Matt Wiman (born September 19, 1983) is an American former 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 ...

who competed as a

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 ...

. He 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 ( ...

Background

Wiman graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 2002.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Matt began training

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 ...

with UFC fighter, Mikey Burnett, at the Lion's Den in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. Wiman's initiation into professional fighting came on August 14, 2004. A relatively unknown fighter at the time, Matt entered the Extreme Fight Night tournament organized by kickboxer, Dale Cook. Matt won 3 fights that night to become the Extreme Fighting League Middleweight Champion. He defeated Joseph Garza and Greg Bossler, each by unanimous decision, before finishing Venn Johns by

triangle choke A triangle choke, or sankaku-jime (三角絞) in judo, is a type of figure-four chokehold that encircles the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. Applying pressure using both legs and ...

for the championship belt. Matt's first title defense came on November 13, 2004, when he defeated David Franks by armbar 42 seconds into the first round. He defended the title again on February 5, 2005, with a 20-second KO of D.J. Randall. Wiman first gained national attention at FFC 15-Fiesta Las Vegas on September 15, 2005, against fellow rising star

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Ch ...

. It was a back and forth fight, with both fighters nearly finishing on several occasions. Matt lost a close decision. As a result of their impressive performances, Wiman and Huerta both caught the eyes of

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

and UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva. Wiman defended his Extreme Fight League championship belt for a third and final time on November 12, 2005, at Battle at the Brady 2 against Thomas Grissom. Matt won by referee stoppage in the 1st round due to multiple cuts sustained by Grissom. Wiman's next fight was at MFC-Boardwalk Blitz on March 14, 2006, in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, against UFC veteran, Nick Agallar. Matt lost by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

When an injury forced Leonard Garcia out of his scheduled fight with

Spencer Fisher Spencer William Fisher (born May 9, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2002–2012, he is best known for his 17-fight tenure with the UFC, winning "Fight of the Night" honors three times. Backgroun ...

at UFC 60, Wiman agreed to replace Garcia on short notice. On May 27, 2006, Wiman lost to Fisher by KO in the second round.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 5

Wiman was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 5 show. He was the second pick (after Gray Maynard) for B.J. Penn's team. His preliminary fight was against Marlon Sims. Wiman landed a devastating overhand right in the opening seconds of the fight, climbed on the back of Sims and choked him unconscious. Wiman was defeated by eventual finalist Manvel Gamburyan of Team Pulver in the quarterfinals by decision. Gamburyan and Wiman exchanged takedowns, but Gamburyan was on top most of the fight and got the victory, despite Dana White's thoughts that Wiman could make it to the finals of the show. Wiman fought Brian Geraghty on June 23, 2007, at '' The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale''. He took his opponent down early and worked a ground and pound attack. Wiman landed strikes in Geraghty's guard and passed to full mount, where he unloaded with punches, causing referee Yves Lavigne to stop the fight due to unanswered strikes at 2:09 of round 1.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Wiman's next fight was against Japanese judoka

Michihiro Omigawa is a retired Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, judoka and submission wrestling, submission grappler, who mainly competed in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Omigawa competed ...

at UFC 76. Wiman controlled the fight with takedowns and ground control, and won a unanimous decision. His next fight was against Justin Buchholz at

UFC Fight Night 12 ''UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 12'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 23, 2008, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background ...

on January 23, 2008. Wiman scored a takedown in the opening moments of the fight and worked quickly to the mount position. He landed an elbow below the right eye of Buchholz causing a cut. The UFC newcomer turned over to avoid further strikes to the face and Wiman secured the back position. After a brief struggle to secure the rear naked choke, Wiman forced Buchholz to submit at 2:58 of the first round, giving him his third straight UFC victory. Wiman's next fight was against Thiago Tavares at UFC 85. After many back and forth grappling exchanges in round one, he eventually KO'd Tavares with a right hook in the second round. This fight earned him a '' Fight of the Night'' award. At UFC: Fight for the Troops, Wiman lost a one-sided unanimous decision to fellow rising star, Jim Miller, replacing an injured Frankie Edgar. This fight earned him another '' Fight of the Night'' award. On April 18, 2009, Wiman faced Canadian striker Sam Stout at UFC 97 in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. In a closely contested fight, Wiman seemed hurt from a flush liver shot late in round two, but rallied and controlled Stout for the final round. He lost via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). This fight earned him another '' Fight of the Night'' award. Woman was scheduled to fight

Rafael dos Anjos Rafael Souza dos Anjos (; born 26 October 1984), also known by his initials RDA, is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...

on September 19, 2009, at UFC 103, but was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury. He was replaced by Rob Emerson. On December 12, 2009, Wiman defeated Shane Nelson at UFC 107 via unanimous decision. Wiman defeated Mac Danzig via first round submission at UFC 115. However, the stoppage was apparently premature and mistaken as Wiman had Danzig in a tight guillotine choke and referee Yves Lavigne called a stoppage despite the fact that Danzig had not submitted and was still conscious. Wiman was expected to face Danzig in a rematch on September 15, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 22, however Danzig was forced off the card with an injury. Wiman was then set to face Efrain Escudero, but Wiman was also forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Charles Oliveira. Wiman was expected to face Cole Miller on January 1, 2011, at UFC 125, but the bout eventually took place on January 22, 2011, at

UFC Fight Night 23 ''UFC: Fight for the Troops 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 23'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 22, 2011 at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. The event was the third that the UFC has ho ...

. Wiman dominated Miller for all 3 rounds, resulting in a unanimous decision victory. Wiman faced Dennis Siver on July 2, 2011, at UFC 132. He lost the fight via unanimous decision where UFC President

stated he felt Wiman's pain at the post-fight press conference and understood why he wouldn't show up (to the post-fight press conference) after a fight like that. Wiman won a rematch with Mac Danzig via unanimous decision on October 1, 2011, at UFC on Versus 6,. The back and forth action earned '' Fight of the Night'' honors. Wiman was expected to face Mark Bocek on April 21, 2012, at UFC 145. However, Wiman was forced from the bout with an injury and was replaced by returning UFC veteran

John Alessio John Paul Alessio (born July 5, 1979) is a Canadian retired professional mixed martial artist. A former competitor in Bellator's Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1998, Alessio has also formerly competed for the UFC where h ...

. Wiman defeated

Paul Sass Paul Sass (born 4 August 1988) is a retired English mixed martial artist who competed in UFC's and Bellator's Lightweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career Sass' professional record stands at 14–2 with eight of the victorie ...

via first round armbar submission on September 29, 2012, at

UFC on Fuel TV 5 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 29, 2012, at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Background Jörgen K ...

. This fight earned him a '' Submission of the Night'' award. Wiman faced T. J. Grant on January 26, 2013, at UFC on Fox 6. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. After an absence of nearly two years, Wiman returned from an extended hiatus and faced Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC Fight Night 57 on November 22, 2014. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Wiman was expected to face Leonardo Santos on March 21, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 62. However, Wiman was forced out of the bout on February 11 with a back injury and was replaced by Tony Martin. Wiman returned from an extended hiatus and faced Luis Peña on June 22, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN+ 12 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 large ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. Wiman faced promotional newcomer Joe Solecki on December 7, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN 7 ''UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik'' (also known as '' UFC on ESPN 7'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., United States. ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Wiman faced Jordan Leavitt on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 19. He lost the fight via knockout in round one. After fighting out his last fight for the UFC, Matt announced his retirement from the sport.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Thiago Tavares, Jim Miller, Sam Stout and Mac Danzig 2 ** Submission of the Night (One time) vs.

** UFC Encyclopedia Awards *** Fight of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2008: Ranked #3 Fight of the Year ***2012: Ranked #2 Submission of the Year & Ranked #4 Upset of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, Loss , align=center, 16–10 , Jordan Leavitt , KO (slam) , UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

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, 16–9 , Joe Solecki , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–8 , Luis Peña , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:14 ,

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–7 , Isaac Vallie-Flagg , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 15–7 , T. J. Grant , KO (elbows and punches) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:51 ,

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, 15–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:48 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6 , Mac Danzig , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6 , Dennis Siver , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 132 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Cole Miller , Decision (unanimous) , UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Cavazos is a United States Army Military installation, post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located ha ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Mac Danzig , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC 115 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Shane Nelson , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 107 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 , Sam Stout , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 97 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Quebec, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Jim Miller , Decision (unanimous) , UFC: Fight for the Troops , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-Ameri ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Thiago Tavares , KO (punches) , UFC 85 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:57 ,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Justin Buchholz , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 ,

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

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 76 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Brian Geraghty , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 ,

, KO (flying knee) , UFC 60 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Nick Agallar , Decision (unanimous) , MFC: Boardwalk Blitz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Mark Thomas Grissom , TKO (corner stoppage) , XFL 18: Battle at the Brady 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , FFC 15: Fiesta Las Vegas , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , D.J. Randall , TKO (punches) , XFL: Xtreme Fighting 3: Superbrawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , David Frank , Submission (armbar) , XFL: EK 14: Heavyweight Gladiators , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Venn Johns , Submission (triangle choke) , XFL: EK 13: Elimination , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Greg Bossler , Decision (unanimous) , XFL: EK 13: Elimination , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Joe Garza , Decision (unanimous) , XFL: EK 13: Elimination , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* *
Matt Wiman's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiman, Matt Living people 1983 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Colorado Lightweight mixed martial artists Martial artists from Denver Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighter Season 5

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links