Brandon Halsey (born September 16, 1986) 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, incorpo ...

currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for

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 Bellator, where he was the Middleweight Champion.

Background

Originally from San Diego, California, Halsey began his career in combat sports from a young age as a

wrestler 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 spor ...

and judoka. Halsey's father wrestled at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

and Halsey has two brothers who also competed at NCAA Division I colleges. Halsey attended Rancho Buena Vista High School where he competed in wrestling and excelled. He won a

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

state championship, and finished with the best overall record in school history with 150-16 and 80 pins. Halsey also competed in football as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

and earned First Team All-San Diego County honors. Halsey originally attended

Fresno State University California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...

, transferring to California State University at Bakersfield his sophomore year after Fresno State dropped their wrestling program. Halsey was very successful at CSUB, finishing 7th at the NCAA Division 1 National Championships and earning NCAA Division 1

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n honors. Halsey specialized in

folkstyle wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Halsey made his professional debut in 2012 against Chris Golz. Halsey won the bout via submission in the first round. In his second fight, Halsey faced

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 ...

veteran

Shonie Carter Mearion Shonie Bickhem III (born May 3, 1972), better known as Shonie Carter, is an American mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, a UFC veteran, and a contestant on ''The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He has als ...

. Halsey won the bout via unanimous decision.

Bellator MMA

After winning his first two fights, Halsey was signed by Bellator Fighting Championships and made his debut against Rocky Ramirez at Bellator 92 on March 7, 2013. Halsey won by technical submission in the third round. Halsey fought Joe Yager at

Bellator 96 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 June 19, 2013 and won the bout via split decision. Halsey faced

veteran Hector Ramirez at

Bellator 106 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 November 2, 2013. Halsey won the bout via TKO in the first round after using his superior wrestling to take the fight to the ground, transition immediately to the back, and unload with punches to the head until he earned the victory.

Season Ten Middleweight Tournament winner

In March 2014, Halsey entered into the Bellator Season Ten middleweight tournament when Dan Cramer versus Jeremy Kimball was cancelled. He fought

Joe Pacheco Joe Pacheco (born February 19, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist of Puerto Rican and Belizean descent who competes in Bellator's middleweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career Pacheco started his professional career ...

at Bellator 116 on April 11, 2014. Halsey won the bout via unanimous decision. Halsey was scheduled to face Brett Cooper in the finals at

Bellator 119 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

on May 9, 2014. The bout, however, was delayed due to an injury sustained by Cooper. The Cooper fight took place at Bellator 122 on July 25, 2014. Halsey won the bout via submission in the first round.

Middleweight Champion

Halsey faced

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

for the Bellator Middleweight Championship on September 26, 2014 at

Bellator 126 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

. Halsey won the bout via technical submission in the first round to become the new Bellator Middleweight Champion. Halsey was expected to make his first title defense against

Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King ...

on May 15, 2015 at Bellator 137. However, Halsey failed to make weight and was subsequently stripped of the middleweight championship. Halsey won the fight via TKO in the fourth round. Halsey next faced Rafael Carvalho for the vacant Bellator Middleweight Championship on October 23, 2015 at

Bellator 144 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

. After dominating the opening round with his grappling, Halsey lost the fight via TKO in the second after absorbing a kick to the liver. Halsey faced

John Salter John Salter (born March 21, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of Bellator. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for the UFC and Strikeforce, King of the Cage, and ...

on June 17, 2016 at Bellator 156. After sustaining an early cut via head kick, Halsey went on to lose the bout via submission in the first round. On October 5, 2016, Halsey was released from Bellator.

M-1 Global

On June 1, 2017, Halsey rematched Alexander Shlemenko at M-1 Challenge 79 and was submitted by strikes after 25 seconds of the first round, marking his third consecutive loss after starting his career 9-0. He then face Mikhail Ragozin on September 23, 2017 at M-1 Challenge 83: Ragozin vs. Halsey. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Halsey and his wife Amber gave birth to their first child, daughter Savannah Rose, in June 2015.

Championships and accomplishments

* Bellator MMA ** Bellator Middleweight World Championship (One time) ** Bellator Season Ten Middleweight Tournament Winner

Mixed martial arts record

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Ronny Markes Ronny Markes (born April 21, 1988), is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Markes has formerly competed for the UFC, King of the Cage, PFL, Bellator MMA, and M ...

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Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

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Vinny Magalhães Vinicius "Vinny" de Magalhães (; born July 2, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was a finalist in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mi ...

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Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (33. ...

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References

External links

*
Bellator Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halsey, Brandon Living people American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing judo 1986 births Bellator MMA champions American male sport wrestlers American male judoka