Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional

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 ...

and former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

Early life

Eryk Anders was born on a U.S. Air Force base in the Philippines, where his mother was stationed at the time. When Anders was a sophomore in high school he moved to

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, where he played football for Smithson Valley High School.

Football career

After graduating from Smithson Valley High School Anders started at the

in 2006. From 2006 to 2009, Anders played for the Crimson Tide as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

, starting 14 games in his senior season. His career at Alabama culminated with a victory in the

2009 BCS National Championship The 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship Game was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and feat ...

against the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

, a game in which he led the Crimson Tide with seven tackles and a

forced fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

. After college he signed a contract with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

. He also had stints in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

and the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

before beginning a career in mixed martial arts. Even several years into his MMA career, Anders keeps in touch with Nick Saban, having the coach as a life coach of sorts, helping guide Anders in life, financially and being responsible.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Anders began his mixed martial arts career in 2012 as an amateur, participating in 22 amateur bouts, although his official record is listed as 13-3-1 before his professional debut against Josh Rasberry on August 22, 2015, for Strike Hard Productions. He defeated Rasberry in just 40 seconds via TKO. In his second professional fight, Anders defeated Demarcus Sharpe by unanimous decision. Anders defeated Garrick James by TKO. Anders next defeated Dekaire Sanders by submission via

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keiko ...

. For his fifth professional fight he defeated Jesse Grun via TKO due to punches.

Bellator MMA

Anders made his

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

debut on October 21, 2016, defeating Brian White by TKO in 23 seconds.

Legacy Fighting Alliance

Anders next joined Legacy Fighting Alliance. He defeated Jon Kirk by TKO at LFA 6 on March 10, 2017. On June 23, 2017, Anders fought for the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight championship at LFA 14. He defeated Brendan Allen via unanimous decision to win the title.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Anders made his UFC debut against Rafael Natal at UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum, as a late replacement for

Alessio Di Chirico Alessio Di Chirico (born December 12, 1989) is an Italian former mixed martial artist who competed in Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Di Chirico was born in Rome, Italy. He attended University of ...

who was forced to withdraw due to a neck injury. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Anders was expected to face John Phillips on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123. However, Phillips was removed from the card and was replaced by promotional newcomer

Markus Perez Markus Perez Echeimberg (born June 22, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional since 2013, he has also fought for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Jungle Fight and the Le ...

on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123. Anders won the fight by unanimous decision. Anders faced

Lyoto Machida (born 30 May 1978), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and karateka, who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light H ...

on February 3, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 125. He lost the fight via controversial split decision. 16 of 23 media outlets scored the fight for Anders. Anders faced Tim Williams on August 25, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 135. He won the fight via knockout due to a head kick in the third round. This fight earned him the Performance of Night award. Anders was tabbed as a short notice replacement for Jimi Manuwa, and faced

Thiago Santos Thiago Santos de Lima (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), competing in the light heavyweight division. Prior to signing with the PFL, Santos competed for the U ...

in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 137. Anders lost via referee stoppage TKO when he collapsed and failed to make it to his corner at the conclusion of round three. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Making a quick turnaround to the Octagon, Anders returned to middleweight to replace

Antônio Carlos Júnior Antônio Carlos Coelho de Figueiredo Barbosa Júnior (born 16 March 1990), also known as Antônio Carlos Jr. and professionally by his ring name Cara de Sapato (as well as its English translation Shoeface), is a Brazilian mixed martial artist wh ...

in a bout against Elias Theodorou at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018. He lost the fight via split decision. Anders faced Khalil Rountree Jr. on April 13, 2019, at

UFC 236 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 ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Anders faced Vinicius Moreira, replacing

Roman Dolidze Roman Dolidze (born July 15, 1988) is a Georgian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2016, Dolidze was the former World Warriors Fig ...

, on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This fight earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award. Anders faced Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight bout on October 12, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 161. He won the fight via split decision. Anders was scheduled to face

Krzysztof Jotko Krzysztof Jotko (born August 19, 1989) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. He has previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised in Orneta, Poland, Jotko was o ...

on April 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, the event was eventually postponed to May 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Anders was scheduled to face Antônio Arroyo, replacing Andreas Michailidis, on November 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 183. Anders was cornering his teammate, Walt Harris on Fight Island in

UFC 254 ''UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 24, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background The event proceeded ...

when he got the call to step in for Michailidis. At the weigh-ins, Anders weighed in at 187.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the middleweight non-title fight limit. Anders eventually pulled out of the fight the next day as consequence of the weigh-cut and his bout was canceled. Anders faced Darren Stewart on March 13, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 187 ''UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 187'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 45'' and ''UFC Vegas 21'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 13, 2021 at the UF ...

. Due to an illegal knee thrown by Anders in round one, the fight was declared a no contest. Anders faced Darren Stewart at light heavyweight in a rematch on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Anders was scheduled to face

on November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. However, Anders was pulled the event for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by Kyle Daukaus. Anders faced André Muniz, replacing injured Dricus Du Plessis, on December 11, 2021, at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Stat ...

. He lost the fight via an armbar submission in the first round. Anders faced Jun Yong Park on May 21, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 206. He lost the bout via split decision. Anders faced Kyle Daukaus on December 3, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Back ...

. He won the bout via TKO stoppage in the second round.

Personal life

Anders is married with two sons.

Entertainment career

In 2022, Anders made his acting debut as a MMA fighter in episode 2 of season 5 of the Netflix series ''

Cobra Kai ''Cobra Kai'' is an American martial arts comedy-drama television series and a sequel to the original ''The Karate Kid'' films by Robert Mark Kamen. The series was created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and is distribu ...

''.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Tim Williams and Vinicius Moreira ** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

* MMAjunkie.com **2017 Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year * Legacy Fighting Alliance **LFA Middleweight Championship (One time) *

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...

**BCS National Championship (2009)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 15–7 (1) , Kyle Daukaus , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:45 , Orlando, Florida, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7 (1) , Jun Yong Park , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

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, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:13 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 (1) , Darren Stewart , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 263 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all deser ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Gerald Meerschaert , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Vinicius Moreira , KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 , Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 , Khalil Rountree Jr. , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Elias Theodorou , Decision (split) , UFC 231 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, TKO (referee stoppage) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Tim Williams , KO (head kick) , UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:42 ,

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United St ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Rafael Natal , KO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 United States Census. Uniondale is home to Hofstra University's nor ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Brendan Allen , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 14 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Jon Kirk , TKO (punches) , LFA 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Brian White , TKO (punches) , Bellator 162 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jesse Grun , TKO (punches) , Valor Fights 37: Grun vs. Anders , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 , Cleveland, Tennessee, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Dekaire Sanders , Submission (rear-naked choke) , V3 Fights: Sanders vs. Anders , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Garrick James , TKO (punches) , Strike Hard Productions 42 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:07 ,

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Demarcus Sharpe , Decision (unanimous) , SFC - Southern Explosion 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Josh Rasberry , TKO (punches) , Strike Hard Productions 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anders, Eryk 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Birmingham, Alabama People from Pampanga American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Alabama Crimson Tide football players Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American football linebackers Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama Competitors at the 2022 World Games