Michael Rhodes (born December 4, 1989) 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 ...

. Rhodes competed in 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 ...

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 ...

Absolute Championship Berkut Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Chechen mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been ...

, and

RFA RFA may refer to: Groups, organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Renewable Fuels A ...

and

Cage Fury Fighting Championships Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion primarily operating in the Northeastern United States, founded by Felix and Amy Martinez. They promoted their first shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey, laun ...

Background

Rhodes was born and raised in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. He was a troubled youth who often got into fights and had anger management issues. He competed in basketball and football during high school at

Waterloo East High School Waterloo East High School in Waterloo, Iowa, United States is a state school, public high school consisting of approximately 1000 students in grades 9–12. It is a part of the Waterloo Community School District. History The school was foun ...

and Columbus Catholic High School in his senior year. He was talented, later continuing his basketball career in college at

Ellsworth Community College Ellsworth Community College is a public community college in Iowa Falls, Iowa. It was founded as Ellsworth College in 1890 by Eugene S. Ellsworth. Originally a private business academy, it later became a four-year college, a music conservator ...

. During college, Rhodes began training in cardio

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

in order to lose weight, losing 110 lbs before transitioning into a career 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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Rhodes compiled an amateur MMA record of 6–2 and was the Iowa Challenge Amateur Middleweight Champion before making his professional debut in 2012. Rhodes then went 6–1 as a professional and won the RFA Welterweight Championship, before being signed by the

. Rhodes signed with the UFC in the winter of 2013.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Rhodes made his promotional debut against fellow newcomer George Sullivan on January 25, 2014, at

UFC on Fox 10 ''UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 10'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 25, 2014, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background A lightweight bout between former WEC Lightweight Championship ...

. Sullivan won the fight via unanimous decision. Rhodes next faced Robert Whittaker on June 28, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 43 ''UFC Fight Night: Te Huna vs. Marquardt'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 43'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 28, 2014, at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Background The event was the first that the organization hosted in N ...

. Rhodes lost the fight via unanimous decision. Rhodes was next scheduled to face

Paulo Thiago Paulo Thiago Alencar Antunes (; born January 25, 1981) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division of KSW. A professional competitor since 2005, he has also competed for the UFC and Jungle Fight ...

on September 13, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 51 ''UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 51'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 13, 2014, at Ginásio Nilson Nelson in Brasília, Brazil. Background The event in Brasília was the first that the ...

. However, Rhodes pulled out of the fight citing an injury. Rhodes made his next appearance against

Erick Silva Erick Silva (born June 21, 1984) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional from 2005 till 2019, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, and Jungle Fight, where he ...

on December 20, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 58 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 58'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Ginásio José Corrêa in Barueri, Brazil on December 20, 2014. Background The event was the second that the UFC has host ...

on December 20, 2014. Rhodes was defeated via technical submission due to an arm-triangle choke in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC

After being released from the UFC, Rhodes returned to the regional circuit and faced Tom Angeloff at NAFC: Explosion on April 11, 2015. He won via knockout in the first round.

Bellator MMA

On February 28, it was announced that Rhodes would replace

Chris Honeycutt Chris Honeycutt (born July 25, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). Background Born in Brook Park, Ohio, Honeycutt began wrestling at the age of four. Hon ...

in a bout against

Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King ...

at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017. However, Rhodes was unable to make the required weight, and the bout scratched after they were unable to come to an agreement for the bout to proceed at a catchweight. Rhodes next faced

Rafael Lovato Jr. Rafael Lovato Jr. (born June 25, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor. At the time of his original retirement, he was the Bellator MMA Middleweight World Champion and was ranked the no. 4 middlewe ...

at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. On February 20, 2018, it was announced that Bellator had released Rhodes from the promotion.

Championships and accomplishments

Resurrection Fighting Alliance The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merger in 2016. History Resu ...

** RFA Welterweight Champion (One time) *Victory Fighting Championship ** VFC Middleweight Champion (Current) *

** CFFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, , Najim Wali , KO (punch) , CFFC 80: Rhodes vs. Wali , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:55 ,

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...

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Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis, next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city is south of the Minnesota River in an area k ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–6 (1) ,

Ibragim Chuzhigaev Ibragim Sumanovich Chuzhigaev (Russian: Ибрагим Суманович Чужигаев) is a Russian-Turkish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). Ch ...

, Decision (unanimous) , ACB 87: Mousah vs. Whiteford , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , NC , align=center, 10–5 (1) , Bryan Baker , NC (elbows to back of head) , Extreme Beatdown: Beatdown 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:18 ,

New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 181 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

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, 10–4 , Rakim Cleveland , Submission (guillotine choke) , VFC 51: Emerson vs. West , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Urbandale, Iowa Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 45,580. It is part of the Des Moines– West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Urbandale was incorporat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Mark Stoddard , Decision (unanimous) , NAFC: Super Brawl , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 , Taki Uluilakepa , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Prestige FC 1: Atonement , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:54 ,

Weyburn, Saskatchewan Weyburn is the tenth-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. The city has a population of 11,019. It is on the Souris River southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is north from the North Dakota border in the United States. The na ...

, Canada , Catchweight (175 lbs) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Tom Angeloff , KO (punch) , NAFC: Explosion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Barueri Barueri ( or ) is a Brazilian municipality in the State of São Paulo located in the northwestern part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 276,982 (2020 est.) in an area of . Its boundaries are Santana de Parnaíba to ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 , Robert Whittaker , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Te-Huna vs. Marquardt , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , George Sullivan , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 6–1 ,

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 ...

, Decision (unanimous) , RFA 10: Rhodes vs. Jouban , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Benjamin Smith , TKO (punches) , RFA 8: Pettis vs. Pegg , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 ,

Brandon Thatch Brandon Michael Mathew Thatch (born July 11, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Thatch was adopted at age five by his m ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 7: Thatch vs. Rhodes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Quartus Stitt , TKO (retirement) , Madtown Throwdown 29: Unstoppable , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Matt Gauthier , Submission (armbar) , RWC: Rogue Warrior Championships 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Torrey Berendes , KO (punch) , Madtown Throwdown 28: Hells Bells , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

Zak Ottow Zachary Ottow (born ) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Welterweight (MMA), welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for King of t ...

, Decision (unanimous) , NAFC: Colosseum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Mike American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Iowa African-American mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Sportspeople from Iowa 1989 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen