Dan Hornbuckle (born December 26, 1980) is a former 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, incorp ...

and a citizen of the

Eastern Band of Cherokee The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, ''Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi'') is a federally recognized Indian Tribe based in Western North Carolina in the United States. They are descended from the sma ...

tribe. A professional since 2006, Hornbuckle has competed for

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 ...

Legacy FC In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in c ...

, and

DEEP Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), C ...

Background

Hornbuckle was born in

Mahomet, Illinois Mahomet () is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,434 at the 2020 census. Mahomet is located approximately 10 miles northwest of Champaign at the junction of Interstate 74 and IL 47. Geography Mahomet is ...

and attended Centennial High School where he competed in

wrestling 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 ...

and

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 ...

. Growing up, he faced adversity being Native American, and was often the victim of racism. He began mixed martial arts when he was 24 years old.

Mixed martial arts career

When he first began fighting, Hornbuckle weighed 215 pounds and received his nickname due to the way he dominated his opponents with very little technique but using his strength and toughness. In the early part of his career, Hornbuckle went 19–2 with significant

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 striking, a ...

wins against

Akihiro Gono (born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1994, he is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. Gon ...

and Nick Thompson in Sengoku. These two wins brought his name to international prominence and launched his career in 2009. On Thursday December 17, 2009

announced the signing of Hornbuckle to a multi-fight Welterweight tournament contract. At

Bellator 15 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 ...

, Hornbuckle defeated

Tyler Stinson Tyler Stinson (born January 17, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Stinson has also formerly competed for Bellator MM ...

via first round triangle choke to advance to the semifinals of the Bellator Welterweight Tournament. He then defeated Steve Carl via submission (kimura) at

Bellator 19 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 ...

to advance to the finals of the Bellator Welterweight Tournament. This victory was a candidate for 2010 submission of the year. In the finals, Hornbuckle fought Olympic wrestler,

Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. Askren was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade before competing in ...

. The fight took place at

Bellator 22 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 ...

on June 17, at the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo., with Askren winning by unanimous decision. The fight saw Askren implement a dominant top game on the ground that stifled Hornbuckle's bottom game. Hornbuckle made his return to Bellator against former

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 ...

Welterweight

Brad Blackburn Brad Lavale Blackburn Jr. (born May 25, 1977) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2000 until 2011, he fought for the UFC, Bellator, the Maximum Fighting Championship, and the Seattle Tiger Sharks of the now defunct ...

Bellator 25 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 ...

on August 19, 2010. He won the fight via unanimous decision in what was largely a three-round

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 ...

battle. Despite being knocked down in the first round, Hornbuckle recovered and won the next two rounds to win a unanimous decision. Hornbuckle then participated in the Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournament. In his opening round fight against

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 ...

Bellator 35 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 ...

, Hornbuckle lost a unanimous decision, 29–28 on all three judges scorecards. The fight was notably close and the decision was booed by the crowd after being announced. He was scheduled to fight former

Bellator Welterweight Champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

Lyman Good Lyman Merrill Good (born May 26, 1985), also known as "American Cyborg", is an American mixed martial artist. He is perhaps best known for his time spent with Bellator, where he was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion. Good currently co ...

Bellator 44 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 ...

, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, a hamstring injury forced

off the card, and the bout was scrapped. Hornbuckle entered into the Bellator Season Five Welterweight Tournament. He fought Luis Santos in the opening round held at

Bellator 49 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 ...

and lost the fight via unanimous decision. After losing two consecutive fights in Bellator, Hornbuckle was released from the promotion along with

Wilson Reis Wilson Reis Monte Alto Gonçalves (born January 6, 1985, in Januária) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. Reis is the former EliteXC Bantamweight Champion and has also competed for UFC, Bellator, ShoXC a ...

. Over a year later, Hornbuckle returned to MMA competition against

Pete Spratt Aaron Dewain "Pete" Spratt (born January 9, 1971) is a former American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, Spratt has formerly competed for the UFC, the MFC, Legacy FC ...

on February 1, 2013 at Legacy FC 17. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Hornbuckle then challenged

Yuya Shirai Yuya Shirai (born April 2, 1980) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Shirai has fought for ONE FC, DEEP, BAMMA, Glory World Series, M-1 Global, P ...

for his DEEP Welterweight Championship on April 26, 2013 at DEEP: Impact 62. He won the fight and the title via unanimous decision. In his next outing, Hornbuckle dropped a majority decision to

Dennis Hallman Dennis Lloyd Hallman (born December 2, 1975) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed from 1996 to 2015. A veteran of 75 fights, he competed in various promotions including the UFC, Strikeforce, IFL, the World Series o ...

