Cody Steven McKenzie (born December 16, 1987) 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 since 2007, McKenzie mostly competed in his regional circuit, before signing with 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 ( ...

to appear on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck,'' and has also competed for

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with oth ...

Background

McKenzie was born in

Cordova, Alaska Cordova ( ) is a port city in Chugach Census Area, Alaska, United States. It lies near the mouth of the Copper River, at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound. The population was 2,609 at the 2020 census, up from 2 ...

and currently trains in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

. He saw his first

MMA 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 ...

fight when he was a sophomore at Selkirk High School and knew from then on that he wanted to be an MMA fighter. McKenzie is a member of the "Fancy Pants Fight Team", named after Lyle Beerbohm. Prior to joining the

, McKenzie recorded ten successive submission victories, nine of which were by guillotine choke. McKenzie also utilizes his own variation of the guillotine choke which he names "The McKenzietine". McKenzie flips his shoulder a different way to the standard guillotine choke, before arching his shoulder. According to Sherdog.com, McKenzie has the third-most guillotine choke victories in the world behind only two fighters who have each had over 50 fights in their respective careers, one being Travis Fulton, the front-runner, who despite having had over 300 fights has only two more guillotine victories than McKenzie.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

McKenzie began his professional mixed martial arts career with a TKO victory over Brett Held in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. This was his only fight to go to a second round in his career prior to the UFC. Less than a month later, McKenzie faced Abe Jones, defeating him via triangle choke in the first round. After taking almost a year away from competition, McKenzie returned to face Benny Mawson, once again in British Columbia, Canada. After 100 seconds, McKenzie caught his opponent in a guillotine choke, taking his record to 3–0. This began his long stretch of victories via guillotine choke. During this near-record setting span, McKenzie fought several times in B.C. and in various locations in Washington. McKenzie also fought in Bahrain on one occasion, taking just four minutes to defeat his opponent with a guillotine choke. Before signing with the UFC, McKenzie had a record of 11–0, with nine successive first-round guillotine choke finishes.

The Ultimate Fighter

McKenzie signed with the

to appear on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck''. McKenzie competed on the debut episode against Amir Khillah, to get into the house. Prior to the fight,

Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981), also known by his initials GSP, is a Canadian former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-divi ...

predicted a guillotine choke submission victory for McKenzie. This proved to be correct as McKenzie forced a technical submission victory over Khillah in the opening round. In the second episode, the team picks were made.

picked McKenzie as his sixth pick (twelfth overall). McKenzie was next picked to face Koscheck's number one pick Marc Stevens. Stevens went for an early takedown, but was caught in a guillotine choke submission. With just 18 secondshttp://boxing.nv.gov/2010%20Results%20Web/TUF%20SEASON%2012.pdf on the clock, Stevens passed out and McKenzie was declared the winner. In the quarterfinals, McKenzie faced

Nam Phan Nhat Nam Si Phan (born March 13, 1983), better known as Nam Phan, is an American retired mixed martial artist and professional boxer. A professional in mixed martial arts since 2001, Phan has competed for the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, World Victor ...

of Team Koscheck. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round after Phan dropped him with a combo to the body.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

McKenzie made his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale against Aaron Wilkinson. He went on to defeat Wilkinson via submission (a guillotine choke applied to Wilkinson's jaw) at 2:03 of round one. McKenzie earned the Submission of the Night award for his performance. McKenzie made a quick return to the octagon as he replaced Melvin Guillard to face

Yves Edwards Yves Edwards (born September 30, 1976) is a Bahamian retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, who is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC's Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division, fighting 21 times in the p ...

at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 on January 22, 2011. After a back and forth battle that saw both men in control, McKenzie lost the fight via rear naked choke submission in the second round. McKenzie was expected to face Bart Palaszewski on May 28, 2011, at UFC 130, but was forced off the card with an injury and was replaced by Gleison Tibau. McKenzie faced

Vagner Rocha Vagner Rocha (born June 6, 1982) is a Brazilian submission grappler and former professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the featherweight division. He is the 2017 Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds lightweight champion. Mixed martial arts career ...

on September 17, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 25. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. McKenzie was expected to face Michael Johnson on January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox 2. However, McKenzie was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Shane Roller. McKenzie was expected to face Aaron Riley on May 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. However, Riley was pulled from the event and replaced by promotional newcomer Marcus LeVesseur. McKenzie won the fight via submission in the first round. McKenzie dropped to featherweight and faced

Chad Mendes Chad Eduardo Mendes (born May 1, 1985)Archived
from th ...

on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148. He lost the fight via first-round TKO. McKenzie was expected to face Leonard Garcia on December 29, 2012, at UFC 155. However, McKenzie pulled out of the bout, citing an injury, and was replaced by

Max Holloway Jerome Max Keli'i Holloway (born December 4, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Fea ...

. The bout with Leonard Garcia was rescheduled for April 27, 2013, at UFC 159. McKenzie won the fight via unanimous decision, the first decision win of his career. McKenzie faced Sam Stout in a lightweight bout on December 14, 2013, at

UFC on Fox 9 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 9'') was a mixed martial arts event held on December 14, 2013, at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the UFC's third visit to the venue, after UFC 65 and UFC ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. During the fight, McKenzie wore basketball shorts with the tag still on them, which UFC president

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

called "UFC amateur hour." McKenzie was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC

McKenzie fought at a 180-pound catchweight on April 12, 2014, against Mark Dobie at Battle for the Border 3. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission. On October 3, 2014, McKenzie faced Brock Larson in the opening round of the BattleGrounds MMA one-night welterweight tournament. He lost the fight via second-round submission. On December 18, 2014, McKenzie announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. Two months after announcing his first retirement, it was announced on February 3, 2015, that McKenzie had signed with WSOF. He faced Andrew McInnes at World Series of Fighting 18: Moraes vs. Hill on February 12, 2015. He lost the fight via disqualification, after a headbutt from McKenzie rendered McInnes unable to continue. On October 14, 2017, McKenzie fought for Venator, losing by first-round TKO to Stefano Paterno. He was later suspended by the Italian MMA commission for refusing to provide a sample to anti-doping officers. The following year in September 2018, McKenzie was due to face J.D. Domengeaux at a Tuff-N-Uff event. The fight was called off the day before the bout after McKenzie refused to provide a urine sample to anti-doping and then attempted to provide fake urine. In November Mckenzie was suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for four years.

Bare knuckle boxing

Cody Mckenzie fought in a bare-knuckle boxing fight with the United Kingdom's BKB-Bare Knuckle Boxing organization, debuting against its most recognized star fighter, undefeated Middleweight Champion Jimmy "Celtic Warrior" Sweeney for the BKB Middleweight World Championship at BKB 4. Sweeney did as many in the bare-knuckle scene expected he would and controlled the fight from start to finish, playing with McKenzie at times and knocking him down 5 times before the fight was eventually stopped via TKO.

Film and television

McKenzie was featured in the mixed martial arts documentary ''

Fight Life ''Fight Life'' is a feature-length documentary on the sport of mixed martial arts. The film is directed by independent filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films. The film focuses on the lives of professional mixed martial arts fighters ou ...

.''

Championships and achievements

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Aaron Wilkinson

Mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, 17–11 , Chris Ensley , Submission (guillotine choke) , Conquest of the Cage: McKenzie vs. Ensley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 , Airway Heights, Washington, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–11 , Stefano Paterno , TKO (punches) , Venator FC: Kingdom 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–10 ,

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who was most recently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship where he lost via KO to Lorenzo Hunt. He former ...

, TKO (submission to punches) , Z Promotions: Fight Night Medicine Hat 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:51 ,

Medicine Hat, Alberta Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are within ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 16–9 , Valeriu Mircea , Submission (guillotine choke) , Venator FC III , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 , Ryan Machan , Submission (shoulder lock) , Fight Night Medicine Hat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 ,

David Bielkheden David Bielkheden (born June 6, 1979) is a retired Swedish mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2001, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Shooto, Cage Rage, M-1 G ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Superior Challenge 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7 , Andrew McInnes , DQ (intentional headbutt) , WSOF 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:57 ,

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 , Beslan Isaev , KO (knee) , M-1 Challenge 54 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 , Brock Larson , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , BattleGrounds MMA 5: O.N.E. , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Mark Dobie , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Battle for the Border 3 - Nations Collide , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

Cranbrook, British Columbia Cranbrook ( ) is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located approximately 10 km southwest of the confluence of the Kootenay River and the St. Mary River (British Columbia), St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 , Sam Stout , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Leonard Garcia , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 159 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3 ,

Chad Mendes Chad Eduardo Mendes (born May 1, 1985)Archived
from th ...

, KO (punch to the body) , UFC 148 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 ,

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, 13–2 , Marcus LeVesseur , Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:49 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–1 ,

, Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:33 ,

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Cavazos is a United States Army Military installation, post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located ha ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Aaron Wilkinson , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:03 ,

Las Vegas 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 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Brandon MacArthur , Submission (guillotine choke) , AM Ford: Fight Night 2010 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Trail, British Columbia Trail is a city in the western Kootenays region of the British Columbia Interior, Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It was named after the Dewdney Trail, which passed through the area. The town was first called Trail Creek or Trail Creek Lan ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Len Bentley , Submission (guillotine choke) , Rumble on the Ridge 6: Regeneration , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

Snoqualmie, Washington Snoqualmie ( ) is a city next to Snoqualmie Falls in King County, Washington, United States. It is east of Seattle. Snoqualmie is home to the Northwest Railway Museum. The population was 14,121 at the 2020 census. Etymology The name "Sno ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Ryan Farhat , Submission (guillotine choke) , Raw Power: MMA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 , Sanabis,

Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...

, Bahrain , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Bobby Sanchez , Submission (guillotine choke) , Conquest of the Cage 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Casey Hobson , Submission (guillotine choke) , AM Ford: Fight Night 2009 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jeremy Burnett , Submission (guillotine choke) , CageSport MMA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Rob Roy , Submission (guillotine choke) , Caged Rage 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 , Castlegar,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Dennis Parks , Submission (guillotine choke) , EWC: Vancouver Cage Fights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

Ridgefield, Washington Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County, Washington, Clark County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 10,319 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is e ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Benny Mawson , Submission (guillotine choke) , GFS: Ford Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Abe Jones , Submission (triangle choke) , PFA: Ultimate Cage Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brett Held , TKO (punches) , GFS: Helter Smelter , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:15 ,

, Canada ,

Bare-knuckle boxing record

, Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Jimmy Sweeney , TKO (Referee Stoppage) , BKB 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, United Kingdom , For the BKB Middleweight World Championship , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Cody 1987 births American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Mixed martial artists from Alaska People from Cordova, Alaska Martial artists from Spokane, Washington Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu