Chris "The Westside Strangler" Brennan (born October 12, 1971) 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, incorpo ...

who last competed in 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 th ...

division. A professional competitor from 1996 until 2012, he competed for the UFC,

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

Cage Rage Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mains ...

and

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

. He is a former King of the Cage Middleweight Champion and former King of the Cage Middleweight Superfight Champion. He is also one of 18 fighters to compete in the -77 kg division at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships in 2005. Chris was also the founder of Nogi Industries, a

Mixed martial arts clothing MMA clothing refers to the sportswear worn in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition and training, and branded fashion clothing related to the mixed martial arts scene. As MMA becomes a mature sport, brands dedicated to it have worked toward speciali ...

company. In 2014 Chris was inducted in to the Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Chris is the owner and founder of Next Generation MMA. After retiring from MMA competition Chris switched his focus back to grappling events and also entered and won the No-Gi Black Belt World Championships in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He was also the 2014 Nogi Pan American Champion.

Background

Brennan was born in

Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporat ...

but soon moved to Orange County before settling in Laguna Hills and

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 during the 2020 census, mak ...

where he spent the next 10 years. Growing up, Brennan claims that he lived in at least 19 different homes and played baseball and soccer but was ultimately more interested in individual sports such as bodybuilding, surfing, gymnastics, and motocross. While working as a bouncer, Brennan saw UFC 1 and was motivated by the dominant performance of

UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In addition to the Ultimate Fighting ...

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family, he is considered to be one of the most influential figures ...

. Brennan soon began training with Gracie himself and received his

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

black belt in only seven years. Brennan later became the first no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor in the United States.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Brennan made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 1996 and compiled a record of 4–1–1 before being signed by the UFC.

UFC

Brennan made his UFC debut against Courtney Turner at the UFC 16 Lightweight Tournament on March 13, 1998 and won via

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, ...

submission in the first round. In his next fight later that night, Brennan lost to future five-time champion, Pat Miletich via submission.

King of the Cage

Brennan made his

debut against future King of the Cage Lightweight Champion

Joe Stevenson Joseph Christopher Stevenson (born June 15, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist fighting out of Hesperia, California. Coached by ( UFC Hall of Famer) Matt Hughes, Stevenson rose to prominence by becoming The Ultimate Fighter 2 W ...

and won via submission. In his next fight, Brennan fought against future MFC Lightweight Champion

Antonio McKee Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

for the King of the Cage Middleweight Superfight Championship and won via

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving strikin ...

with a head kick. In his first title defense, Brennan was defeated by Joe Hurley after he was knocked out from elbows. On August 4, 2001 Brennan defeated Kevin Hogan via armbar submission to become the new King of the Cage Middleweight Champion and then in his next fight, successfully defended his title against

Steve Berger Stephen Richard Berger (born May 20, 1973) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. Berger is probably best known for fighting in the UFC, most notably participating in the first mixed ...

. After a one-fight stint with the UFC at UFC 35, a loss to

Gil Castillo Gil Philip Castillo (born October 21, 1965) is an American professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 1998 until 2006, he fought in the UFC, WEC and King of the Cage. Castillo is the former King of the Cage Middleweight Superfight ...

, Brennan won two more fights outside of

before returning to defend his title again, this time against

John Alessio John Paul Alessio (born July 5, 1979) is a Canadian retired professional mixed martial artist. A former competitor in Bellator's Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1998, Alessio has also formerly competed for the UFC where he ...

. Brennan was defeated via TKO.

PRIDE

Brennan went 0–2 in Shooto, losing a controversial decision to Takanori Gomi before he made his

debut on October 5, 2003 at Bushido 1 against Eiji Mitsuoka and won via

kimura Kimura (written: lit. "tree village") is the 17th most common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese novelist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese botanist *, Japanese idol and singer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanes ...

submission in the first round. In his next appearance for the organization, he faced

Daiju Takase is a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He has fought as a middleweight and welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championship. He is noted for being the second to defeat, and first to finish, former UF ...

a year later at Bushido 2 and lost via unanimous decision. His last fight in PRIDE was at Bushido 12 against Tatsuya Kawajiri, and he was defeated via TKO only 29 seconds into the first round.

Post-PRIDE

Since his last fight in PRIDE, Brennan has gone 2–2, competing for Cage Rage and King of the Cage.

Personal life

Brennan has sons, Lucas (born 2000), who is also a professional mixed martial artist currently competing in

Bellator MMA 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. ...

, and Tyler who currently wrestles at the University of Arkansas

Championships and accomplishments

** KOTC Middleweight Championship (One time; first) **Two Successful Defenses ** KOTC Middleweight Superfight Championship (One time; first) **One Successful Defense *

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 16 Lightweight Tournament Runner Up As a professional MMA fighter his 21 wins were: 18 first round submissions, 1 second round submission, 1 second round KO, and 1 three round unanimous decision, a 95% finish rate, amongst the highest in MMA. * 2013 IBJJF Black-Belt No-Gi World Champion * 2014 IBJJF Black-Belt No-Gi World Champion * 2015 IBJJF Black-Belt No-Gi World Champion * 2014 Pan-Am No-Gi Champion * Between 2013 and 2015 in 20 grappling matches only four total points scored against

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 21–14–1 , Brandon Gaines , Submission (kimura) , KOTC: Aerial Assault , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

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. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–14–1 , Marvin Babe , Submission (armbar) , KOTC: Bad Intentions 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

, United States , Return to

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 ...

. , - , Loss , align=center, 19–14–1 ,

Quinn Mulhern Quinn Patrick Mulhern (born September 20, 1984) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2007 until 2014, ...

, Submission (omoplata) , KOTC: Militia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

Highland, California Highland (and neighboring "East Highlands") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population of the city was 53,104 as of the 2010 census, up from 44,605 at the 2000 census. The term ''Highland'' also refers to a geo ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–13–1 , Jean Silva , KO (punches) ,

Cage Rage 23 A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:26 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 19–12–1 , Adam DiSabato , Submission (toe hold) , GFC: Evolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–12–1 , Tatsuya Kawajiri , TKO (strikes) ,

PRIDE Bushido 12 The year 2006 was the 10th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2006 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 31 - Unbreakable''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The f ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, Japan , Lightweight (73 kg) bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 18–11–1 ,

Vítor Ribeiro Vítor de Souza Ribeiro (born February 24, 1979 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2001, he has formerly compet ...

, Submission (swollen eye) , GFC: Team Gracie vs Team Hammer House , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–10–1 ,

Shannon Ritch Shannon Grey Ritch (born September 27, 1970) is an American professional mixed martial artist, boxer, grappler, professional wrestler and kickboxer. In mixed martial arts competition he is the former King of the Cage Middleweight Champion and th ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , RM 7: Championship Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 ,

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 17–10–1 , Mark Moreno , Submission (armbar) , Extreme Wars - X-1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

PRIDE Bushido 2 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ,

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 16–9–1 , Eiji Mitsuoka , Submission (kimura) , PRIDE Bushido 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 , Saitama, Japan ,

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 ...

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 15–9–1 , Jason St. Louis , Submission (armbar) , Adrenaline Fighting Championships 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 , Langley, British Columbia, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–9–1 ,

Rob Emerson Robert Michael Emerson (born July 30, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Emerson is also a veteran of Bellator MMA, the UFC, Pancrase, and was a cast member of ''The Ultimate Fighter 5''. ...

, Submission (achilles lock) , Hitman Fighting 3 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–8–1 ,

Takaharu Murahama is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight division. He's the brother of professional wrestler and kickboxer Takehiro Murahama. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 10-9-5 , Kotetsu Boku , Decisi ...

, Submission (achilles lock) , Shooto: 1/24 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7–1 ,

Takanori Gomi is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who gained international fame in Pride Fighting Championships. Later in his career, Gomi also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is the only Pride FC Lightweight Champion in th ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Treasure Hunt 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6–1 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Aztec Challenge 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:50 , Juárez, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , KOTC 15: Bad Intentions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with the ...

, United States , Lost King of the Cage Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , Thomas Denny , Submission (armbar) , Gladiator Challenge 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5–1 , John Chrisostomo , Submission (keylock) , Warriors Quest 4: Genesis , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 35 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 11–4–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , KOTC 11: Domination , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , Defended King of the Cage Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 10–4–1 , Kevin Hogan , Submission (armbar) , KOTC 10: Critical Mass , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:08 ,

, United States , Won King of the Cage Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 9–4–1 , Robert Wynne , Submission (armbar) , Reality Submission Fighting 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

Belleville, Illinois Belleville is a city and the county seat of St. Clair County, Illinois, coterminous with the now defunct Belleville Township. It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. The p ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4–1 , Joe Hurley , KO (elbows) , KOTC 5: Cage Wars , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 ,

, United States , Lost King of the Cage Middleweight Superfight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 8–3–1 ,

, KO (head kick) , KOTC 3: Knockout Nightmare , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:09 ,

, United States , Won King of the Cage Middleweight Superfight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 7–3–1 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , KOTC 1: Bas Rutten's King of the Cage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3–1 , Steve Gomm , Submission (knees) , Bas Rutten Invitational 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2–1 , Steve Horton , Submission (guillotine choke) , Extreme Challenge 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,

West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census, making it the second-largest city in Utah. The city incorporated in 1980 from a large, quic ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2–1 , Pat Miletich , Submission (shoulder choke) , rowspan=2,

UFC 16 ''UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 13, 1998 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video. ...

, rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 9:02 , rowspan=2,

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

, United States , UFC 16 Welterweight Tournament Finals. , - , Win , align=center, 5–1–1 , Courtney Turner , Submission (armbar) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , UFC 16 Welterweight Tournament Reserve Bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1–1 , Pat Miletich , Decision (unanimous) , Extreme Challenge Trials , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 30:00 ,

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 4–0–1 , Pat Miletich , Draw , Extreme Challenge 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 20:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Delcio Delcio , Submission (guillotine choke) , Carioca de Freestyle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:46 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Steve Oliver , Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=2, Independent Event , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 , rowspan=2, Mississippi, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Randal Kemp , Submission (armbar) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Scott Carter , Submission (Peruvian necktie) , Independent Event , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 , California, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Chris American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1971 births American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters