Matt Dwyer (born December 17, 1989) is a Canadian

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 ...

currently competing in the

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 ...

division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has competed for the

UFC 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Mixed martial arts career

Dwyer made his professional debut in 2011 competing in regional promotions in his native

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He compiled a record of 7–1, finishing all of his opponents, including notable fighters

Shonie Carter Shonie Carter (born May 3, 1972), is an American former mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, a UFC veteran, and a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He has also competed in Pancrase, Shooto, Ki ...

and

DaMarques Johnson DaMarques Johnson (born June 28, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He competed for the UFC and King of the Cage and was the Welterweight runner-up on '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom''. Background Johnson ...

by KO/TKO before signing with the UFC in the summer of 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dwyer was expected to make his promotional debut on August 2, 2014, at

UFC 176 ''UFC 176: Aldo vs. Mendes II'' was a planned mixed martial arts event that was scheduled to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 2, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background The event was expected to be he ...

against Alex Garcia. However, Dwyer pulled out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by

Neil Magny Aoutneil Jacques "Neil" Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Magny made a name ...

. Subsequently, after

was cancelled, Magny/Garcia was rescheduled and eventually took place on August 23, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 49 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 49'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 23, 2014, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Background The event was headlined by Lightweight contenders Benson ...

. Dwyer eventually made his debut on October 4, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 54 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 54'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on October 4, 2014. Background This event was the first event the UF ...

where he faced

Albert Tumenov Albert Khuseinovich Tumenov (; ; born December 26, 1991) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and former amateur boxer. Tumenov competes in the welterweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut where he is the two time ACA Welt ...

. Dwyer lost the fight knockout in the first round. Dwyer faced

William Macário William Francisco da Silva Macário (born July 1, 1991) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing as a welterweight. A professional competitor since 2010, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fi ...

on February 22, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 61 ''UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 61'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 22, 2015, at the Ginásio Gigantinho in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Background The event was the first that the UFC has hosted ...

. Dwyer won the fight via knockout in the first round. Subsequently, Dwyer earned a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Dwyer faced

Alan Jouban Alan Michael Jouban (born November 25, 1982) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor from 2010 to 2021, Jouban has also formerly competed for the Ultimate Fight ...

on July 15, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 71 ''UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 71'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 15, 2015, at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Background The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout betwe ...

. He lost the back and forth fight by unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Dwyer face promotional newcomer Randy Brown on January 30, 2016, at

UFC on Fox 18 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 18'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 30, 2016, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background The event was headlined by a potential UFC Light Heavyweight C ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC career

After being released from the promotion Dwyer would return to the Canadian regional scene winning three straight including victories over UFC veteran's

Jesse Ronson Jesse Ronson (born December 24, 1985) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competed the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Lightweight division. A professional fighter since 2009, he has previously competed in promotions such as UFC, ...

and

Dominique Steele Dominique Steele (born January 25, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Fight Nigh ...

. During this period however Dwyer would have 3 fights cancelled causing a period of inactivity from mid 2016-late 2017 He would briefly be paired against

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who was most recently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship where he lost via KO to Lorenzo Hunt. He former ...

for the main event of Fight Night 9: Lethbridge for the vacant Middleweight title on January 21, 2019. However the bout was canceled due to injury for Riggs. He would be replaced by

Chris Curtis Chris Curtis may refer to: * Chris Curtis (fighter) (born 1987), American MMA fighter * Chris Curtis (musician) (1941–2005), British drummer and singer, best known for being with The Searchers * Chris Curtis (politician), British Member of Pa ...

, Dwyer would go on to lose the fight via majority decision. Dwyer next faced KB Bhullar at Unified MMA 38 for the Middleweight title on September 27, 2019. He would lose the fight via unanimous decision. Travelling to Russia for his next bout, he faced Mikhail Ragozin at RCC 7 on December 14, 2019. Dwyer would lose the fight via unanimous decision. Returning to action amidst the

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic, he faced UFC veteran and Ultimate Fighter winner

Elias Theodorou Elias Theodorou (May 31, 1988 – September 11, 2022) was a Canadian mixed martial artist. He competed for the UFC in the Middleweight division where he was ranked 13th until his release, and won '' The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Austr ...

at Rise FC 6 on March 13, 2021. He would lose the fight via technical knockout in the third round. Dwyer faced Christophe Van Dijk on December 1, 2022, at BFL 74, losing the bout via knockout due to a knee and punches in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

*Battlefield Fight League **Battlefield Fight League Welterweight Championship (one time; former) ***One successful title defense **Battlefield Fight League Middleweight Championship (one time; former) *

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 ( ...

** Performance of the Night (One time) vs.

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

**UFC.com Awards ***2015: Ranked #10 Knockout of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–9 , Christophe Van Dijk , KO (knee and punches) , BFL 75 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:28 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–8 ,

, TKO (punches) , Rise FC 6: Fighting the Stigma , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–7 , Mikhail Ragozin , Decision (unanimous) , RCC 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–6 , KB Bhullar , Decision (unanimous) , Unified MMA 38 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , For the Unified MMA Middleweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 ,

, Decision (majority) , Z Promotions Fight Night 9: Lethbridge , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, Canada , For the vacant ZP Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 ,

, KO (punch) , XXFC 18: Diablo Fight Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, Canada , Won the vacant XFFC Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Chris Anderson , Decision (split) , BFL 53 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada ,

debut; won BFL Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , XFFC 10: Out of the Ashes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Grande Prairie, Alberta Grande Prairie is a city in northwestern Alberta, Canada, within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highwa ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 , Randy Brown , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee , , 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, 8–2 ,

, KO (superman punch) , UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

, KO (head kick and punch) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , BFL 30 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a city in the coastal Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly a suburban city, it occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough, New Westminster, Queensborough), between the two estuarine dis ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, TKO (retirement) , BFL 27 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Colin Daynes , TKO (punches) , BFL 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:33 ,

Penticton, British Columbia Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Ryan Chiappe , TKO (punches) , BFL 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Levi Alford , KO (punch) , BFL 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Marcus Aurelio , KO (slam) , BFL 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Nanaimo, British Columbia Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mark Doble , TKO (punches and elbows) , BFL 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly, MLA of British ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Levi Alford , KO (knee) , BFL 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,

, Canada , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Matt Living people 1989 births Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Canadian male mixed martial artists Sportspeople from New Westminster Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Canadian sportsmen