Cody Scott Donovan (born February 20, 1981) is an American practitioner of

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

. He is also a retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, who is perhaps best known for his four-fight stint in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Donovan has also competed for Bellator.

Background

Donovan was born in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Fall ...

and is of Irish descent. He began training in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

at the age of 17 and also worked as a security guard of a psychiatric ward of a hospital in Denver, Colorado before meeting

Nate Marquardt Nathan Joel Marquardt (born April 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the middleweight and welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 1999, he is a former Strikeforce ...

, who introduced Donovan to mixed martial arts. Donovan attended the Art Institute of Colorado and graduated with a degree in media arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Donovan held an amateur record of 4-1 and compiled a 7-2 record before signing a four-fight deal with 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Donovan made his UFC debut on December 15, 2012 at UFC on FX 6 against Canadian Nick Penner, replacing an injured Eddie Mendez on nine days notice. He won the fight via TKO in the first round, earning ''Fight of the Night'' honors in the process. Donovan faced Ovince St. Preux on August 17, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 26. He lost the fight via first-round KO. Donovan was expected to face promotional newcomer Robert Drysdale on November 16, 2013 at UFC 167. However, Drysdale was refused a fighting license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) and was replaced by

Gian Villante Gianpiero Villante (born August 18, 1985) is a retired American mixed martial artist who previously fought in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional from 2009 to 2021, he also has competed for Strikefor ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Donovan faced

Nikita Krylov Nikita Andreyevich Krylov (born March 7, 1992) is a Ukrainian-Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for M-1 Global. As ...

on July 19, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 46. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. After three consecutive KO/TKO stoppage losses, Donovan announced his retirement from MMA competition.

Personal life

Donovan is married.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Titles

*High Altitude Martial Arts **HAMA Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)http://www.elevationfightteam.com/#!the-coaches/inkbm/

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 ,

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Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

Ovince Saint Preux Ovince Saint Preux (born April 8, 1983) is a Haitian-American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2008, Saint Preux has also formerly competed for Strikef ...

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Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Brian Albin , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tunica, Mississippi Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the Un ...

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Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Cortez Coleman , TKO (corner stoppage) , C3 Fights: Slammin Jammin Weekend 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city and county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly called the "Cherokee Strip"), which belonged to the Cher ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 ,

Isaac Villanueva Isaac "Ike" James Villanueva (born April 4, 1984), is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Starting his career in 2008, Vi ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ascend Combat: The Beginning , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:52 , Shreveport, Louisiana, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Eric Smith , TKO (punches) , ROF 36: Demolition , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

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Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , John Doyle , TKO (punches and elbows) , UWC 5: Man O' War , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census the p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Wade Drake , TKO (punches) , UWC 4: Confrontation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Cody 1981 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu