Mark Holata (born August 25, 1982) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2007 until 2014, he is best known for his appearances in Bellator.

Background

Holata was born in

Claremore, Oklahoma Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County in Green Country or northeastern Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,580 at the 2020 census, a 5.4 percent increase over the figure of 18,581 recorded in 2010.Morris, Oklahoma Morris is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,494 at the 2010 census, an increase of 14.3% from the figure of 1,294 recorded in 2000. History The community began as a cattle stop on the Ozark and Cherokee Centr ...

, attending Morris High School. At Morris, Holata competed in football, and was talented, earning four letters and winning multiple All-State selections including as a punter, as well as being named his district's Offensive Player of the Year as a senior. In addition to football, Holata also received four letters in powerlifting, All-State honors three times, won the state title, and also lettered one year in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

. Holata continued his football career for the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Holata made his professional MMA debut in June 2007. During the first three years of his career, he amassed a record of 8-2.

Bellator

Holata made his Bellator debut at Bellator 31, where he defeated Shawn Jordan by way of first-round knockout. In 2011, Holata returned at Bellator 42, where he defeated Tracy Willis by way of first-round submission. At

Bellator 52 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feather ...

Holata lost by first-round knockout to Ron Sparks in a

quarterfinal A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

of the Bellator Season Five Heavyweight Tournament. Holata rebounded from the loss by defeating Abe Wagner by first-round submission at

Bellator 69 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. At Bellator 75 Holata lost by first-round submission to Vinicius Queiroz in a quarterfinal of the Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament.Eight Heavyweights Invade Horseshoe Casino Hammond at Bellator 75 on October 5 – Bellator Fighting Championships
In March 2014, Holata returned to Bellator. He faced Alexander Volkov in the opening round of the Bellator Season 10 Heavyweight tournament at Bellator 111 on March 7, 2014. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

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Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (3 ...

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Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern L ...

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Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasi ...

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Concho, Oklahoma Concho is an unincorporated community in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is north of the Concho Indian Boarding School. The post office opened April 20, 1915. The ZIP code is 73022. The school and post office were named for Indian a ...

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Carmelo Marrero Carmelo Marrero (born January 26, 1981) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions. He has competed for the UFC, WEC, Bellator Fighting Championships, the IFL, and ...

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Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city and county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly called the "Cherokee Strip"), which belonged to the Cher ...

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Clinton, Oklahoma Clinton is a city in Custer and Washita counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 9,033 at the 2010 census. History The community began in 1899 when two men, J.L. Avant and E.E. Blake, decided to locate a town in the Washit ...

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Red Rock, Oklahoma Red Rock ( iow, Chína Ino Šúje pronounced , meaning "Rock Red town") is a town in northern Noble County, Oklahoma, Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 283 at the 2010 census, a decline from 293 at the 2000 census. The head ...

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holata, Mark 1982 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Oklahoma Heavyweight mixed martial artists People from Claremore, Oklahoma People from Morris, Oklahoma Sportspeople from Oklahoma City