Derek Anderson (born February 20, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist, currently signed to

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 ...

, 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.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Anderson began training in

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

at the age of 19, and later made his professional

debut in 2011. Anderson compiled an undefeated record of 9-0 with one no contest before being signed by

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 ...

Bellator MMA

Anderson made his promotional debut against

Patricky Freire Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division, where he is a former Bellator Lightweight World Champi ...

Bellator 98 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

on September 7, 2013. Anderson won via unanimous decision. Anderson was then scheduled to face

Terry Etim Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), Am ...

in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Season Ten Lightweight Tournament on March 21, 2014 at

Bellator 113 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, ...

. Etim then pulled out due to an ACL injury. Etim was replaced by

Brandon Girtz Brandon Girtz (born March 6, 1985) is an People of the United States, American Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2008, Girtz has fought in Bellator MMA, Bellator and King of the Cage. Background Girtz was ...

. Anderson won via knockout due to a knee strike in the second round. In the semifinals, Anderson faced

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

submission specialist

Marcin Held Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. He formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut, Professional Fighters League, a ...

Bellator 117 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 April 18, 2014. Anderson was handed his first professional loss via triangle choke submission in the second round. Anderson faced Danny Navarro on January 16, 2015 at Bellator 132. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Anderson next faced

Brent Primus Brent Primus (born April 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing for Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Lightweight World Champion. As of November 1, 2022, he is #6 in the Bellator Lightweight Rankings. Bac ...

Bellator 141 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. ...

on August 28, 2015. He lost the fight by split decision. In the first rematch of his career, Anderson faced

for a second time on December 4, 2015 at Bellator 147. He again won the fight, this time by split decision. A welterweight bout between Anderson and

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Cage Rage, Final Fight Championship, Strikeforce, Elit ...

at Bellator 163 was scrapped on the day of the event after Daley fell ill from effects of his weight cut. Anderson faced

Saad Awad Saad Awad ( ar, سعد عوض , born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist competing in Bellator's lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Awad has formerly competed for Strikeforce and King of the Cage. Backgr ...

at Bellator 160 on August 26, 2016. In a back-and-forth affair, in which both fighters traded near submission finishes, Anderson ultimately won the fight via unanimous decision. Anderson faced

Derek Campos Francisco Derek Campos (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, Campos has competed for Bellator MMA, Shark Fights and King of t ...

at Bellator 170 on January 21, 2017. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Anderson was expected to face

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987) is a British Kickboxing, kickboxer, Boxing, boxer, and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is recognised in the MMA community for his unortho ...

at Bellator 179 on May 19, 2017 but Page suffered a knee injury and neck injury. No replacement opponent was sought. Anderson was expected to return against

Adam Piccolotti Adam Piccolotti (born August 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division. Background Born and raised in Half Moon Bay, California, Piccolotti competed in wrestling, baseball, and track a ...

at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017. However, an injury to Anderson forced him out of the bout and he was replaced by

David Rickels David Rickels (born January 5, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter who is currently competing in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional since 2010, he is a 23-fight veteran of the Bellat ...

. Anderson made his welterweight debut against Guilherme Bomba on October 4, 2019 at Bellator 229. He won via unanimous decision. Anderson was expected to headline Bellator London 2 against

on 23 November 2019 but Anderson withdrew for undisclosed reasons on 12 November 2019. Anderson was then scheduled again to face

at Bellator 247 on October 1, 2020. However, Daley was not unable to make weight and was hospitalized, leading to the bout being scrapped. Anderson faced Killys Mota on November 5 at Bellator 251. He won the bout via second round knockout. Anderson faced

Bellator 258 Bellator 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 7, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. This fight card is notable for being Anthony Johnson's final fight before ...

on May 7, 2021. Anderson was supposed to fight Page twice before at Bellator 179 and Bellator London 2. Towards the end of the first round, Page landed a kick to Anderson's face which badly broke his nose to the point it was completely flattened, leading to the doctor stopping the fight between rounds. He was suspended 120 days (4 months) by the

Mohegan Sun Mohegan Sun is an American casino, owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe on of their reservation, along the banks of the Thames River in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has of gambling space. It is in the foothills of southeastern Connecticut, ...

Department of Athletic Regulation for falsifying his pre-fight medical forms after Anderson failed to disclose that he went to the hospital four times for kidney failure during his fight camp. Anderson was scheduled to face

Goiti Yamauchi is a Japanese-born Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Welterweight division for Bellator MMA. As of December 13, 2022, he is #5 in the Bellator Welterweight Rankings. Background Yamauchi was born in Anjō, Aichi to ...

on March 12, 2022 at Bellator 276. The week of the event, the bout was scrapped for unknown reasons.

Mixed martial arts record

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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 ...

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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, 15–3 (1) , Zak Bucia , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 197 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Patricky Pitbull Patricky Freire (born January 21, 1986), known professionally by his ring name Patricky Pitbull, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division, where he is a former Bellator Lightweight World Champio ...

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San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

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Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 (1) , Craig Flynn , TKO (punches) , Xplode Fight Series: Aftermath , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

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United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 (1) , Ray Carter , Submission (armbar) , Xplode Fight Series: Revancha , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:02 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 7–0 (1) , Aaron Neveu , No Contest (overturned) , Xplode Fight Series: Damage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Edward Darby , Submission (armbar) , Xplode Fight Series: Anarchy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Kris Armbrister , Submission (guillotine choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Eclipse , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Dino Valdez , Submission (guillotine choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Disarm , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:26 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jeremy Michur , TKO (knee) , Xplode Fight Series: Brutal Conduct , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Chris Mercado , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Season's Beatings 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dominique Chisem , Submission (guillotine choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Hillside Havoc , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Leo Franklin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xplode Fight Series: Rumble off the Reservation , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:42 , San Pasqual Indian Reservation,

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References

External links