Duane Bastress (born May 30, 1983) is an 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 ...

who last competed in Bellator's

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 ...

division.

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, ...

, Bastress wrestled for

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...

as a freshman, before transferring to

York College of Pennsylvania York College of Pennsylvania is a private college in Spring Garden Township, Pennsylvania. It offers more than 70 baccalaureate majors in professional programs, the sciences, and humanities to 3,500 full-time undergraduate students. It also off ...

for his sophomore season. A two-time national champion under coach Tom Kessler, Bastress compiled an overall record of 97-6 at York. He also had an undefeated 40-0 senior season, and held a 65 match winning streak when he graduated. Bastress was later Kessler's assistant for several seasons before ascending to the head coach position.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Bastress started his professional career in 2010. He fought primarily for Pennsylvania-based promotion ''Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge'', winning three times in a row. In December 2010 Bastress faced Tim Williams for the middleweight title of Philadelphia's organization ''Locked in the Cage'' in a five round bout. He lost the fight at the end of the third round via doctor stoppage. With a record of three victories and one loss, he signed with Bellator.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Bastress made his debut on October 15, 2011 at

Bellator 54 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 ...

against

Daniel Gracie Daniel Simões, known professionally as Daniel Gracie, is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is cousin to Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, Charles Gracie and Ryan Gracie. Biog ...

. Bastress won when the doctor deemed Gracie unable to continue due to a cut over his eye at the end of the second round. Bastress faced Plinio Cruz on April 13, 2012 at Bellator 65. He won via TKO in the second round. Bastress faced promotional newcomer

Jason Butcher Jason Butcher (born October 23, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2008, he has also competed for Bellator and King ...

on June 22, 2012 at

Bellator 71 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. He had his first defeat in the promotion via submission in the very first round. Bastress was expected to face Lewis Rumsey on October 19, 2012 at

Bellator 77 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. However, Rumsey was replaced by Ariel Sepulveda due to undisclosed reasons. Bastress defeated Sepulveda via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). In May 2013—despite coming off from a win—it was announced that Bellator didn't renew Bastress' contract.

Personal life

Bastress is married and has two daughters; Cora and Audrey and one son, Drake. Bastress' wife, April, was a standout

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

player for York.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur 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 Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

All-American out of

(2005–06) **

184 lb: Champion out of

(2005–06) *National Wrestling Coaches Association **NWCA Division III National Hall of Fame (2013)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Mike Stewart , TKO (punches) , CFFC 26: Sullivan vs. Martinez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:33 ,

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, 6–2 , Ariel Sepulveda , Decision (split) ,

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

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) ,

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

Chester, West Virginia Chester is a city in northern Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. Sharing a border with Ohio and lying about west of Pennsylvania, Chester is the northernmost cit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Plinio Cruz , TKO (punches) , Bellator 65 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:52 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Tim Williams , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Locked in the Cage 6 , , 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 , For the LITC middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Roger Minton III , TKO (punches) , Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 ,

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Robert Morrow , TKO (punches) , Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

York, Pennsylvania York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Elder Ramos , TKO (submission to punches) , Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:21 ,

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts amateur record

, - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , John Flock , Decision (unanimous) , Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Robert Martin , Submission (keylock) , WKU: Warrior Challenge in the Poconos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 , Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, United States ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bastress, Duane 1983 births Living people People from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling