Josh Appelt 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, incorpo ...

currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has competed for Bellator and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

Background

Born and raised 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 ...

, Appelt wrestled in high school, competing in the state tournament twice during his junior and senior seasons. Appelt was originally introduced to

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 ...

through fellow competitor Dave Huckaba, who Appelt helped with grappling during a training camp for a fight. A few months later, Appelt embarked upon his own career in MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career: Gladiator Challenge

Appelt started his career in 2009. He fought mainly for

-based promotion ''Gladiator Challenge''. Appelt faced Angel DeAnda on July 17, 2010 for the Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Championship. Appelt was defeated for the first time in his career via first-round TKO. Appelt fought once again for the title on December 11, 2010 against Rob Jackson. Appelt won via TKO in the first round to become the new Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Champion. In 2012, with an overall record of 7-2, Appelt signed with Bellator.

Bellator

Appelt made his promotional debut against Ed Carpenter on November 2, 2012 at

Bellator 79 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 ...

. He won via submission in the first round. Appelt faced Josh Lanier on February 28, 2013 at

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 ...

. He won via TKO in the second round. Just a week after his bout against Lanier, Appelt replaced Maurice Jackson against Manny Lara on March 7, 2013 at Bellator 92. He won via unanimous decision. Applet lost his last Bellator fight against Freddie Aquintania on April 4, 2014. Following the loss, Applet suffered two more defeats fighting in WFC. On August 29, 2016, it was announced that Applet will face

Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is an eight-time world champion, having been a two-t ...

on October 21, 2016 at Bellator 162 after he picked up two consecutive wins fighting in WFC. Applet lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*Gladiator Challenge **Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Championship (Two times; current) **One Successful Title Defense *West Coast Fighting Championship **WFC Heavyweight Championship (One time, current)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–7 , Jeff Hughes , TKO (punches) , Dana White's Contender Series 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 ,

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, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , C.J. Leveque , TKO (punches) , West Coast Fighting Championship: Showdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:43 ,

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, United States , For the Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Marcus Osbourn , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Gladiator Challenge: Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Keith Corum , TKO (punches) , Battle of the Valley 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:36 , Stockton, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Michael Woodworth , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiator Challenge: Validation , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appelt, Josh Living people People from Yuba City, California American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling 1983 births