David Rickels (born January 5, 1989) 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, incorpo ...

and bare-knuckle fighter who is currently competing in the

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official state-sanctioned and commissioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1 ...

. A professional since 2010, he is a 23-fight veteran of the Bellator MMA, and won the Season Eight Lightweight Tournament.

Background

Rickels was born and raised in

Derby, Kansas Derby is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States and the largest suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 25,625. History For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America were inhabited by Nativ ...

, a 2007 graduate of Derby 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 ...

. He then went on to attend

Butler Community College Butler Community College (BCC) is a public community college in El Dorado, Kansas. Campus There are a number of branch campuses throughout the area, in Andover, Council Grove, Marion, McConnell, Rose Hill, and a number of distance-learnin ...

. Started his own promotion called 'Evolution Fighting Championship" in late 2015.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Rickels compiled an amateur record of 8-1, and made his professional mixed martial arts debut in February 2010. He won via first-round TKO and went on to compile an undefeated record of 5-0 before being signed by Bellator.

Bellator MMA

Rickels made his Bellator debut on April 9, 2011, at

Bellator 40 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 ...

where he defeated formerly undefeated Dylan Smith by a first-round triangle choke submission. Rickels next fought

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

veteran Richard Bouphanouvong on May 7, 2011, at

Bellator 43 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 ...

where he won by triangle choke in round 2. After defeating Levi Avera with a third-straight win by triangle choke in Bellator in 2011, Rickels was featured in the Bellator Season 6 Welterweight Tournament in 2012. He faced Jordan Smith in the opening round of the tournament at

Bellator 63 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 ...

and won via KO at just 22 seconds into the first round. In the semifinals at

Bellator 69 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 i ...

, Rickels faced

Karl Amoussou Karl Amoussou (born November 21, 1985) is a French-German professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Cage Warriors, where he is the current Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since ...

. The bout was back-and-forth but in the end, Amoussou won the fight via controversial split decision, giving Rickels his first professional loss. Rickels returned to face Jason Fischer at Bellator 82. He won via unanimous decision. Rickels was picked to enter the Lightweight Season 8 Tournament where he defeated

Lloyd Woodard Lloyd Woodard (born November 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in Titan FC's Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Woodard has also formerly competed for Bellator and King of th ...

in the quarterfinals at

Bellator 87 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 ...

via unanimous decision. Rickels was to face

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

prospect

Alexander Sarnavskiy Alexander Sarnavskiy (russian: Александр Сарнавский, born January 17, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Sarnavskiy has mostly competed i ...

, but Sarnavskiy fractured his hand during his first fight and had to withdraw from the tournament. Rickels instead faced Jason Fischer in a rematch and won via unanimous decision. In the finals at

Bellator 94 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 ...

, Rickels took on

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. Backg ...

. He dropped Awad with a right hand at the very end of the second round, but Awad remained resting on his back instead of getting up to his corner, resulting in the referee declaring an end to the match, controversially making Rickels the winner by TKO. With the tournament win, Rickels faced undefeated 11-0 Bellator Lightweight Champion

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained n ...

Bellator 97 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 ...

. He lost the fight via knockout at just 44 seconds into the first round. In March 2014, Rickels entered into the Bellator season 10 lightweight tournament, where he faced

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 ...

in the opening round 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, ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Rickels faced Davi Ramos on October 24, 2014, at

Bellator 130 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, ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Rickels faced John Alessio at Bellator 139 on June 26, 2015. Rickels almost finished Alessio in the first round, but an unintentional illegal knee from Rickels landed on Alessio's head when he was down and prompted the referee to stop the fight. Alessio couldn't continue and the fight was overturned to a no contest. Rickels had a rematch with

on November 6, 2015, at Bellator 145. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Rickels faced

Melvin Guillard Melvin Paul Guillard, Jr. (born March 30, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. Guillard most notably competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA a ...

on July 21, 2016, at Bellator 159. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. However, the loss was overturned to a No-Contest after Guillard tested positive for a non-performance-enhancing banned substance. Rickels faced Aaron Derrow at Bellator 171 on January 27, 2017. He won the fight via TKO, due to punches in the third round. Rickels was expected to face

Brennan Ward Brennan Ward (born June 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2008, Ward formerly competed for CES MMA and was the Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tou ...

at Bellator 185 on October 20, 2017, however, an injury to Ward forced him out of the bout, and Rickels was removed from the fight card as a result. After an injury to Derek Anderson, Rickels stepped in as a replacement to face

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. He won the 160 lb catchweight fight by unanimous decision. Rickels faced

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 ...

on May 25, 2018, at Bellator 200. He lost the fight via verbal submission due to a punch in the second round. After his 23rd fight in Bellator on August 24, 2019, Rickels became a free agent.

Bare-knuckle boxing

On January 23, 2020, news surfaced that Rickels had signed with

. He was expected to make his promotional debut on March 14, 2020 with opponent to be determined, but the event was cancelled. Instead, Rickels made his debut on October 10, 2020, defeating Cliff Wright by decision.

Championships and accomplishments

* Bellator Fighting Championships ** Bellator Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Championship **Tied (with

Patrício Freire Patricio in Spanish, or Patrício in Portuguese, is a male given name equivalent to Patrick in English. The Spanish name is pronounced with the stress on the same first i as Portuguese, but an accent is not needed because this follows normal ru ...

) for most fights in Bellator History (23) **Most wins of non-champ in Bellator history (14)

Mixed martial arts record

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Yaroslav Amosov Yaroslav Amosov (born 9 September 1993) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Welterweight (MMA), welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Welterweight Champion ...

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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 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corporation, i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5 (2) , Guilherme Bomba , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 210 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (33. ...

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London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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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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, NC (overturned) , Bellator 159 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 (1) , Bobby Cooper , TKO (knee and punches) ,

Bellator 150 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickboxi ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 ,

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St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 16–3 (1) , John Alessio , NC (illegal knee) , Bellator 139 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 ,

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Davi Ramos Davi Ramos (born November 5, 1986) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner who competes in the Lightweight division of Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). A professional since 2010, he most notably c ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2 ,

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Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It i ...

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Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Jason Fischer , Decision (unanimous) ,

Bellator 91 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 ...

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Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Central Michigan, the city is the county seat of Isabella County, Michigan, Isabella County. The population was 21,688 as of the 2020 United States census. It is surrounded by Unio ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Jason Fischer , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 82 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcas ...

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Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ea ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Levi Avera , Submission (triangle choke) , Bellator 53 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital of ...

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Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Richard Bouphanouvong , Submission (triangle choke) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Dylan Smith , Submission (triangle choke) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Aaron Fondry , Decision (split) , Friday Night Fights New England: Burlington , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Burlington, Vermont, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Charles Jones , Submission (triangle choke) , C3 Fights: Slammin Jammin Weekend 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Kelly Allen , Submission (triangle choke) , Eye Win: Showtime , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

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Bare knuckle record

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Mike Richman Michael Richman (born June 23, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional competitor in mixed martial arts since 2008, Richman has competed for Bella ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Julian Lane , Decision (unanimous) , BKFC Fight Night: Wichita , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2:00 ,

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Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rickels, David 1989 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Bare-knuckle boxers People from Derby, Kansas Mixed martial artists from Kansas