Tarec Robert Saffiedine (born 6 September 1986) is a
Belgian former professional
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
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 the
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 ( ...
. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Saffiedine has also formerly competed for
DREAM
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
and
Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
*Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*' ...
, and was the last
Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.
Background
Saffiedine was born to a Lebanese father, who emigrated to Belgium to study as an
ophthalmologist
Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...
, and a Belgian mother. His father was a
Taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
practitioner, and since the age of ten Saffiedine has trained in
Judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
,
Wing Chun
Wing Chun (Cantonese) or Yong Chun (Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin) (, lit. "singing spring") is a concept-based martial art, a form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial ...
and Taekwondo. Saffiedine grew up in
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert ( French, ) or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe ( Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). In French, ...
in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
and also played basketball in his youth. Inspired by the
Japanese comic book ''
Tough'', he finally took up
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 age 16, and in 2005 received a
black belt in Shihaishinkai, a style of
knockdown karate
Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors spar (also called Kumite) full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion.
History
Full contact karate competition comes in several different formats developed for the art of ...
that includes
striking,
throws
Throwing is a physical action that consists of mechanically accelerating a projectile and then releasing it into a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a distant target. ''Throwing'' typically refers to hand-throwing by ani ...
and
ground fighting
Ground fighting (also called ground work or ground game) is hand-to-hand combat which takes place while the combatants are on the ground. The term is commonly used in mixed martial arts and other combat sports, as well as various forms of martia ...
. He also has an amateur
kickboxing
Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...
record of 12–1–1 and later began training in
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and
Muay Thai
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 clinch fighting, cl ...
, and then
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 ...
when he emigrated to the United States. Early in his career he worked a number of jobs including in a restaurant, a cinema, as a gardener, and a security guard. He received his nickname, "Sponge", from one of his coaches because he learns quickly. He is also known to switch stances frequently.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Saffiedine made his professional mixed martial arts debut in March 2007, beating his opponent Guillaume Janvier with a
kimura Kimura (written: or lit. "tree village") is the 17th most common Japanese surname.
Notable people with the surname
*, Japanese novelist
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese botanist
*, Japanese idol and singer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese s ...
submission. He went on to fight a further three times that year, all in promotions in his native Belgium and France. In January 2008, he relocated to the United States and began training with
Team Quest
Team Quest is a mixed martial arts training camp founded by Randy Couture and Dan Henderson with facilities located in Gresham, Oregon; Murrieta, California; Encinitas, California; Redding, California; Hemet, California; and Chiang Mai, Thailand ...
. His first fight since his trans-Atlantic move came in June that year at ''Ultimate Cage Wars 12'' in Canada, where he defeated his opponent Rich Bondoc with an
armbar
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...
submission. In 2009, he had two fights in the United States and won both.
DREAM
From there, Saffiedine went to Japan to compete in DREAM. His first fight came against
Seichi Ikemoto
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is a veteran of Shooto, PRIDE and DEEP. His specialty is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent.
Biography and career
Ikemoto is a ...
at ''
DREAM 10: Welterweight Grand Prix 2009 Final''. The bout was not part of the Welterweight Grand Prix, but was a reserve bout. Saffiedine went on to win a unanimous decision.
His next opponent under the promotion's banner was
Yoon Dong-Sik
Yoon Dong-Sik (, born August 24, 1972, in Seoul), often anglicised to Dong-Sik Yoon, is a South Korean judoka, and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist.
Career Judo
Before competing in MMA, Yoon was a well-known judoka with over 50 int ...
, which took place at ''
DREAM 12''. He replaced 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 ...
in the match on short notice, and lost by way of split decision. Saffiedine normally competes as a
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 ...
(170 lbs.), but since he was replacing Filho, he fought as a Middleweight (185 lbs.).
Strikeforce
He then returned to the United States to compete at ''
Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi'', where he defeated
James Terry by way of unanimous decision. He used effective striking to keep his opponent off balance, going as far as to open a cut under Terry's left eye that was bleeding profusely by early in the third round. Though his opponent, an experienced
wrestler
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 diffe ...
