Robert "Bobby" James Voelker (born April 26, 1979) is an American 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 ...

competing in their

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. A professional competitor since 2006, Voelker has 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 ...

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

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

, and

Titan FC Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

Background

Voelker is from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, and attended

Shawnee Mission South High School Shawnee Mission South High School is a high school located in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of several public high schools located within Shawnee Mission and operated by Shawnee Mission ...

where he competed in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

as well as swimming and diving. Voelker also got into many street fights, being charged with

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

when he was 18 years old, and began training in

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

late in high school. After graduating high school, Voelker briefly attended college before dropping out and eventually transitioned into a career in professional

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Voelker compiled an undefeated amateur record of 10-0 before making his professional MMA debut in 2006. He competed in events primarily in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, amassing a record of 20–7 before signing with Strikeforce.

Strikeforce

Voelker's debut took place on November 20, 2009 at Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears, where he faced off against WEC veteran

Erik Apple Erik Apple (born August 26, 1979) is a former American professional mixed martial arts fighter. A professional competitor from 2003 until 2011, he fought for the WEC, Strikeforce, King of the Cage, and ShoXC. Apple also played the character ...

, defeating Apple via TKO (punches) in the second round. His second appearance took place at Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey, where he faced heavy-handed up-and-coming striker "Relentless" Roger Bowling. The fight ended in a technical decision in favor of Bowling due to an unintentional eye injury to Bowling. He was next signed to face

Cory Devela Cory Devela (born August 5, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. Background Devela began wrestling in elementary school and continued through middle and high school. After graduating, Devela attended Yakima Vall ...

, who was on a two-fight slide, on July 23, 2010, at Strikeforce Challengers: del Rosario vs. Mahe. Devela easily took round one, swarming Voelker and turning the fight into a grappling match. The second and third rounds were a lot closer to call, with Devela mostly controlling Voelker in the clinch, but the split decision was awarded to Voelker, who remained in a dominant position for much of the final frames, landing shots from top position. A rematch with Bowling took place at Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker. Voelker won a very one-sided fight via technical knockout in the second round due to punches. Voelker and Bowling fought for a third time at Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs. Bowling III to create Strikeforce's first trilogy. Once again, Voelker dominated and out struck Bowling, thus winning the fight via TKO due to a knee in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In January 2013, the Strikeforce organization was closed by its parent company

Zuffa Zuffa, LLC () is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the ...

. A list of fighters scheduled to be brought over to the Ultimate Fighting Championship was released in mid-January and Voelker was included. For his debut, Voelker faced Patrick Côté, who was making his

debut, on March 16, 2013 at

UFC 158 ''UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 16, 2013, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The main event was the culmination of the rivalry between Geor ...

. Despite finishing strong and winning the third round, Voelker was unsuccessful in his debut, losing the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Voelker was briefly scheduled to face James Head on August 28, 2013 at

UFC Fight Night 27 ''UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 27'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 28, 2013, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Backg ...

. However, on July 11, it was announced that Voelker was tabbed as a replacement for

Siyar Bahadurzada Siyar Bahadurzada ( fa, سیار بهادرزاده; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently works as an instructor for ...

and face

Robbie Lawler Robert Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist who has been competing since 2001. He is the former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce, ...

on July 27, 2013 at

UFC on Fox 8 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 8'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 27, 2013, at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The event was broadcast live on FX and Fox. Background The main event was a UFC F ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Voelker faced

William Macário William Francisco da Silva Macário (born July 1, 1991) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing as a welterweight. A professional competitor since 2010, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fi ...

on December 28, 2013 at

UFC 168 ''UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on December 28, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship rematch between current champion ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Voelker faced

Lance Benoist Lance Benoist (born August 26, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in their welterweight division. Mixed Martial Arts career Early career Benoist went undefeated in his amateur ca ...

on June 7, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 42 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 42'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 7, 2014, at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Background The event was the first that the organization hoste ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision, and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator MMA

After racking a 9–1 record on the regional circuit, Voelker signed with

in April 2019. He made his promotional debut against

Sabah Homasi Sabah Homasi (born October 19, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also competed for the UFC, Titan FC, and Strikeforce. As of D ...

at Bellator 250 on October 29, 2020. He lost the fight via flying knee in the second round. On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Voelker was no longer under contract with Bellator.

Return to regional circuit

After the one-off bout in Bellator, Voelker returned to Shamrock FC facing Josh Weston at Shamrock FC 332 on October 9, 2021. He won the bout via first-round knockout.

Personal life

Aside from his career as a fighter, Voelker works in construction and is also a devout

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. During his UFC tenure, Voelker studied at

Kansas City Kansas Community College Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) is a public two year community college in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association and the Ka ...

to be a paramedic and eventually graduated.

Championships and accomplishments

*Shamrock Fighting Championships **Shamrock FC Welterweight Championship (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 34–14 , Josh Weston , TKO (punches) , Shamrock FC 332 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 33–14 ,

, KO (flying knee and punches) , Bellator 250 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:20 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 33–13 , Cameron VanCamp , Decision (unanimous) , Shamrock FC 317 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 32–13 , Darrius Flowers , TKO (punches) , Shamrock FC 313 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 31–13 , Justin DeMoney , TKO (submission to punches) , Shamrock FC 306 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 30–13 , Bobby Emmons , TKO (punches) , Shamrock FC 302 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 29–13 ,

Zak Bucia Zak Bucia is a professional American mixed martial artist fighting out of San Francisco, California. He is the current WSCA (Wyoming Sports Combat Association) Welterweight Champion, as well as the current Dragon House MMA Welterweight Champio ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shamrock FC 289 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 29–12 , Kyle Kurtz , TKO (punches and elbows) , Shamrock FC 276 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–12 , Raymond Gray , Decision (unanimous) , Shamrock Promotions: Assault , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–12 , Mike Estus , TKO (punches) , Shamrock Promotions: Clash , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–12 , Justin Gutherie , TKO (punches) , Shamrock Promotions: Heavy Artillery , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–12 , Cedric Marks , TKO (punches) , Shamrock Promotions: Onslaught , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:32 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–12 ,

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

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–11 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 24–10 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:24 ,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–9 , Patrick Côté , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 24–8 , Roger Bowling , TKO (knee and punches) , Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs. Bowling III , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:16 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–8 , Roger Bowling , TKO (punches) , Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–8 ,

, Decision (split) , Strikeforce Challengers: del Rosario vs. Mahe , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Everett, Washington Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–8 , Roger Bowling , Technical decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:38 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–7 ,

, TKO (punches) , Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–7 , Brendan Seguin , Decision (unanimous) , Titan FC 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 , Thomas Aaron , TKO (punches) , Extreme Fight Production , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 , Dominic Brown , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:33 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , CJ Fernandes , TKO (punches) , X-Treme Fight 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 ,

Jacob Volkmann Minnesota Golden Gophers Jacob Joseph Volkmann (born September 5, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Volkmann has formerly competed for t ...

, Decision (unanimous) , VFC 25: Primetime , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Amir Rahnavardi , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge 8: USA , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 , Dominic Brown , TKO (punches) , VFC 24: Revolution , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Ryan Braun , TKO (punches) , MCC 14: Pride or Fate , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Urbandale, Iowa Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,580. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Urbandale was incorporated as ...

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

Kevin Burns Kevin Burns (June 18, 1955September 27, 2020), was an American television and film producer, director, and screenwriter. His work can be seen on A&E, National Geographic Channel, E!, Animal Planet, AMC, Bravo, WE tv, Travel Channel, Lifetim ...

, KO (punch) , VFC 23: Validation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Nathan Looker , TKO (submission to punches) , World Cage Fighting Championships , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 , Joey Gorczynski , Decision (split) , Titan FC 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Matt Delanoit , TKO (submission to strikes) , MCC 11: Night of Champions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 , Leonardo Pecanha , Submission (armbar) , Titan FC 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Danny Anderson , Decision (unanimous) , VFC 19: Inferno , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Warren Walker , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Victor Moreno , TKO (punches) , MCC 7: Valentine's Massacure , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Ken Jackson , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:08 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Ted Worthington , Decision (unanimous) , MCC 6: Hard Hitters , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Jody Lithicum , TKO (submission to punches) , World Series of Rumble , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

Junction City, Kansas Junction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,932. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby. History Junction City is so named from its ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Clayton Marrs , Decision (unanimous) , Freestyle Cage Fighting , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Jack Hodge , TKO (submssion to punches) , Titan FC 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:51 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Justin Wilcox , Decision (unanimous) , Extreme Challenge 68 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hayward, Wisconsin Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, next to the Namekagon River. The population was 2,318 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sawyer County. The city is surrounded by the Town of Hayward. History Early h ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Brian Green , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Johnathan Richmond , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 ,

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Victor Moreno , TKO (punches) , MCC 2: Midwest Xplosion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:08 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kyle Bradley , KO (punch) , Titan FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Demi Deeds , TKO (punches) , Midwest Cage Championships 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:11 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Voelker, Bobby 1979 births American male mixed martial artists Living people Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists from Kansas Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters