UFC and MMA Lightweight Fighters

Record: 10-3
Nickname: KenFlo
Height: 5'10
Weight: 155 pounds
Born: May 26, 1976
Fighting out of: Boston, Massachusetts
Town of birth: Westwood, Massachusetts
Camp: Team Sityodtong

Kenny Florian is a muay thai and jiu jitsu fighter who made a name for himself on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter, making it all the way to the finals before losing to Diego Sanchez. Florian began to concentrate on martial arts following college, earning a Brazilian Jiu jitsu black belt from Gracie Barra's Roberto Maia. After starting his career with a 2-1 record (the loss coming to UFC veteran Drew Fickett), he was enrolled in the Ultimate Fighter as a middleweight.

Following his loss to Diego Sanchez, Kenny would hit a three win streak over Alex Karalexis, Kit Cope and Sam Stout that saw him go from a middleweight fighter down to lightweight. The UFC had just re-introduced the division and gave Florian a shot at the vacant title, pitting him against Sean Sherk. Florian would lose a decision to Sherk.

Since then, Florian has gone 5-0, including wins over Din Thomas, Joe Lauzon, and Roger Huerta.

Kenny is best known for his submission skills and while he has not earned a reputation as a knockout artist he is still adept at striking and uses his elbows to great effect on the ground, often cutting his opponents badly when they are in his closed guard.

D.O.B.: 08/18/1973
Weight: 155lb/70kg
Height: 5'11"
Fighting style: Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 5 - 3 - 0
Team: American Top Team
Fighting out of: Boca Raton, Florida

Marcus Aurelio is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights as a lightweight. Aurelio trains with American Top Team and fights primarily using Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

He began his career in promotions such as ZST and HOOKnSHOOT, earning notable submission victories against Remigijus Morkevicius and Rich Clementi. Aurelio then came to PRIDE Bushido, where he defeated PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi with an arm triangle in a non title fight. A rematch for the title was scheduled six months later, which Gomi won by split decision.

On June 24, 2007, Aurelio announced his signing with the UFC.

Nickname:
Born: July 14, 1976
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 5 ft 5 in
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
MMA Record: 8 – 1 – 0
Team:
Fighting out of: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Crane came to the UFC through King of the Cage and several other minor promotions in the New Mexico area. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a former King of the Cage lightweight champion.

He arrived in the UFC with an amazing 8 – 0 – 0 MMA record, with seven submissions under his belt. He fought UFC superstar Roger Huerta and was dominated until defeated by TKO (strikes) in the third round.

He currently resides in Los Angeles and is awaiting the next phase of his UFC career.

D.O.B.: 12/8/1981
Weight: 154lb/70kg
Height: 5'8
MMA Record: 17-6-5
Team: Rodeo Style
Fighting out of: Japan

Naoyuki Kotani is a mixed martial artist from Kanagawa, Japan. Kotani stands 5'8" tall and weighs 154lbs. He has a record of 17 wins, 6 losses, and 5 draws, with 13 of his wins coming by submission.

His next fight will be against Dennis Siver at UFC 75.

D.O.B.: 05/09/1979
Weight: 155lb/70kg
Height: 5'10"
Fighting style: Wrestling
MMA Record: 2-0-1
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, Nevada

Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American amateur wrestler and professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently competes as a MMA fighter in the lightweight division.

Maynard wrestled alongside current UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans at Michigan State University. Maynard’s final season was in 2003, a year in which he finished seventh at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at 157 pounds. The performance earned the MSU co-captain All-American honors for the third time in his collegiate career.Upon his graduation, Maynard ranked 11th all-time in MSU history with 106 career wins and seventh with 26 falls.

After failing to earn a berth on the 2004 US Olympic wrestling team, Maynard considered retirement when he was recruited to be a sparring partner for mixed martial arts fighter and former UFC champion B. J. Penn. With his exposure to the new sport, Maynard sought to compete in the sport, and with his wrestling connections, he eventually became a student and training partner of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, who also has a background in amateur wrestling.

Maynard was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 5, which featured lightweights exclusively. He was selected by B.J. Penn to be on his team, and was Penn's pick to make it to the finals.

Gray beat Wayne Weems in the preliminary round. In the quarterfinals, Maynard faced Brandon Melendez in a tough matchup and won the fight with a guillotine choke in the second round. He lost his semifinal matchup in the second round against Nathan Diaz due to guillotine choke.

At the The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale, Gray fought Rob Emerson in a controversial fight. Gray seemed to be in control of the fight in round one, and in the second round he picked up Emerson and slammed him to the mat. Emerson immediately tapped out because of an injury to his ribs. The referee claimed that Gray also could not continue because he seemed to have hit his head on the mat and knocked himself out due to the force of his ownslam, thus because both fighters could not continue he ruled "No Contest".

D.O.B.: 05/07/1979
Weight: 155lb/70kg
Height: 5'8"
Fighting style: Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 10-2-0
Fighting out of: Jupiter, Florida

Kurt Joseph Pellegrino is an American mixed martial artist, currently competing lightweight division. Kurt trains at the Armory in Jupiter, Florida with Hermes Franca, Eduardo Guedes, and Raphael Chaves. Prior to the Armory, he trained with Ricardo Almeida, a world famous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor.

Pellegrino made his MMA debut in 2000 at WEC 4-Rumble Under The Sun, where he defeated Mac Danzig via unanimous decision. From the WEC, Pellegrino has fought in various MMA promotions including Reality Fighting, Pancrase (where he lost in the semifinals of the 2004 Neo-Blood Tournament to Satoru Kitoaka), Ring of Combat, Euphoria, Freestyle Combat Challenge, and Absolute Fighting Championship.

Record: 29-8
Nickname: Daddy
Height: 5'7
Weight: 155 pounds
Born: June 15, 1982
Fighting out of: Victorville, California
Town of birth: Torrance, California
Camp: Cobra Kai

Joe Stevenson is a wrestling and jiu jitsu fighter currently under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Wrestling from the age of 11 and competing in jiu jitsu from the age of 13, Stevenson started fighting professionally in 1999 and had already amassed a 24-6 record (including fights with Jens Pulver, Edwin DeWees, and Jeremy Jackson) before wining the second season of the Ultimate Fighter by Marcus Davis, Jason Von Flue and Luke Cummo.

A four fight win streak over opponents such as Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Melvin Guillard, Kurt Pellegrino and Yves Edwards earned him a shot at the lightweight title vacated by Sean Sherk. He faced off against BJ Penn for the belt in England but lost in the second round by guillotine choke.

Joe is best known for his dominating wrestling skills and choke submissions. His signature submission is the guillotine choke, which he has used to defeat 5 of his opponents.

D.O.B.: 08/05/1973
Weight: 155LB/70KG
Height: 5’6”
Fighting style: Wrestling
MMA Record: 32 - 2 - 1
Fighting out of: Anoka, Minnesota

Sean Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has fought in both the UFC and PRIDE, drawing comparisons in style and body-type to American wrestler and former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, whom Sherk had once lost to after a five-round championship bout. Sherk became the UFC Lightweight Champion on October 14, 2006 at UFC 64. He is only the second UFC Lightweight Champion to date, and is the only champion since the division's reinstatement in 2006.

Sean began his mixed martial arts career in 1999 at the Dangerzone MMA Event in Bonville, Minnesota. He continued to win fights, including two notable victories over rising Judo star Karo Parisyan, and was picked up by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2001, where he defeated Tiki Ghosn by submission. He was chosen to fight Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship in 2003 after Sherk won his first 17 fights. He lost his title bid in a five-round fight where Sherk won two rounds, becoming only the second person ever to go five rounds with the champion, Hughes.

After the birth of his child, Sherk retired from MMA. It was not until his coach suggested that he start teaching classes and speaking with his old manager, Monte Cox, Sherk began training for a return to professional mixed martial arts circuit. He defeated Joel Blanton, and then was invited back to the UFC for a fight with welterweight contender, Georges St. Pierre. Sherk lost by TKO due to strikes, but was given another fight in the UFC at UFC 59, where Sherk defeated Nick Diaz by unanimous decision, earning his first victory in the organization since 2002. During the post-fight interview, Sherk stated his intention to drop down in weight to the lightweight division. Six months later, Sherk won the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 64, defeating Kenny Florian by unanimous decision, and becoming the second champion in the UFC's lightweight division since Jens Pulver vacated the title in 2002. However, before the title bout Sherk tore his rotator cuff and had to take a break to rehabilitate.

Age: 37
Weight: : Lightweight (155 lbs)
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Fighting style: Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling
MMA Record:
Fighting out of: Decatur, Illinois

Associated with the wrestling based grappling superstars out of the mid-west, Jason Reinhardt has been training alongside the likes of Matt Hughes and Jens Pulver for close to 10 years.

At 18 – 0 for his career and at 37 years old, Reinhardt is no spring chicken in the world of MMA. He is a veteran of King of the Cage events and most recently Courage Fighting Championships in his town of Decatur, Illinois.

As a student of Miletech Fighting Systems, Reinhart has a solid MMA foundation based in wrestling, coupled with a black belt in Jiu Jitsu.

He is set to make his debut in the UFC at UFC 78 – Validation.

Age: 23
Weight: : Lightweight (155lbs)
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Fighting style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 15 - 3 - 0
Fighting out of: Hilo, Hawaii

Born in Brockton Massachusetts, J-Lau made his way to the UFC through the many MMA organizations and tournaments in the New England area. After winning the WFl Grand Prix tournament in 2006 and made his UFC debut at UFC 63 in September of the same year.

Lauzon knocked out former lightweight champion Jens Pulver in 48 seconds.

He was then selected to competed on the fifth season of the SPIKE TV reality series The Ultimate Fighter where he was coached by BJ Penn. Joe made it to the semi finals, losing a close unanimous decision to Manny Gamburyan.

He fought fellow contestant Brandon Melendez on The Ultimate Fighter finale, scoring a second round submission victory.

Lauzon is scheduled to fight Jason Reinhardt at UFC 78.

Age: 37
Weight: :
Height:
Fighting style:
MMA Record:
Fighting out of:

Big John Mccarthy is as much a part of the UFC as the octagon itself. A former LAPD police officer, Mccarthy’s signature catch phrase “Let’s get it on!” is one of the most recognizable facets of UFC events.

Mccarthy was the sole UFC referee for main event bouts from UFC 2 all the way up to UFC 33, when more rules were instituted and referees were trained.

He currently trains combat sports officials, runs an MMA training facility in California and is a commentator for The Fight Networks coverage of the UFC

Age: 50
Weight:
Height:
Fighting style:
MMA Record:
Fighting out of:

The official voice of the octagon, Bruce Buffer is the main ring announcer for the UFC.

He can been seen and heard introducing fighters at every UFC event using his catch phrase "IT'S TIME... TO BEGIN...!"

He is the half brother of famous “Let’s get ready to Rumble!” boxing announcer Michael Buffer, who he also manages.

He is also a motivational speaker and entrepreneur who designs and handles all product and promotion licensing surrounding the world famous "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE" trademark.

D.O.B.:
Weight: Class: Lightweight (155lbs)
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Fighting style: Wrestling, striking, and ground and pound
MMA Record: 12 – 8 – 0
Fighting out of: North Platte, NE and Denver, CO

Luke Caudillo has only been fighting professionally for 4 years but has managed to amass 20 fights on his record.

His Debut in the UFC was at UFC fight Night 10 in June of 2007, where he took on Nate Mohr and lost by unanimous decision.

He is currently scheduled to fight on the UFC 79 in December of 2007.

D.O.B.: August 8th, 1972
Weight: Lightweight (155 lbs)
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Fighting style: Submission Wrestling
MMA Record: 21 – 3 - 1
Fighting out of: Davenport, Iowa

To say that Jason Black has been around in the world of MMA would be a massive understatement. Not only has he trained with the Militech Fighting Systems Camp since 2000, he has also competed in almost every major MMA organization possible. Including PRIDE FC, WEC, KOTC and the UFC.

He began his MMA career with 10 straight victories, and after a draw brought his streak to an end, he racked off another 9 to go 19 – 0 – 1 for his first 20 fights.

His only losses before stepping into the octagon at UFC fight Night 10 in 2007 were to The Ultimate Fighter standout Shonie Carter and PRIDE fighting superstar Shinya Aoki.

His UFC Debut didn’t continue as solid, losing at The Ultimate Fight Night to Thaigo Tavares by triangle choke in the second round.

He will attempt to prove his stellar record right once again as he gets another shot at UFC stardom at UFC 77 – Hostile Territory against Matt Grice on the undercard.

D.O.B.: January 25th, 1977
Weight: Llightweight (155 lbs)
Height:
Fighting style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 11 – 2 – 0
Fighting out of: Cincinnati, Ohio

Born in Fortaleza Brazil, Gurgel is a black belt in Brazilain jiu Jitsu and currently trains with former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin in Cincinnati Ohio.

He starred in the third season of Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter reality series, but was eliminated on the fifth episode by Jason Von Flue via unanimous decision.

Gurgel returned from the series to face Mark Hominick on UFC Ultimate Fight Night, losing a unanimous decision. He bounced back at UFC 63 – Hughes vs Penn beating Danny Abbadi by unanimous decision. His real mark on the UFC was made at UFC 73 – Stacked, when his victory over Diego Saraiva was named the fight of the night.

Gurgel is currently scheduled to face Alvin Robinson at UFC 77 – Hostile Territory on October 20th, 2007.

D.O.B.: July 29th, 1981
Weight: Lightweight (155 lbs)
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Fighting style: Wrestling
MMA Record: 8 – 1 – 0
Fighting out of: Norman, Oklahoma

Once a top notch collegiate wrestling prospect, Grice never quite hit his potential as a wrestler in college due to multiple injuries during his career.

He began his MMA career in 2005, working his way to an undefeated MMA record.

His first bout in the UFC was at UFC 70 – Nations Collide against then undefeated Terry Etim in front of Etim’s home crowd in Liverpool, England.

He’s back at UFC 77 – Hostile Territory as he takes on MMA veteran Jason Black in a preliminary bout.

D.O.B.:
Weight: Lightweight (155 lbs)
Height: 5 ft 9 in
Fighting style: Wrestling, Ground and Pound
MMA Record: 5 – 1 – 0
Fighting out of: Anchorage, Alaska

Doug Evans is a lightweight fighter out of Anchorage Alaska. He made his way to the UFC through the Alaska Fighting Championship where he went undefeated in his 5 professional bouts.

His first fight in the UFC was against lightweight superstar Roger Huerta at The Ultimate Fighter 5 finales, losing by TKO in the second round.

His next UFC appearance is rumored to be UFC 79 in December of 2007.

Nickname: Magrino
Born: April 26, 1984
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 6 ft 2 in
Fighting Style: Submission fighting
MMA Record: 13 – 2 – 0
Team: American Top Team
Fighting out of: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

A standout high school baseball player, Miller began fighting MMA on small southern U.S. promotions in 2005, putting together an impressive 11 – 2 – 0 record before being selected to compete in the fifth season of the SPIKE TV reality series The Ultimate Fighter.

As a member of team Jens Pulver, Miller was defeated by Joe Lauzon in the quarter finals of the show, and went on to defeat Andy Wang in The Ultimate Fighter Finale undercard.

At Ultimate Fight Night 11, Miller dfeated Leonard Garcia by unanimous decision, bringing his UFC record to 2 – 0, and hid overall MMA record to 13 – 2 – 0.

Nickname:
Born: August 26, 1974
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
MMA Record: 18 – 6 – 0
Team: Team Hermes Franca
Fighting out of: Jupiter, Florida

An amazing Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Franca is a veteran of the HOOKnSHOOT promotion where he put up an undefeated record before making the jump to the UFC at UFC 42 – Sudden Impact.

Franca went 2 – 2 in his first 4 UFC fights, and then left the organization for a short time. Franca returned to the UFC after a 2 year hiatus at UFC 61 – Bitter Rivals, where he went on a 3 fight win streak that resulted in a shot at the Lightweight title shot against Sean Sherk. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. After the fight, both he and Sherk tested positive for steroids.

He is currently serving a one year suspension.

Nickname: Little Evil
Born: December 6, 1974
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Fighting Style: Wrestling, Boxing
MMA Record: 21 – 8 – 1
Team: Miletech Martial Arts
Fighting out of: Davenport, Iowa

As a high school wrestling All-American, Pulver went on to wrestle at Boise State University and eventually became the first ever lightweight champion of the UFC. Pulver has been a force in the world of MMA since his pro debut at the Bas Rutten Invitational 2 tournament. That success paved his way to the UFC.

His first fight in the UFC was at UFC 22, and he went on to win the UFC Bantamweight title and the first ever UFC lightweight title. He was undefeated in UFC action before leaving the promotion.

He went on to fight in PRIDE, Shooto and the IFL.

Nickname:
Born: Brazil
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 14 4 0
Team: American Top Team
Fighting out of: Florida

A Jiu Jitsu practitioner hailing from northern Brazil, Tibau currently trains in Florida with American Top Team. Although mainly a Jiu Jitsu fighter, he is well known for his submission wrestling skills.

He began his MMA career as a Welterweight, dominating Brazilian based competitions until his debut at UFC 65 Bad Intentions in 2006, losing via TKO to Nick Diaz.

After hiss first UFC loss, Tibau moved down to fight in the Lightweight division and went on a 3 fight UFC win streak before losing a unanimous decision to Tyson Griffin at UFC 81 Breaking Point.

Nickname:
Born: April 16, 1985
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 6 ft
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 8 2 0
Team: Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu
Fighting out of: Stockton, California

Regardless of his young age, Nate Diaz can easily be considered a veteran of the WEC and UFC. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Nick Diaz, he was trained in Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

He has fought in many of the top MMA promotions besides the UFC including Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting.

He began his UFC career as a contestant on the 5th edition of the Ultimate Fighter reality series, a competition that he won by defeating Manny Gamburian in the finale.

He currently remains undefeated in the UFC.

Nickname: Hands of Stone
Born: April 23, 1984
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 5 ft 9 in
Fighting Style: Muay Thai
MMA Record: 12 3 1
Team: Team Tompkins
Fighting out of: London, Ontario, Canada

Sam Stout is a Canadian mixed martial artist and a long time veteran of the Montreal Mixed Martial Arts scene, Stout began his career in 2003 with a loss, and then a draw in early 2004, but then went on to put together a 9 fight win streak.

He is Muay Thai Kickboxing practitioner that tends to prefer winning via knockout rather than submission, and currently has a KO victory percentage of 61%.

His UFC debut was UFC 58 USA vs Canada where he won a split decision victory over Spencer Fisher.

Nickname:
Born: November 8, 1984
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 13 1 0
Team: American Top Team
Fighting out of: Floriano, Brazil

A Brazilian Jiu jitsu monster, Tavares is considered one of the best young fighters in the UFC lightweight division. Fighting with American Top Team, Taveres started his MMA career with 13 straight victories, losing his first fight to Tyson Griffin by unanimous decision at UFC 76 Knockout, almost four years after his professional debut.

His training is primarily in Jiu Jitsu, and it shows in his MMA record by winning 10 of his 13 victories by submission, and only one by knockout.

The 23 year old has inked a long term contract in the UFC, and at 3 1 in the octagon he looks to continue a successful career in the UFC.

Nickname:
Born: Sacramento, California
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Fighting Style: Wrestling, Muay thai, Boxing
MMA Record: 11 1 0
Team: Xtreme Couture
Fighting out of: Las Vegas, Nevada

Beginning his MMA career in 2004, Griffin is the only fighter to hold a victory of WEC Champion Uriah Faber, and was 8 0 in his MMA career until he lost a unanimous decision to Frankie Edgar at UFC 67 All or Nothing.

This is still Griffins only MMA loss, and he is currently 4- 1 in the Octagon.