Bryan Baker (born October 13, 1985) is an American former professional

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 competed in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Baker fought in various promotions, most notably

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

and

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

. Baker was also a competitor in the second season of Bellator's Middleweight Tournament in 2010, reaching the final against

Alexander Shlemenko Alexander Pavlovich Shlemenko (russian: Александр Павлович Шлеменко, born 20 May 1984) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division. He is most notable for fighti ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Baker began his professional mixed martial arts career in early 2007 for the Cage of Fire promotion in Mexico. His first fight was against Scott Rose, who Baker finished off quickly, in just over a minute, due to submission. In April 2007, Baker faced

Jesse Juarez Jesse Juarez (born May 8, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut. A professional competitor since 2006, Juarez has also formerly competed for Strikeforce, Be ...

and defeated him via third round submission (rear-naked choke). Baker then followed this up with two TKO victories, both in the first round, against Geoff Hawks and Reggie Orr.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Baker then signed for

and made his debut at

WEC 30 ''WEC 30: McCullough vs. Crunkilton'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). The event took place on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and aired live on th ...

against

Jesse Forbes Jesse Lee Forbes (born October 24, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2010, he competed for the UFC, WEC, the MFC, and was a competitor on ''The Ultimate Fighter 3.'' Background Forbes ...

. Baker was dropped early in the first round and was also subject to Forbes' slams. Whilst on the ground, Baker was able to get top position, which prompted Forbes to give his back. Baker continued to strike and the fight was stopped after 4:15 of the first round, due to TKO (punches). Bryan was next scheduled to fight Nissen Osterneck at

WEC 31 ''WEC 31: Faber vs. Curran'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). The event took place on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and was aired live on the Ve ...

, but this bout was replaced by a bout with

Eric Schambari Eric Schambari (born April 22, 1978) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Schambari has most notably fought in World Extreme Cagefighting and was a s ...

due to an injury to Osterneck. In a three round bout, Bryan won via split decision. This led to a future bout against

Logan Clark Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gove ...

being scheduled at

WEC 33 ''WEC 33: Marshall vs. Stann'' was a mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) that took place on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. Background A rematch for the WEC Middlweig ...

. At the same card,

Chael Sonnen Chael Patrick Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...

was scheduled to fight

Paulo Filho Paulo Fernando de Souza Leite Filho, better known as simply Paulo Filho (; born May 24, 1978), is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor from 2000 until 2014, Fil ...

in a middleweight title rematch. However, this fight was cancelled after Filho had to check himself into a rehabilitation center and Baker was offered to chance to fill in Filho, against Sonnen. Baker accepted and stepped into the bout with less than two weeks notice and suffered his first ever MMA loss. Sonnen dominated the fight with multiple takedowns and was able to shrug off many submission attempts by Baker. Sonnen pulled off the unanimous decision with scores of 30-26, 30-25 and 30-25.

Post-WEC

Baker's first appearance after WEC, was at a charity event against Gary Padilla. In a strong showing of striking ability, Baker pulled off the unanimous decision victory. Baker then stepped in at short notice once again, this time, against Spencer Canup for the CFP Middleweight Championship. Baker won via first round TKO (punch). Baker then signed for Maximum Fighting Championship. In his promotion debut, Baker beat Ultimate Fighter 3 alumni

Rory Singer Rory Michael Singer (born May 28, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Although Rory had made a name for himself as a 185-pound prospect; his big break came after meeting the producers of TUF. They were fil ...

via first round TKO via punches, just seconds before the end of the first round.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Baker made his Bellator debut against IFL and

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 ...

alumni

Matt Horwich Matthew Peter Horwich (born October 2, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Horwich has fought in BAMMA, Strikeforce, Bellator, the UFC, and for t ...

Bellator 10 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

. Baker was victorious via unanimous decision. Baker then returned to MFC and was scheduled to fight former UFC Middleweight title contender,

Thales Leites Thales Leites Lourenço (; born 6 September 1981) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist best known for competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Leites made his m ...