, did attempt some takedowns, Saffiedine shrugged off most of them or got to his feet quickly when the action did hit the mat. All three judges scored the fight 30–27 in favor of Saffiedine.
Saffiedine was next scheduled to face off against Nate Moore on 21 May 2010 at
Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey. The opening round provided some back-and-forth action with Moore pushing forward with a wrestling attack, then responding well when Saffiedine began to take control with his strikes. That changed in the second, as Moore returned to his takedown-heavy strategy, but Saffiedine stood tall in the face of the attack and delivered powerful punches while remaining on his feet. A well placed punch by Saffiedine ended the fight by
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, ...
at 1:21 of the second round – his first career knockout win.
He then faced grappler
Brock Larson
Brock Orville Larson (born August 23, 1977) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. A professional competitor from 2002 until 2016, Larson has formerly competed for the U ...
on 11 September 2010 at ''
Shark Fights 13
Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having past and present UFC fighters Jorge Masvi ...
'', on loan from
Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
*Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*' ...
. After a minute-long feeling-out period, Larson shot out of the gate with punches and was dropped by a side-stepping Saffiedine's first strike. From there, Saffiedine continued to outstrike Larson and was also able to defend against takedowns for all three rounds. All judges scored the fight 30–27 in favour of Saffiedine as he won via unanimous decision.
Saffiedine's next fight was against
Tyron Woodley
Tyron Lakent Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at St ...
at
Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine. He and Woodley squared off in the main event. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Saffiedine was supposed to face
Evangelista Santos
Evangelista Santos ( born December 12, 1977) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 1997 until 2016, Santos competed for Strikeforce, Bellator MMA, the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Ch ...
at ''
Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson'' but the fight was cancelled.
Saffiedine fought
Scott Smith at ''
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson''. He was the replacement for
Paul Daley
Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bella ...
, who was the original opponent for Saffiedine. He defeated Smith via unanimous decision.
Saffiedine fought
Tyler Stinson
Tyler Stinson (born January 17, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. A professional competitor since 2006, Stinson has also formerly competed for Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, Titan FC, and the World Series of Fightin ...
to a split decision victory at ''
Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine''.
Saffiedine defeated
Roger Bowling via unanimous decision at ''
Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman''.
In the last ever bout in Strikeforce history, Saffiedine utilized powerful
leg kick
A low kick (also known as a leg kick) is a kick in which the attacker strikes the opponent's lower body (thigh or calf) with the shinbone or foot. Under different names, such kicks are utilized in numerous martial arts, including as karate, taek ...
s to win a 5-round unanimous decision against
Nate Marquardt
Nathan Joel Marquardt (born April 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the middleweight and welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 1999, he is a former Strikeforce W ...
at ''
Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine'' to become the final
Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
It was announced shortly after the final Strikeforce event that Saffiedine would be amongst the promotion's former fighters brought over to the UFC.
Saffiedine was expected to face former
EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler
Robert Glenn Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed between 2001 and 2023. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in ...
on 27 July 2013 at
UFC on Fox 8
''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 8'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 27, 2013, at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The event was broadcast live on FX and Fox.
Background
The main event was a UFC ...
. However, Saffiedine was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by
Siyar Bahadurzada
Siyar Bahadurzada (; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, making him the first Afghan to compete in the promotion. He currently w ...
.
Bahadurzada also suffered an injury and was then replaced by
Bobby Voelker
Robert "Bobby" James Voelker (born April 26, 1979) is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in their Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Voelker has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Strikefor ...
.
Saffiedine was expected to face
Jake Ellenberger
Jake Ellenberger (born March 28, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former United States Marine Corps, United States Marine who was known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professi ...
on 4 January 2014 at
UFC Fight Night 34
''UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 34'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 4, 2014, at the Marina Bay Sands in Marina Bay, Singapore.
Background
This event was the first event the UFC held in Si ...
. However, in late November, Ellenberger pulled out of the bout citing a hamstring injury and was replaced by
Hyun Gyu Lim. Saffiedine won via unanimous decision. The win also earned Saffiedine his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award.
A fight with Jake Ellenberger was rebooked for
UFC 172
''UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 26, 2014, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
The event was released on DVD on July 29, 2014. The DVD was distr ...
. However, Saffiedine had to pull out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury suffered in training.
Saffiedine faced
Rory MacDonald on 4 October 2014 at
UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine.
After being out-struck the first two rounds, Saffiedine was finished for the first time in his career via TKO in the third round, as he was dropped by an uppercut and follow up punches leading to the stoppage.
A bout with
Matt Brown was expected to take place on 14 February 2015 at
UFC Fight Night 60
''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 60'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 14, 2015, at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
Background
The event was the third that the UFC has hosted a ...
. However, it was announced on 1 January 2015 that Saffiedine had pulled out of the bout, citing a groin injury.
After an extended hiatus spent rehabbing a litany of injuries, Saffiedine returned to face
Jake Ellenberger
Jake Ellenberger (born March 28, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former United States Marine Corps, United States Marine who was known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professi ...
on 30 January 2016 at
UFC on Fox 18
''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 18'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 30, 2016, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Background
The event was headlined by a potential UFC Light Heavyweight C ...
. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Saffiedine faced
Rick Story
Rick Story (born August 28, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2007 to 2018, he last competed for the Professional Fighters League, but is better known for his 19-fight tenure with the UFC.
Background
Story ...
on 29 May 2016 at
UFC Fight Night 88
''UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 88'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 29, 2016, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Background
A bantamweight bout between top undefeated p ...
. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
A pairing with
Matt Brown was rescheduled, and was expected to take place on 30 December 2016 at
UFC 207
''UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held on December 30, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Background
The even ...
. However, Brown was pulled from the fight on 11 November in favor of a matchup with Donald Cerrone three weeks earlier at
UFC 206
''UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held on December 10, 2016, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Background
A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship ...
. Saffiedine instead faced
Dong Hyun Kim
Kim Dong-hyun (; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a South Korean retired mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion ...
. Kim was awarded a split decision victory.
Saffiedine faced
Rafael dos Anjos
Rafael Souza dos Anjos (; born 26 October 1984), also known by his initials RDA, is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...
on 17 June 2017 at
UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
On 26 November 2019, it was reported that Saffiedine was released by UFC.
Championships and accomplishments
*
Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
*Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*' ...
**
Strikeforce Welterweight Championship (One time, Last)
**
Fought the last fight in Strikeforce History
*
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)
**
Performance of the Night (One time)
*MMAJunkie.com
**2014 January Fight of the Month
vs. Hyun Gyu LimMMAjunkie’s ‘Fight of the Month’ for January 2014
MMAjunkie (8 February 2014). Retrieved on 2017-06-17.
**2016 December Knockout of the Month vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Kim Dong-hyun (; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a South Korean retired mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion ...
Mixed martial arts record
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 16–7
, Rafael dos Anjos
Rafael Souza dos Anjos (; born 26 October 1984), also known by his initials RDA, is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Kallang
Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore.
Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...
, Singapore
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 16–6
, Dong Hyun Kim
Kim Dong-hyun (; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a South Korean retired mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion ...
, Decision (split)
, UFC 207
''UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held on December 30, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Background
The even ...
,
, 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
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 16–5
, Rick Story
Rick Story (born August 28, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2007 to 2018, he last competed for the Professional Fighters League, but is better known for his 19-fight tenure with the UFC.
Background
Story ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt
,
, 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, 16–4
, Jake Ellenberger
Jake Ellenberger (born March 28, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former United States Marine Corps, United States Marine who was known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professi ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader
,
, 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, 15–4
, Rory MacDonald
, TKO (punches)
, UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 1:28
, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, Canada
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 15–3
, Hyun Gyu Lim
, Decision (unanimous)
, UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim
,
, align=center, 5
, align=center, 5:00
, Marina Bay, Singapore
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 14–3
, Nate Marquardt
Nathan Joel Marquardt (born April 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the middleweight and welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 1999, he is a former Strikeforce W ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine
,
, align=center, 5
, align=center, 5:00
, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 13–3
, Roger Bowling
, Decision (unanimous)
, Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 12–3
, Tyler Stinson
Tyler Stinson (born January 17, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. A professional competitor since 2006, Stinson has also formerly competed for Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, Titan FC, and the World Series of Fightin ...
, Decision (split)
, Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine
,
, 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, 11–3
, Scott Smith
, Decision (unanimous)
, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 52,530.
The village previously served as the headquarters for Transform Holdco L ...
, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 10–3
, Tyron Woodley
Tyron Lakent Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at St ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 10–2
, Brock Larson
Brock Orville Larson (born August 23, 1977) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. A professional competitor from 2002 until 2016, Larson has formerly competed for the U ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs Prangley
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 9–2
, Nate Moore
Nathan Gregory Moore (born April 8, 1983) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2006 until 2013, he competed for Strikeforce.
Background
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Moore was a two-time state wrestling ch ...
, KO (punch)
, Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 1:21
, Portland, Oregon
Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 8–2
, James Terry
, Decision (unanimous)
, Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, San Jose, California
San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 7–2
, Yoon Dong-Sik
Yoon Dong-Sik (, born August 24, 1972, in Seoul), often anglicised to Dong-Sik Yoon, is a South Korean judoka, and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist.
Career Judo
Before competing in MMA, Yoon was a well-known judoka with over 50 int ...
, Decision (split)
, DREAM 12
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 7–1
, Seichi Ikemoto
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is a veteran of Shooto, PRIDE and DEEP. His specialty is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent.
Biography and career
Ikemoto is a ...
, Decision (unanimous)
, DREAM 10
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 5:00
, Saitama, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 6–1
, Mike Arellano
, Submission (americana)
, War Gods 5
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:44
, Alpine, California
Alpine is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego County, California, United States. Alpine had a population of 14,696 at the 2020 census, up from 14,236 at the 2010 census. The town is largely surrounded by Cleve ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 5–1
, Scott Rose
, Submission (arm-triangle choke)
, Long Beach Fight Night 4
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:58
, Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 4–1
, Rich Bondoc
, Submission (armbar)
, Ultimate Cage Wars 12
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:18
, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, Canada
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 3–1
, Raymond Jarman
, Decision (unanimous)
, Shooto Belgium: Encounter the Braves
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Charleroi
Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
, Belgium
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 2–1
, Sebastian Grandin
, Submission (armbar)
, Xtreme Gladiators 3
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:38
, Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 1–1
, Kamil Uygun
, Decision (unanimous)
, Night of the Gladiators
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 5:00
, Brakel Brakel may refer to:
;Places
* Brakel, Belgium, East Flanders, Belgium
* Brakel, Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
* Brakel (Gelderland), Gelderland, Netherlands
* Brakel (North Brabant), North Brabant, Netherlands
;Other uses
* Wilhelmus � ...
, Belgium
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Guillaume Janvier
, Submission (kimura)
, Shooto Belgium: Consecration
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:15
, Charleroi
Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
, Belgium
,
See also
* List of current UFC fighters
This list of current UFC fighters records current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. , the UFC roster c ...
* List of Strikeforce alumni
Strikeforce was an American mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California which operated from 1985 to 2013. Live events and competitions debuted on November 7, 2009.
In early 2011, Strikeforce was purchased by Amer ...
* List of male mixed martial artists
This is a list of notable professional male mixed martial arts fighters in alphabetical order.
__NOTOC__
A
* Tank Abbott - ( UFC, Pride, Strikeforce)
* Hamdy Abdelwahab - ( UFC)
* Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov - ( ACB)
* Shamil Abdurakhimov - ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saffiedine, Tarec
1986 births
Living people
Martial artists from Brussels
Belgian male mixed martial artists
Welterweight mixed martial artists
Belgian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Belgian male karateka
Belgian male taekwondo practitioners
Belgian Wing Chun practitioners
Mixed martial artists utilizing karate
Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai
Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo
Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
Mixed martial artists utilizing Wing Chun
Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Belgian male Muay Thai practitioners
Belgian people of Lebanese descent
Sportspeople of Lebanese descent
Belgian expatriates in the United States
Sportspeople from Temecula, California
Strikeforce (mixed martial arts) champions
Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters
21st-century Belgian sportsmen