Daniel Emerson Bobish ( ; born January 26, 1970) is a retired 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 ...

and professional wrestler. He was competing in the Super Heavyweight (no limit) division. He is a former King of the Cage Super Heavyweight Champion. Bobish has fought in many MMA organizations including PRIDE Fighting Championships, 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 ( ...

, Gladiator Challenge and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstre ...

. His fights typically did not go past the first round with the average length of his fights being 2:43.

Background

Born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and raised in

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 ...

, Bobish was an all-state wrestler and played football at Maple Heights High School before competing at

Cuyahoga Community College Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Founded in 1963, it is the oldest and largest public community college within the state. Not unti ...

, where he was a NCJAA All-American. Bobish later transferred to the University of Mount Union, where in two seasons he went 58-2 and was the 1992 NCAA Division III National Champion at 275 lb during his senior season. He was also a two-time

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 ...

for 1991 and 1992. Bobish also played football as a defensive tackle for one season at Mount Union, and later had a tryout with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. After failing, he started to work as a bouncer at the Beach club, where he gained a reputation as a fighter. He claimed, "I never got beat one-on-one in a fight. Even two-on-one."Soul of the Brute
/ref>

Mixed martial arts career

Bobish became interested in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

by suggestions of friends in the bar where he bounced, The Flats, in which Ultimate Fighting Championships events were commonly ordered. He contacted UFC mainstay

Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Beast", is an American retired professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of ...

, who came from a similar wrestling background, and was recruited to fight in Brazil.

Universal Vale Tudo Fighting

Bobish made his professional debut on October 22, 1996 in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

at the Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 Heavyweight tournament. He first faced Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Mauro Bernardo, whom Bobish defeated in a first-round submission by taking him down and choking him with his forearm. The American would find another wrestler and UFC veteran in the second round, Dave Beneteau, but Bobish controlled the bout with a guillotine choke with several strikes, eventually getting the win by a cut. He then fought yet another wrestler and UFC veteran, fellow NCAA collegiate champion

Kevin Randleman Kevin Christopher Randleman (August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist, amateur and professional wrestler, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in collegiate wrestling, in which he ...

from Team Hammer House, for the final. Bobish controlled the first minutes from the clinch, attempting neck cranks and landing several punches, but Randleman escaped. The two then exchanged hard strikes, with Bobish getting the better of it, but Randleman scored a takedown and mounted him, from where he landed several strikes. Two of the hits dislocated Bobish's jaw, forcing him to give up. After the defeat, he returned to United States and joined Severn's team full-time, training with him, Don Frye and shootfighting teacher Becky Levi. Bobish returned at Vale Tudo Fighting 6 tournament, knocking out Ucimar Hypolito in six seconds in order to meet regarded Carlson Gracie's trainee Carlos Barreto in the semifinals. Again, the American wrestler controlled most of the bout, taking down and hitting ground and pound on Barreto via his superiority at the clinch. Controversy arose at one point, as Barreto's teammates Wallid Ismail and Murilo Bustamante claimed Bobish had tapped out in an armbar attempt by Barreto, while Hammer House stablemaster

Mark Coleman Mark Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first List of UFC champions#Tournament ...

pointed out Carlos was grabbing the ropes to avoid being taken down. In any case, minutes later Bobish started to show fatigue, and when he dove again in Barreto's guard to continue his ground and pound assault, he fell to a triangle choke submission.PRIDE 27 Inferno Preview - Igor Vovchanchyn vs Dan Bobish
/ref>

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After his vale tudo tenure, Bobish debuted in

in 1997, following the tenures of Severn and his other teammate Don Frye. He entered the UFC 14 heavyweight tournament, where he was placed against kickboxer and UFC veteran

Brian Johnston Brian Alexander Johnston (24 June 1912 – 5 January 1994), nicknamed Johnners, was a British cricket commentator, author, and television presenter. He was most prominently associated with the BBC during a career which lasted from 1946 until h ...

. Although his opponent proved his field of expertise by momentarily stunning Bobish, the wrestler took him down, folded him against the fence and submitted him to a forearm choke. Bobish advanced round and met another Hammer House fighter, fellow former NCAA Division I champion Mark Kerr, who opened their match with effective leg kicks and a takedown scored. Bobish tried to escape, but Kerr held him down while hitting ground and pound, and ultimately jammed his chin into Bobish's eye to force him to give up.

King of the Cage

After moving to 6–3, Bobish fought Eric Pele at KOTC 12: Cold Blood for the vacant KOTC Super Heavyweight Championship. Bobish won after Pele's corner threw in the towel at 1:10 into the second round. Bobish then defended his title against Mike Kyle, before losing it to Jimmy Ambriz at KOTC 16: Double Cross.

PRIDE Fighting Championships

Following his professional wrestling work in Japan in 2003, Bobish had his first MMA bout in Japan for event X-1, easily defeating Basil Castro. He was then brought to PRIDE Fighting Championships in November, pitted in PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 against renowned UFC and PRIDE veteran Gary Goodridge. However, the bout was short and controversial: having received an eye poke in the first striking exchange, Bobish stopped fighting and told the referee on the belief the match would be stopped for the ring doctor, but it wasn't, and Goodridge capitalized on the distraction to knock Bobish out. Bobish returned at PRIDE 27 against feared Ukrainian striker

Igor Vovchanchyn Igor Yaroslavovych Vovchanchyn (, ; born August 6, 1973) is a retired Ukrainian mixed martial artist and kickboxer, who competed in early Mixed martial arts, no holds barred MMA contests. After making his professional MMA debut in 1995, he won nin ...

. The American scored an early takedown and mounted Vovchanchyn, initially looking for a neck crank and later seeking a keylock, while applying ground and pound during the process. Eventually Vovchanchyn regained guard, and action was restarted on the feet with a yellow card for Bobish due to a lapse of inactivity. Vovchanchyn then landed multiple strikes while on the feet, but Bobish managed to take him down again and achieve north/south position, ending the round with another submission attempt. At th second, however, Vovchanchyn controlled an already visibly tired Bobish with punches and knee strikes, and ultimately dropped him and mounted him for his own ground and pound. Devoid of energy, Bobish then submitted verbally. Bobish then faced another renowned kickboxer in Mark Hunt at PRIDE 28 on October 31, 2004. Bobish scored a takedown and forced Hunt to turtle up, landing hammerfists and knee strikes and at one point even attempting a crossface hold on the kickboxer. However, the tough Hunt absorbed the damage and managed to escape to his feet. With Bobish showing signs of fatigue, Hunt forced him to surrender with an uppercut and a body kick.

Independent promotions

After his PRIDE run, Bobish returned to

, and regional U.S. promotions. He went 8–2 in his final ten fights. He lost his last fight at Hardcore Championship Fighting: Title Wave against Alexander Emelianenko on October 19, 2007. During the fight Bobish blew out his L3 and L4 discs in his back, and made the decision to end his career rather than receive surgery.

Professional wrestling

Bobish made his

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

debut in March 2003 for Japanese promotion Fighting World of Japan, where he teamed up with his MMA training partner Don Frye to unsuccessfully face Kensuke Sasaki and Hiroshi Hase in their first match. Bobish then became a regular player, teaming up with Hase himself and other native wrestlers. A year later, he debuted for the HUSTLE promotion in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, appearing as part of Generalissimo Takada's Takada Monster Army, and occasionally wrestling as a representative in Pro Wrestling Zero-One. He had 22 total matches, nine of which were tag team. He also competed for three more years while simultaneously fighting in MMA.

Personal life

Bobish now lives in his hometown of

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

and began promoting local fights in 2010 when he founded "Ultimate Cage Battles." Bobish was once a sparring partner and bodyguard for

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

. Bobish is married and has four children.

Championships and accomplishments

Collegiate 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. ...

** 1992 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships - 1st place, 275 lb ** NCAA Division III Wrestling

(1991, 1992)

Mixed martial arts

** KOTC Super Heavyweight Championship (One time) ***One successful title defense *

** UFC 14 Heavyweight Tournament - runner-up *Universal Vale Tudo Fighting **UVTF 4 Tournament - runner-up **UVTF 6 Tournament - semifinalist

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–9 , Alexander Emelianenko , Submission (guillotine choke) , HCF: Title Wave , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

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Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–8 , Matt Eckerle , Submission (guillotine choke) , Fightfest 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 ,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–8 , Eric Knox , TKO (punches) , GFS: Fight Nite in the Flats 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–8 , Chris Clark , Submission (armbar) , Fightfest 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–8 , Ben Rothwell , KO (knee) , GFC: Team Gracie vs Team Hammer House , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–7 , Joey Smith , TKO (submission to punches) , KOTC 64: Raging Bull , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–7 , Ruben Villareal , TKO (punches) , KOTC 48: Payback , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–7 , Mark Hunt , TKO (body kick) , PRIDE 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:23 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6 ,

, TKO (punches) , PRIDE 27 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:45 ,

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5 , Gary Goodridge , TKO (punches) , PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Basil Castro , TKO (punches) , X-1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 , Jimmy Ambriz , TKO (submission to punches) , KOTC 16: Double Cross , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 , San Jacinto, California, United States , Lost the KOTC Super Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Mike Kyle , TKO (submission to punches) , KOTC 13: Revolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 , United States , Defended the KOTC Super Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Eric Pele , TKO (corner stoppage) , KOTC 12: Cold Blood , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:10 , San Jacinto, California, United States , Won the vacant KOTC Super Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Brett Hogg , Submission (armbar) , RSF 5: New Blood Conflict , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , Mark Kerr , Submission (chin to the eye) , UFC 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 ,

, Submission (forearm choke) , UFC 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Carlos Barreto , Submission (triangle choke) , Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:47 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Ucimar Hypolito , KO (punches) , Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:05 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Joe Charles , Submission (forearm choke) , World Fighting Federation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:42 ,

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

, TKO (submission to punches) , Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:50 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dave Beneteau , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:44 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mauro Bernardo , Submission (forearm choke) , Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 , Brazil ,

References

External links

* *
Dan Bobish
at Pride FC (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bobish, Dan Living people 1970 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Ohio Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling American male sport wrestlers Martial artists from Cleveland University of Mount Union alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 20th-century American sportsmen