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Josh Samman

Josh Samman

Joshua Kaleb Samman[5] (March 14, 1988 – October 5, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist who, at the time of his death, competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and also competed for Bellator MMA.

Josh Samman
BornJoshua Kaleb Samman
(1988-03-14)March 14, 1988
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.[1]
DiedOctober 5, 2016(2016-10-05)(aged 28)
Hollywood, Florida, U.S.[1]
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
Reach79 in (200 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofTallahassee, Florida, U.S.
TeamMMA Masters
RankBrown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3] under Daniel Valverde[4]
Years active2006–2016
Mixed martial arts record
Total16
Wins12
By knockout7
By submission4
By decision1
Losses4
By knockout1
By submission2
By decision1
Websitehttp://www.joshsamman.com [31]
Mixed martial arts record [32] from Sherdog

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Following amateur MMA fights in 2006, Samman made his professional MMA debut in 2007. Over the next five years, he amassed a record of 9 wins and 2 losses before joining the cast of The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter

In January 2013, it was revealed that Samman was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen. He won his preliminary bout over Leo Bercier via TKO in the first round. However, he drew the ire of both coaches and Dana White for what they perceived to be showboating during his bout. Samman was selected by Jones as his second pick (fourth overall).

In the next round, Samman defeated Tor Troéng by knockout in the first round. In the quarter final round, Samman defeated Jimmy Quinlan via submission in the first round. In the semi-finals, he faced eventual tournament winner Kelvin Gastelum. Despite being considered a heavy favorite by both coaches, Samman was quickly taken down by Gastelum and eventually submitted in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On April 9, 2013, it was announced that Samman would face fellow season 17 alumni Kevin Casey at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.[6] After a close first round, Samman won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Samman was to replace Nick Ring against his former The Ultimate Fighter 17 rival Uriah Hall on August 17, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 26.[7] However, on July 17, he was taken out of the bout after an undisclosed injury.[8]

Samman was expected to face Caio Magalhães on April 19, 2014, at UFC on Fox 11 but was forced to withdraw after tearing his left hamstring.[9]

Samman faced Eddie Gordon on December 6, 2014, at UFC 181.[10] After losing the first round, he came back in the second round to land a left switch head kick on Gordon, knocking him out in what was considered one of the best knockouts of 2014. Samman's knockout earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[11]

Samman faced Caio Magalhães on July 12, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale.[12] He won the fight via rear naked choke in the first round which also earned a Performance of the Night bonus.[13][14]

Samman faced returning veteran Tamdan McCrory on December 19, 2015, at UFC on Fox 17.[15] He lost the back-and-forth fight via submission in the third round.[16]

Samman next faced Tim Boetsch on July 13, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 91.[17] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[18]

Literary work

Samman is the author of The Housekeeper: Love, Death, and Prizefighting, which chronicles his struggles with addiction; career-threatening injuries and the death of his girlfriend.[19]

Samman was a long time contributor to SB Nation's website BloodyElbow.com (MMA), and in August 2014, Samman started submitting Fanposts regularly to the website.[20] In March 2015, BloodyElbow.com announced that Samman would become officially part of the staff and would be joining the website as a feature author.[21]

Samman was also a columnist for UFC.com.[22] In May 2016, Samman announced he would be contributing to an additional MMA website, flocombat.com.

Combat Night

In 2009, Samman began promoting a Mixed Martial Arts event in Tallahassee, Florida, dubbed “Ubersmash,” which featured Samman as the headliner and other local fighters on the bill.[23] When Florida legislation passed that allowed for the creation of amateur MMA sanctioning bodies, Samman and his business partner immediately set out to create Combat Night, which has since expanded to Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami to become the largest MMA organization in the state.[23]

On Saturday, September 26, 2015, Samman and his business partner celebrated a successful 50th edition of Combat Night, drawing 4,000 fans to an amateur MMA show in Tallahassee, Florida.[24]

Personal life

On August 30, 2013, Samman's girlfriend Hailey Bevis died in a single-car accident while the two were texting each other.[25]

On September 29, 2016, Samman and a friend, Troy Kirkingburg, were found unresponsive in a South Florida apartment. His friend, an MMA announcer for a local Florida promotion, was pronounced dead from an overdose of cocaine, heroin and pain killers upon arrival at the hospital, while Samman remained in critical condition and in a coma.[26][1] Samman died on October 5, 2016.[27]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

  • Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Eddie Gordon and Caio Magalhães

