fight Night 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–4–1 , Anthony Lapsley , TKO (cut) , UFL: Fight Night at Conseco Fieldhouse , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:24 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3–1 , Jake Short , TKO (corner stoppage) , Wild Bill's: Fight Night 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3–1 , David Hulett , Submission , Wild Bill's: Fight Night 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3–1 , Chris Connelly , TKO (punches) , Wild Bill's: Fight Night 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3–1 , Jake Short , Decision (majority) , Wild Bill's: Fight Night 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2–1 , Hans Marrero , TKO (punches) , Wild Bill's: Fight Night 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2–1 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , LOF 12: Black Tie Battles , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1–1 , Lucas Gwaltney , TKO (corner stoppage) , Legends of Fighting 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , WEF: Orleans Arena , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0–1 , Josh Cate , KO (punch) , HOOKnSHOOT: Live , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

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, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 0–0–1 , Scott Henze , Draw , HOOKnSHOOT: The Final Showdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weedman, Brent American male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male judoka American male karateka Sportspeople from Louisville, Kentucky Living people 1984 births