Steven Joseph "Steve" Carl (born December 20, 1984) is an American

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 MMA competitor since 2005, Carl previously competed for Bellator from 2010 to 2011 and last competed 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 the ...

division for

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

. He is the former WSOF Welterweight Champion.

Background

Carl was a 2003 graduate of Belle Plaine High School, in

Belle Plaine, Iowa Belle Plaine is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,330 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Belle Plaine was founded in 1862 when it was certain the railroad wo ...

. While there he enjoyed a successful

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

career where he qualified for the state tournament in 2001. He was also a S.I.C.L (South Iowa Cedar League) and Sectional Champion in 2003. He graduated from

Kirkwood Community College Kirkwood Community College is a public community college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Kirkwood has a secondary campus in Iowa City, and several additional regional and county centers located in Belle Plaine, Coralville, Hiawatha, Monticello, Tipton, ...

with the class of 2009.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

While in the Army Carl started training at the Grapplers Lair, after two months of training and no amateur fights Carl made his professional debut on November 5, 2005, against Andrew Perkins, winning the fight via submission (strikes). Carl went undefeated at 5-0 before taking his first loss to future UFC fighter, Brian Foster. Carl rattled off seven consecutive wins, six of which were finishes, before being signed by Bellator.

Bellator

Carl made his debut for the promotion on April 22, 2010, at

Bellator 15 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and ...

in the Bellator Season 2 Welterweight Tournament. He was matched against Brett Cooper and after three close rounds, Carl won the fight via split decision. In the semi-final round Carl was matched against

Sengoku The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

veteran,

Dan Hornbuckle Dan Hornbuckle (born December 26, 1980) is a former American mixed martial artist and a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee tribe. A professional since 2006, Hornbuckle has competed for Bellator, Legacy FC, World Victory Road, and DEEP. B ...

, at

Bellator 19 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

. Carl lost the fight midway into the first round via submission, eliminating him from the tournament. Carl took an off-tournament fight against Tyler Stinson at

Bellator 26 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and ...

. Midway into the first round Carl applied a guillotine choke and choked Stinson unconscious. The impressive win earned him entry into the next season Welterweight Tournament. However, Carl injured his foot and was unable to compete in the tournament. Carl entered into the Bellator Season Five Welterweight Tournament, and was matched against the tournament favorite

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

. The fight took place at Bellator 49. Carl lost the fight via unanimous decision. Carl was released from the promotion after the loss.

Post-Bellator

In December 2011 Carl made his post-Bellator debut fighting for Far Eastern Federation of Modern Pankration in Russia. He defeated Rustam Bogatirev via submission in the first round. On March 2, 2012, Carl fought Mason Temiquel, taking the fight on only one day's notice, winning via submission and then on July 28, 2012, later defeated Vic Hall via submission, both in the first round. Carl defeated Andrew Trace via first round submission at Madtown Throwdown on August 11, 2012.

World Series of Fighting

In late 2012, Carl signed with upstart Las Vegas promotion

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

. His debut came at the promotion's first event, World Series of Fighting 1, held on November 3, 2012, against Ramico Blackmon. Steve Carl won the fight via rear naked choke submission in the first round. Steve Carl defeated Tyson Steele on June 14, 2013, at WSOF 3 via rear-naked choke submission in round one. Steve Carl fought

Josh Burkman Joshua Ray Burkman (born April 10, 1980) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist formerly competing in the Welterweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the World Series of Fighting, the XFC ...

and won via triangle choke submission in the fourth round at

WSOF 6 World Series of Fighting 6: Burkman vs. Carl was a mixed martial arts event held in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. Background This event featured the first WSOF Championship bout between Josh Burkman and Steve Carl. Results ...

to become the first WSOF Welterweight Championship. Carl made his first title defense at WSOF 9 on March 29, 2014, against

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

vet

Rousimar Palhares Rousimar Christian Palhares (;, born February 20, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, World Series of Fighting, and KSW. His nickname ''Toquinho'' (), Portuguese for ...

. He lost the bout due to submission in the first round.

The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians

Steve Carl was confirmed as a cast member for The Ultimate Fighter 21 representing American Top Team.

Championships and accomplishments

** WSOF Welterweight Championship (First, one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 22–6 , Beslan Isaev , Decision (unanimous) , , ACB 49: Rostov Onslaught , November 26, 2016 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) 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 ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–5 ,

Belal Muhammad Belal Muhammad (born July 9, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the UFC welterweight division. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for Bellator and Titan FC. As of October 24, 2022, he is #4 ...

, TKO (punches) , Titan FC 38: Carl vs. Muhammad , April 30, 2016 , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:07 ,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, United States , For The Titan FC Welterweight Title. , - , Win , align=center, 22–4 , Beslan Ushukov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Akhmat Fight Show 13: Battle in Grozny , December 26, 2015 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Grozny Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a po ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–4 ,

, Submission (inverted heel hook) , WSOF 9 , March 29, 2014 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , Lost the WSOF Welterweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 21–3 , Joshua Burkman , Technical Submission (triangle choke) ,

, October 26, 2013 , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:02 ,

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, United States , Won the inaugural WSOF Welterweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , Tyson Steele , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WSOF 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Ramico Blackmon , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WSOF 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Andrew Trace , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Madtown Throwdown 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County, Wisconsin, Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin b ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Vic Hall , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Extreme Challenge 216 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

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, 16–3 , Mason Temiquel , Submission (kimura) , Midwest Cage Championship 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:01 ,

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Rustam Bogatirev , Submission (triangle choke) , FEFoMP: Battle of Empires , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:50 , Khabarovsk Krai, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 49 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, United States , Season Five Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinals. , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Tyler Stinson , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2 ,

, Submission (kimura) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

Grand Prairie, Texas Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties of Texas, in the United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it th ...

, United States , Season Two Welterweight Tournament Semifinals. , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Brett Cooper , Decision (split) ,

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

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , Season Two Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinals. , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Mo Spears , Submission (punches) , Warriors 4 Warriors 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 ,

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the ti ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Victor Moreno , Submission (armbar) , MFDM: Maxfights 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Ivan Ivanov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

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, Bulgaria , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Matt Delanoit , Submission (triangle choke) , Midwest Cage Championships 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , James Warfield , Decision (unanimous) , Warriors 4 Warriors 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Brian Green , TKO (punches) , Conquest Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:34 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Conan Cano , Submission (guillotine choke) , King of Kombat 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Brian Foster , TKO (punches) , Masters of the Cage 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:34 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Raheem Williams , Submission , Renegades Extreme Fighting , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:59 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , James White , Submission , Ultimate Texas Showdown 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Brandon Berkey , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Texas Showdown 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:08 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Andrew Perkins , Submission (punches) , Xtreme Fight Championship 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

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, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 ,

Kamaru Usman Kamarudeen Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian and American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and retired folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championsh ...

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter 21 , June 17, 2015 (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Coconut Creek, Florida Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated north of Miami, it had a population of 57,833 in 2020. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city seceded from ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Valdir Araújo , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Ultimate Fighter 21 , May 6, 2015 (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:13 ,

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

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References

External links

*
Bellator Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carl, Steve 1984 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Iowa Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling United States Army personnel of the Iraq War United States Army soldiers People from Belle Plaine, Iowa Kirkwood Community College alumni