John Edward Gunderson (born May 1, 1980) is a retired 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 ...

. He used to fight with 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 ...

and SCC also numerous other organizations being a champion or fighting for the championship in many of them. Once he was a top 10 lightweight outside the UFC Gunderson is also an

International Fight League The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008.

veteran who fought out of

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock (''né'' Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

's Lion's Den and was a member of the

Nevada Lions The Nevada Lions were an International Fight League team based in Reno, Nevada, in the United States. Coached by UFC and MMA legend Ken Shamrock the Lions were one of four teams established at the beginning of the 2007 season. Record/Roster The L ...

alongside The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights winner Roy Nelson. He is currently training with Xtreme Couture and TapouT. a coach out of Syndicate MMA

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Gunderson made his UFC debut at

UFC 108 ''UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 2, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Background The card for UFC 108 was plagued with numerous injuries ...

against

Rafaello Oliveira Rafaello Oliveira Ferreira (; born January 26, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Oliveria took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at ...

with 12 days notice on January 2, 2010. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Gunderson was supposed to make his next appearance against Paul Taylor at

UFC 112 ''UFC 112: Invincible'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 10, 2010, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Due to the time zone difference in Abu Dhabi, UFC 112 was shown live on pay-per-view in the U ...

, but the fight was canceled last minute due to Taylor not being medically cleared. Gunderson was scheduled to face Taylor at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale, but Taylor was forced out of the bout again. Gunderson fought and defeated UFC newcomer and Canadian kickboxing champ Mark Holst. Gunderson was expected to face

Efrain Escudero Efraín Escudero (born January 15, 1986) is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He trains under Drew Fickett and competes in the 155 lb (70.3 kg) weight class. Efrain was the winner of season eight of Spike TV's reality show ''The Ultimate ...

on September 15, 2010 at

UFC Fight Night 22 ''UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 22'') and originally scheduled as ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Belcher'', was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 15, 2010 ...

, however Escudero fought

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 ...

Mac Danzig Mac Danzig (born January 2, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist, who competed as a lightweight in several MMA promotions, most notably the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season six. Background Da ...

was pulled from the card due to injury. Gunderson instead faced returning UFC veteran and former number 2 world ranked lightweight

Yves Edwards Yves Ed'duvill Edwards (born September 30, 1976) is a Bahamian retired mixed martial artist, who is best known for competing in the UFC's Lightweight division, fighting 21 times in the promotion. A professional competitor since 1997, he also com ...

, and lost the fight via unanimous decision. He was later released from UFC.

World Series of Fighting

Gunderson made his

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by Venture capital, venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fight ...

debut on June 14, 2013, against UFC vet

Dan Lauzon Daniel James Lauzon (born March 30, 1988) is a former American mixed martial artist who competed in the World Series of Fighting's Lightweight division, and has also formerly competed in the UFC and Affliction. He is the younger brother of fello ...

at WSOF 3. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. He then faced Chris Gruetzmacher at WSOF 9 on March 29, 2014. Gunderson lost the fight via unanimous decision. SCC After winning his promotional debut with a fight of the night Gunderson Faced

Team Alpha Male Team Alpha Male is a martial arts gym based in Sacramento, California, United States. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts (MMA) among the lower weight classes. It has produced three UFC Champions, T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garb ...

standout and coach Justin Buchholz. Being a 3-1 underdog Gunderson battered Buchholz with strong hooks and take downs eventually winning by Kimura in the 3rd round.

Other promotions

Gunderson faced Jeff Fletcher at Rage in the Cage 172 on June 7, 2014. He won the fight via guillotine choke, snapping his three-fight losing streak in the process.

Bellator and retirement

Gunderson was expected to face

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 ...

on October 10, 2014 at

Bellator 128 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 Heavyweigh ...

. However, Gunderson pulled out of the bout and then retired from mixed martial arts competition. His reasons for retirement was due to a "lack of drive to compete" and a "desire to move into other ventures." Gunderson retired with a record of 35–16–2. Gunderson retired with over 13 different titles in smaller MMA promotions and was for a long time one of the top lightweights on the regional circuit. Numerous times it seemed he could not get over the hump and break into the elite, even though he owned a few impressive stoppages over elite competitors.

Personal life

John and his fiancee, Kristin Stewart, have two daughters.

Championships and accomplishments

*ShoFIGHT **ShoFIGHT Welterweight Championship (One time) *Superior Cage Combat **SCC Lightweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 35–16–2 , Jeff Fletcher , Submission (guillotine choke) , RITC: Rage in the Cage 172 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:26 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 34–16–2 ,

Chris Gruetzemacher Christopher William Gruetzemacher (born June 16, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2008, he has also competed for ...

, Decision (unanimous) , World Series of Fighting 9: Carl vs. Palhares , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 34–15–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , World Series of Fighting 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 34–14–2 , David Castillo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Caged Combat 6: Day of the Warrior , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Grand Ronde, Oregon Grand Ronde is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Polk and Yamhill counties, Oregon, United States. Historically noted as a village in Polk County, the sphere of influence and community is in both Polk and Yamhill cou ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 34–13–2 ,

Karo Parisyan Karapet "Karo" Parisyan ( hy, Կարապետ Փարիզյան; born August 28, 1982) is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist, who last competed in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 1999, Parisyan is a ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , ShoFIGHT MMA 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, United States , Won vacant ShoFIGHT Welterweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 33–13–2 ,

Justin Buchholz Justin Buchholz (born August 22, 1983) is a Filipino-American former mixed martial arts fighter. A professional from 2005 until 2018, he fought in the UFC, World Series of Fighting, Background Buchholz graduated from Lathrop High School (Alas ...

, Submission (kimura) , Superior Cage Combat 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:34 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , Won SCC Lightweight Championship , - , Loss , align=center, 32–13–2 , Niko Puhakka , Decision (split) , Fight Festival 31 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 32–12–2 , James Birdsley , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Superior Cage Combat 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:06 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , Catchweight (160 lb) bout , - , Loss , align=center, 31–12–2 , Dominique Robinson , TKO referee stoppage due to exhaustion , TPF 8: All or Nothing , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:41 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 31–11–2 , Alejandro Solano Rodriguez , Submission (kimura) , XVT 5 - Franca vs. Kheder , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Cartago, Costa Rica Cartago () is the head city of Cartago canton of the Cartago Province, and is composed of the Oriental and Occidental districts as stated in the administrative divisions of Costa Rica. It was the capital of Costa Rica from 1574 to 1824. History ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 30–11–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 30–10–2 , Mark Holst , Decision (unanimous) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Franklin'' for the final episode of the season) is the eleventh installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced rea ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 29–10–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 29–9–2 , Steve Sharp , Submission (kimura) , MMA Xplosion - Gunderson vs. Sharp , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:17 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–9–2 , Fabian Acuna , Submission (kimura) , ROF 35 - Summer Brawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–9–2 , Dan Russom , Submission (Peruvian necktie) , DB 37 - Desert Brawl 37 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–9–2 , Bryan Travers , Decision (unanimous) , PFC 13: Validation , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–8–2 , Eric Regan , Submission (kimura) , RITC 125 - Rage in the Cage 125 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–8–2 , Alexander Crispim , Decision (split) , PFC 12: High Stakes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–8–2 ,

Ryan Schultz Ryan James Schultz (born July 4, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2013. A professional since 2003, he has competed in the WEC, IFL, and Japan's World Victory Road. He was the last International Fight League Light ...

, Decision (split) , IFL - Las Vegas , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–7–2 ,

Wagnney Fabiano Wagnney Silva Fabiano-Santos (born July 14, 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is best known for fighting in the WEC, as well as for the Toronto Dragons of the International Fight League and is the former IFL Featherweight Champion. ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , IFL - World Grand Prix Semifinals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:53 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–6–2 , Gabriel Casillas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , IFL - Las Vegas , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:58 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–6–2 , Bart Palaszewski , Decision (split) , IFL - Moline , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5–2 , Josh Odom , Submission (triangle choke) , IFL - Oakland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–5–2 ,

Bryan Caraway Bryan Caraway (born August 4, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Battlefield Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Caraway has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC, and the WEC. He wa ...

, Submission (armbar) , DB 19 - Oregon vs Texas , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:10 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–5–2 , Mike Joy , KO (Knee) , DB 17 - DesertBrawl 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5–2 , Cam Ward , Decision (unanimous) , SF 14 - Resolution , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5–2 , Danny Payne , Submission (Kimura) , DB 15 - DesertBrawl 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5–2 , Rudy Garcia , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UCF - Night of Champions , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5–2 , Charles Bennett , TKO , GC 40 - Gladiator Challenge 40 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:28 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5–2 , Shawn Bias , Submission (triangle arm bar) , DB 14 - DesertBrawl 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5–2 , Frank Watts , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , XFC - Dome of Destruction 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4–2 , Enoch Wilson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 9 - Respect , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:06 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4–2 , Armando Valadez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , RITR 10 - Rumble in the Ring 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4–2 , Donny Raines , Submission (armbar) , DB 12 - DesertBrawl 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3–2 , Dave Rivas , KO (Punches and Knees) , DB 11 - DesertBrawl 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3–2 , Mike Jonet , Submission (rear-naked choke) , PFA - Pride and Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

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, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 11–3–2 , Rob Hisamoto , Draw , FCFF - Fight Night 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3–1 , Rob Hisamoto , KO (punches and knees) , DB 10 - DesertBrawl 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3–1 , Brad Horner , Submission (armbar) , SF 2 - On the Move , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3–1 , Dean Lavin , TKO , FCFF - Rumble at the Roseland 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:02 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3–1 , Chris Young , Submission (armbar) , DB 9 - DesertBrawl 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–3–1 , Chris Irvine , Submission (armbar) , URC 6 - Ultimate Ring Challenge 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 , Pedro Castaneda , Submission (triangle choke) , TQP - Sport Fight "Devastation" , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 ,

Oregon City, Oregon ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2–1 , Shawn Cahill , Submission , FCFF - Rumble at the Roseland 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:55 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2–1 , Chad Nelson , TKO (punches) , Rumble at the Roseland 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1–1 , Vince Guzman , Submission (armbar) , DB 7 - Battle in Bend , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1–1 , Dominic Rivera , TKO (punches) , FCFF - Rumble at the Roseland 7 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 3–1–1 , Armando Valadez , Draw , XRW - Xtreme Ring Wars 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Wenatchee, Washington Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and was estimated to have increased to 34,360 as of 2019. Located in the north-central part ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Lin Tru , TKO (punches) , PPKA - Rock 'N' Rumble , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Brock Mclure , TKO (punches and knees) , SO - Showdown in the Octagon , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Charlie Fortec , Submission (guillotine choke) , DB 6 - DesertBrawl 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Redmond, Oregon Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated on July 6, 1910, the city is on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascade Range, in the High Desert in Central Oregon. From Redmond there is access to recreational opportunit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Al Libey , TKO (punches) , DB 5 - DesertBrawl 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* *
John Gunderson
IFL Page
International Fight League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunderson, John 1979 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Oregon Lightweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters