Joshua Ray Burkman (born April 10, 1980) is a retired American professional

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 ...

formerly 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 formerly competed in 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 ( ...

, 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 ...

, the XFC, and was a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter 2.''

Background

Burkman was born in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, he attended Cottonwood High School. He was a three-sport star athlete for the Colts. He was a Class 5A All-State third baseman on the baseball team, and was captain of the football team, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards as a senior. As a member of the wrestling team, he finished second place in the state championships in the 171-pound division. Burkman played two seasons of college football before he began his career in mixed martial arts. He spent his freshman season at

Snow College Snow College is a Public college, public community college in Ephraim, Utah. It offers certificates and associate degrees along with bachelor's degrees in music, software engineering, and nursing. Snow College is part of the Utah System of High ...

Ephraim, Utah Ephraim is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 5,611 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the largest city in Sanpete County. It is the location of Snow College and is locat ...

, but he missed half the season with an injury. Then he transferred to Dixie State College in St. George, Utah. His sophomore season (2001) was spectacular: he rushed for 1,439 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Rebels, earning JUCO All-American honors. His team won the Dixie Rotary Bowl; for his performance, Burkman earned a scholarship offer from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

. Ultimately, he decided to drop football and pursue mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Burkman was originally chosen to be on the inaugural season of ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'', but he failed pre-show drug test failure and admitted to taking Winstrol. He was later a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter 2'' as part of Team Hughes. Burkman was signed by the UFC and had his debut fight at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale; he defeated Sammy Morgan by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

in 21 seconds of the first round. During his time with the UFC, Burkman earned wins over Drew Fickett, Josh Neer, and Forrest Petz, but was largely unsuccessful against the bigger names in the division. After three back-to-back losses in 2008, Burkman was cut from the UFC with a record of 5 wins and 5 losses.

Showdown Fights

On November 20, 2009, Burkman faced Ultimate Fighter alumni Brandon Melendez defeating him by KO in round one at ''Throwdown Showdown 5''. On April 9, 2010, Burkman took on Jake Paul at ''Showdown Fights – Burkman vs. Paul'' winning via unanimous decision. On September 24, 2010, Burkman faced undefeated Jordan Smith at ''Showdown Fights – Respect''. Burkman won the fight via split decision. On April 2, 2011, Burkman faced Canadian prospect Jordan Mein at ''MMA: The Reckoning'' in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, Burkman lost via unanimous decision. On February 24, 2012, Burkman faced Koffi Adzitso at ''Showdown Fights – Breakout'', Burkman won via unanimous decision. On August 25, 2012, Burkman faced Ultimate Fighter alumni Jamie Yager at ''Showdown Fights - Burkman vs. Yager''. Burkman won via guillotine choke submission.

World Series of Fighting

On September 6, 2012, it was announced that Burkman was one of many fighters to sign on with new MMA Promotion the

. He faced Gerald Harris on November 3, 2012, at WSOF 1 and won via unanimous decision. Burkman faced Aaron Simpson at World Series of Fighting 2 on March 23, 2013. He won the fight via KO due to a knee strike and punches in the first round. Burkman faced

Jon Fitch Jon Fitch (born February 24, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He has competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League ...

on June 14, 2013, at World Series of Fighting 3 in a rematch of their first fight in which Burkman lost to Fitch due to a rear naked choke. Burkman avenged his loss, dropping Fitch with a series of punches before applying a guillotine choke submission and getting the win in just 41 seconds of round number one. Burkman faced Steve Carl on October 26, 2013, at WSOF 6 in the main event for the WSOF Welterweight Championship. He lost the fight via triangle choke in the fourth round. It was noted that Josh did tap out from the choke but the ref ignored the tap, allowing Steve Carl to choke Burkman until he lost consciousness. Burkman faced Tyler Stinson at

WSOF 9 World Series of Fighting 9: Carl vs. Palhares was a mixed martial arts event held in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Background This event was headlined by reigning World Series of Fighting#Champions, Welterweight Champion Steve Carl making t ...

on March 29, 2014. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Burkman signed a contract to return to the UFC for the first time since 2008 on October 3, 2014. Burkman faced Héctor Lombard on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Subsequently, it was revealed that Lombard failed his post-fight drug test. On March 23, 2015, it was announced by the NSAC that the result of the fight had been overturned to a no contest. Burkman faced Dong Hyun Kim on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187. Burkman lost the fight via submission in the third round. Burkman faced Patrick Côté on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74. He lost the back and forth fight via TKO in the third round and both participants were awarded '' Fight of the Night'' honors. For his next fight, Burkman dropped down to the lightweight division as he faced K. J. Noons on February 6, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 82. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Burkman next faced Paul Felder on May 29, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 88. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Burkman was expected to face

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 October 1, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 96. However, Green pulled out of the fight citing an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Zak Ottow. As a result of the late notice opponent change, the bout was contested at welterweight. He lost the fight via split decision. Burkman faced Michel Prazeres on March 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 106. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Burkman faced Drew Dober on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round. Burkman faced Alex Morono on February 18, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 126 at the welterweight division. He lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round.

Post-UFC career

After being released from the UFC for the second time, Burkman faced William Macário at LFA 66 on May 10, 2019. He lost the fight via split decision and announced his retirement from MMA.

Championships & accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (One time) *

** UFC Encyclopedia Awards *** Knockout of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2005: Ranked #7 Knockout of the Year * MMAJunkie.com **2015 August Fight of the Month vs. Patrick Côté *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2013 Submission of the Year vs.

Personal life

Burkman dated current UFC ring girl, Arianny Celeste. Burkman married Brandy Lyn Winfield, 2010 International Yoga Champion, on December 1, 2011. Together they have a son, Legend Burkman, who was born in 2012 and had a second son Atlas born January 13, 2015. His older brother Jered was a star baseball player alongside Chris Shelton at both Cottonwood High School and Salt Lake Community College.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , William Macário , Decision (split) , LFA 66 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , West Valley City, Utah, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–17 (1) , Alex Morono , Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 ,

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–16 (1) , Drew Dober , KO (punch) , UFC 214 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–15 (1) , Michel Prazeres , Submission (north-south choke) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–14 (1) , Zak Ottow , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–13 (1) , Paul Felder , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt , , 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 , , - , Win , align=center, 28–12 (1) , K. J. Noons , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–12 (1) , Patrick Côté , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:26 ,

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–11 (1) , Dong Hyun Kim , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC 187 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:13 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 27–10 (1) , Héctor Lombard , NC (overturned) , UFC 182 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–10 , Tyler Stinson , KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–10 , Steve Carl , Technical Submission (triangle choke) , WSOF 6 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:02 ,

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, 26–9 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , WSOF 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–9 , Aaron Simpson , KO (knee and punches) , WSOF 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–9 , Gerald Harris , Decision (unanimous) , WSOF 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–9 , Jamie Yager , Submission (guillotine choke) , Showdown Fights 8 – Burkman vs. Yager , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Utah, Provo, Lindon, Utah, Lindon, and Vineyard, Utah, Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the pri ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–9 , Koffi Adzitso , Decision (unanimous) , Showdown Fights 6 – Breakout , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Orem, Utah, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–9 , Jordan Mein , Decision (unanimous) , MMA 1: The Reckoning , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rama, Ontario, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 21–8 , Jordan Smith , Decision (split) , Showdown Fights 2: Respect , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Orem, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–8 , Jake Paul , Decision (unanimous) , Showdown Fights 1: Burkman vs. Paul , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Orem, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–8 , Brandon Melendez , KO (punch) , Throwdown Showdown 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 , Orem, Utah, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–8 , Pete Sell , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 90 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rosemont, Illinois, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 , Dustin Hazelett , Submission (armbar) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:46 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 , Mike Swick , Decision (majority) , UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Forrest Petz , Decision (split) , UFC 77 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–5 , Karo Parisyan , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 71 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 , Chad Reiner , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Evans vs. Salmon , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Josh Neer , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 61 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:57 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Drew Fickett , Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:07 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Sammy Morgan , KO (slam and elbows) , The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3 , Jeremy Horn , Technical Submission (choke) , XFC – Dome Of Destruction 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, United States ,

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Brian Wieber , TKO (punches) , IFC: Eve Of Destruction , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, United States ,

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Kyacey Uscola , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 4: Fight For Freedom , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Drew Ellisor , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Isidro Gonzalez , Submission (guillotine choke) , SF 2: On the Move , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 , Portland, Oregon, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Matt Horwich , Submission (triangle choke) , SF 1: Revolution , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:11 , Portland, Oregon, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Jeremy Brown , Decision , UCE Winter Warrior Land: Episode 1 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Derek Downey , Decision (unanimous) , UCE Summer Series: Episode 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Brian Garlick , Submission (choke) , UCE Round 4: Finals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Jeremy Brown , Submission (choke) , UCE Round 4: Semi-Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Matthew Bell , KO (punch) , UCE Round 4: Episode 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Gedeon Jarvis , Submission (choke) , UCE Round 3: Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Hank Weiss , KO (punch) , UCE Round 3: Semi-Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Matt King , Submission (choke) , UCE Round 3: Episode 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Cedric Nicholsen , Submission (choke) , UCE Round 3: Episode 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Hank Weiss , Submission (choke) , UCE Round 2: Episode 1 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A , Salt Lake City, Utah, United States ,

References

External links

* *
Josh Burkman
at WSOF.com (archived)
Josh Burkman
at ShowdownFights.com (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Burkman, Josh 1980 births American male mixed martial artists Utah Tech University alumni Living people Mixed martial artists from Utah Sportspeople from Salt Lake City Snow College alumni University of Utah alumni Welterweight mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Cottonwood High School (Murray, Utah) alumni Snow Badgers football players

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Showdown Fights

World Series of Fighting

Return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Post-UFC career

Championships & accomplishments

Personal life

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links