Ben Saunders (fighter) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Benjamin Saunders is an American professional mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

. His background is in Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...

Concepts and he was a featured fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra
The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra is the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, and premiered on September 19, 2007 on Spike TV, after UFC Fight Night 11. This season features only welterweight fighters...

, fighting on Team Serra

Matt Serra

Matthew John Serra is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu...

Mixed martial arts

Saunders began training in martial arts at a young age starting with some Jeet Kune Do Concepts. He began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the gi in 2003 and on January 16, 2010, he received his brown belt.

The Ultimate Fighter

Saunders defeated Dan Barrera

Dan Barrera

Daniel Barrera is an American professional mixed martial artist.-Background:Born and raised on a farm in Rupert, Idaho, Barrera has became a devout Christian after he has been baptised at the age of two. First look of his obsessive attachment towards his religion, it has been portrayed in the sixth...

in the first round of the competition by majority decision. Saunders reportedly contracted influenza

Influenza

Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...

after the Barrera bout. Despite the illness, Saunders competed in the quarter-finals against Tommy Speer

Tommy Speer

Tommy Speer is an American professional mixed martial artist. He received national exposure on The Ultimate Fighter 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting as a member of Team Hughes.-The Ultimate Fighter:...

, losing by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Saunders defeated Dan Barrera

Dan Barrera

at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs Team Serra Finale by unanimous decision.

In his second career UFC fight, Saunders defeated UFC newcomer Ryan Thomas

Ryan Thomas

Ryan James Thomas and is an English actor who is currently starring as the character, Jason Grimshaw on ITV's Coronation Street.-Career:...

by armbar in the second round.

In his third career UFC fight he fought Brandon Wolff, defeating him in the first round with knees from the Thai clinch, by landing 42 knees to his opponent. This left Wolff's face a bloody and swollen mess. After the bout many comparisons were made between him and Anderson Silva, who is also known for his Thai clinch prowess.

Saunders' next fight was supposed to be at UFC 96

UFC 96

UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . It was held in Columbus, Ohio on March 7, 2009 at Nationwide Arena.-Preliminary card:...

against welterweight standout Dustin Hazelett

Dustin Hazelett

Dustin Tyler Hazelett is a American mixed martial artist. He is best known for his fights as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Martial arts background:Dustin Hazelett was born in Louisa, Kentucky, USA...

, but due to injury Hazelett pulled out of the match. Saunders was then set to face UFC newcomer Ryan Madigan

Ryan Madigan

Ryan Madigan is an American mixed martial artist. Madigan currently trains under Chris Chard & Lorenzo Scott, while teaching at Jungle Fight Team in Northfield, OH and the new Evolve Training Center in Medina, OH....

. However, Saunders later pulled out of the match due to an injured foot.

On February 28, 2009, it was confirmed that Saunders would be facing Mike Swick

Mike Swick

Mike Swick is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight....

at UFC 99

UFC 99

UFC 99: The Comeback was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 13, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. It was the first UFC event held in Germany, as well as the first in mainland Europe .-Background:On Monday, June 1, the...

. Saunders was defeated by Swick by TKO in the second round. As Swick struck, Saunders ducked into Swick's striking range every time which essentially cost him the fight.

Saunders defeated Marcus Davis

Marcus Davis

Marcus Paul Davis , is an Irish-American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a welterweight. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2 on Spike TV. He holds notable wins over Chris Lytle, Paul Taylor, Jonathan Goulet, and Shonie Carter.-Boxing career:Marcus began boxing at 14...

on November 21, 2009, via KO due to a knee at 3:24 into the first round at UFC 106

UFC 106

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.-Background:...

making him the first man to knock out Marcus Davis.

Saunders was expected to face off against top ten welterweight Martin Kampmann

Martin Kampmann

Martin Kampmann Frederiksen is a Danish mixed martial artist who is currently fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. and trains at the Xtreme Couture gym. He is known for his precise strikes and his quick submissions...

at UFC 111

UFC 111

UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.-Background:...

in March. However, an injury forced Kampmann off the card and Saunders was set to face Jake Ellenberger

Jake Ellenberger

Jacob Steven Ellenberger is an American mixed martial artist and former United States Marine. Ellenberger is signed to Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in its welterweight division. Ellenberger is an assistant coach at back to back Division II National Wrestling champs, the University of...

. On March 25, 2010, news broke that Thiago Alves

Thiago Alves

Thiago Alves d'Araujo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He started training in Muay Thai when he was 15 and mixed martial arts at 17. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been described as a "Muay Thai wrecking machine". As of July 2011, He is currently ranked the #10 welterweight...

's pre-fight CT scan found an irregularity in his brain, and he was not cleared to fight. Saunders asked to fight Alves's opponent and former #1 contender Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch

Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...

, forcing Saunder's opponent Ellenberger out of the match. Saunders lost to Fitch by unanimous decision.

Saunders next faced Dennis Hallman

Dennis Hallman

Dennis Lloyd Hallman is an American professional mixed martial artist from the U.S. state of Washington. A former state champion wrestler, Hallman is known best for his expertise as a grappler. He has appeared in many fight organizations, including UFC, Strikeforce, IFL, Shooto, Rumble on the...

on August 7, 2010 at UFC 117

UFC 117

UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, United States.-Background:...

. Ben lost the fight by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28). Following the loss, Saunders was cut from the UFC.

Bellator Fighting Championships

On February 3, it was announced by Bellator

Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. "Bellator", which is Latin for "Warrior", is organized into seasons with each event hosting the rounds of championship knockout tournaments for three-five weight divisions.-History:In its first season,...

that they had signed Saunders to compete in their Welterweight division. Although he will not be a part of the Season 4 Tournament, Saunders fights are expected to air live on the main card.
At Bellator 39 Saunders beat Matt Lee by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in the third round after brutalising Lee in the clinch with knees and elbows for most of the fight.

Saunders was expected to fight at Bellator 47 but had to pull out of the event due to an undisclosed injury he suffered in training.

Saunders was expected to face Rick Hawn

Rick Hawn

Rick Hawn is an American former 2004 US Olympic judo team member and is now a mixed martial artist. As a judoka he won numerous medals at U.S. national championships, 2 medals at the Pan American Games, and finished 9th at the 2004 Olympics. Hawn was born in Chicago; but when he was young, his...

at Bellator 49. But Hawn later pulled out of the bout due to a knee injury. Saunders instead fought replacement Chris Cisneros. Saunders won by TKO in the third round.

In the semifinals, Saunders faced Luis Santos

Luís Santos

Luis Maurício Capelache dos Santos is a male water polo player from Brazil, who plays as a goalkeeper. He competed for his native country at the 2007 Pan American Games, where he claimed the silver medal with the Brazil men's national water polo team.-References:...

at Bellator 53. Saunders controlled Santos standing up and on the ground. Even after getting taken down, Saunders stayed on the offensive and went for multiple submission attempts, eventually finishing the fight via submission in the third round.

Mixed martial arts record

Douglas Lima

Douglas Lima is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships. He is the former MFC Welterweight champion.-Early career:...

Rama, Ontario

Rama is the Ontario, Canada home of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and Casino Rama. The community sports complex is called the Mnjikaning Arena Sports Ki, which was the home arena of the Couchiching Terriers ice hockey team, once affiliated with the Barrie Colts. The Ramakings lacrosse team...

|Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Final
|-
|Win
|align=center|12-3-2
|Luis Santos

Luis Santos (fighter)

Luis Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. Santos is currently signed with the Bellator Fighting Championships, fighting in their welterweight division.-Early career:...

Miami, Oklahoma

Miami is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. As of 2009, the population estimate was 12,910. It is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is named after the Miami tribe...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County...

Dennis Hallman

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 117

UFC 117

UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, United States.-Background:...

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

Jon Fitch

Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 111

UFC 111

UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.-Background:...

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-1-2
|Marcus Davis

Marcus Davis

|KO (knees)
|UFC 106

UFC 106

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

Mike Swick

Mike Swick is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight....

|TKO (punches)
|UFC 99

UFC 99

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

, Germany
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-0-2
|Brandon Wolff

Brandon Wolff

Brandon W.K. Wolff is an American mixed martial artist and former Navy SEAL. He has a twin brother, Brenton, who has followed the same path. He made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in 2008 at UFC: Fight for the Troops, where he suffered a technical knockout loss to Ben Saunders after a...

|TKO (knees)
|UFC: Fight for the Troops

UFC: Fight for the Troops

UFC: Fight for the Troops, also referred to as UFC Fight Night 16, was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 10, 2008 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina...

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-0-2
|Ryan Thomas
|Submission (armbar)
|UFC 87

UFC 87

UFC 87: Seek and Destroy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 9, 2008, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Background:...

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-0-2
|Dan Barrera

Dan Barrera

|Decision (unanimous)
|The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs Team Serra Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs Team Serra Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra Finale, also referred to as The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale, was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 8, 2007...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

Orlando, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

, United States
|

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.