Ricardo Alejandro Lamas (born May 21, 1982) is an American former professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competed in

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Background

Lamas' father is Cuban and his mother is

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

. The flags of these two countries are often displayed on his clothing during his fights. His father was the leader of a Cuban

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

under Castro regime, eventually managing to hide in the Brazilian embassy in Cuba before escaping to the United States. Ricardo is the youngest of six brothers. He went to

Hinsdale Central High School Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS (locally referred to as simply "Central") is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United ...

in Hinsdale, Illinois.

College wrestling

Lamas graduated with a degree in exercise science from

Elmhurst College Elmhurst University is a private university in Elmhurst, Illinois. It has a tradition of service-oriented learning and an affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The university changed its name from Elmhurst College on July 1, 2020. Hist ...

in 2005, where he was a member of the men's wrestling team and earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championships at 157 lbs. During his collegiate wrestling career (2001–2005), he racked up over 100 wins. He was also a two-time CCIW Champion, and was named the CCIW's "Most Outstanding Wrestler" during the 2003–04 season. Lamas returned to Elmhurst after graduation to serve as the assistant men's wrestling coach.

Mixed martial arts career

ISCF - International Sport Combat Federation

Lamas won the ISCF North Central Regional Title on April 26, 2008 in Loves Park, Illinois, USA when he defeated Cal Ferry via Guillotine Choke at 4:50 of round 4.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Lamas made his WEC debut on March 1, 2009 at WEC 39 against IFL and WEC veteran Bart Palaszewski. Lamas took the fight with 4 days notice as he replaced an injured

Rich Crunkilton Richard Allan Crunkilton Jr (born November 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Crunkilton is perhaps best known for his 8–2 stint with the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. He currently competes in the Lightweight division. Earl ...

. Lamas controlled Palaszewski with superior wrestling and scored with excellent ground-and-pound to win a unanimous decision. Lamas faced

Danny Castillo Daniel Alfonso Castillo (born August 25, 1979) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2007 until 2015, he competed in 22 bouts with both the UFC and WEC. Mixed martial arts career Early career Castillo began training M ...

on August 9, 2009 at

WEC 42 ''WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 9, 2009 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada Background Kenji Osawa was originally scheduled to face Rani Yahya at this e ...

. Lamas suffered his first defeat as Castillo won the fight via second-round TKO. Lamas next faced James Krause on November 18, 2009 at WEC 44. Lamas won the fight via unanimous decision. Lamas then faced

Bendy Casimir Bendy Casimir (born June 10, 1980) is a French professional Lightweight mixed martial artist. He has competed for the WEC and M-1 Global. WEC career He made his WEC debut against Ricardo Lamas on March 6, 2010 at WEC 47, losing via first-round ...

on March 6, 2010 at

WEC 47 ''WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Background The only WEC event held in Ohio, WEC 47 coincided with the Arnold S ...

. He won the fight in stunning fashion by defeating Casimir via flying knee KO in the first round. Lamas defeated Dave Jansen via unanimous decision on August 18, 2010 at

WEC 50 ''WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 18, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background This event marked WEC's first visit to Las Vegas since WEC 4 ...

. Lamas was expected to face Maciej Jewtuszko on December 16, 2010 at

WEC 53 ''WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on December 16, 2010 at Jobing.com Arena in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. The event was the first time that Zuffa has h ...

, but Jewtuszko had to withdraw as he suffered a broken hand during training. Lamas instead faced

Iuri Alcântara Iuri Alcântara (born 4 August 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Alcântara mostly fought in Brazil before signing with World Extreme Cagefight ...

and lost via KO in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 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

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. In his UFC debut, Lamas faced returning UFC veteran

Matt Grice Donald Matthew Grice (born July 29, 1981) is an American police officer and retired mixed martial artist. He was in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the featherweight division before suffering a traumatic brain injury in a traffic ...

in a featherweight bout on June 26, 2011 at UFC on Versus 4. Lamas defeated Grice via TKO in the first round. Lamas faced

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, Swanson holds the most ...

on November 12, 2011 at UFC on Fox 1. Lamas won via second round submission after applying an arm-triangle choke, earning ''Submission of the Night'' honors. Lamas was expected to face Dustin Poirier on February 4, 2012 at UFC 143, replacing an injured Erik Koch However, Lamas ended up injured as well and was replaced by Max Holloway. For his third UFC fight at featherweight, Lamas faced

Hatsu Hioki (, born July 18, 1983) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist competing in the featherweight division. He is the former Shooto Lightweight Champion, Sengoku Featherweight Champion, and TKO Featherweight Champion. Hioki is a long time ...

on June 22, 2012 at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida. He defeated the heavily favored Hioki via unanimous decision. Lamas was briefly linked to a December 2012 bout with

Frankie Edgar Frankie Edgar (born October 16, 1981) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning his career in the Lightweight division, ...

, however the pairing was scrapped after Edgar was tabbed as a replacement for the injured Erik Koch and face

José Aldo José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júniorhttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CI3oOc0VAAAr_iv.jpg (, born 9 September 1986), commonly anglicized as Jose Aldo, is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He last competed in the Ultimate Fig ...

at UFC 153. Lamas faced Erik Koch on January 26, 2013 at UFC on Fox 6. Lamas won via TKO in the second round. Lamas was expected to face

Chan Sung Jung Jung Chan-sung ( ko, 정찬성; born March 17, 1987), anglicized as Chan Sung Jung and better known by his ring name The Korean Zombie, is a South Korean professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He currently competes in the Featherweight ...

on July 6, 2013 at UFC 162. However, on June 14, it was announced that Jung had been pulled from the Lamas bout and would replace an injured

Anthony Pettis Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of th ...

to face

on August 3, 2013 at

UFC 163 ''UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 3, 2013, at the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Background The main event was expected to feature current UFC Featherweight Champion, José Aldo taking on f ...

. As a result, Lamas was pulled from the event. The title fight against

eventually took place on February 1, 2014 as the co-main event of

UFC 169 ''UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 1, 2014, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The event was released on DVD on May 6, 2014. The DVD was distributed by the label ''Anchor Bay Entertainment ...

. It was revealed during the UFC countdown show that Lamas received his black belt in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

during his training camp leading up to the bout. Lamas lost the fight via unanimous decision. Lamas faced Hacran Dias on June 28, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 44. Lamas won the fight by unanimous decision. Lamas faced

Dennis Bermudez Dennis Ross Bermudez (born December 13, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the UFC. Bermudez has been a professional MMA competitor since 2009. He has made a name for himself mainly fi ...

on November 15, 2014 at UFC 180. After dropping Bermudez with a jab, Lamas was able to secure a guillotine choke and earn the first round submission victory. Lamas faced Chad Mendes on April 4, 2015 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 63. Mendes won the fight via TKO in the first round. Lamas faced

Diego Sanchez Diego Sanchez (born December 31, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sanchez is most known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

on November 21, 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Lamas next faced Max Holloway on June 4, 2016 at

UFC 199 ''UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 4, 2016, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Background While this was the first time the organization has held an event at the venue, it was the fifth time that U ...

. He lost the back and forth fight via unanimous decision. Lamas was scheduled to face returning veteran B.J. Penn on October 15, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 97. However, on October 4, Penn pulled out of the fight citing an injury. In turn, the promotion announced on October 6 that they had cancelled the event entirely. Lamas was quickly rescheduled and returned to face Charles Oliveira on November 5, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale. The bout was contested at a catchweight of 155 lbs, as Oliveira missed weight by nearly 10 lbs. Lamas won the fight via submission in the second round and was awarded a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Lamas was expected to face

on July 29, 2017 at

UFC 214 ''UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on July 29, 2017 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A PPV event was initially planned for Anaheim on Janu ...

. However Jung pulled out of the fight in early June citing a knee injury. He was replaced by Jason Knight. Lamas won the fight by first-round TKO. Lamas was scheduled to face

on December 16, 2017 at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos. However, Aldo was pulled from the bout in favour of a rematch with Max Holloway two weeks earlier at UFC 218, replacing an injured

. Lamas instead faced Josh Emmett. At the weigh ins, Emmett weighed in at 148.5 pounds, 2.5 pounds over the featherweight upper limit of 146 pounds and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Emmett forfeited 20% of his purse to Lamas. Lamas lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Lamas faced Mirsad Bektić on June 9, 2018 at UFC 225. He lost the fight by split decision. Lamas faced

Darren Elkins Darren Elkins (born May 16, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he fights in the Featherweight division. Elkins is known for his toughness and comeback victories. Background Elkins was bo ...

on November 17, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 140 ''UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 140'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 17, 2018 at Estadio Mary Terán de Weiss in Buenos Aires, ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Shortly after the fight, Lamas revealed in a social media post that he had been fighting with a blood clot in his left leg and that he got blood thinning medication for the condition. Lamas faced

Calvin Kattar Calvin Kattar (born March 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2007, Kattar formerly competed ...

at UFC 238 on June 8, 2019. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Lamas was scheduled to face Ryan Hall on May 2, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Weidman. However, on April 9,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date The bout was rescheduled on August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 175. However, Hall pulled out of the bout due to an undisclosed injury. Lamas instead faced promotional newcomer Bill Algeo. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night ''award. Lamas confirmed his intention to retire from professional competition after the win over Algeo.

Personal life

Lamas and his wife have three children.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

Division III All-American out of

(2005)

Division III 157 lb: 6th place out of

(2005) * CCIW two-time champion (2004–05) at 157 lb (out of

)

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (One time) ** Submission of the Night (One time) ** Fight of the Night (One time) * International Sport Combat Federation ** ISCF Lightweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 20–8 , Bill Algeo , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, TKO (elbows and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:09 ,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

, Argentina , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 , Mirsad Bektić , Decision (split) , UFC 225 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 , Josh Emmett , KO (punch) , UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:33 ,

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Jason Knight , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:34 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Charles Oliveira , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:13 ,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 , Max Holloway , Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale: Magny vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is ancho ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 , Chad Mendes , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census the p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC 180 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Hacran Dias , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , 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 and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Erik Koch , TKO (elbows) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:16 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, TKO (head kick and punches) , UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:41 ,

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, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:26 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Dave Jansen , Decision (unanimous) ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, KO (flying knee) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , James Krause , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 44 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Cal Ferry , Submission (guillotine choke) , ISCF: Rumble in the Park , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:50 , Loves Park, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jake Corry , Submission (guillotine choke) , FCE: Collision , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:49 , Northlake, Illinois, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamas, Ricardo Living people 1982 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Illinois American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent American mixed martial artists of Cuban descent Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Cook County, Illinois Sportspeople from Chicago American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Elmhurst College alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters