Anthony Hamilton (born April 14, 1980) 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 full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who most recently competed in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division. A professional competitor since 2010, Hamilton has also formerly competed for the

UFC 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 ...

, MFC, and was the MFC inaugural

Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, thou ...

Background

Originally from

Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest municipality in greater Seattle and t ...

, Hamilton competed in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and football growing up, graduating from Kentwood High School, then attending

Highline College Highline College is a public community college in Des Moines, Washington. Highline was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County, Washington. The main campus covers . , there were approximately 17,000 students and 350,000 alu ...

, where he earned NJCAA All-American honors in wrestling. He later attended

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Hamilton went undefeated during his amateur career (4-0) before turning professional in October 2010. Prior to signing with the UFC, Hamilton competed for the

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 ...

, claiming their inaugural heavyweight championship after defeating Smealinho Rama at MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines on October 4, 2013. He defended the title once by defeating '' Ultimate Fighter 10'' contestant

Darrill Schoonover ''The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights'' is the tenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. In a press conference following ''UFC 98'', Dana White announced that filming ...

at MFC 39: No Remorse on January 17, 2014. Hamilton signed with the UFC in early 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his promotional debut, Hamilton faced

Alexey Oleynik Aleksei Alexeyevich Oleinik (born June 25, 1977, as Oleksíy Oleksíyovych Olíynyk) is a Russian mixed martial artist and Sambo (martial art)#Styles, combat sambo fighter who fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, competing in their ...

at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens. He lost the fight via neck crank submission in the first round. In his second appearance, Hamilton faced

Ruan Potts Ruan Potts (born 24 August 1977) is a South African professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Potts formerly competed for the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Potts ...

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 ...

on August 30, 2014. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Hamilton next faced

Todd Duffee Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporate ...

UFC 181 ''UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II'' was a mixed martial arts event held on December 6, 2014, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background UFC 181 was the organization's 300th event and was expected to be headlined by a Middlew ...

on December 6, 2014. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. Hamilton faced

Daniel Omielańczuk Daniel Omielańczuk (born August 31, 1982) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). A professional MMA competitor since 2009, he has competed ...

on April 11, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 64 ''UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 64'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 11, 2015, at the Tauron Arena Kraków in Kraków, Poland. Background The event was the first that the organization has ...

. Hamilton won the fight by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 29–27). Hamilton was expected to face

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts ...

on October 3, 2015 at

UFC 192 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 ...

. However, Hamilton was pulled from the fight and replaced by

Viktor Pešta ) , fighting_out_of = Prague, Czech Republic , height = 6 ft 3 in , weight_lb = 205 , weight_class = Heavyweight (2010–2019, 2023-) Light Heavyweight (2020–2022) , reach = , style = , trainer ...

. In turn, Hamilton was rescheduled to face

Mirko Cro Cop Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a retired Croatian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro ...

on November 28, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 79 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 79'') was a mixed martial arts event held on November 28, 2015, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea. Background The event was the first that the organizati ...

. However on November 10, it was announced that Filipović had pulled out of the fight and abruptly announced his retirement. Subsequently, UFC officials removed Hamilton from the card and announced that he would be rescheduled for another event. Hamilton faced

Shamil Abdurakhimov Shamil Gentovich Abdurakhimov (born September 2, 1981) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who is currently fighting in the heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 13, 2022, he is #14 in the UFC heavywe ...

on February 21, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 83 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 83'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 21, 2016, at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Background This was the second event that the UFC hos ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Hamilton faced

Damian Grabowski Damian Grabowski (born May 12, 1980) is a Polish mixed martial artist who last competed in 2019. A professional since 2007, he has fought in the UFC, Bellator, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), and M-1 Global. Biography Grabowski is a multiple Bra ...

on July 30, 2016 at

UFC 201 ''UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background This was the third event that the organization has hosted in Atl ...

. He won the fight via knockout just 14 seconds into the first round. Hamilton faced

Francis Ngannou Francis Zavier Ngannou (born 5 September 1986) is a Cameroonian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. A ...

on December 9, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 102 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 102'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 9, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, New York Background This event w ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Hamilton faced promotional newcomer Marcel Fortuna on February 4, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 104 ''UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 104'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2017, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Background A feathe ...

. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round. Hamilton faced Daniel Spitz on September 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round in 24 seconds. Hamilton announced his retirement from professional MMA fighting on his social network after his loss to Splitz on September 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch. Shortly after his announced from retirement, he was called to replace Dmitrii Smolyakov to face promotional newcomer

Adam Wieczorek Adam Wieczorek (born February 5, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early ...

on October 21, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till. However, the bout was scratched a day before the event due to "safety concerns," as a few

Lechia Gdańsk Lechia Gdańsk () is a Polish football club based in Gdańsk. The club was founded in 1945 by people expelled from Lwów, who were supporters of Poland's oldest football team Lechia Lwów, founded in 1903. The club's name comes from Lechia, a ...

ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...

– extreme and sometimes violent supporters of the local football team – showed up just prior to the weigh-ins. Wieczorek is a supporter of Ruch Chorzów, a Lechia Gdańsk rival team. The fighters were absent from ceremonial weigh-ins due to that reason, but the bout was eventually canceled and rescheduled for UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura a month later. Hamilton lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Post-UFC

After four consecutive losses, Hamilton was released from the UFC. In 2018, Hamilton returned to the regional circuit, and is 3-1 since his departure from the Las Vegas-based promotion. Hamilton faced Rizvan Kuniev for the EFC Heavyweight Championship at Eagle FC 46 on March 11, 2022. After getting hit in the body by knees, Hamilton soon after lost the bout due to guillotine choke in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

* UFC ** Fourth-fastest KO in the Heavyweight division (14 seconds) *

** MFC Heavyweight Championship (One time) ** One Successful Championship Defense * CageSport ** CS Heavyweight Championship (One time) ** One Successful Championship Defense

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–11 , Rizvan Kuniev , Submission (guillotine choke) , Eagle FC 46 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–10 , Vladimir Dayneko , TKO (punches) , EFC 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 ,

Almetyevsk Almetyevsk ( rus, Альме́тьевск, , ɐlʲˈmʲetʲjɪfsk; tt-Cyrl, Әлмәт, ''Älmät'') is a city in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Zay River (Kama's tributary) southeast of Kazan. Population: ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 18–9 , Jared Torgeson , Decision (unanimous) , CageSport 55 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–9 , Dylan Potter , Decision (unanimous) , Dominate FC 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–9 , Randy Zarza , Submission (rear-naked choke) , COGA 61: Rumble on the Ridge 41 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:49 , Snoqualmie, Washington, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 ,

Daniel Spitz Daniel Spitz (born July 31, 1990) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2013 until 2019, he competed for King of the Cage and the UFC. Background Spitz was born in Spokane, Washington, United States. He atte ...

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7 , Marcel Fortuna , KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:10 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 ,

, Submission (kimura) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:14 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

, KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 ,

, TKO (body punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

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

, Submission (scarf-hold headlock) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , MFC 39: No Remorse , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta 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 anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Smealinho Rama , KO (head kick) , MFC 38: Behind Enemy Lines , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:12 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Matt Kovacs , TKO (punches) , CageSport 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Will Courchaine , Submission (armbar) , Rumble on the Ridge 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 , Snoqualmie, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Bill Widler , TKO (punches) , CageSport 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

Fife, Washington Fife is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States and a suburb of Tacoma. The population was 10,999 at the 2020 census. Fife is contained within the Puyallup Indian Reservation. History The lower Puyallup basin is the ancestral home ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Mike Riddell , KO (punch) , Rumble on the Ridge 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:07 , Snoqualmie, Washington, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 ,

Fabiano Scherner Fabiano Scherner (born June 30, 1972) is a German-Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He has fought in Cage Rage, IFL and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Scherner is a Bra ...

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , SportFight 31: Battle at the Bay 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 , Manson, Washington, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Walt Harris , KO (punches) , SCC 4: Grove vs. Silva , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Matt Kovacs , TKO (punches) , Rumble on the Ridge 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Snoqualmie, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Rath Cyrus , Decision (unanimous) , Rumble on the Ridge 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Snoqualmie, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Josh Bennett , TKO (punches) , Rumble on the Ridge 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:33 , Snoqualmie, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jesus Rodriguez , Decision (unanimous) , Rumble on the Ridge 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Snoqualmie, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jared Torgeson , Decision (unanimous) , CageSport 13 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Kyle Welch , Decision (unanimous) , CageSport 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Anthony Living people 1980 births American male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Washington (state) Sportspeople from Kent, Washington Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Highline College alumni