Kelly Anundson (born August 29, 1984) 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 ...

. A professional competitor since 2010, Anundson has previously competed for

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) ** ...

, and was also a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 19.

Background

Born and raised in a trucking family in Elma, Washington, Anundson began wrestling at the age of five. Talented, Anundson would go on to be a state champion in high school before continuing his career at Lassen College in

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 ...

, and then transferred to

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. As of 2023, it had 1,521 students. Academics Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, where he was a three-time All-American. Anundson later began competing 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 ...

and grappling tournaments before he began training with

American Top Team American Top Team (ATT) is one of the primary teams in mixed martial arts. The gym was founded by Dan Lambert, who brought in former members of Brazilian Top Team Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Marcelo Silveira and Ricardo Liborio, but there is no fo ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Anundson made his MMA debut in 2010. He won his first three bouts in the Palmetto Boxing Promotions organization before losing to UFC veteran

Francis Carmont Francis Carmont (born October 10, 1981) is a French professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2004, Carmont has competed for Bellator MMA, the UFC, and KSW. Mixed mart ...

and Steven Cnudde, both via

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...

submission. Anundson returned to the Palmetto Boxing Promotions, defeating Wade Hamilton via rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Anundson would win his next two bouts, both by stoppage in the first round.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Anundson appeared as one of the contestants on The Ultimate Fighter 19, he faced future winner of the show Corey Anderson in the fight to get into the TUF house. He lost via unanimous decision, thus ending his run on the show.

Bellator MMA

Anundson made his Bellator debut on April 4, 2014, against Volkan Oezdemir at Bellator 115. He defeated Oezdemir via neck crank submission in the second round. Anundson entered in the Bellator 2014 summer series light heavyweight tournament. He defeated Rodney Wallace in the quarterfinals at Bellator 121 on June 6, 2014, via three-round unanimous decision to move on to the semifinals. Anundson faced

Philipe Lins Luiz Philipe Lins Pimentel do Amaral (born August 17, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He won the 2018 Professional Fighters League heavyweig ...

in the semifinals at

Bellator 122 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight ...

on July 25, 2014. In the first round, Lins injured his left knee while attempting a punch, causing the referee to stop the bout in favour of Anundson. Anundson faced Liam McGeary in the finals on September 12, 2014, at Bellator 124. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Bellator 2014 Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament Runner-Up

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Randy Billiot , Submission (americana) , Conflict MMA 57 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

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Susanville, California Susanville (formerly known as Rooptown) (, ''bush creek country'')Simmons, W. S., Morales, R., Williams, V., & Camacho, S. (1997). Honey Lake Maidu Ethnogeography of Lassen County, California . Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropolog ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Liam McGeary , Submission (inverted triangle choke) , Bellator 124 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:47 ,

Plymouth Township, Michigan Plymouth Township is a charter township in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Plymouth Township is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, and northeast of Ann ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 ,

, TKO (knee injury) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

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, 8–2 , Rodney Wallace , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 121 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located near the Texas state border. The population was 400 at the 2020 census. Geography Thackerville is situated near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and State High ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 ,

Volkan Oezdemir Volkan Oezdemir (born 19 September 1989) is a Swiss professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Oezdemir ...

, Submission (neck crank) , Bellator 115 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:19 ,

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, 6–2 , Carlos Zevallos , TKO (punches) , Fight Time 12: Warriors Collide , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 ,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Alessandro de Oliveira , Submission (north-south choke) , Lions Fighting Championship 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

, Switzerland , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Wade Hamilton , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Palmetto Boxing Promotions: Fight Night at the Point , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Mount Pleasant is a large suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. In the Lowcountry, it is the fourth-most populous municipality in South Carolina, and for several years was one of the state's fastest-growing areas, d ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Steven Cnudde , Submission (armbar) , HFC 3: France vs. Europe , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:36 , Martigny, Valais, Switzerland , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 ,

, Submission (armbar) , SHC 4: Monson vs. Perak , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Switzerland , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jesus Santiago , Submission (north-south choke) , Palmetto Boxing Promotions: Judgment Day 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dann Cucuta , Submission (armbar) , Palmetto Boxing Promotions: Rage in the Cage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:13 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Chris McNally , Decision (unanimous) , Palmetto Boxing Promotions: Mayhem at the Medallion Center , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Corey Anderson , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anundson, Kelly American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1984 births Living people People from Elma, Washington Mixed martial artists from Washington (state) Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Newberry Wolves wrestlers