Robert "Bubba" McDaniel (born May 3, 1983) 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 ...

who formerly fought as a

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 ...

for the

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 ( ...

where he went (1–2). He was a member of FX's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen. He is currently signed to the BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing roster.

Mixed martial arts career

''The Ultimate Fighter''

In January 2013, it was announced that McDaniel was selected for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen. To get into the TUF house, McDaniel defeated Ryan Bigler by TKO. During the choosing of teams, he was the third pick of coach

Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the ...

for Team Jones and sixth overall. McDaniel faced eventual winner

Kelvin Gastelum Kelvin Gastelum (born October 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gastelum earned a contract with the UFC after winning '' The ...

in the preliminary round. Despite being favored to win, McDaniel was submitted in the second round via rear-naked choke. McDaniel was chosen by coach Jones for the wildcard spot and faced Kevin Casey. Bubba won via corner stoppage after Casey didn't answer the bell for the third round. McDaniel lost via early KO to

Uriah Hall Uriah Alexander Hall (born July 31, 1984) is a Jamaican-American former professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Kickboxing, kickboxer, and current Professional boxing, boxer. He competed in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight divi ...

in the quarterfinals.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

McDaniel made his UFC debut against castmate Gilbert Smith on April 13, 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. He won the fight via submission in the third round. McDaniel faced

Brad Tavares Bradley Kaipo Sarbida Tavares (born December 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2007, Tavares fought in regional p ...

on August 28, 2013 at

UFC Fight Night 27 ''UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 27'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 28, 2013, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Backg ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. McDaniel was expected to face TUF 17 castmate Tor Troéng on March 15, 2014 at

UFC 171 ''UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held on March 15, 2014, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The event was released on DVD on June 17, 2014. The DVD was distributed by ''Anchor Bay Entertain ...

. However, Troéng was forced to pull out of the bout citing an injury. McDaniel instead faced UFC newcomer Sean Strickland. He lost the bout via submission in the first round and was subsequently executed from life.

Bellator MMA

Previous to fighting in the UFC, McDaniel appeared on an early

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 ...

fight card in 2009. He faced William Chris Spicer at Bellator 6 and won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round. In May 2014, McDaniel signed with

. He made his return on June 6, 2014, facing Matt Jones at Bellator 121. He won the fight by unanimous decision. McDaniel faced

Emiliano Sordi Emiliano Sordi (born 15 February 1991) is an Argentine professional mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division. He has also formerly competed for Jungle Fight, Bellator, Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) and the Profe ...

on October 10, 2014 at Bellator 128. He lost via guillotine choke submission in the first round. In his second fight for the promotion, McDaniel faced Kenyon Jackson at

Bellator 146 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

on November 20, 2015. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. After nearly two years away from Bellator, McDaniel was set to compete at Light Heavyweight when he replaced

Muhammed Lawal Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former Strikeforc ...

against Liam McGeary at Bellator 185 on October 20, 2017. The following week, McGeary pulled out of the fight due to an injury.

Personal life

McDaniel's two year old son, Wilder, was murdered by James Staley on October 11, 2018. Late October 2018, McDaniel was arrested for allegedly making terroristic threats against Staley, who was later found guilty of the murder of his son. In July 2021, Bubba's wife was arrested and charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence and abandoning or endangering a child in relation to the death of Wilder.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 31–10 , Brian Houston , TKO (punches) , ECF 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 ,

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, United States , Heavyweight debut. , - , Win , align=center, 28–10 , Andre Kavanaugh , TKO (punches) , Horsepower Promotions - Fists of Fury 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–10 , Kenyon Jackson , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:14 ,

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, United States , Catchweight (195 lbs) bout , - , Loss , align=center, 26–10 , Hayward Charles , Submission (anaconda choke) , HERO FC: Best of the Best VI , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:27 ,

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, United States , For Hero FC Middleweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 26–9 , Kenyon Jackson , Submission (choke) , Legend Fights: Lopez vs. Alexander , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–9 , Edgar Verdin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fury Fighting 7: McDaniel vs. Verdin , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:27 ,

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, United States , Light Heavyweight bout , - , Win , align=center, 24–9 , Marvin Babe , TKO (punches) , Horsepower Promotions: Fists of Fury 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 ,

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, United States , Light Heavyweight bout , - , Loss , align=center, 23–9 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 128 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–8 , Ron Fields , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Extreme Combat Challenge: Fireworks , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:55 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–8 , Matt Jones , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 121 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , Catchweight (190 lbs) bout , - , Loss , align=center, 21–8 ,

Sean Strickland Sean Thomas Strickland (born February 27, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Middleweight Champion. ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 , Gilbert Smith , Submission (triangle armbar) , The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:49 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 , Keith Cunagin , Submission (guillotine choke) , Legends of Fighting 53: Memorium , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

, United States , Catchweight (195 lbs) bout , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 ,

Eric Schambari Eric Schambari (born April 22, 1978) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Schambari has most notably fought in World Extreme Cagefighting and was a s ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Fight Game: Premier Event , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Johnny Rees , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Legends of Fighting 45: Line of Fire , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 ,

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, TKO (punches) , Pure Fighting Championships 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:28 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Nikolaos Rueve Boscarino , Submission (americana) , CNG Promotions: Queen City Meltdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:35 ,

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

Lucas Lopes Lucas Lopes de Freitas (born October 5, 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. A professional since 1999, he has competed for Strikeforce, Shooto, and Titan FC. Mixed martial arts Early career Lopes made his professional debut in 1999, ...

, KO (punches) , MMA Big Show: A Prodigy Returns , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Billy Horne , TKO (punches) , MMA Big Show: Mayhem , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5 ,

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 ...

, TKO (flying knee to the body) , ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Kala Hose , Submission (rear-naked-choke) , EliteXC: Return of the King , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Alex Cisne , TKO , KOTC: Rising Stars , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:37 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Tom Jones , Submission (north-south choke) , Freestyle Cage Fighting 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 , Dan Molina , Submission (heel hook) , KOTC: Arch Rivals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Blake Norsworthy , TKO , KOTC: Jawbreaker , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Mike Queen , Submission (rear-naked-choke) , Freestyle Cage Fighting 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:03 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Cody Malicott , Submission , Big Chief Promotions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Craig Cobb , Submission (triangle choke) , Freestyle Cage Fighting 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Gerald Harris , TKO (slam) , Freestyle Cage Fighting 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Nick Budig , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Freestyle Cage Fighting: Brawl For It All 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Jeff McConnell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Freestyle Cage Fighting: Brawl For It All , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Brandon McDowell , Submission , Ultimate Texas Showdown 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Allan McGuire , Submission (armbar) , American Cage Fighting: Showdown at Sundown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Roger Kimes , Submission (armbar) , Xtreme Fighting League - EK 19: Battle at the Brady 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Horace Spencer , Submission (choke) , Xtreme Fighting League , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , York Ash , Submission (armbar) , World Fighting Organization , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States ,

Kickboxing record

, - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2017-10-21 , , Loss , , align=left,

Kevin Holland Kevin Alan Holland (born November 5, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional si ...

, , XKO 38 , ,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, , KO (Spinning Back Elbow) , , 1 , , 1:29, , 0–1 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Bare knuckle boxing record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

Chris Camozzi Christopher Allen Camozzi (born November 20, 1986) is an American professional Glory (kickboxing), Glory kickboxer, mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer. He currently competes for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ...

, KO (punch) , BKFC 31 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:37 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McDaniel, Bubba 1983 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Texas Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male kickboxers American male boxers American bare-knuckle boxers People from Childress, Texas Sportspeople from Wichita Falls, Texas