Keith Berry (born October 25, 1987) 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 competed in

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

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. A professional fighter since 2005, Berry has formerly fought for the WEC,

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'', ...

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 ...

and Elite XC

ShoXC ''ShoXC'' is a mixed martial arts series produced by the mixed martial arts organization EliteXC, Showtime and Proelite.com. The series was announced on July 11, 2007. The purpose of the show is to highlight up and coming MMA fighters. On Octo ...

. Berry is the former 2x King of the Cage Middleweight Champion.

Background

Berry is from

Murrieta, California Murrieta is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The population of Murrieta was 110,949 as of the 2020 census. Murrieta experienced a 133.7% population increase between 2000 and 2010, making Murrieta one of the f ...

, and attended

Murrieta Valley High School Murrieta Valley High School (MVHS), colloquially known as MV or Valley opened in 1990 as the first four-year comprehensive high school in Murrieta, California. The school is nestled at the base of the Santa Rosa Plateau, at the western end of the ...

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 ...

. Despite having a quiet personality, Berry got into wrestling in high school and was introduced to

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 predetermined ...

. In 2020 Berry got engaged to adult film star

Nicole Aniston Nicole Aniston is an American pornographic actress, model, exotic dancer and actress. Aniston was the 2013 ''Penthouse'' Pet of the Year. Early life Aniston grew up in Escondido and Temecula in Riverside County, California. She attended Te ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career: World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage

Berry started his career in 2005 for the California-based promotions

and

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

. On his two bouts for WEC, he won against Donny Rider and lost against Terry Martin. For KOTC, he won five bouts and the middleweight title, remaining undefeated in the organization until his light heavyweight title fight against Tony Lopez, in which he lost via TKO in the third round due to his coach throwing in the towel against his request.King of the Cage: fight results from King of the Cage - Immortal
Kingofthecage.com (February 26, 2009)

Gladiator Challenge

Between 2009 and 2010, Berry fought four times for ''Gladiator Challenge'', obtaining four consecutive victories and holding two of the fastest KO in MMA history (5 and 6 seconds). Despite having lost against Brett Cooper at Pechanga Casino’s very first MMA event ''Lords of Chaos'', in 2011 Berry signed with

Strikeforce

Berry made his debut on June 24, 2011 on ''Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry'' against Trevor Smith. He lost via technical submission in the second round. Berry faced

Gian Villante Gianpiero Villante (born August 18, 1985) is a retired American mixed martial artist who previously fought in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional from 2009 to 2021, he also has competed for Strikeforce ...

on August 12, 2011 at ''Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte''. He lost via unanimous decision. Berry was expected to face

Andreas Spång Andreas Christian Spång (born November 7, 1978) is a Swedish professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who last competed in 2014. A professional competitor since 2008, he has competed for Bellator, the MFC, and Strikeforce. Personal life A ...

on November 18, 2012 at ''Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers''. However, for undisclosed reasons he was forced out of the bout and was replaced by Willie Parks. Berry faced

Adlan Amagov Chechen Van Damme , image = , image_size = 400px , alt = , caption = , birth_name = , birth_date = , birth_place = Sunzhensky District, Chechen–Ingush ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Un ...

on April 14, 2012 at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman. He lost via TKO in the first round. The ruling was controversial as Amagov seemed to throw a linear kick to the knee of Berry an illegal strike under the Unified Rules of MMA. The kick caused Berry to fall down. Berry then began verbally protesting to the referee

Herb Dean Herbert Dean (born September 30, 1970) is an American professional mixed martial arts referee for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and former fighter. UFC president Dana White, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, articles covering MMA in ESP ...

, who interpreted this as Berry requesting to stop the fight. Many fighters, including 2 time PRIDE FC Champion Dan Henderson posted on social media saying this was Herb Deans “worst stoppage ever”. After two victories on ''Xplode Fight Series'', Berry signed with

Bellator

Berry made his debut on March 7, 2013 at

Bellator 92 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 ...

against Richard Rigmaden. He won via submission in the first round. Berry faced Cortez Coleman on June 19, 2013 at

Bellator 96 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 cha ...

. He won via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). Berry faced Jeremy Kimball on July 31, 2013 at

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 cha ...

. He was knocked out in the 2nd round of the bout. Berry faced Eugene Fadiora on October 25, 2013 at

Bellator 105 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 via TKO in the second round. Berry then faced

Dave Vitkay Dave Vitkay (born May 22, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, he has formerly competed for Bellator MMA. Background Born and raised in the suburbs of ...

on April 11, 2014 at

Bellator 116 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 ...

. Berry lost the bout via unanimous decision. Berry was released from the promotion on June 25, 2014. Despite being released in June 2014, Berry returned to face

Joe Pacheco Joe Pacheco (born February 19, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist of Puerto Rican and Belizean descent who competes in Bellator's middleweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career Pacheco started his professional career in ...

on October 3, 2014 at

Bellator 127 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 ...

. He initially won the fight by split decision. However, Berry failed his post-fight drug test (Marijuana metabolites) and the California commission changed the result to a No Contest.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** KOTC Middleweight Championship (One time)Interview: Keith "KO Kid" Berry talks KOTC title-winning bout

MMA Fighting ''MMA Fighting'' is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Founded in 2001, the site is notable for its breaking news coverage, podcast series, and ''The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani''. Overview ''MMAFighting.com'' w ...

(August 10, 2007) **One successful title defense *Xplode Fight Series **XFS Middleweight Championship (One time)Xplode Fight Series - Anarchy official results
Mixedmartialarts.com

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 17–15–1 (1) , Jayce Bowman , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Holiday Beatings , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:50 ,

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 the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–15–1 (1) ,

Justin Baesman Justin Baesman (born June 3, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2008, he has competed for Bellator MMA, B ...

, TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Berry vs. Baesman , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–15–1 (1) ,

Joe Schilling Joseph Francis Schilling (born January 13, 1984) is an American professional Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist who most recently competed for Bellator Kickboxing in the Middleweight division, and in the Middleweight division for Bella ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 219 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–14–1 (1) , Joseph Henle , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Golden Boy MMA: Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 15–13–1 (1) , Kevin Casey , Draw (majority) , Bellator 170 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 15–13 (1) ,

, No Contest ,

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

, United States , Originally a split decision win for Berry; overturned after failing a drug test. , - , Loss , align=center, 15–13 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–12 , Eugene Fadiora , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:19 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, New Mexico, 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 north ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–11 ,

Jeremy Kimball Jeremy Kimball, (born March 1, 1991) is an American mixed martial arts fighter who formerly competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, Kimball has also formerly competed ...

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, Catchweight (190 lbs) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 15–10 , Cortez Coleman , Decision (split) ,

, , 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. ...

, Catchweight (186.4 lbs) bout; Berry missed weight.Bellator 96 weigh-in results: two fighters miss marks in Oklahoma (updated)
MMAjunkie.com (June 18, 2013) , - , Win , align=center, 14–10 , Richard Rigmaden , Submission (kimura) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 13–10 , Edward Darby , TKO (punches) , Xplode Fight Series: Vengeance , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Valley Center, California Valley Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern San Diego County, California. The population was 9,277 at the 2010 census. History Valley Center was the site of the capture of the largest California Grizzly Bear in history. In 1866, ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 12–10 , Josh Gibson , TKO (punches) , Xplode Fight Series: Anarchy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

, Won the XFS Middleweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 11–10 ,

Adlan Amagov Chechen Van Damme , image = , image_size = 400px , alt = , caption = , birth_name = , birth_date = , birth_place = Sunzhensky District, Chechen–Ingush ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Un ...

, TKO (leg kick and punches) , Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 11–9 , Tyson Jeffries , Submission (rear-naked choke) , FCOC: Fight Club OC , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 ,

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 11–8 , Kenny Aires , DQ , Gladiator Challenge: Season's Beatings 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, , - , Loss , align=center, 10–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 Vegas ...

, United States ,

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 10–7 , Trevor Smith , Technical submission (north-south choke) , Strikeforce Challengers: Fodor vs. Terry , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:02 ,

Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest municipality in greater Seattle and t ...

, United States ,

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 10–6 , Brett Cooper , KO (punches) , LOTC: Lords of the Cage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5 , Brendan Ellison , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Fahrenheit , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 9–5 , Sam Salas , KO (punch) , Gladiator Challenge: Bad Behavior , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:06 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 8–5 , Brian Campbell , TKO (submission to punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Vision Quest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–5 , Jeff Avants , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Never Quit , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:25 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–5 ,

Doug Marshall Douglas Garrett Marshall (born February 3, 1977) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2003 until 2014, Marshall has fought in Bellator, Tachi Palace Fights, the Super Fight League, and the Pala ...

, KO (punches) , PureCombat 10: Fearless , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:41 ,

Tulare, California Tulare ( ) is a city in Tulare County, California. The population was 68,875 at the 2020 census. It is located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, eight miles south of Visalia and sixty miles north of Bakersfield. The city is named for th ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 , Tony Lopez , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Immortal , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:29 ,

, United States ,

bout; for the King of the Cage Light Heavyweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 , Ray Lizama , TKO (punches to the body) , ShoXC: Hamman vs. Suganuma 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Friant, California Friant (formerly, Converse Ferry, Jones Ferry, Hamptonville, and Pollasky) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census, down from 778 at the 2000 census. Friant is locat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Umar Luv , TKO (submission to strikes) , KOTC: Final Chapter , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:50 ,

, United States , Defended the King of the Cage Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Sean Loeffler , Submission (triangle choke) , KOTC: Collision Course , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

, United States , Return to

; won the King of the Cage Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Adrian Perez , KO (knee) , KOTC: Sinister , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Kawika Morton , Decision (split) , CCFC: Judgment Day , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , Terry Martin , TKO (punches) , WEC 24: Full Force , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Aiki Cavanaugh , KO (punch) , KOTC: Mangler , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:06 ,

, United States ,

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Donny Rider , TKO (punches) , WEC 20: Cinco de Mayhem , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Johnny Vasquez , TKO (punches) , KOTC 63: Final Conflict , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Keith 1987 births Living people People from Murrieta, California American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Sportspeople from Riverside County, California Mixed martial artists from California