Chris Dempsey 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 ...

who last competed in 2021. A professional since 2012, he has 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 ...

and

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 ...

Background

Born and raised in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Dempsey played football, and also competed in wrestling growing up as a youngster. He was a two time All-American at

University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ or Pitt-Johnstown) is a state-related college in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is a baccalaureate degree-granting regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. The university is located in Richland T ...

, where he also earned a degree in political science. He began training in mixed martial arts part-time as a college student in 2008.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Dempsey made his debut as an amateur in 2011, winning three fights before turning professional in 2012. He fought primarily for regional promotions in

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

where he compiled a record of 10-1 competing in both the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions before signing with the UFC on the summer of 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dempsey made his promotional debut as a short notice replacement against

Ilir Latifi Ilir Latifi (born July 28, 1983) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who previously fought in the Heavyweight division of the UFC. A two-time national wrestling champion and a professional MMA competitor since 2008, Latifi has also competed in Sha ...

on July 19, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 46 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 ...

, filling in for

Tom Lawlor Thomas Joseph Lawlor (born May 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and podcast host. He is best known for his time in Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he was a former one-time MLW World Heavyweight Cham ...

. Latifi effectively used leg kicks to disable his opponent, before finishing him with punches, ending the fight by a first round knockout. Dempsey next faced

Eddie Gordon Eddie Gordon (born Edmund Richard Gordon; 9 February 1959 in Biggin Hill, Farnborough, Kent) is an English music journalist, producer, DJ and music business personality. Early and personal life Born in Biggin Hill, Gordon was raised in Gravesen ...

in a middleweight bout on April 18, 2015, at

UFC on Fox 15 ''UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 15'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 18, 2015, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background The event was the sixth event that the UFC has hosted in New ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Dempsey returned to the light heavyweight division as a short notice replacement to face promotional newcomer Jonathan Wilson on August 8, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 73 ''UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 73'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 8, 2015, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Background The event was headlined by a light heavyweight bo ...

, filling in for Jared Cannonier. He lost the fight knockout in the first round. Dempsey faced

Scott Askham Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

on February 27, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 84 ''UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 84'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 27 February 2016 at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background The event was the eighth that the promotion hosted in London a ...

. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator MMA

In his Bellator debut, Dempsey faced undefeated prospect

Ed Ruth Edward Lee Ruth (born October 21, 1990) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three-time NCAA ...

on November 3, 2017, at Bellator 186. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

Mixed martial arts record

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Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropol ...

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University Park, Pennsylvania University Park (also referred to as Penn State University Park) is the name given to the Pennsylvania State University's main campus located in both State College and College Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post office was de ...

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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 ...

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London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Jonathan Wilson , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

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Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Ilir Latifi Ilir Latifi (born July 28, 1983) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who previously fought in the Heavyweight division of the UFC. A two-time national wrestling champion and a professional MMA competitor since 2008, Latifi has also competed in Sha ...

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandão , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Nick Krauss , TKO (punches) , Gladiators of the Cage: Road to Glory 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Muhammad Abdullah , Submission (guillotine choke) , Gladiators of the Cage: North Shore 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:56 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Tiawan Howard , Submission (north-south choke) , Gladiators of the Cage: North Shore 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:51 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Tenyeh Dixon , TKO (punches) , Gladiators of the Cage: Road to Glory 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Cheswick, Pennsylvania Cheswick is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,672 as of the 2020 census.https://data.census.gov/all?q=Cheswick+borough,+Allegheny+County,+Pennsylvania History Cheswick, named for a town in England, is a small tow ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Lewis Rumsey , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiators of the Cage: North Shore 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Winn , align=center, 5–1 , Dervyn Lopez , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiators of the Cage: Road to Glory 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Christopher Wing , Decision (unanimous) , Xtreme Caged Combat: Mayhem , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Chase Owens , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiators of the Cage: North Shore , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Mojtaba Najim Wali , Submission (armbar) , Caged Power 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:45 ,

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The largest city in North-Central West Virginia, Morgantown is best known as th ...

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Kittanning, Pennsylvania Kittanning ( pronounced ) is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in, and the county seat of, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Armstrong County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Al ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Eddie Hardison , Submission (rear-naked choke) , American MMA Fight League 4: Fight Night , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:57 ,

West Newton, Pennsylvania West Newton, located southeast of Pittsburgh, is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Formerly, the manufacture of radiators and boilers were the chief industries. The population w ...

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Grappling record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, Chris 1987 births Living people People from Sewickley, Pennsylvania American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists from Pennsylvania Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters