Daniel Lamar Roberts (born August 5, 1980) 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 last competed in 2015. A professional since 2007, he is a veteran of 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Pancrase is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the An ...

, Titan FC, and Legacy FC.

Background

Roberts is a graduate of Bacone College in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...

, where he majored in

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

. At Bacone College, Roberts was a standout athlete and an NAIA All-American wrestler. Roberts also has 12 years of jiu-jitsu experience and is proficient in

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 ...

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 ...

and

Boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

. He recently moved out to California to train with Gilbert Melendez and his team, the Skrap Pack. He also trains at Fairtex Muay Thai in San Francisco.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Roberts made his professional debut in 2007, and moved to 9-0 before being signed by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Roberts signed a four-fight deal with the UFC in March 2010. He made his debut on short notice, filling in for an injured Anthony Johnson to fight

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones. After an exciting grappling affair in the first two minutes, Howard delivered a punch that knocked Roberts unconscious. Roberts was expected to fight Julio Paulino at

UFC 116 ''UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 3, 2010, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was voted as the Best Major Show in the 2010 List of Wrestling ...

, but Paulino was forced from the card with an injury. Roberts instead fought veteran

Forrest Petz Forrest Leonard Petz (born September 22, 1975) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2013, he is perhaps best known for his two stints in the UFC, but also fought for King of the Cage and Adrenaline MMA. Bac ...

. Roberts won the fight via split decision. Roberts fought and quickly defeated Mike Guymon on October 23, 2010 at UFC 121. The fight barely passed the minute mark in the first round before Roberts applied an anaconda choke, and earned the submission win. His submission win also earned him the 'Submission of the Night' honors. On January 1, 2011 at

UFC 125 ''UFC 125: Resolution'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The planned rematch between UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson ...

, Roberts fought Greg Soto and after some early back-and-forth grappling, Roberts grabbed Soto's arm in a kimura, took top position and forced the tapout with just over a minute left in the opening round. Roberts then faced fellow up-and-comer, Claude Patrick, on April 30, 2011 at UFC 129. On the judges scorecards, Roberts lost two of the three rounds, ultimately losing the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). When injuries caused shuffling at UFC on Versus 4, taking place June 26, 2011, Roberts stepped in on very short notice to fight Rich Attonito. Roberts lost the fight via unanimous decision (29–27, 30–27, 29–28). Roberts was expected to face TJ Waldburger on September 17, 2011 at

UFC Fight Night 25 ''UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 25'' or ''UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 17, 2011 at the Ernest N. Moria ...

. However, he had to pull out due to injury and was replaced by Mike Stumpf. Roberts next faced Charlie Brenneman on January 20, 2012 at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. He was later released from the promotion following three consecutive losses.

Post-UFC career

In his first fight after his UFC release, Roberts would face Nuri Shakir at Freedom Fight MMA on October 27, 2012. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Roberts would then get his second straight submission win, when he submitted UFC veteran Brian Foster via rear-naked choke at Combat MMA on May 18, 2013. He then faced Justin Baesman at War MMA 1 on June 22, 2013. He lost the fight via split decision. After a near one-year hiatus, Roberts faced Brock Jardine at Titan FC 28: Brilz vs. Davis on May 16, 2014. He won the fight via split decision.

Personal life

A week before his win at

, Roberts found out he was a father to a daughter named Gabrielle.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ( ...

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Mike Guymon **UFC.com Awards ***2010: Ranked #7 Newcomer of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

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Akihiro Murayama is a Japanese mixed martial artist who has competed mainly for Pancrase, Shooto and Cage Force, Greatest Common Multiple. Mixed martial arts career Early career Murayama started his professional career in 2003. In his first years, he fought mai ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury, is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the List of the largest cities and t ...

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

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Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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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 ...

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Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

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References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Daniel 1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Rockford, Illinois American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male judoka American male karateka Bacone College alumni Bacone Warriors wrestlers Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters