Anthony Birchak (born May 16, 1986) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division. A professional competitor since 2009. he formerly competed for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC),

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

, Bellator,

Rizin Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the spir ...

and the MFC.

Background

Birchak is

Mexican American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

and was born and raised in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. Birchak was a highly decorated amateur wrestler at

Sahuarita High School Sahuarita High School ("SHS") is a high school located in Sahuarita, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Sahuarita Unified School District. The school is located a few miles south of Tucson. The , $11 million ($ in dollars) campus, built in 1 ...

. Birchak attended

Pima Community College Pima Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Pima County, Arizona. It serves the Tucson metropolitan area with a community college district consisting of five campuses, four education centers, and several adult education learnin ...

and

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on ...

where he majored in Visual Communications. His wife Mercedes White acts as his manager. Together they have launched a mixed martial arts school TOROTech MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Birchak made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2009 competing primarily in regional promotions across the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

, before making an appearance at

Bellator 41 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

where he earned a submission victory over Tyler Bialecki. After seven more fights and two titles later on the regional and Canadian circuit, where he compiled a record of 11–1, Birchak signed with the UFC in the summer of 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Birchak was expected to make his promotional debut against

Joe Soto Joseph Angel Soto (born March 22, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2006, Soto has also form ...

on August 30, 2014, at

UFC 177 ''UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Soto'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 30, 2014, at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. Background The event was originally planned to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev ...

. However, on the day of the weigh-ins, event headliner

Renan Barão Renan Mota do Nascimento Pegado (born 31 January 1987), better known as Renan Barão, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the former UFC Bantamweight Champion. He held one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history - follo ...

had to be admitted to the hospital as a result of his attempts to cut weight. Soto was tabbed as his replacement against

T.J. Dillashaw Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw (born February 7, 1986) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Dillashaw competed on ...

. Subsequently, Birchak was removed from the card entirely. Birchak faced

Ian Entwistle Ian Entwistle (born 19 November 1986) is a British mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised in Accrington, Lancashire, Entwistle competed in ...

on December 13, 2014, at

UFC on Fox 13 ''UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 13'') was a mixed martial arts event held at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 13, 2014. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted in ...

. Birchak lost the bout via submission in the first round. A rescheduled bout with

took place on June 6, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 68 ''UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 68'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 6, 2015, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Background The event was expected to be headlined by a l ...

. Birchak won the fight via knockout in the first round. Birchak next faced

Thomas Almeida Thomas Guimarães Almeidahttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2015_Results/07-11-15MMA.pdf (born 31 July 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the Bantamweight division. A p ...

on November 7, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 77 ''UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 77'') was a mixed martial arts event held on November 7, 2015, at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. Background The event was the fourth held in São Pa ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Birchak next faced Dileno Lopes on July 7, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 90 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 90'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 7, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was the first of three events in as man ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Despite winning his last fight, Birchak never received a new contract offer from the UFC and was released from the promotion in February 2017.

Post-UFC career

Rizin FF

Birchak quickly signed with

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the spir ...

after his UFC release. He made his debut against

Tatsuya Kawajiri is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. He is a former Shooto Lightweight Champion, and has also competed in the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Strikeforce, ONE FC, and Rizin Fighting Federation. Kawajiri also partici ...

on April 16, 2017, at Rizin FF 5. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Birchak next faced

Takafumi Otsuka Takafumi Otsuka (born August 22, 1986) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2006, Otsuka is a two-time DEEP Bantamweight Champion ...

in the first round of the Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix on July 30, 2017, at Rizin 6. He lost the fight via split decision.

Combate Americas

Birchak faced Adam Martinez at Combate Americas Mexico vs. USA on October 13, 2018. He won the fight via TKO only 51 seconds into the fight.

LFA

Birchak was expected to headline LFA 72 against Nohelin Hernandez on July 26, 2019. However, Hernandez stepped in to replace Sean O'Malley at

UFC 239 ''UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light ...

and was replaced by Raphael Montini de Lima. Birchak won the fight in the first round via submission.

Combate Americas

After the victory in the LFA, Birchak was expected to face Erik Aguilar Radleim at Combate Americas' event on October 11, 2019. However, Radleim pulled out due to visa issues and was replaced by Jose Luis Calvo.

Return to UFC

Birchak faced Gustavo Lopez, replacing

Felipe Colares Luis Felipe Dias Colares (born 31 March 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2013, he most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Growing up in Macapa, ...

, on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. He lost the fight via a submission in round one. Birchak was scheduled to face

Johnny Eduardo Johnny Eduardo (born August 3, 1978) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the bantamweight division. He has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Eduardo made his p ...

on March 20, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 21 ''UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 21'' and ''UFC Vegas 22'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 20, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, N ...

. However, on March 15 Eduardo withdrew from the bout due to visa issues. It is unclear if a replacement would be sought by the promotion. Birchak faced off against

Tony Gravely Tony Gravely (born September 28, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Gravely's father was a Tae Kwon Do instructor for over 25 years, so he started ...

, replacing

Nate Maness Nate Maness (born June 27, 1991), is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Maness made his amateur debut in 2013, winning four bou ...

on April 17, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 22 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 22'' and ''UFC Vegas 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 17, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpr ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. After the loss he was released by the UFC.

Championships and accomplishments

Maximum Fighting Championship Maximum Fighting Championship is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. MFC’s former home, in Canada, is the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, located just outside Edmonton, Alberta, but has also ...

** MFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–8 ,

, TKO (punch) , UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–7 , Gustavo Lopez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Erik Radleim , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Combate Americas: Tucson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Raphael Montini de Lima , Submission (rear-naked choke) , LFA 72 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6 , Adam Martinez , TKO (punches) , Combate 26: Mexico vs. USA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 ,

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

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, Decision (split) , Rizin Bantamweight World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rizin 2017 in Yokohama: Sakura , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 15:00 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Dileno Lopes , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Tito Jones , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 38 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

Ryan Benoit Ryan Michale Benoit (born August 25, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a fu ...

, Decision (unanimous) , MFC 37 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Matt Leyva , TKO (punches) , Jackson's MMA Series 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

Roman Salazar Roman Salazar (born February 21, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of Bellator. Background Born and raised in raised in the small town of Mammoth, Arizona, Salazar worked for ...

, TKO (punches) , Coalition of Combat: Clash of the Titans , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , John Green , TKO (punches) , Xtreme Combat Promotions: Burlington Beatdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Winooski, Vermont Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located on the Winooski River, as of the 2020 U.S. census the municipal population was 7,997. The city is the most densely populated municipality in northern New England, an area co ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Jorge Clay , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Amazon Forest Combat 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Carlos Ortega , Decision (unanimous) , Rage in the Cage 153 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Tyler Bialecki , Submission (D'Arce choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Austin Apollos , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Rage in the Cage 150 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Matt Betzold , Submission (triangle choke) , World Fighting Federation , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:12 ,

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Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

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Nogales, Arizona Nogales (English: or , ; ) is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The population was 20,837 at the 2010 census and estimated 20,103 in 2019. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson–Nogales combined statistical area, with a total population ...

, United States ,

References

External links

UFC Fight Night 68 results: Anthony Birchak gets knockout upset of Joe Soto
at

MMAjunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Ma ...

} * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birchak, Anthony 1986 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Bantamweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Tucson, Arizona Mixed martial artists from Arizona American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Post-UFC career

Rizin FF

Combate Americas

LFA

Combate Americas

Return to UFC

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links