David Michaud (born November 10, 1988) 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 ...

currently competing 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 the ...

division. A professional competitor since 2009, he formerly competed for 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) promot ...

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

, 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

Titan FC Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

Background

Michaud, who is an Oglala Lakota Native American, was born and raised on the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

Pine Ridge, South Dakota Pine Ridge (Lakota: ''wazíbló'') is a census-designated place (CDP) and the most populous community in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,138 at the 2020 census. It is the tribal headquarters of the Oglala ...

. Michaud 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 ...

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 ...

Pine Ridge High School Pine Ridge High School is a public high school located in Deltona, Florida. It was built in 1994 and is located at 926 Howland Blvd, near S.R. 415. Pine Ridge High School's team mascot is the Panther and its colors are teal, black, and gold. Pin ...

. Michaud won All-State honors in football, was an All-Conference selection in baseball, and in wrestling, Michaud finished first for 189 lbs. his senior season and also had a second-place finish as a sophomore. Overall, he held an overall high school record of 91-19 and went 15-1 during his senior season. Michaud was also the valedictorian of his reservation high school graduating class and held a 4.0. Michaud originally went to

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

to play football, but eventually turned his attention to wrestling after competing in only two matches his freshman year. Michaud was also a standout academically.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Michaud competed as a

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

and

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 ...

as an amateur, winning Ring Wars Championships in both divisions and compiling a record of 4-1. He began his amateur career at age 15. Michaud then made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2009 competing as a

in regional promotions across

The Dakotas The Dakotas is a collective term for the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota. It has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is still used for the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, econom ...

. Michaud compiled a record of 4-0, before auditioning for ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'' in 2012.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Michaud appeared in the first episode of '' The Ultimate Fighter 16''. Michaud lost via submission (arm-triangle choke) against Eddy Ellis during the entry round. After '' TUF'' Michaud returned to the regional scene in The Dakotas, where he was able to string together a three-fight win streak, before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Michaud made his promotional debut, as a short notice replacement for an injured Danny Mitchell and faced

Li Jingliang Li Jingliang ( Chinese: 李景亮; pinyin: Lǐ Jǐngliàng; born March 20, 1988) is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes as a welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 13, 2022, he is #15 in the UFC welterweight ...

UFC 173 ''UFC 173: Barão vs. Dillashaw'' was a mixed martial arts event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 24, 2014. Background A Middleweight Championship bout between then champion Chris Weidman and number one contender V ...

. Jingliang defeated Michaud split decision. Michaud faced Garett Whiteley in a

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

bout on December 13, 2014 at

UFC on Fox 13 ''UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 13'') was a mixed martial arts event held at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 13, 2014. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted in ...

. Michaud won the fight via unanimous decision. Michaud faced

Olivier Aubin-Mercier Olivier Aubin-Mercier (; born February 23, 1989) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League. He formerly competed for the UFC until October 2019 when he became a free agent. A pr ...

on April 25, 2015 at

UFC 186 ''UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 25, 2015, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The event was the seventh event that the UFC has hosted in Montreal, Quebec. The event was expec ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the third round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator MMA/Legacy Fighting Alliance

On July 10, 2018, it was announced that Michaud had signed a contract with Bellator. He faced Corey Davis at Bellator 204 on August 17, 2018 and won the fight via knockout in the first round. Michaud faced future UFC fighter

Christian Aguilera Christian Aguilera (born November 25, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up, Aguilera did a little bit of taekwondo an ...

on February 2, 2019 at LFA 59. He won the bout via TKO in the second round.

Professional Fighters League

He faced Sadibou Sy in the quarterfinals at PFL 7 on October 11, 2019. The fight ended in a draw with Cooper advancing. In the semifinals at the same event, he faced

Chris Curtis Chris Curtis (born Christopher Crummey; 26 August 1941 – 28 February 2005) was an English drummer and singer who was best known for being with the 1960s Beat music, beat band The Searchers (band), The Searchers. He originated the concept be ...

and won by knockout in the second round. Michaud faced

Ray Cooper III Raynald "Ray" Cooper III (born February 7, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the two-time Welterweight champion. A professional competi ...

in the finals at PFL 10 on December 31, 2019. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Michaud was set to face Rory MacDonald on April 29, 2021 at PFL 2 as the start of the 2021 PFL Welterweight tournament. On April 8, Michaud announced that he had to pull out of the bout due to medicals discovering a congenital heart condition, congenital

bicuspid aortic valve Bicuspid aortic valve (aka BAV) is a form of heart disease in which two of the leaflets of the aortic valve fuse during development in the womb resulting in a two-leaflet (bicuspid) valve instead of the normal three-leaflet (tricuspid) valve. BA ...

with dilated aortic root, which put him at risk of

aortic dissection Aortic dissection (AD) occurs when an injury to the innermost layer of the aorta allows blood to flow between the layers of the aortic wall, forcing the layers apart. In most cases, this is associated with a sudden onset of severe chest or ...

. His future in MMA is also uncertain.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 ,

, TKO (body kick and punches) , PFL 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:56 ,

New York City 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 ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

, Decision (unanimous) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 , Handesson Ferreira , TKO (punches) , PFL 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 , Sadibou Sy , TKO (liver kick and punches) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , Legacy Fighting Alliance 59 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Fernando Gonzalez Trevino , TKO (punches) , Combate Americas- Mexico vs. USA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:07 ,

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Corey Davis , KO (punches) , Bellator 204 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota 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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Tyler Milner , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Sparta Combat League 63 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 , Ciro Rodrigues , TKO (punches) , Legacy Fighting Alliance 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Jake Lindsey , TKO (injury) , Legacy Fighting Alliance Fight Night 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Cody Wilson , KO (punch) , EB: Beatdown 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:15 ,

New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

, United States , , -, , Loss , align=center, 9–3 ,

Dhiego Lima Dhiego Lima (born January 31, 1989) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight division of the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Lima was born and spent his early childhood in the Brazilian city of Goiânia and b ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Titan FC 39: Cavalcante vs. Healy , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Chris Hugh , Submission (guillotine choke) , RFA 37 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:24 ,

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Garett Whiteley , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Decision (split) ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

Carey Vanier Carey D. Vanier Sr. (born August 3, 1981) is a Guyanese-American mixed martial arts fighter. He previously fought for Bellator Fighting Championships in the lightweight division. He also took part in the season two tournament held by Bellator. ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Dakota FC 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 ,

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

, United States , Catchweight bout of 160 lbs. , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Ian Stonehouse , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Victory FC 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Mark Scudder , Decision (unanimous) , Victory FC 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , Catchweight bout of 175 lbs. , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Derek Abram , TKO (punches) , Crowbar MMA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Cody Skidmore , TKO (punches) , Fury Fights 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State Un ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Bryant Craven , Submission (kimura) , EDP: Vindication , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:56 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Curtis Johnson , TKO (punches) , Fury Fights 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michaud, david Living people 1988 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists from South Dakota Lakota people People from Pine Ridge, South Dakota South Dakota State University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters