Darrion Caldwell (born December 19, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who currently competes in the

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division of

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 ...

, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for

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 ...

. As a folkstyle wrestler, Caldwell was the 2009 NCAA Division I National Champion, and a two-time All-American at 149 pounds out of the

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

. He was also a four-time ACC Conference champion.

Wrestling career

High school

Born and raised in

Rahway, New Jersey Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

, Caldwell was an outstanding athlete, lettering 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 ...

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 ...

, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

Rahway High School Rahway High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Rahway, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Rahway Public Schools. The high sc ...

. He was a two-time All-Region football player, but had his most success on the wrestling mats, as he had a record of 148-4 (three losses came as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

), and compiled three

NJSIAA The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

championships.

University

Caldwell continued wrestling at

2006-07

As a true

, he compiled 20 wins and 6 losses and was named

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

Wrestler of the year and Rookie of the year, as he won the Conference championship and posted an undefeated 9–0 record against ACC competition. Entering the NCAA championships unseeded, he opened up with a fall over the ninth seed and a forfeit over the eight seed, but was subsequently downed by the undefeated top-seed and ultimately eliminated by eventual NCAA champion J. Jaggers, missing All-American status.

2007-08

As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

, he compiled 36 wins and 5 losses and also won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational during regular season. Post-season, he won his second straight ACC championship and made it to the semifinals of the NCAA's with a notable win over former NCAA champion

Dustin Schlatter Dustin Schlatter is a graduated folkstyle wrestler and winner of the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and a three-time NCAA All-American at 149 pounds for the University of Minnesota. As a high school wrestler Schlatter was a NHSCA ...

. However, he was defeated at the semifinals by the reigning Junior World Champion later turned MMA fighter Bubba Jenkins and by Josh Churella at the consolation semifinals. He ended up placing fifth after winning one more match.

2008-09

As a junior, he compiled 38 wins and a lone loss that was an injury default, putting on one of the most outstanding seasons in the history of the program. In the post-season, he won his third ACC championship and entered the NCAA's as the third seed. At the tournament, he opened up with two wins over unranked opponents (one of them would go on to become a

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 ...

fighter,

Desmond Green Desmond Green (born October 11, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division for Ultimate Fighting Championship. Green is the current BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Middleweight and Police Gazette Diamond Belt cha ...

) and two more victories over seeded opponents (all four matches with bonus points) to make it to the finale, where he faced the returning Dan Hodge Trophy winner

Brent Metcalf Brent Metcalf (born July 14, 1986) is an American freestyle wrestler who formerly competed in the international circuit for the United States of America. Biography As a prep wrestler, Metcalf went undefeated with a career record of 228-0, won ...

. He would end up easily beating Metcalf 11–6 in one of the most iconic matches in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

history to claim the championship and earn the Outstanding Wrestler award.

2009-11

Caldwell was forced to

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

his next season due to a shoulder injury and came back as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

in 2010–11. He compiled 15 wins and a lone loss and became a four-time Conference champion before the shoulder injury resurged during his second match at the NCAA's (where he was the top-seed). This forced him to end his collegiate career as an

NCAA champion The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

and four-time ACC champion with a record of 109–13.

Freestyle

Caldwell made his senior

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

debut at the 2009 US World Team Trials. He ended up placing third at the tournament. He came back in 2012 at the Dave Schultz Memorial, where he did not place. In his final senior freestyle competition, Caldwell competed at the 2012 US Olympic Team Trials Challenge, where he once again did not place and became an

MMA 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 ...

fighter shortly after. After more than eight years since his last

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...

showdown, Caldwell wrestled '20

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

champion Luke Pletcher on July 25, 2020, at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo. He lost the bout on points.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career: Legacy Fighting Championship

In July 2012, it was revealed that Caldwell had signed with Texas-based promotion Legacy Fighting Championship. Caldwell made his MMA and promotional debut against David Armas at Legacy FC 14 on September 14, 2012. For the majority of the fight, Caldwell was able to control the fight on the ground, mounting and taking Armas' back several times. He won via unanimous decision. In his second professional fight, Caldwell met Quaint Kempf at Legacy FC 16 on December 14, 2012. He won the fight via TKO after dropping Kempf with a left hand and unloading with a series of punches on the ground. Caldwell next faced Gerzan Chaw at Legacy FC 21 on July 19, 2013. He won the fight via unanimous decision after three rounds.

Bellator MMA

Featherweight

Caldwell signed with

in November 2013. Caldwell made his debut for the promotion against Lance Surma on March 14, 2014 at Bellator 112. He won via guillotine choke submission at 0:50 in the first round. In his second appearance for Bellator, Caldwell faced Joe Pingitore at

Bellator 118 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 2, 2014. He won via submission in the first round, improving his record to 5–0. In his third appearance for the promotion, Caldwell faced Anthony Dizi at Bellator 130 on October 24, 2014. He won the fight via unanimous decision. He later stated in an interview that he plans to move down to the

division.

Bantamweight

Caldwell made his bantamweight debut against Rafael Silva on May 15, 2015 at

Bellator 137 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. ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Caldwell next faced

Shawn Bunch Edinboro Fighting Scots Shawn Bunch (born March 19, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's bantamweight division. Wrestling career Bunch competed in high school for Leavenworth High School and in univer ...

at Bellator 143 on September 25, 2015. He won the fight via submission in the first round. In his highest profile fight to date, Caldwell faced former two-time Bellator champion Joe Warren in the main event at Bellator 151 on March 4, 2016. Caldwell dominated the fight, winning via technical submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round. Caldwell then faced

Joe Taimanglo Joe Taimanglo (born June 27, 1984) is a Guamanian professional mixed martial artist of Chamorro ethnicity who competes in Bellator's Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2004, Taimanglo has also formerly competed for Pacific Xt ...

at Bellator 159. He lost the bout via guillotine choke in the third round. Due to Taimanglo missing weight in their first bout, Caldwell faced Taimanglo in a rematch in the main event at Bellator 167 on December 3, 2016. He won the bout via unanimous decision. After avenging his first loss, Caldwell was set to face champion

Eduardo Dantas Eduardo Dantas (born 3 February 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Dantas mostly fought for the Bellator MMA where he was the former two-ti ...

for the Bellator bantamweight championship at

Bellator 177 2017 in Bellator MMA was the tenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 26 events in 2017. Background This year, Bellator announced their first MMA event to be held in New ...

on April 14, 2017. An injury, however, forced Caldwell out of the bout. Thus, he was replaced with Bellator newcomer Leandro Higo. Dantas would go on to defeat the latter via split decision in a non-title affair. The bantamweight title bout against Dantas was rescheduled for Bellator 184 on October 6, 2017. Caldwell won via unanimous decision to become the Bellator Bantamweight Champion. In the first defense of his title, Caldwell faced

Leandro Higo Leandro Higo (born January 19, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed for Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Legacy Fighting A ...

on March 2, 2018 in the main event at Bellator 195. He won the fight via guillotine choke submission in the first round.

Return to Featherweight

In August 2018, Caldwell moved up to featherweight and faced

Noad Lahat Noadya Lahat ( he, נועד להט; born June 8, 1984), also known by the nickname Neo, is an Israeli mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. A professional since 2008, he is the second Israeli to ever fight in the UFC an ...

in a non-title fight at Bellator 204 in

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. He won the fight by knockout in the second round.

Rizin FF

Caldwell took part in a Bellator vs. Rizin interpromotional champion vs. champion bout and faced Kyoji Horiguchi for the Rizin Bantamweight Championship at Rizin 14 on December 31, 2018. He lost the fight via submission in the third round

Return to Bellator and losing the Bellator Bantamweight World title

In April 2019, it was announced that Caldwell would make his second Bellator Bantamweight title defense against Kyoji Horiguchi on June 14, 2019 at Bellator 222 in a rematch of their Rizin title bout. Caldwell lost the rematch by unanimous decision.

Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix

On July 15, 2019, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker announced a 16-man Featherweight Grand Prix tournament and announced Caldwell as one of the participants. Caldwell faced Henry Corrales in the opening round of the tournament at Bellator 228 on September 28. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In the quarterfinals, Caldwell faced

Ádám Borics Ádám Borics (born July 7, 1993) is a Hungarian mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. As of October 4, 2022, he is #1 in the Bellator Featherweight Rankings. Early life Ádám Borics was born in ...

at Bellator 238 on January 25, 2020. He won the bout via first round submission. In the semifinals, Caldwell was slated to face

A. J. McKee A. J. McKee (born April 7, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Featherweight and Lightweight division, where he is the former Bellator Featherweight Champion. As of February 28, 2023, he is #4 in the Bell ...

at Bellator 244 on June 6, 2020. However, the event was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The bout was rescheduled and is set to take place on November 19 at Bellator 253. Caldwell was defeated via first round submission.

Return to Bantamweight

Caldwell made his return to bantamweight against

Bellator 259 Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by Bellator MMA at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event featured a Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the ch ...

on May 21, 2021. At the weigh-ins, Higo weighed in at 137.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Higo was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Caldwell. Caldwell lost the bout via split decision. Caldwell faced Enrique Barzola on January 29, 2022 at

Bellator 273 Bellator 273: Bader vs. Moldavsky was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, it took place on January 29, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Background A winner in eight of his last 11 bouts, Bader will be making ...

. He lost the bout via ground and pound TKO in the third round.

Celebratory backflip incidents

In the last seconds of his 2009 NCAA championship match against

, Caldwell attempted to celebrate early with a handspring and backflip. While in the middle of his backflip, Metcalf pushed him, making him fall hard on his back. The push occurred slightly after the whistle. Metcalf later apologized, citing a fight-to-the-end wrestler mentality and frustration. After defeating

at Bellator 143 in 2015, Caldwell did a backflip off the cage and landed on a camerawoman, whose shot was live at the time. Though knocked down, she was uninjured, and Caldwell apologized."WATCH: MMA Fighter’s Backflip Off Cage Ends In Epic Fail", by Ross Kelly, CBS Local Sports
/ref>

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Bellator Bantamweight World Championship 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 B ...

(One time) ***One successful title defense **Most submission wins in Bellator Bantamweight division history (three)

Folkstyle wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

out of

(2009) **

Division I All-American out of

(2008, 2009) **

Division I 149 lb - 5th Place out of

(2008) **

Division I 149 lb - 1st Place out of

(2009) *

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

141 lb Conference Championship out of

(2007) **

149 lb Conference Championship out of

(2008, 2009, 2011)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 , Enrique Barzola , TKO (punches and elbows) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:01 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , 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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 ,

, Submission (neck crank) , Bellator 253 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 238 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 ,

Henry Corrales Henry Corrales (born August 11, 1986), is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional since 2011, he has also competed for King of the Cage, where he is the former Featherweig ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 228 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3 , Kyoji Horiguchi , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 222 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2 , Kyoji Horiguchi , Submission (guillotine choke) , Rizin 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:12 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 ,

, KO (punches) , Bellator 204 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:46 , Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 195 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 184 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 167 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 159 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:09 , Mulvane, Kansas, United States , , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Joe Warren , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 151 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:23 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 143 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José d ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Rafael Silva , Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Anthony Dizy , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 130 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Mulvane, Kansas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Joe Pingitore , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Lance Surma , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 112 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

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, 3–0 , Gerzan Chaw , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 21 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Quaint Kempf , TKO (punches) , Legacy FC 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , David Armas , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States ,

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - , Loss , 6-6 , align=left, Luke Pletcher , style="font-size:88%", 2-9 , style="font-size:88%", July 25, 2020 , style="font-size:88%", FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 6-5 , align=left, Destin McCauley , style="font-size:88%", 3-3, 1-1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, March 31 - April 1, 2012 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2012 US Olympic Team Trials , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4, Cedar Falls, Iowa , - , Loss , 6-4 , align=left, Jason Tsirtsis , style="font-size:88%", 0-8, 1-1 , - , Win , 6-3 , align=left, Jacob Wadley , style="font-size:88%", 7-1, 8-3 , - , Win , 5-3 , align=left, Brandon Bradley , style="font-size:88%", TF 6–0, 7-0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 4-3 , align=left, Chase Pami , style="font-size:88%", 0-3, 0-2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, February 2–4, 2012 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2, 2012 Dave Schultz Memorial International , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, - , Win , 4-2 , align=left, Rahul Mann , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 3-2 , align=left, Koba Kakaladze , style="font-size:88%", 4-2, 2–4, 1-3 , style="font-size:88%" , July 27, 2009 , style="font-size:88%" , 2009 Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" ,

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 3-1 , align=left, Josh Churella , style="font-size:88%", 1-0, 4-1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, May 29–31, 2009 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2009 US World Team Trials Challenge , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4,

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 ...

, - , Loss , 2-1 , align=left,

Jared Frayer Jared Frayer (born October 7, 1978) of Miami, Florida is an American freestyle wrestler who won the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials at 66 kg and competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Early life Frayer was born in Miami, Florida but grew up in Cl ...

, style="font-size:88%", 2-2, 2-3 , - , Win , 2-0 , align=left, Brian Stith , style="font-size:88%", 1-0, 1-0 , - , Win , 1-0 , align=left,

Doug Schwab Doug Schwab (born August 3, 1977 in Osage, Iowa) is a male freestyle wrestler and NCAA wrestling coach from United States. He participated in men's freestyle 66 kg at 2008 Summer Olympics. He wrestled at the University of Iowa, where he was a ...

, style="font-size:88%", 1-0, 2-1

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2011 NCAA Championships at 149 lbs , - , Win , 10–4 , align=left, Ivan Lopouchanski , style="font-size:88%", MD 18-7 , style="font-size:88%" , March 17–19, 2011 , style="font-size:88%" , 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2009 NCAA Championships at 149 lbs , - , Win , 9–4 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 11-6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 19–21, 2009 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 8–4 , align=left, Bryce Saddoris , style="font-size:88%", MD 13-2 , - , Win , 7–4 , align=left, Jake Patacsil , style="font-size:88%", MD 10-1 , - , Win , 6–4 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", MD 10-2 , - , Win , 5–4 , align=left, Cesar Grajales , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2008 NCAA Championships 5th at 149 lbs , - , Loss , 4–4 , align=left, Josh Churella , style="font-size:88%", 1-6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 20–22, 2008 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Loss , 4–3 , align=left, Bubba Jenkins , style="font-size:88%", 8-12 , - , Win , 4–2 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4-1 , - , Win , 3–2 , align=left, Brandon Carter , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 2–2 , align=left, Michael Roberts , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2007 NCAA Championships at 141 lbs , - , Loss , 1–2 , align=left, J. Jaggers , style="font-size:88%", Fall , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, March 15–17, 2007 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3, 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Loss , 1–1 , align=left, Ryan Lang , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Kenneth Hashimoto , style="font-size:88%", Fall , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Darrion 1987 births American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Sportspeople from Rahway, New Jersey Rahway High School alumni Bellator male fighters Bellator MMA champions American male sport wrestlers NC State Wolfpack wrestlers North Carolina State University alumni Mixed martial artists from New Jersey American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Native American sportspeople