Derek Anderson (born February 20, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist competing in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division. He is most notable for his time with

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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Anderson began training 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 ...

at the age of 19, and later made his professional

debut in 2011. Anderson compiled an undefeated record of 9-0 with one no contest before being signed by

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

Bellator MMA

Anderson made his promotional debut against Patricky Freire at Bellator 98 on September 7, 2013. Anderson won via unanimous decision. Anderson was then scheduled to face

Terry Etim Terence Lee "Terry" Etim (born 11 January 1986) is a retired English mixed martial artist who competed as a lightweight. He is trained by Shyam Sundar and Reddy Sai Naren. Etim is a brown belt in Luta Livre under Marcelo Brigadeiro. Mixed ...

in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Season Ten Lightweight Tournament on March 21, 2014 at Bellator 113. Etim then pulled out due to an ACL injury. Etim was replaced by Brandon Girtz. Anderson won via knockout due to a knee strike in the second round. In the semifinals, Anderson faced Polish submission specialist

Marcin Held Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #5 in the Konfrontacj ...

at Bellator 117 on April 18, 2014. Anderson was handed his first professional loss via triangle choke submission in the second round. Anderson faced Danny Navarro on January 16, 2015 at

Bellator 132 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. ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Anderson next faced

Brent Primus Brent Primus (born April 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing for the PFL. He formerly competed for Bellator MMA, where he was a one-time Bellator Lightweight World Champion. Background Born and raised in Eugene, O ...

at Bellator 141 on August 28, 2015. He lost the fight by split decision. In the first rematch of his career, Anderson faced Patricky Freire for a second time on December 4, 2015 at Bellator 147. He again won the fight, this time by split decision. A welterweight bout between Anderson and

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bella ...

at Bellator 163 was scrapped on the day of the event after Daley fell ill from effects of his weight cut. Anderson faced Saad Awad at Bellator 160 on August 26, 2016. In a back-and-forth affair, in which both fighters traded near submission finishes, Anderson ultimately won the fight via unanimous decision. Anderson faced Derek Campos at Bellator 170 on January 21, 2017. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Anderson was expected to face

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987), known as Michael "Venom" Page or MVP, is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divi ...

at Bellator 179 on May 19, 2017 but Page suffered a knee injury and neck injury. No replacement opponent was sought. Anderson was expected to return against Adam Piccolotti at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017. However, an injury to Anderson forced him out of the bout and he was replaced by David Rickels. Anderson made his welterweight debut against Guilherme Bomba on October 4, 2019 at Bellator 229. He won via unanimous decision. Anderson was expected to headline Bellator London 2 against

on 23 November 2019 but Anderson withdrew for undisclosed reasons on 12 November 2019. Anderson was then scheduled again to face

at Bellator 247 on October 1, 2020. However, Daley was not unable to make weight and was hospitalized, leading to the bout being scrapped. Anderson faced Killys Mota on November 5 at Bellator 251. He won the bout via second round knockout. Anderson faced

at Bellator 258 on May 7, 2021. Anderson was supposed to fight Page twice before at Bellator 179 and Bellator London 2. Towards the end of the first round, Page landed a kick to Anderson's face which badly broke his nose to the point it was completely flattened, leading to the doctor stopping the fight between rounds. He was suspended 120 days (4 months) by the

Mohegan Sun Mohegan Sun is a large casino and entertainment complex located on 240 acres (97 ha) of the Mohegan Indian Reservation in Uncasville, Connecticut, along the banks of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is owned and operated by the fe ...

Department of Athletic Regulation for falsifying his pre-fight medical forms after Anderson failed to disclose that he went to the hospital four times for kidney failure during his fight camp. Anderson was scheduled to face Goiti Yamauchi on March 12, 2022 at

Bellator 276 Bellator 276: Borics vs. Burnell was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on March 12, 2022, at the Family Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Background The main event featured a Featherweight title el ...

. The week of the event, the bout was scrapped for unknown reasons. Anderson was scheduled to face former two-time Glory Welterweight Champion

Cédric Doumbé Cédric Doumbé (born August 30, 1992) is a Cameroonian-born French professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, currently fighting in the Welterweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). In kickboxing, he is a former ...

at Bellator Champions Series 2 on May 17, 2024. However, he was involved in a hit-and-run accident that severely injured his left foot and withdrew from the bout.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Bellator 258 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 (1) , Killys Mota , KO (head kick) , Bellator 251 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 (1) , Guilherme Vasconcelos , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 229 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 (1) ,

Zak Bucia Zak Bucia is a professional American mixed martial artist fighting out of San Francisco, California. A professional competitor since 2007, he has fought in Strikeforce, Titan FC, and King of the Cage. Mixed martial arts career Strikeforce Bu ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 197 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 (1) , Derek Campos , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 170 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 (1) , Saad Awad , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 160 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 (1) , Patricky Pitbull , Decision (split) , Bellator 147 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 (1) ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 141 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 (1) , Danny Navarro , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:51 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 (1) ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , Bellator 117 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:09 ,

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 (1) , Brandon Girtz , KO (knee) , Bellator 113 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:23 ,

Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 (1) , Patricky Pitbull , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 98 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 (1) , Craig Flynn , TKO (punches) , Xplode Fight Series: Aftermath , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 (1) , Ray Carter , Submission (armbar) , Xplode Fight Series: Revancha , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:02 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 7–0 (1) , Aaron Neveu , No Contest (overturned) , Xplode Fight Series: Damage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Edward Darby , Submission (armbar) , Xplode Fight Series: Anarchy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Kris Armbrister , Submission (guillotine choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Eclipse , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Dino Valdez , Submission (guillotine choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Disarm , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:26 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jeremy Michur , TKO (knee) , Xplode Fight Series: Brutal Conduct , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Chris Mercado , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Season's Beatings 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( , ; ) is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet, California, Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, Beaumont to its north. The mountains ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dominique Chisem , Submission (guillotine choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Hillside Havoc , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Leo Franklin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Rumble off the Reservation , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:42 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States ,

References

External links