Simeon Thoresen (born March 14, 1984) is a Norwegian

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 ...

currently competing in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division of

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under ...

. A professional competitor since 2006, he formerly competed for 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 ...

DEEP Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary ...

, and

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

Mixed martial arts career

Background

He started training

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

at an early age, but choose to devote himself to

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

instead at the age of 8. Thoresen started training BJJ and

Thai Boxing Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinching technique ...

in 2003 with Jan T. Stange. With no experience in grappling he was dominated and humiliated by a grappler during a training session. This experience led Thoresen to start training extensively on his ground game. He trained with Team Valhall and Team Pammachon in

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sandefjord ...

for a while and won his first and only amateur MMA match in 2005. After that he moved on to Oslo and Hellboy Hansen MMA in order to train full-time. He attributes much of his success to his training under Joachim Hansen. Hansen in turn has describe Thoresen as “a guy with amazing talent, who I truly believe will be a champion in the future.”

Early career

Thoresen made his professional debut in August 2006 with a win over Clifford Hall at Intense Fighting 5: Caged. He still maintains close ties with Team Valhall and is usually cornered during his matches by Valhall Gym's main MMA coach Tommy Rasmussen and Jan T. Stange. At Adrenaline 2: Rise of the Champions he defeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt André Mineus and amateur

Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a ...

champion Cole Lauritsen to win the Adrenaline Sports welterweight title in Denmark. He never defended his title and on December 7, 2008 Adrenaline announced that Thoresen "has forfeit his championship belt, since he has signed a contract with a very big promotion in Japan." Thoresen debuted for the

in October 2008, losing to Eiji Ishikawa by majority decision. Following the loss, Thoresen competed primarily in England for promotions such as Cage Wars and

. He amassed an impressive streak (7 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw) over the next two and half years.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Thoresen confirmed that he had signed a multi-fight contract with the UFC on December 29, 2011. In his debut, Thoresen faced fellow newcomer Besam Yousef on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva. He won the fight via submission in the second round. Thoresen next fought Seth Baczynski on September 22, 2012 at UFC 152. Thoresen used his reach to keep Baczynski at bay and landed several big punches that caused a gash on the nose of Baczynski, Thoresen was then knocked out by a punch from Baczynski late in the first round. Thoresen faced David Mitchell on January 26, 2013 at UFC on Fox 6. Thoresen lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC career

Thoresen was expected to face Peter Sobotta at MMA Attack 4 on October 26, 2013, however the event was cancelled. Due to his previous fight being cancelled, Thoresen was then scheduled for a fight against Domingos Mestre at Superior Challenge 9 on November 13, 2013. However, Thoresen was forced from the bout due to injury. In February, 2014, one year post his UFC career, Thoresen signed a five-fight deal with

. His first fight was on June 7, 2014 against Jake Bostwick at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 69. He lost the fight via majority decision. March 28, 2015, Thoresen fought Jack Mason at British Challenge MMA 10 in Colchester, Essex, England. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*Ultimate Warrior Challenge **UWC Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Jack Mason , Decision (unanimous) , British Challenge MMA 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

, England , Catchweight (175 lb) bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 17–5–1 , Jake Bostwick , Decision (majority) , Cage Warriors FC 69 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–4–1 , David Mitchell , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson , , 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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3–1 , Seth Baczynski , KO (punch) , UFC 152 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 ,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 17–2–1 , Besam Yousef , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2–1 , Manuel Garcia , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 ,

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2–1 , Fabricio Nascimento , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2–1 , Seydina Seck , TKO (punches & knees to the body) , ADFC: Round 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1–1 , Vaidas Valancius , Submission (rear naked choke) , Cage Wars , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:44 ,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 13–1–1 , Marco Santi , Submission (rear naked choke) , BAMMA 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1–1 , John Maguire , Decision (unanimous) , BAMMA 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Draw , align=center, 11–1–1 , Michael Costa , Draw , Art of War 14 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cotai Cotai ( zh, t=路氹城, cy=Louhtáhm Sìhng; ) is a piece of land reclamation, reclaimed land on the top of the Seac Pai Bay between Taipa and Coloane islands in Macau that has connected two independent islands since 2005. The name, which is ...

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Sam Rocha , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pain and Glory: Underground , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Aurelijus Kerpe , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Pain and Glory: Underground , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Eiji Ishikawa , Decision (majority) , DEEP: 38 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Matt Thorpe , Submission (kimura) , Cage Warriors: Enter the Rough House 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Cole Lauritsen , Submission (armbar) , Adrenaline 2: Rise of the Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 , Denmark , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Andre Mineus , Submission (armbar) , Adrenaline 2: Rise of the Champions , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:30 , Denmark , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Paul Jenkins , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Chas Jacquier , TKO (strikes) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 , England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Soli Clichko , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 , England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Clifford Hall , Submission (triangle choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 , England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Lee Dickson , Submission (triangle choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:01 ,

Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Clifford Hall , Submission (triangle choke) , Intense Fighting 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:12 , England ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thoresen, Simeon 1984 births Living people Norwegian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Norwegian male Muay Thai practitioners Norwegian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Sandefjord 21st-century Norwegian sportsmen