Jacob Joseph Volkmann (born September 5, 1980) is an American former

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 ...

that competed 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. A professional MMA competitor from 2007 to 2016, Volkmann has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, and the

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

Background

Volkmann was born in

Fergus Falls, Minnesota Fergus Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 14,258 in 2024. Hi ...

, and graduated from Henning High School in Henning, Minnesota. Volkmann wrestled for the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs and holds the schools all-time record for career wins and also won three state titles. Volkmann then attended

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, where he was a

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

wrestling champion and a three time NCAA All-American. In 2001 as a freshman he finished fourth, then in 2003 as junior finished third (defeating future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Rashad Evans Rashad Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division. Evans started his professional MMA career in 2003, and was the Heavyw ...

), and then once again as a senior in 2004 finished fourth. After graduating from Minnesota, Volkmann attended the Northwestern Health and Science University in

Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis and just south of the Interstate 494/Inter ...

, where he earned his chiropractic doctorate and it was during this time that he also began competing in

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...

at the senior level, and met UFC Lightweight Champion

Sean Sherk Sean Keith Sherk (born August 5, 1973) is a retired American mixed martial artist and former UFC Lightweight Champion. Sherk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was one of the first combatants to have been a championship competit ...

through this program, who asked Volkmann to help train for a title fight. Volkmann later embarked on his own career in mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Volkmann started his professional MMA career in 2007, primarily competing in Minnesota where he is a member of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. At Bellator 7, Volkman made his lone Bellator appearance by defeating WEC and TUF vet, Kevin Knabjian with a D'arce choke.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In August 2009, it was announced he would be making his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 106 against Paulo Thiago. Volkmann lost the fight via unanimous decision. Volkmann lost his second UFC fight (after taking it on short notice) against Martin Kampmann at UFC 108 via first round submission due to a modified guillotine choke dubbed the "death choke." He received a third chance in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi against Ronys Torres, in which Volkmann moved down to

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

. Volkmann won the fight via split decision (28–29, 30–27, 30–27), earning his first UFC win. Volkmann was scheduled to face Paul Kelly on July 3, 2010, at UFC 116. However, the fight was moved on August 1, to the UFC on Versus: Jones vs. Matyushenko card, due to visa issues for Kelly. Volkmann defeated Kelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). On October 2, 2010, it was announced that Volkmann would fight former MFC lightweight champion, Antonio McKee, at UFC 125. Volkmann won via split decision. After his bout at UFC 125, Volkmann said that he wanted to fight U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

because he disagreed with his policies and asserting, "Someone needs to knock some sense into that idiot." That statement resulted in a visit from the U.S. Secret Service the following week. Volkmann has appeared on several national news shows for the comments, including

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

Inside Edition ''Inside Edition'' is an American tabloid television program that is distributed in Broadcast syndication, first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine progr ...

, and the Fox Business Network. Volkmann was also placed on administrative leave by White Bear Lake High School, where he is the assistant head coach of wrestling. Volkmann next fought Danny Castillo on August 14, 2011, at UFC on Versus 5. The contest was mostly a grappling affair with Volkmann, on more than one occasion, threatening with a D'arce choke in all three rounds. He won the fight via unanimous decision (29-28 on all cards). Volkmann was expected to face T. J. Grant on December 30, 2011, at UFC 141. However, Grant was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Efrain Escudero. Volkmann controlled throughout the fight, dominating Escudero on the ground for rounds one and two. Volkmann won the fight via unanimous decision. He again made waves calling out U.S. President

after the fight stating, "Obama needs a glassectomy...It's where they remove the belly button and put a piece of glass in there, so you can see what you're doing while your head's up your ass." The post-fight comments, again, got Volkmann placed on administrative leave by the White Bear Lake High School. Volkmann was defeated by Paul Sass via first round submission due to a triangle armbar on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146. Volkmann was expected to face Shane Roller on September 1, 2012, at UFC 151. However, after UFC 151 was cancelled, Volkmann/Roller was rescheduled and took place on October 5, 2012, at

UFC on FX 5 ''UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot'' (also known as ''UFC on FX 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 5, 2012, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the fifth UFC event broadcast l ...

. Volkmann took Roller down early in the fight and quickly took his back, forcing him to submit to a rear-naked choke at only 2:38 of the first round. This was Volkmann's only stoppage win in the UFC. Volkmann faced promotional newcomer

Bobby Green King Green (born Bobby Ray Green; September 9, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2008, Green is the former ...

on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156. He lost the fight via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the third round. Following the loss, Volkmann was released from the promotion.

World Series of Fighting

A week after his UFC departure Volkmann was announced as the newest addition to the

ranks. Volkmann made his WSOF debut vs.

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

vet Lyle Beerbohm at WSOF 3, on June 14. He won via unanimous decision. After the fight it emerged that Volkmann had suffered a seizure and blacked out before weigh-ins after becoming dehydrated from the weight-cut.

Other promotions

Volkmann defeated Danny White in a 165lb Catchweight bout at Dakota FC 18: Spring Brawl on April 26, 2014. He then faced UFC veteran T. J. O'Brien at Pinnacle Combat 16 on May 9, 2014. Volkmann lost the fight via guillotine choke. He was set to make his debut in Maximum Fighting Championship against Andrew McInnes on October 3, 2014, at MFC 41. However, this fight never came to fruition and Volkmann didn't fight for the company.

Personal life

Volkmann has three children. He is divorced. Volkmann is also a chiropractor and runs a clinic.

Championships and awards

Grappling

* International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles **World Champion (2008) **USA Grappling Midwest Regional Champion (2008) **USA Grappling National Champion (2008) **USA Grappling Runner Up (2009) (2010)

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. ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

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 ...

out of

(2001), (2003), (2004) **

NCAA 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. ...

Division I 174 1b - 4th place out of

(2001) **

Division I 165 1b - 3rd place out of

(2003) **

Division I 165 1b - 4th place out of

(2004)

Mixed martial arts

*Victory Fighting Championship **VFC Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 19–7 , Ben Saunders , Submission (armbar) , Fight Night at the Island , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 , Welch, Minnesota, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 , Antonio Trócoli , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 51: Ramos vs. Vasquez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Hinckley, Minnesota, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Zak Ottow , Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) , Legacy FC 43: Larson vs. Krantz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 , Hinckley, Minnesota, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 , T. J. O'Brien , Submission (guillotine choke) , Pinnacle Combat 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Danny White , TKO (elbows and punches) , Dakota FC 18: Spring Brawl , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:45 ,

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 , Luiz Firmino , Decision (unanimous) , World Series of Fighting 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Lyle Beerbohm , Decision (unanimous) , World Series of Fighting 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 156 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Shane Roller , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 , Paul Sass , Submission (triangle armbar) , UFC 146 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Efrain Escudero , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 141 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Danny Castillo , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Antonio McKee , Decision (split) , UFC 125 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Paul Kelly , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Ronys Torres , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Martin Kampmann , Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC 108 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Paulo Thiago , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 106 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Kevin Knabjian , Submission (D'arce choke) , Bellator 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Bobby Voelker , Decision (unanimous) , Victory FC 25: Primetime , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 7–0 , Steve Merth , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Brutaal Fight Night XIX , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 ,

Maplewood, Minnesota Maplewood is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 42,088 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Maplewood is ten minutes' drive from downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Travis McCullough , TKO (submission to strikes) , Max Fights 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Wayne Hajicek , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Max Fights 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Brent Mehrhoff , Decision (unanimous) , Xtreme Fighting Organization 22 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is northwest of Chicago. The population was 40,269 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Crystal L ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Caleb Wolff , Submission (triangle choke) , Brutaal Fight Night IV , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Nathan Oliver , Decision (unanimous) , Ultimate Combat Sports: Battle on the Bay 8 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

Superior, Wisconsin Superior (; ) is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Chaylen Rader , TKO (submission to strikes) , Cage Fighting Xtreme 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd ( ) is a city and the county seat of Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluen ...

, United States ,

References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
*MMA Website , https://web.archive.org/web/20120531113218/http://www.jacobvolkmann.net/ * {{DEFAULTSORT:Volkmann, Jacob 1980 births American male mixed martial artists Living people Mixed martial artists from Minnesota Lightweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Greco-Roman wrestling People from Fergus Falls, Minnesota American male sport wrestlers American chiropractors Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestlers Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters