Michael Richman (born June 23, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional competitor in mixed martial arts since 2008, Richman has competed for Bellator MMA, and is also 2-0 as a professional boxer.[1] Richman currently competes as a bare-knuckle boxer with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.[2]
| Mike Richman | |
|---|---|
 Mike "The Marine" Richman | |
| Born | June 23, 1985 Rosemount, Minnesota, United States |
| Other names | The Marine |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 174.1 lb (79.0 kg; 12.44 st) |
| Division | Bantamweight Featherweight Lightweight Light heavyweight (Bare-knuckle boxing) Middleweight (Bare-knuckle boxing) |
| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Rosemount, Minnesota, United States |
| Team | The Academy |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 2 |
| Wins | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 26 |
| Wins | 18 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 7 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
editBorn and raised in Rosemount, Minnesota, began competing in wrestling from a young age and was also a fan of boxing and mixed martial arts. Richman attended Rosemount High School where he competed in wrestling before joining the United States Marine Corps upon graduating. After serving three tours as an infantryman in Iraq and reaching the rank of Sergeant, Richman began training in mixed martial arts in 2008.[3]
Mixed martial arts career
editEarly career
editRichman made his professional debut in 2008 and compiled an undefeated record of 8-0 before competing on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck.
The Ultimate Fighter
editRichman was one of 32 contestants selected to compete on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck. In his opening bout to get into the house, Richman lost to Aaron Wilkinson by unanimous decision after two rounds.[4]
Bellator MMA
editRichman made his Bellator MMA debut against WEC veteran Chris Horodecki at Bellator 64. In a huge upset, Richman won via KO at 1:23 of the first round.[5]
After his win over Horodecki, Richman competed in the Bellator Season Seven Featherweight Tournament. In the quarterfinal round at Bellator 76, Richman defeated Jeremy Spoon via head KO 23 seconds into the first round.[6] In the semifinals, he faced Shahbulat Shamhalaev and lost via brutal KO in the first round.
Richman proved he was the superior fighter in his Bellator 88 Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal bout against Mitch Jackson. Richman won a decisive first-round TKO victory. Richman dominated Jackson on his feet, dropping him three times with short left hooks.[7]
Richman faced Alexandre Bezerra in the semifinals on March 7, 2013 at Bellator 92. He won the bout via split decision.
Richman faced Magomedrasul Khasbulaev in the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final on April 4, 2013 in Atlantic City.[8] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Richman faced Akop Stepanyan at Bellator 106 on November 2, 2013.[9] Richman had been in trouble early in the fight, but floored Stepanyan with a left hook in the first round.[10] He then faced Desmond Green at Bellator 110 in the quarter-finals of the Featherweight Tournament.[11] Richman lost via unanimous decision.
Richman faced Goiti Yamauchi on May 17, 2014 at Bellator 120.[12] He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.
In the fall of 2014, Richman moved down to the bantamweight division. He debuted at 135 against Ed West at Bellator 126 on September 26, 2014.[13] He won the fight via knockout in the first round. He also made his signature 'walk-off knockout', where he backs off the fighter before referee called stoppage on the fight.[14]
Richman faced promotional newcomer Nam Phan at Bellator 131 on November 15, 2014.[15] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
Richman was expected to face former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 135 on March 27, 2015.[16] However, the bout was removed from the fight card after Richman suffered an undisclosed injury.[17] The fight eventually took place at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015.[18] Richman lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision.
On June 9, 2015 the California State Athletic Commission confirmed that Richman had failed a post fight drug test following his fight against Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 137. He tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs according to CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster and will be suspended two years and fined $2,500 for the rule infraction.[19]
Bare-knuckle boxing
editBKB
editFollowing his suspension from mixed martial arts, Richman ventured into bare-knuckle boxing. At the time, the sport was still illegal in the United States so he traveled to the United Kingdom for his first fight under the BKB promotion on June 9, 2018.[20]
Valor Bare Knuckle
editRichman had his first bare-knuckle fight on US soil at Valor Bare Knuckle 1 on September 21, 2019. His fight with JC Llamas ended in a no contest after an accidental headbutt inflicted a cut above Llamas' eye and rendered him unable to continue.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
editRichman made his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut against Marcel Stamps on April 30, 2021 at BKFC 17. He won by first-round technical knockout via shoulder injury.[21]
He next faced Dakota Cochrane on September 10, 2021 at BKFC 21, whom he defeated by second-round knockout.[22]
Richman faced David Rickels on April 8, 2022 at BKFC 23, winning by second-round knockout.[23]
Interim BKFC Light Heavyweight Champion
editAfter three consecutive victories, Richman was set to face Isaac Doolitle for the interim BKFC Light Heavyweight Championship on October 15, 2022 at BKFC 31. He won the fight and interim title via third-round knockout.[24]
As interim champion, Richman was scheduled to face reigning champion Lorenzo Hunt in a title unification bout at KnuckleMania 3 on February 17, 2023. Despite knocking Hunt down in the first round, Richman was knocked out and suffered the first loss of his bare-knuckle boxing career.[25]
Richman challenged David Mundell for the BKFC Middleweight Championship at BKFC 47 on July 14, 2023.[26] He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Afterwards, Richman announced his retirement.[27]
Richman came out of retirement to face Erick Lozano on April 12, 2024 at BKFC Fight Night Clearwater in the main event.[28] He won the bout in the fifth round by knockout.[29]
Richman is scheduled to challenge Jared Warren for the BKFC Light Heavyweight Championship at BKFC on DAZN: Hollywood, FL on December 21, 2024.[30]
Championships and accomplishments
editMixed martial arts record
edit| 26 matches | 18 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 1 |
| By submission | 7 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 7 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 18-8 | Jeff Peterson | Decision (unanimous) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 29 | December 15, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States | Moved up to Lightweight. |
| Loss | 18-7 | Lazar Stojadinovic | Decision (unanimous) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 2 | January 20, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States | Moved up to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 18–6 | Eduardo Dantas | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 137 | May 15, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Temecula, California, United States | Tested positive for banned substances in post-fight drug test. |
| Win | 18–5 | Nam Phan | KO (punches) | Bellator 131 | November 15, 2014 | 1 | 0:46 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 17–5 | Ed West | KO (punches) | Bellator 126 | September 26, 2014 | 1 | 2:44 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Loss | 16–5 | Goiti Yamauchi | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 120 | May 17, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Southaven, Mississippi, United States | |
| Loss | 16–4 | Desmond Green | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 110 | February 28, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Bellator Season 10 Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 16–3 | Akop Stepanyan | TKO (punches) | Bellator 106 | November 2, 2013 | 1 | 4:05 | Long Beach, California, United States | |
| Loss | 15–3 | Magomedrasul Khasbulaev | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 95 | April 4, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Bellator Season Eight Featherweight Tournament Final. |
| Win | 15–2 | Alexandre Bezerra | Decision (split) | Bellator 92 | March 7, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Temecula, California, United States | Bellator Season Eight Featherweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 14–2 | Mitch Jackson | TKO (head kick and punches) | Bellator 88 | February 7, 2013 | 1 | 4:57 | Duluth, Georgia, United States | Bellator Season Eight Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 13–2 | Shahbulat Shamhalaev | KO (punches) | Bellator 79 | November 2, 2012 | 1 | 1:45 | Rama, Ontario, Canada | Bellator Season Seven Featherweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 13–1 | Jeremy Spoon | KO (head kick and punch) | Bellator 76 | October 12, 2012 | 1 | 0:23 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Bellator Season Seven Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 12–1 | Chris Horodecki | KO (punches) | Bellator 64 | April 6, 2012 | 1 | 1:23 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 11–1 | Morgan Sickinger | Decision (unanimous) | Driller Promotions / SEG: Downtown Showdown 1 | November 26, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Christopher Lane | TKO (punches) | Riot at the Hyatt: Packer vs. Viking | September 23, 2011 | 1 | 1:43 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | |
| Loss | 9–1 | Brian Pearman | Decision (split) | Seconds Out / Vivid MMA: Showdown at the Sheraton 2 | February 26, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Bloomington, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 9–0 | Mike Lindquist | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Seconds Out / Vivid MMA: Combat on Capital Hill 4 | November 12, 2010 | 1 | 1:14 | Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 | Ryan Stock | TKO (punches) | Seconds Out / Vivid MMA: Tour of Duty 1 | February 27, 2010 | 1 | 1:14 | Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Derek Getzel | Submission (anaconda choke) | Ambition Promotions: The Crucible | September 12, 2009 | 1 | 3:36 | Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Wes Ronchi | Submission (triangle choke) | Brutaal: Fight Night | June 3, 2009 | 2 | 0:42 | Shakopee, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Chris Coplan | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Brutaal: Fight Night | February 13, 2009 | 1 | 3:07 | Shakopee, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Deryck Ripley | Submission | Brutaal: Fight Night | December 5, 2008 | 1 | 4:50 | Shakopee, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Mel Ott | Submission (armbar) | Brutaal: Fight Night | September 5, 2008 | 1 | 1:10 | Shakopee, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Rob Degroot | Submission (armbar) | Brutaal: Fight Night | June 27, 2008 | 1 | 0:48 | Shakopee, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jason Trett | TKO (punches) | Brutaal: Fight Night | April 25, 2008 | 1 | 1:45 | Shakopee, Minnesota, United States |
Bare knuckle boxing record
edit| 9 matches | 6 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 2 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 6–2 (1) | Erick Lozano | KO (punch) | BKFC Fight Night: Clearwater | April 12, 2024 | 5 | 0:53 | Clearwater, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 5–2 (1) | David Mundell | KO (punch) | BKFC 47 | July 14, 2023 | 2 | 1:54 | Lakeland, Florida, United States | For the BKFC Middleweight Championship. |
| Loss | 5–1 (1) | Lorenzo Hunt | KO (punch) | BKFC KnuckleMania 3 | February 17, 2023 | 1 | 1:50 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | For the undisputed BKFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 (1) | Isaac Doolittle | KO (punch) | BKFC 31 | October 15, 2022 | 3 | 1:35 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Won the interim BKFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 (1) | David Rickels | KO (punch) | BKFC 23 | April 8, 2022 | 2 | 0:32 | Wichita, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 (1) | Dakota Cochrane | KO (punch) | BKFC 21 | September 10, 2021 | 2 | 0:37 | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 (1) | Marcel Stamps | KO (punch) | BKFC 17 | April 30, 2021 | 1 | 1:06 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| NC | 1–0 (1) | JC Llamas | NC (accidental headbutt) | Valor Bare Knuckle 1 | September 21, 2019 | 1 | 3:00 | New Town, North Dakota, United States | Accidental headbutt rendered Llamas unable to continue. |
| Win | 1–0 | Marcus Gaines | TKO | BKB 11 | June 9, 2018 | 2 | N/A | London, England, United States |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bellator MMA's Mike Richman Earns Second Professional Boxing Win in Minnesota". Bleacher Report.
- ^ "Mike Richman". BKFC. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ http://www.mikerichman.com/aaron-wilkinson-v-mike-richman-dont-count-me-out/
- ^ "Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck". MMA Junkie. September 20, 2010.
- ^ "Watch Richman / Horodecki Fight".
- ^ "Watch Richman / Spoon Fight".
- ^ "Watch Richman / Jackson Fight".
- ^ "Bellator Schedule". Bellator MMA. March 1, 2013. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013.
- ^ "Tourney finalist Mike Richman vs. Akop Stepanyan joins Bellator 106". mmajunkie.com. October 15, 2013.
- ^ "Bellator 106 results/photos: Mike Richman drops Akop Stepanyan in first". mmajunkie.com. November 3, 2013.
- ^ "Pairings revealed for featherweight-tourney opening round at Bellator 110". mmajunkie.com. January 24, 2014.
- ^ Matt Erickson (April 18, 2014). "Bellator 120 pay-per-view adds Ivanov-Volkov, Held-Freire, three more bouts". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ "BELLATOR 126". bellator.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ^ Bellator MMA Top Moments of 2014: Biggest Knockouts
- ^ "Nam Phan signs with Bellator, meets Mike Richman in Bellator 131 main-card opener". MMAJunkie.com. October 17, 2014.
- ^ "Bellator 135 Fight Card". bellator.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
- ^ Jason Floyd (March 9, 2015). "Mike Richman vs. Eduardo Dantas scratched from Bellator 135; L.C. Davis vs. Hideo Tokoro elevated from prelims to co-main event". themmareport.com.
- ^ Brent Brookhouse (March 31, 2015). "Three bouts announced for Bellator 137, including Mike Richman vs. Eduardo Dantas". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Steven Marrocco (June 9, 2015). "Bellator's Mike Richman suspended two years after failed drug test". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "Mike Richman loving early jump, reinvention in bare-knuckle fighting: 'I can still be considered a pioneer'". MMA Junkie. April 5, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "BKFC 17 RESULTS: TATE OVERPOWERS BURNS, RICHMAN BLASTS STAMPS". Combat Press. April 30, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "BKFC 21 results and highlights: Houston Alexander scores brutal KO". Bloody Elbow. September 11, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "BKFC 23 RESULTS: RICHMAN STOPS RICKELS IN ROUND 2". Combat Press. April 9, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "BKFC 31 results: Mike Richman rallies to win interim title; UFC alumni go 3-1". MMA Junkie. October 16, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "BKFC Knucklemania 3 results: Lorenzo Hunt puts Mike Richman to sleep with stunning comeback knockout". MMA Fighting. February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "BKFC 47 heads to Florida with middleweight championship main event". MMA Junkie. May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ "MIKE RICHMAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER GUTSY BARE KNUCKLE BOUT ON SATURDAY". MN Boxing Events, Shows, News, MN Boxers, Schedule. July 15, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ "BKFC HITS CLEARWATER, FL ON FRIDAY, APRIL 12! | BKFC". Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ "BKFC Fight Night: Clearwater Results". Combat Press. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (October 25, 2024). "Jared Warren vs Mike Richman headlines BKFC Hollywood in December". FIGHTMAG.