  • MMAJunkie.com 2014 December Knockout of the Month vs. Eddie Gordon [28]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
16 matches12 wins4 losses
By knockout71
By submission42
By decision11
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss12–4Tim BoetschTKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. LinekerJuly 13, 201623:49Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Loss12–3Tamdan McCrorySubmission (triangle choke)UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2December 19, 201534:10Orlando, Florida, United States
Win12–2Caio MagalhãesSubmission (rear-naked choke)The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians FinaleJuly 12, 201512:52Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win11–2Eddie GordonKO (head kick)UFC 181December 6, 201423:08Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win10–2Kevin CaseyTKO (knees)The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen FinaleApril 13, 201322:17Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win9–2Mikey GomezSubmission (punches)XFC 16February 10, 201222:17Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Loss8–2Dan CramerDecision (unanimous)Bellator 46June 25, 201135:00Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win8–1John WalshTKO (punches)Moon Management: Ubersmash 4August 28, 201011:19Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Win7–1David BaggettSubmission (triangle choke)Moon Management: Ubersmash 3April 24, 201011:20Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Win6–1Chris CopeKO (punches)Moon Management: Ubersmash 2January 23, 201010:56Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Win5–1Colby McMahonTKO (punches)Moon Management: Ubersmash 1October 3, 200912:23Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Win4–1Ryan HodgeSubmission (choke)WWCF: Blood WarNovember 29, 200822:41Ormond Beach, Florida, United States
Loss3–1John WalshSubmission (arm-triangle choke)ISCF: UnleashedMarch 28, 200810:48North Carolina, United States
Win3–0Michael ShoffnerTKO (punches)Reality Combat Championship 2: The Second EncounterMarch 1, 200811:24Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win2–0Michael AdamsTKO (punches)ISCF: Winnersville WarsSeptember 15, 200720:52Valdosta, Georgia, United States
Win1–0Travis MillerDecision (unanimous)Reality Combat Championship 1April 28, 200735:00Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Exhibition record breakdown
4 matches3 wins1 loss
By knockout20
By submission11
By decision00
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss3–1Kelvin GastelumSubmission (rear-naked choke)The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen14:03Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesSemi-finals.
Win3–0Jimmy QuinlanSubmission (punches)The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen14:38Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesQuarter-finals.
Win2–0Tor TroengKO (punches)The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen14:02Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesPreliminary bout.
Win1–0Lou BercierTKO (punches)The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen11:49Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesEntry bout.

See also

  • List of male mixed martial artists

References

[1]
Citation Linkwww.mmamania.comThomas Myers (2016-10-18). "Report:UFC fighter Josh Samman's roommate 'died from a massive accidental drug overdose'". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[2]
Citation Linkwww.ufc.com"Fight Card - The Ultimate Fighter Finale American Top Team vs. Blackzilians". UFC.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[3]
Citation Linkwww.ufc.comThomas Gerbasi (July 12, 2015). "Samman Impresses, Subs Magalhaes in One". UFC.com.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[4]
Citation Linkcombatpress.comDan Kuhl (December 15, 2015). "UFC on Fox 17's Josh Samman: A Pioneer For The Sport He Loves". Combat Press.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[5]
Citation Linkboxing.nv.gov"Mixed Martial Arts Show Results" (PDF). State of Nevada Department of Business and Industry Athletic Commission. 6 December 2014. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[6]
Citation Linkwww.mmafighting.com"TUF 17 Finale fight card". mmafighting.com. April 9, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[7]
Citation Linkwww.mmajunkie.comStaff (2013-07-01). "Nick Ring out, Josh Samman meets Uriah Hall at UFC on FOX Sports 1 1". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-07-01.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[8]
Citation Linkbostonherald.comStaff (2013-07-17). "John Howard re-signs with the UFC, fights Uriah Hall at UFC on Fox Sports 1". bostonherald.com. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[9]
Citation Linkwww.bloodyelbow.comSteph Daniels (2014-04-08). "UFC on FOX 11: Josh Samman out of fight with Magalhaes". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[10]
Citation Linkwww.newsday.comMark La Monica (2014-09-23). "Eddie Gordon vs. Josh Samman added to UFC 181". newsday.com. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[11]
Citation Linkwww.sherdog.comStaff (2014-12-06). "UFC 181 Bonuses: Anthony Pettis, Sergio Pettis, Josh Samman, Matt Hobar Get $50K". sherdog.com.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[12]
Citation Linkwww.bloodyelbow.comMookie Alexander (2015-04-22). "Josh Samman vs. Caio Magalhaes set for TUF 21 Finale in Florida". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[13]
Citation Linkwww.bloodyelbow.comMookie Alexander (2015-07-12). "TUF 21 Finale results: Josh Samman gets quick stoppage on the prelims". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[14]
Citation Linkwww.sherdog.comMike Sloan (2015-07-12). "'TUF 21' Finale Bonuses: Thompson, Usman, Masvidal, Samman nab $50K". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[15]
Citation Linkwww.mmafighting.comDave Doyle (2015-08-21). "Dollaway vs. Marquardt, Samman vs. McCrory added to UFC on FOX 17 in Orlando". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[16]
Citation Linkmmajunkie.comBen Fowlkes (2015-12-19). "UFC on FOX 17 results: Tamdan McCrory submits Josh Samman in UFC return". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[17]
Citation Linkmmajunkie.comStaff (2016-04-21). "UFC Fight Night 91 gets Tim Boetsch vs. Josh Samman". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[18]
Citation Linkmmajunkie.comBrent Brookhouse (2016-07-13). "UFC Fight Night 91 results: Tim Boetsch busts up Josh Samman for TKO upset win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[19]
Citation Linkwww.orlandosentinel.comUFC fighter's memoir is a portrait of grief. OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved on May 17, 2016.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM
[20]
Citation Linkwww.bloodyelbow.comWhat Will Your Verse Be?. BloodyElbow.com. Retrieved on May 17, 2016.
Sep 26, 2019, 6:48 PM