. Baker instead faced Art Santore and won via unanimous decision. Baker then signed with Bellator to take part in their middleweight tournament in the second Bellator season. In the first round of the tournament, Baker defeated Sean Loeffler via TKO at

Bellator 16 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

. In the semi-final round, Baker faced

for the second time in his career. After 2:29 of the first round, Baker managed to submit his opponent with a triangle choke, which advanced him to the final of the middleweight tournament. Baker faced

in the Bellator Middleweight tournament final on June 24, 2010, at

Bellator 23 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

. Coming into the fight, Baker had recorded two opening-round finishes, but on this occasion, he was on the losing side of an opening-round finish, as he suffered a TKO loss after just 2:45. After early exchanges between the two fighters, Shlemenko hit Baker with a strong liver shot, followed by a combination that dropped him. Shlemenko then continued his attack until the referee stopped the fight. On September 21, 2010, it was revealed that Baker was battling

chronic myelogenous leukemia Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also known as chronic myeloid leukemia, is a cancer of the white blood cells. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulat ...

and had only gone into remission three weeks prior. Two days later, Baker faced the veteran

Jeremy Horn Jeremy Graham Horn (born August 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. Horn is best known for fighting in smaller American promotions, he has also competed in some of the premiere mixed martial arts organizations around the world, inclu ...

Bellator 30 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

. The fight was "a grinding affair" with Horn attempting takedowns and a guillotine choke. Baker survived and ended the opening round with a few strikes. The next two rounds saw Horn become somewhat lethargic, giving Baker the opportunity to attempt a triangle armbar. After escaping the submission attempt, Horn's response was somewhat tame and at the end of three rounds, Baker was declared the winner via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28). Baker defeated

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Riggs formerly com ...

by second round KO at

Bellator 43 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 ...

. Post-fight, he proposed to his girlfriend and she immediately embraced him and said yes. They were married soon after. Baker entered the Bellator Season Five Middleweight tournament. In the quarter-finals, he faced Bellator Season One Middleweight tournament finalist

Jared Hess Jared Lawrence Hess (born July 18, 1979) and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess ( Demke; born May 12, 1980) are husband-and-wife American filmmakers best known for their work on ''Napoleon Dynamite'' (2004), ''Nacho Libre'' (2006) and ''Gentlemen Broncos' ...

. He won by TKO in the third round after landing vicious ground and pound from the top. In the semi-finals, Baker faced Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion,

Vitor Vianna Vítor Vianna (born November 2, 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has competed in mixed martial arts events in Brazil, Holland, and in the United States. He is ranked as the #69 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world by FightMatrix.c ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Believing that Vianna had no striking skills, Baker threw wild shots at him and his recklessness cost him the fight as he was caught with an overhand right and against the cage Vianna hit him with continuous hammerfists until the referee stopped the fight. In 2012, Baker elected to drop down a weight class to the

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division. He was featured Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament. He faced Carlos Alexandre Pereira in the opening round of the tournament at

Bellator 63 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so i ...

and won via split decision. In the semifinals, Baker faced Ben Saunders at

Bellator 67 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

and won again via decision. He faced

Karl Amoussou Karl Amoussou (born November 21, 1985) is a French-German professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Cage Warriors, where he is the current Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since ...

on July 20, 2012 in the finals at

Bellator 72 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Baker then faced

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

Bellator 86 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

on February 21, 2013. Baker would fill in for the injured

Brent Weedman Brent Weedman (born February 10, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist who has competed in Bellator's Welterweight division. He has competed in several Bellator Tournaments, including the: Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournamen ...

in the Season Eight Welterweight Tournament Semi-Finals. He lost via KO 2:34 into the first round. In August 2014, Baker was among thirteen fighters that were released from the promotion.

Post-Bellator

Baker faced

Elias Theodorou Elias Michael TheodorouMixed Martial Arts Show ...

on December 18, 2021 at Colorado Combat Club 10. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...

** Bellator Season 2 Middleweight Tournament Runner-Up ** Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament Runner-Up

Mixed martial arts record

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Bellator 54 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 ...

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Bellator 50 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 Feather ...

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Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

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Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city and county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly called the "Cherokee Strip"), which belonged to the Chero ...

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Bellator 20 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight, Lightweigh ...

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MFC 23 ''MFC 23: Unstoppable'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on December 4th, 2009 at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta. The main event featured former UFC contender Thales Leites taking ...

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MFC 20 ''MFC 20: Destined for Greatness'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on February 20th, 2009 in Enoch, Alberta. Fight Card See also * Maximum Fighting Championship * List of Maximum Fight ...

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References

External links

*
Bellator Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Bryan Living people 1985 births American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from West Covina, California