Michael Robert McDonald (born January 15, 1991) is a retired 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 ...

. McDonald competed in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of 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 ...

, where he challenged for the interim

UFC Bantamweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC Championship#Title match system, championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, ...

at 22 years of age. He also competed in the Bantamweight division of

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 ...

before retiring following another hand injury. A professional fighter from 2007 to 2017, McDonald fought mostly in regional promotions in his home state of

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 ...

before signing with

Zuffa TKO Operating Company, LLC (TKO OpCo), doing business as Zuffa (), is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta I ...

in 2010.

Career

Background

McDonald started training in kickboxing at the age of ten, turned to mixed martial arts at 13, started his amateur career at 14, and turned professional at 16 in 2007. He also has two brothers who had professional careers in mixed martial arts. He trains at Oakdale Mixed Martial Arts with the Last Stand Fight Team. McDonald graduated in 2009 from

Grace M. Davis High School Grace M. Davis High School, commonly referred to as Davis High School, is a public high school located in Modesto, California, United States. Established in 1961, the school serves students in grades 9-12. Davis High was recognized as a Califo ...

where he was voted Best Athlete and Most Likely to Succeed.

Early career

He gained notable wins on the regional circuit defeating WEC veteran

Manny Tapia Manuel Alcaraz Tapia (born March 14, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Bantamweight division. He has formerly competed for the WEC, King of the Cage, and Tachi Palace Fights. He is the forme ...

and former WEC Featherweight Champion,

Cole Escovedo Coleman Ruben Escovedo (born August 30, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist from Fresno, California. He was the inaugural WEC Featherweight Champion. Mixed martial arts career Health issues Escovedo was forced into a well documente ...

. Against the latter, McDonald later avenged his only professional defeat, which also earned him the Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight title with a second-round KO. In the summer of 2010, he was listed as one of the top rising stars under the age of 25.

World Extreme Cagefighting

In September 2010, at age 19, McDonald became the youngest fighter on the

roster when he signed with the WEC. He defeated Clint Godfrey via first round submission in his promotional debut on November 11, 2010, at

WEC 52 ''WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background Urijah Faber made his bantamweight debut against Japanese striker Takeya ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 28, 2010,

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

merged with 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 ( ...

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. McDonald was expected to face

Nick Pace Nick Pace (born April 17, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor from 2008 to 2017, Pace mostly fought in the Ring of Combat promotion where he was the ...

on March 26, 2011, at

UFC Fight Night 24 ''UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 24'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 26, 2011 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. Background The event did not lead ...

. However, Pace was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer

Edwin Figueroa Edwin Richard Figueroa (born July 31, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Figueroa fought in regional promotions in his home state ...

. McDonald won the fight via unanimous decision. The fight was highly entertaining with both fighters exchanging strikes and submission attempts throughout the entire fight and earned ''Fight of the Night'' honors. McDonald faced

Chris Cariaso Chris Vincent Cariaso (born May 27, 1981) is a retired Filipino-American mixed martial artist who competed as a Flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal Cariaso is of Filipino descent. Mixed martial arts career Since turning p ...

on May 30, 2011, at

UFC 130 ''UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background This event was to be the third meeting between Frankie Edga ...

, replacing an injured

Norifumi Yamamoto was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to ...

. He won the fight via split decision. McDonald was expected to face

Johnny Eduardo Johnny Eduardo (born August 3, 1978) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Bantamweight (MMA), bantamweight division. He has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts ...

on November 19, 2011, at

UFC 139 ''UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. It was the first UFC event in San Jose, the longtime home and base ar ...

. However, Eduardo was forced from the card with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Alex Soto. McDonald defeated Soto via first-round KO, earning ''Knockout of the Night'' honors. McDonald clipped Soto with a counter right hand and then swarmed Soto with a flurry of punches against the fence, forcing the referee to stop the bout just 59 seconds into the first round. McDonald fought former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Angel Torres on April 21, 2012, at

UFC 145 ''UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was the 9th UFC event of the year, and took place on April 21, 2012 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background The event was init ...

. He won the fight via first round Knockout. On December 4, 2012, UFC President

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 ...

announced that the UFC Bantamweight Champion

Dominick Cruz Dominick Rogelio Cruz (born March 9, 1985) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, sports analyst and color commentator. He competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the first ...

had reinjured his ACL requiring surgery and would be out for 6–9 months. McDonald faced the UFC Interim Bantamweight Champion

Renan Barão Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado (born 31 January 1987), known as Renan Barão, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. According to Fight Matrix, Barão holds the third longest unbeaten streak i ...

on February 16, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald. McDonald was competitive with capable take-down defense and crisp boxing - particularly in the first two rounds - but ultimately succumbed to Barão's more diverse skillset as he mixed in knees and kicks standing together with take-downs. Barão secured an arm-triangle choke at 3:57 of the fourth round, forcing the tap from McDonald. McDonald holds the record for being the youngest fighter to challenge a UFC Championship. McDonald faced

Brad Pickett Brad Pickett (born 24 September 1978) is an English former mixed martial artist. He is a former Cage Rage British Featherweight Champion. He competed as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship; Dana White stated that Pickett was ...

on August 17, 2013, at

UFC Fight Night 26 ''UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 26'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 17, 2013, at the TD Garden in Boston. Background The event was the first UFC event broadcast on Fox Sports 1. The main ev ...

. He dominated the first round, almost finishing Pickett with strikes before gaining a second round submission victory with a

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 ...

. The win also earned McDonald his first ''Submission of the Night'' award, and he and Pickett earned the ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award as well. McDonald faced

Urijah Faber Urijah Christopher Faber ( ; born May 14, 1979) is an American former mixed martial artist and actor. He competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the founder of Team Alpha Male ...

on December 14, 2013, at

UFC on Fox 9 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 9'') was a mixed martial arts event held on December 14, 2013, at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the UFC's third visit to the venue, after UFC 65 and UFC ...

. After a back and forth first round, Faber stunned McDonald in the second with a flurry of punches, McDonald went to the canvas and Faber jumped on him and finished the fight by submission due to a guillotine choke. After being sidelined for all of 2014 and 2015 nursing a litany of injuries, including multiple hand and wrist surgeries, McDonald returned to face

Masanori Kanehara Masanori Kanehara (born November 18, 1982) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing the Bantamweight division in DEEP and Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2003, Kanehara has formerly competed for World Victory Road, K ...

on January 2, 2016, at

UFC 195 ''UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event held on January 2, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was expected to feature a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between then-und ...

. He won the fight via submission in the second round, after nearly being submitted himself by an arm-triangle choke in the preceding sequence of the fight. The win also earned McDonald a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. McDonald next faced

John Lineker John Lineker (born June 12, 1990) is a Brazilian Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion. Lineker formerly competed in the bantamweight divisio ...

on July 13, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 91 ''UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 91'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 13, 2016, at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ba ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round

Bellator MMA

On March 16, 2017, McDonald announced that he was parting ways with the UFC due to their dealing with him "very dishonestly and disrespectfully." On March 24, 2017, McDonald announced he signed a deal with Bellator MMA. McDonald made his promotional debut on December 15, 2017, at Bellator 191 against Peter Ligier. He won the fight by unanimous decision. McDonald broke his hand in the third round, resulting in his fourth hand surgery. McDonald next faced former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Eduardo Dantas on July 13, 2018, at Bellator 202. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. McDonald suffered another badly broken hand in the bout, leaving McDonald questioning whether his career could continue. The metacarpal bone in his left hand was shattered and crushed resulting in McDonald's fifth hand surgery. McDonald described the recovery from this surgery as "the worst pain of his life". McDonald announced his retirement from professional MMA competition on September 27, 2018. McDonald is now the owner and operator of Mayday's Custom Woodworks. McDonald started learning woodworking at the age of fourteen and launched his business in 2012 as supplemental income to his fighting career.

Championships and accomplishments

Tachi Palace Fights Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which hosted events at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Matchmaker for TPF was former fighter Richard Goodman. Regarded as a regional promotion, ...

** TPF Bantamweight Championship (One time) *

** Fight of the Night (Two times) vs.

** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Alex Soto ** Submission of the Night (One time) vs.

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

**Youngest fighter to compete for a UFC championship (22 years, 32 days) **UFC.com Awards ***2011: Ranked #8 Import of the Year ***2016: Ranked #8 Submission of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 19–4 , Eduardo Dantas , KO (punches) , Bellator 202 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 ,

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 ...

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, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–4 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:09 ,

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, 16–3 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:22 ,

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

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, Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:43 ,

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:57 ,

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, 15–1 , Miguel Torres , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Alex Soto , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

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, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas 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 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Clint Godfrey , Submission (armbar) ,

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Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

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, TKO (punches) , TPF 3: Champions Collide , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Steve Frano , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge 78: No Limits , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dominic Pena , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Gladiator Challenge 76: Alpha Dog Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

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References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Michael American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from California Living people Sportspeople from Modesto, California 1991 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century American sportsmen