on August 30, 2013 at Titan FC 26. He put his DEEP Welterweight Championship on the line against

Ryo Chonan is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001–2013, Chonan competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DEEP, DREAM, Pancrase, and World Victory Road. Chonan is the former DEEP Middleweight Champion and the forme ...

at DEEP: Tribe Tokyo Fight on October 20, 2013. He lost the title via unanimous decision. Hornbuckle then faced Dominique Steele at Driven MMA: One on March 1, 2014. Hornbuckle lost the bout via unanimous decision. Hornbuckle faced Roger Carroll at FTP: Fight Time in the Valley on August 9, 2014. He lost the fight via submission in the first round, suffering his fourth consecutive loss.

Personal life

In addition to being a professional mixed martial artist, Hornbuckle works as a fire suppression system installer. He is married and has three daughters. Hornbuckle opened his own academy, American Top Team WarHawks, in

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Bellator Season Two Welterweight Tournament Runner Up *

** DEEP Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 25-9 , Jacon Luock , KO (punch) , Caged Aggression 24: Champions Night 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 , San Antonio, Texas, United States , Won the CAMMA Welterweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 24–9 , Roger Carroll , Submission (choke) , FTP: Fight Time in the Valley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

Marble, North Carolina Marble is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 321. Marble's elevation is above sea level. History Indigenous peoples Bef ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–8 ,

Dominique Steele Dominique Steele (born January 25, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Fight Ni ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Driven MMA: One , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: Tribe Tokyo Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , Lost the DEEP Welterweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 24–6 ,

, Decision (majority) , Titan FC 26 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: Impact 62 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , San Antonio, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–5 , Luis Santos , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal. , - , Loss , align=center, 22–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 2 ...

, United States , Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal. , - , Win , align=center, 22–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Chicago, Illinois, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kansas City, Missouri, United States , Welterweight Tournament Final. , - , Win , align=center, 21–2 , Steve Carl , Submission (kimura) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 , Grand Prairie, Texas, United States , Welterweight Tournament Semifinal. , - , Win , align=center, 20–2 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:03 ,

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 , Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinal. , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 , Nick Thompson , TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:30 ,

Saitama, Saitama is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lying 1 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 ,

, KO (head kick) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:50 , Saitama, Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Joe Alexander , KO (punches) , TFC: Hornbuckle vs. Alexander , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Nabil Khatib , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Raw Combat: Resurrection , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–2 , Mike Pyle , Submission (triangle choke) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:52 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 , Andrew Buckland , Submission (armbar) , HCF: Crow's Nest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:34 ,

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

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, 14–1 , Courtney Ray , Submission (armbar) , HOOKnSHOOT: BODOGFight Women's Tournament , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Piotr Jakaczynski , KO (head kick) , BodogFIGHT: Vancouver , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 , Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Matt Shaw , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Total Fight Challenge 8 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Courtney Ray , TKO (punches) , HOOKnSHOOT: Live , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Jamie Toney , Decision (unanimous) , HOOKnSHOOT: Live , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Evansville, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Wayne Bogard , Submission (armbar) , HOOKnSHOOT: Live , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 , Evansville, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Alex Carter , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Total Fight Challenge 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 , Hammond, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , LOF 12: Black Tie Battles , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:31 , Indianapolis, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Max Fowler , Submission (verbal) , CFC 1: Explosion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Tinley Park, Illinois Tinley Park (formerly Bremen) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 55,971. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Wayne Bogard , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , IHC 11: Apocalypse , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 , Hammond, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Justin Wilcox , TKO (punches) , Total Fight Challenge 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , Hammond, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Andy Normington , KO (punches) , Madtown Throwdown 8 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A , Madison, Wisconsin, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Nate Homme , Submission (triangle choke) , Madtown Throwdown 8 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A , Madison, Wisconsin, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Steve Conley , TKO (punches) , Duneland Classic 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Portage, Indiana Portage ( ) is a city in Portage Township, Porter County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, on the border with Lake County. The population was 37,926 as of the 2020 census. It is the largest city in Porter County, and third largest in Northwest Ind ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mike Bodziak , TKO (punches) , Total Fight Challenge 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Hammond, Indiana, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hornbuckle, Dan 1980 births American male mixed martial artists Eastern Band Cherokee people Mixed martial artists from Illinois Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People from Champaign County, Illinois Native American sportspeople American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Deep (mixed martial arts) champions 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans