Robert Michael Emerson (born July 30, 1981) is an American 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 ...

. A professional competitor since 2002, Emerson is also a veteran of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Glob ...

, the UFC,

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki ...

, and was a cast member of ''

The Ultimate Fighter 5 ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a ...

''.

Background

Emerson was born in

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 during the 2020 census, maki ...

and grew up in

Dana Point, California Dana Point () is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 33,107 at the 2020 census. It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via State Route 1, it is a po ...

. He started training Kyokushin Karate at the age of nine and picked up also Kajukenbo later. Being severely bullied in the school for his

Tourettes Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) ...

, Emerson got into lots of fights in his juvenile years. While preparing to embark on a military career, Emerson went to an unsanctioned mixed martial arts show and ended up fighting there, kindling a fire to pursue a career in the sport.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After being released from jail in 2002, Emerson made his professional debut against Jens Pulver at an Ultimate Wrestling event on June 29, 2002. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

The Ultimate Fighter

According to Emerson, he bypassed the tryouts as he was invited to participate directly to

. On episode three of the season, Emerson faced eventual winner of the show, Nate Diaz. In the second round of an exciting, back-and-forth fight, Diaz managed to secure a rear naked choke for the win. However, BJ Penn told the viewers that he could not take anything away from Emerson, as he had given the fight his all. After

Gabe Ruediger Gabriel G. "Gabe" Ruediger (born August 29, 1977) is a former American mixed martial artist, who competed in the Lightweight division for the UFC, WEC and Tachi Palace Fights. He is a former WEC Lightweight Champion, and former TPF Lightw ...

was taken off the show for his inability to make the 155 lb weight limit Dana White brought Emerson back. Corey Hill, Ruediger's initial opponent, picked him to fight. The first round belonged to Hill as Emerson had problems getting inside and dealing with his substantial reach advantage. In the second round, Emerson was able to take a shot at Hill and get out of range effectively. He even locked in a heel hook when the action hit the mat, earning him the round and forcing the bout to a third and deciding stanza. In the third, both fighters spent most of their time circling each other, and while Emerson appeared to score the most effective blows of the round with kicks to the leg, the decision went to Hill, who put Team Pulver back in the win column and in control heading into episode seven.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Emerson faced fellow Team Penn teammate, Gray Maynard, on the undercard of The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale. Maynard dominated in the first round (the only effective work of Emerson's being a flying knee and a takedown). The second round began with Gray picking up Emerson and slamming him to the canvas. Due to an aggravated injury of the ribs, Emerson submitted. During the fall, however, Maynard accidentally spiked himself on the floor and seemingly rendered himself unconscious. The bout was declared a no-contest. In his next fight at UFC 81, Emerson won a split decision over Keita Nakamura. Nakamura dropped Emerson with a knee at the end of the first round after Emerson had outstruck him for much of the round. Emerson came back strong in the second round, landing crisp combinations that left Nakamura's face a mess. Nakamura scored takedowns in the third round on a visibly tiring Emerson, but it was not enough to win him the split decision as the scores read (30–27, 28–29, and 30–27) in favor of Emerson. At UFC 87, Emerson knocked out Manvel Gamburyan in only 12 seconds, earning him "Knockout of the Night" honors. His next fight at UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens was against Kurt Pellegrino. Emerson lost the fight at 3:14 of the second round due to submission ( rear naked choke); the first submission loss of Emerson's professional career. Emerson was scheduled to fight

George Sotiropoulos George Sotiropoulos (born 9 July 1977) is an Australian born retired mixed martial artist of Greek descent who previously fought in the UFC in their Lightweight division. He is well known for appearing as a fighter on the TV show '' The Ultimat ...

at UFC 101 but was forced to withdraw because of a hand injury and was replaced by George Roop. Emerson lost at UFC 103 by decision to Rafael dos Anjos on September 19, 2009. He agreed to the contest after Matt Wiman was forced to withdraw after suffering a knee injury. Emerson next faced Phillipe Nover on February 6, 2010, at UFC 109 and won a unanimous decision. Emerson faced Nik Lentz at UFC Fight Night 21. He lost via unanimous decision and was released from his UFC contract.

Independent promotions

Emerson defeated Rodney Rhoden by TKO in round one at Pure Combat 12. Emerson faced Eric Reynolds at AOF 10 on December 4, 2010. He won the fight via split decision. Emerson fought Justin Salas at Full Force Fighting: Vol. 1 on January 29, 2011. Emerson lost to Salas via unanimous decision. Emerson defeated WEC Veteran

Savant Young Savant Young (born June 19, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 until 2013, he competed for the WEC, Bellator, Shooto, Affliction, the Tokyo Sabres of the IFL, King of the Cage, and Tachi Pa ...

at Tachi Palace Fighting 12: Second Coming via rear-naked choke submission in round three. Emerson defeated Jason Williams at FCOC: Fight Club OC via rear naked choke. Following this, he fought at the next Fight Club OC event, defeating Musa Toliver by triangle choke.

Bellator MMA

Emerson was expected to face Patricio Freire at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013, when he would make his Featherweight and

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

Debut. However, on July 12, 2013, it was announced that Emerson would withdraw due to injury and was replaced by Jared Downing. Emerson eventually would make his Bellator debut against Jared Downing on October 18, 2013 at Bellator 104. He won the fight via heel hook submission in the first round. Emerson made his Bantamweight debut against Joe Taimanglo on April 11, 2014 at Bellator 116. He won via unanimous decision. Emerson faced Rafael Silva at Bellator 127 on October 3, 2014. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Subsequently, California State Athletic Commission suspended Emerson for 18 months after testing positive for prescription drug Modafinil. The suspension was then reduced to five months.

Regional circuit

After his stint in Bellator, Emerson signed with Victory FC where he became both Bantamweight and Featherweight champion in his first two fights, respectively. He lost his Bantamweight Championship before signing with Russian promotion Absolute Championship Akhmat where he eventually racked a 1–2 record. Emerson was next scheduled to face Charles Bennett in a bare-knuckle MMA bout at Gamebred FC 2 on September 11, 2021. However, the event would be rescheduled for October 1, 2021. Emerson won by knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Gray Maynard ** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Manny Gamburyan *Victory Fighting Championship **VFC Bantamweight Championship (One time; former) **VFC Featherweight Championship (One time; current)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 21–15 (1) , Charles Bennett , KO (punches) , Gamebred FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:36 ,

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated pop ...

, United States , , - , - , Loss , align=center, 20–15 (1) , Dileno Lopes , Submission (Guillotine Choke) , ACA 101: Strus vs. Nemchinov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–14 (1) , Mikhail Malyutin , Decision (unanimous) , , ACA 93: Balaev vs Zhamaldaev , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , St. Petersburg, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–13 (1) , Magomedrasul Khasbulaev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WFCA 54: Dudaev vs. Taimanglo , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Isa Town Isa Town ( ar, مدينة عيسى, ''Madīnat ʿĪsā'') is a middle class town located in Bahrain, in the north central part of the country. Etymology The name ''Isa'' refers to Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999 ...

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 20–12 (1) , Shamil Shakhbulatov , Decision (unanimous) , , ACB 87: Whiteford vs Mousah , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–12 (1) , Raufeon Stots , Decision (unanimous) , VFC 56 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–11 (1) , Ryan Roberts , TKO (knee injury) , VFC 54 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–11 (1) , Shawn West , Submission (rear-naked choke) , VFC 51 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–11 (1) , Rafael Silva , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 127 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–10 (1) , Joe Taimanglo , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 116 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–10 (1) , Jared Downing , Submission (inverted heel hook) , Bellator 104 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–10 (1) , Musa Toliver , Submission (triangle choke) , FCOC: Fight Club OC , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 , Costa Mesa, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–10 (1) , Jason Williams , Submission (rear-naked choke) , FCOC: Fight Club OC , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 , Costa Mesa, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–10 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , TPF 12: Second Coming , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:29 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–10 (1) , Justin Salas , Decision (unanimous) , Full Force Fighting: Vol. 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–9 (1) , Eric Reynolds , Decision (split) , Art of Fighting 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–9 (1) , Rodney Rhoden , TKO (punches) , Pure Combat 12: Champions for Children , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:33 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–9 (1) , Nik Lentz , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–8 (1) , Phillipe Nover , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 109 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–8 (1) , Rafael dos Anjos , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 103 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–7 (1) , Kurt Pellegrino , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 (1) , Manvel Gamburyan , KO (punches) , UFC 87 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 , Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–6 (1) , Keita Nakamura , Decision (split) , UFC 81 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 7–6 (1) , Gray Maynard , NC (double KO due to slam) , The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:39 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–6 , Kenji Arai , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Blow 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–6 , Takafumi Ito , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Blow 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–6 , Jamie Schmidt , TKO (punches) , TC 13: Anarchy , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–6 , Julian Samaniego , TKO (punches) , KOTC 61: Flash Point , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–6 , Melvin Guillard , Decision (split) , RCF: Cold Hearted , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–5 , Randy Velarde , Decision (majority) , KOTC 44: Revenge , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–4 , Joe Camacho , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC 41: Relentless , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–4 , Justin Berkley , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , TC 3: Total Combat 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–4 , Dokonjonosuke Mishima , Decision (unanimous) , Deep: 14th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–3 , Javier Vazquez , Decision (split) , Shooto USA: Warrior Spirit: Evolution , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , Chris Brennan , Submission (achilles lock) , Hitman Fighting 3 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A , Santa Ana, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 , Jamal Perkins , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC 19: Street Fighter , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Jens Pulver , Decision (unanimous) , UW: Ultimate Wrestling , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Rob American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan Mixed martial artists from California Lightweight mixed martial artists 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Newport Beach, California Featherweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists People from Irvine, California American male karateka Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters