Rodney Wallace (born November 21, 1981) is an 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 ...

who competed in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division. A professional competitor from 2008 to 2017, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, the MFC, M-1 Global, KSW, and

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 ...

Background

Wallace was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, moved to

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...

when he was one year old, then returned to his birthplace at the age of 13 when he began playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

. At Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School in Bamberg, South Carolina, Wallace competed in both sports as well as

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. He reached the state tournament in wrestling when he was freshman, then won the

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

state championship in his sophomore, junior, and senior years. He continued his football career with a scholarship to

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

Catawba College in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

, where he was an All-Conference running back from 2001 to 2004, and finished his career as the school's all-time leading rusher.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Wallace lost his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale by unanimous decision to former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann. Wallace next fought Jared Hamman on March 27, 2010, at UFC 111. Wallace lost this fight by way of a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). This fight was very fast-paced and there were several situations in which both men were rocked. The fight was selected as ''Fight of the Night'', earning both fighters $65,000. Wallace was scheduled to face Stanislav Nedkov on August 7, 2010, at UFC 117. However, Nedkov was forced from the card with an injury and was replaced by Phil Davis. Wallace lost the fight via unanimous decision. Following the loss to Davis, Wallace was released from the promotion.

Independent promotions

After his release from the UFC, Wallace went on to face and defeat David Heath at MFC 27 via unanimous decision. He lost his second fight for the promotion against Emanuel Newton at MFC 28 via submission. Wallace next faced Cale Yarbrough on April 15, 2011, at Scrap Live: Fight Night 7. Rodney Wallace next fought Derrick Mehmen at WMMA 1: Fighting for a Better World on March 31, 2012. Wallace won this fight via unanimous decision. Wallace next competed against Polish fighter Mamed Khalidov on May 12, 2012, at KSW XIX. He lost the fight via

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

in the first round. Rodney Wallace next fought former WEC Middleweight Champion

Paulo Filho Paulo Filho (; born May 24, 1978), is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor from 2000 until 2014, Filho was the last WEC Middleweight Champion, and also comp ...

to a draw at Selva MMA on August 4, 2013, in Brazil.

Bellator MMA

Wallace made his debut for

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 ...

on April 11, 2014, at Bellator 116. He faced Carlos Eduardo and won the fight via unanimous decision. Wallace faced Kelly Anundson on June 6, 2014, at Bellator 121. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. In August 2014, Wallace was released from Bellator, along with twelve other fighters.

Absolute Championship Berkut

Wallace faced Shamil Gamzatov on January 13, 2017, at ACB 51. He lost the fight by split decision.

Bare knuckle boxing career

He challenged Croatian Marko Martinjak for his UBBADA world cruiserweight title at BKB 5 event in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

on April 22, 2017, losing the fight via first round TKO due to a cut above the eye.Martinjak nokautirao Rodneya Wallacea
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Championships and accomplishments

*SMASH Fight **SMASH Fight Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, current) *

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 ( ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Jared Hamman *Warfare FC **WFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, current) *Hard Knocks Fighting **HKFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, current)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Konstantin Gluhov , KO (spinning back kick to the body) , ProFC 63 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–15–1 , Juan Espino , Decision (unanimous) , Combate Comas MMA 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Santa Cruz, Bolivia , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–14–1 , Ivan Shtyrkov , Decision (unanimous) , RCC Boxing Promotions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk; , is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, seventh-largest city in Russia, with a population ...

, Russia , Return to

. , - , Loss , align=center, 26–13–1 , Shamil Gamzatov , Decision (split) , , ACB 51: Silva vs. Torgeson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–12–1 , Julio Gallegos , Decision (unanimous) , Conflict MMA 42 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Indian Trail, North Carolina, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–12–1 , Isa Umarov , Decision (unanimous) , , ACB 38: Breakthrough , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–11–1 , Saparbek Safarov , TKO (retirement) , Akhmat Fight Show 18: Grand Prix 2016 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 25–10–1 , Daniel Spohn , Decision (unanimous) , HKFC: Hard Knocks 48 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 24–10–1 , Adrian Miles , Submission (rear-naked choke) , HKFC: Hard Knocks 47 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 23–10–1 ,

Kalib Starnes Kalib Starnes (born January 6, 1975) is a Canadian mixed martial artist. Early life Starnes became involved in the martial arts at an early age and began teaching when he was a teenager. He started training in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie A ...

, Decision (unanimous) , HKFC: Hard Knocks 44 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–10–1 , Misha Cirkunov , TKO (head kick) , HKFC: Hard Knocks 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 22–9–1 , Clay Davidson , Decision (unanimous) , HKFC: Hard Knocks 40 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–9–1 , Kelly Anundson , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 121 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 21–8–1 , Ariel Gandulla , Decision (unanimous) , HKFC: Hard Knocks 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fort St. John, British Columbia Fort St. John is a city located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The most populous municipality in the Peace River Regional District, the city encompasses a total area of about with 21,465 residents recorded in the 2021 Census. Located ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 20–8–1 , Carlos Eduardo , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 116 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–8–1 , Maxim Grishin , Decision (split) , Driven MMA: One , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–7–1 , Luiz Cane , KO (flying knee) , SFT 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Draw , align=center, 19–6–1 ,

, Draw (time limit) , Selva MMA 2 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Rio Branco, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 , Matheus Wendell Santi Scheffel , TKO (punches) , SMASH Fight 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:56 ,

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

, Paraná, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Aaron Johnson , KO (punches) , Warfare FC 9: Apocalypse , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 , North Myrtle Beach,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 , Salomão Ribeiro , Decision (unanimous) , Jungle Fight 53 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Japeri,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Joaquim Ferreira , TKO (punches) , SMASH Fight 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:22 ,

, Paraná, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Guilherme Viana , Decision (split) , Iron Fight Combat 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Aracaju Aracaju () is the capital of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country on the coast, about 350 km (217 mi) north of Salvador, Bahia, Salvador. According to the 2020 estimate, the city has 664,908 inha ...

Sergipe Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...

, Brazil , Return to

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

. , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 , Michał Materla , KO (punches) , KSW 21: Final Resolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Cristiano Lazzarini , TKO (punches) , Brasil Fight 6: Brasil x EUA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:28 ,

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Aaron Johnson , KO (punch) , RFN: Renaissance Fight Night , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5 , Mamed Khalidov , KO (punch) , KSW 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

, Poland , Catchweight (187 lb) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Derrick Mehmen , Decision (unanimous) , WMMA 1: Fighting for a Better World , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Cale Yarbrough , Decision (unanimous) , Scrap Live: Fight Night 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Emanuel Newton , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 28: Supremacy , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:34 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , David Heath , Decision (unanimous) , MFC 27 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Phil Davis , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 117 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Jared Hamman , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 111 , , align=center, 3 , 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, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Brian Stann , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Gregory Milliard , Decision (unanimous) , VFC: A Night Of Vengeance , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Oranjestad, Aruba , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Aaron Stark , Submission (kimura) , VFC: A Night Of Vengeance , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:18 , Oranjestad, Aruba , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Antwain Britt , Submission (armbar) , VFC: A Night Of Vengeance , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 , Oranjestad, Aruba , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Marcus Vanttinen , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 16: USA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States ,

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Michael Brown , Decision (unanimous) , RFC: Revolution Fight Club 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Carlos Zevallos , TKO (punches) , RFC: Revolution Fight Club 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:08 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ovince St. Preux , Decision (unanimous) , VFC 1: Vengeance Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Toni Valtonen , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 3: Gran Canaria , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , San Agustin, Grand Canaria, Spain , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Wesley Cantillo , Decision (unanimous) , RFC 1: Revolution Fight Club 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Rodney American male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling African-American mixed martial artists Living people People from Bamberg, South Carolina 1981 births Catawba Indians football players Mixed martial artists from South Carolina Sportspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina Sportspeople from Salisbury, North Carolina Mixed martial artists from North Carolina Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen