Gabriel G. "Gabe" Ruediger (born August 29, 1977) is a former 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, incorpo ...

, who competed in the

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 ...

division for 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 ...

, WEC and

Tachi Palace Fights Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which hosted events at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Matchmaker for TPF was former fighter Richard Goodman. Regarded as a regional promotion, ...

. He is a former WEC Lightweight Champion, and former TPF Lightweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Ruediger is a retired

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 ...

fighter from Rancho Cucamonga. He started training in karate when he was seven years old and eventually moved on to

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

. He was a student at

Nevada Union High School Nevada Union High School (NU) is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of California's capital, Sacramento. Situated between Nevada City and Grass Valley, the school serves those two incorporated cities and a large surrounding commun ...

. He appeared in a video as

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad ...

's personal trainer. Ruediger is a former WEC Lightweight Champion. In the WEC, he maintained a 9 fight winning streak before being defeated by

Hermes Franca Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orators ...

. Ruediger made his

debut at

UFC 63 ''UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 23, 2006. The event took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view (PPV) in ...

, losing to

The Ultimate Fighter 2 ''The Ultimate Fighter 2'' was the second season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The season featured a heavyweight and a welterweight division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC co ...

contestant

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 ...

via body punch in the second round.

The Ultimate Fighter

Ruediger was one of three fighters on

The Ultimate Fighter 5 ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a ...

who had previously fought inside the

's Octagon (the others being

Joe Lauzon Joseph Edward Lauzon Jr. (born May 22, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, competing in the UFC's Lightweight division. A well-rounded fighter, he has the fourth most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history, behind Donald Ce ...

and

Matt Wiman Matthew Charles Wimanhttp://boxing.nv.gov/2011%20Results%20Web/07-02-11%20MMA.pdf (born September 19, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed as a lightweight. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background ...

). Only Lauzon, of the three, had a victory in the UFC. In episode 5, Team Pulver selected

Corey Hill Corey Cornelius Hill (October 3, 1978 – May 15, 2015) was an American mixed martial artist. In high school in Florida he won state wrestling championships on multiple occasions and was a two-time national finalist college wrestler. Mixed marti ...

to fight Ruediger. The episode showed Ruediger eating

ice cream cake An ice cream cake is a cake with ice cream as the filling for a swiss roll or a layer cake. A simpler no-bake version can be made by layering different flavors of ice cream in a loaf pan. Ice cream cake is a popular party food, often eaten a ...

after learning of his upcoming fight, shortly before the weigh ins. He was then struggling to make the weight requirement, and let himself be dragged to and from the

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

room, but getting out before it could actually work. Ultimately, Penn and Maynard gave up and walked off as Ruediger literally begged for them to pick him back up. After displaying what could be signs of extreme exhaustion, an ambulance carried him off to the hospital. He took direct criticism from his own coaches and teammates for "taking short cuts" and displaying a lack of dedication, due to his request for a colonic to lose weight (a procedure where they input plastic tubes up your rectum to flush

fecal matter Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...

out of your system) and his overall poor work ethic. The next day,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

dismissed Ruediger from the competition and he was ordered to leave the house. Ruediger later stated that he saw The Ultimate Fighter show as a "marketing tool" and that audience members should "take what you see on TV with a grain of salt."

Post UFC

In a March 2007 interview Ruediger says that he would be fighting "very soon" in a "large organization". In an article by Loretta Hunt at The Fight Network, it was revealed that FEG officials had a verbal commitment from Ruediger to fight

Katsuhiko Nagata is a Japanese olympic wrestler and mixed martial artist, who won the silver medal in 63–69 kg Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He is also the brother of professional wrestler Yuji Nagata, who works for New Japan P ...

for their June 2

K-1 Dynamite!! USA ''SoftBank presents Dynamite!! USA'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event co-promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), the promoters of K-1 kickboxing events and Hero's MMA events, and EliteXC. The event was held on Saturday, June 2, 2 ...

supercard in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Many unsubstantiated rumours appeared on the Internet regarding his failure to obtain a license to fight in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, asserting that his failure to make weight on The Ultimate Fighter was the reason. These were refuted in an interview with Armando Garcia, the executive director of the

California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the events. ...

(CSAC). According to Garcia, because Ruediger was a late replacement on the

K-1 Dynamite K-1 PREMIUM Dynamite!! (or Dynamite!!) was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held in Japan by the Fighting and Entertainment Group. It began as a co-production between PRIDE Fighting Championships and K-1 held on August 28, 2002 ...

card doctors with the CSAC did not have sufficient time to review his medical information, and could not issue him a license in time for the K-1 fight. He was then cleared for a license, fighting 5 times in the state of

since his reinstatement .

Return to the UFC

After

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), Ame ...

injured himself in preparation for his bout against

UFC 118 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 ...

, Ruediger signed a four fight deal with the UFC, and stepped in as Etim's replacement. The fight was selected to be shown on the Spike TV broadcast. Ruediger lost the fight early in the first round via armbar submission. Ruediger was expected to face Paul Kelly on November 20, 2010 at

UFC 123 ''UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the first UFC event in the Metro Detroit area since ...

. However, Ruediger was forced out of the bout with a groin injury. Ruediger faced Paul Taylor on February 5, 2011 at

UFC 126 ''UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Former Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor B ...

. Ruediger was defeated via second round KO and subsequently released from the promotion.

Post UFC

Ruediger faced Scott "KO" Catlin on March 16, 2012 at

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

BadBeat 5 and lost via TKO from punches 36 seconds into the second round. Gabe fought

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sa ...

radio host Jason Ellis in a celebrity

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

match at Ellismania 8 "Shave my Friends Tonight" in Las Vegas on July 14, 2012. Gabe was KO'd by Ellis in the 2nd round. Ruediger contested that Ellis had cheated by using different wraps, gloves, and headgear and stated that if they wore the same gear, Ellis would not have won the fight. Gabe then requested a rematch with Ellis and the two fought at Ellismania 9. Gabe lost the decision 29-28, and was generally dominated by Ellis.

Championships and accomplishments

**TPF Lightweight Championship (One time) *

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

WEC Lightweight Championship This is a list of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champions at each weight class. In December 2006 World Extreme Cagefighting was bought by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, to concentrate on the four smaller weight classes under th ...

(One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 18–8 , Scott Catlin , Submission (armbar) , Bamma USA: Bad Beat 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:13 ,

Commerce, California Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 , Scott Catlin , TKO (punches) , Bamma USA: Bad Beat 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:36 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 , Paul Taylor , KO (head kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:42 ,

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 Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Lenny Lovato , TKO (punches) , TPF 5: Stars and Strikes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 , Dominique Robinson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , TPF 3: Champions Collide , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:49 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Wander Braga , Submission (guillotine choke) , Call to Arms: Called Out Fights , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:58 ,

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Adam Lehman , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fight Circuit MMA: Victorious , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:19 , Adelanto, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Darren Crisp , Submission (guillotine choke) , PFC 13: Validation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Max Son , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Gladiator Challenge: Warriors , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

Pauma Valley, California Pauma Valley (''Pauma'', Luiseño for "place where there is water") is a geographic valley and unincorporated community between Valley Center and Palomar Mountain in San Diego County, California. The name also refers to the agricultural region ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 , Justin Wilcox , Decision (unanimous) , JG and TKT Promotions: Fighting 4 Kidz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 ,

Akbarh Arreola Akbarh Omar Arreola Jiménez (born January 14, 1983) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He also had competed in the Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts caree ...

, Submission (kimura) , MMA Xtreme 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:03 , Mexico City, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , George Kassimatis , Submission (guillotine choke) , Ringside Ticket , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 ,

Highland, California Highland (and neighboring "East Highlands") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population of the city was 53,104 as of the 2010 census, up from 44,605 at the 2000 census. The term ''Highland'' also refers to a geo ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, TKO (punch to the body) , UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:01 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

Savant Young Savant Young (born June 19, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 until 2013, he competed for the WEC, Bellator, Shooto, Affliction, the Tokyo Sabres of the IFL, King of the Cage, and Tachi Pa ...

, Submission (armbar) , PF 1: The Beginning , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:29 ,

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

Hermes França Hermes França Barros (; born August 26, 1974) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He has competed for the UFC, WEC, MFC, and Israel FC. He is a former WEC Lightweight Champion, and former UFC Lightweight Championship contender. Mixed mar ...

, KO (punches) , WEC 19: Undisputed , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Sam Wells , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 17: Halloween Fury 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Bobir Hasanov , Submission (armbar) , KOTC 61: Flash Point , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Jason Maxwell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WEC 14: Vengeance , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:28 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Olaf Alfonso , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

WEC 12 WEC 12: Halloween Fury 3 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 21st, 2004 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. The card featured many future superstars such as Jason "The Punisher ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Steve Ramerez , Submission (triangle choke) ,

WEC 11 WEC 11: Evolution was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 20, 2004 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. The main event saw Shonie Carter take on Jason Biswell. Results ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Cory Reeves , TKO (punches) , IFC: Battleground Tahoe , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 , Lake Tahoe, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Carlos Cordero , TKO (punches) ,

WEC 7 WEC 7: This Time It's Personal was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 9, 2003, at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, California. In the main event, Ron Waterman fought James Nevarez to decide WEC' ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Phat Houng , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pit Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 , N/A , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Josh Gardner , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

Porterville, California Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. Since its incorporation in 1902, the city's population has grown as it annexed n ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Sam Wells , KO (punch) , WEC 5: Halloween Havoc , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 , Lemoore, California, United States ,

References

External links

Gabe's personal site

Post-TUF 5 Interview
* *
NOKAUT Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruediger, Gabe American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wushu Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American wushu practitioners American male judoka American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu World Extreme Cagefighting champions 1977 births Living people People from Topanga, California People from Rancho Cucamonga, California People from Van Nuys, Los Angeles Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters