Kurt Holobaugh (born September 8, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) who competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Mixed martial arts

Early career

Holobaugh compiled an amateur record of 3-0 before making his professional MMA debut in March 2011. Over the next year-and-a-half, he amassed an undefeated record of 9 wins and no losses, with all but one of his wins coming by stoppage before the final bell.

Strikeforce and Ultimate Fighting Championship

In 2013, Holobaugh joined the

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'', ...

organization. He made his debut against

Pat Healy Patrick Healy, Pat Healy, Patrick Healey or Pat Healey may refer to: * Felix Healy (Patrick Joseph Healy, born 1955), former Northern Irish football player and manager * Pat Healy (actor) (born 1971), American actor, writer, and director * Pat H ...

at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine on January 12, 2013. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Following the Strikeforce event, the organization was folded and merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Holobaugh's contract was honored and he made his UFC debut against Steven Siler at

UFC 159 ''UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 27, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background Jimy Hettes was expected to face Steven Siler at the event; however, Hettes was forced out of the bou ...

on April 27, 2013. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released by the promotion.

Post UFC career

After his UFC release, Holobaugh fought for various independent MMA promotions. He found the most success in Titan Fighting Championships, where he compiled a record of 5-1 within the promotion, and held both the Featherweight Championship and Interim Lightweight Championship.

Second UFC stint

Holobaugh would then be invited to compete in the main event of the inaugural edition of

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been move ...

, facing

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 ...

veteran Matt Bessette. Holobaugh won the fight via knockout in round one, securing a UFC contract. He faced

Raoni Barcelos Raoni Mendonça Barcelos (born May 1, 1987) is a Brazilian former amateur wrestler and grappler, and current professional mixed martial artist. He was five-times Brazilian national wrestling champion, and three-time Resurrection Fighting Allianc ...

at UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov and lost via knockout in the third round. Despite the loss, the win earned Holobaugh his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Holobaugh next faced Shane Burgos at UFC 230 on November 3, 2018. He lost the fight via submission in the third round. Holobaugh faced

Thiago Moisés Thiago Henrique Moisés (born 23 March 1995) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has been a professional MMA competitor since 2012. Previously, he compet ...

on May 11, 2019

UFC 237 ''UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 11, 2019, at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event was originally expected to be held ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Holobaugh was released by the UFC in December 2019.

Post UFC

Holobaugh faced Joziro Boye at XFC 43 on November 11, 2020. He won the bout via first round TKO. As the semifinal of XFC Lightweight tournament Holobaugh was initially scheduled to face Scott Hudson at XFC 44 on May 28, 2021. However, Hudson withdrew and was replaced by Jose Luis Verdugo. He won the bout via KO at the beginning of the second round and advanced to the final.

The Ultimate Fighter 31

In March 2023, it was announced that Holobaugh would be competing in the thirty-first season of The Ultimate Fighter. In the quarterfinal Holobaugh faced team McGregor's number 1 ranked lightweight prospect Lee Hammond, who is also a training partner to McGregor at his gym in Ireland. After being behind for the majority of the fight, Holobaugh managed to win the fight via guillotine choke submission late in the second round. In the semi-final, Holobaugh faced fellow teammate

Jason Knight Jason Knight may refer to: *Jason Knight (fighter) (born 1992), American featherweight mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer *Jason Knight (footballer) (born 2001), Irish footballer *Jason Knight (wrestler) (born 1963), American professional ...

, and won the fight via TKO in the second round. Holobaugh faced former LFA Lightweight Champion and fellow teammate Austin Hubbard in the tournament final on August 19, 2023 at UFC 292. He won the fight via a triangle choke submission in the second round to become TUF 31 lightweight winner.

Return to UFC

Holobaugh faced Trey Ogden on March 23, 2024, at

UFC on ESPN 53 ''UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 53'' and ''UFC Vegas 89'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 23, 2024, at UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, Unite ...

. He lost the bout by unanimous decision. Holobaugh faced Kaynan Kruschewsky on July 20, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 60. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship ** The Ultimate Fighter 31 Lightweight Tournament Winner ** Fight of the Night (one time) * Titan Fighting Championship ** Titan FC Featherweight Championship (One time) ** Interim Titan FC Lightweight Championship (One time) * Xtreme Fighting Championships **XFC Louisiana Featherweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, , Kaynan Kruschewsky , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Lemos vs. Jandiroba , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, , Trey Ogden , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, , Austin Hubbard , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC 292 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:39 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7 (1) , Jose Luis Verdugo , KO (punch) , XFC 44 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:11 , Des Moines, Iowa, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–7 (1) , Joziro Boye , TKO (knees and punches) , XFC 43 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:26 , Atlanta, Georgia, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 (1) , Shane Burgos , Submission (armbar) , UFC 230 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 , New York City, New York, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–5 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:29 , Boise, Idaho, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 17–4 (1) , Matt Bessette , NC (overturned) , Dana White's Contender Series 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:59 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 , Gesias Cavalcante , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 44 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:45 ,

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 ,

Yosdenis Cedeno Yosdenis Cedeno (born February 12, 1985) is a Cuban-American mixed martial artist who formerly fought in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career A professional since 2009, Cedeno beg ...

, Submission (rear naked choke) , Titan FC 42 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:22 , Coral Gables, Florida, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Luciano dos Santos , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 39 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:21 , Coral Gables, Florida, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 ,

Magomedrasul Khasbulaev Magomedrasul Magomedalievich Khasbulaev (russian: Магомедрасул Магомедалиевич Хасбулаев; born October 23, 1986) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who at one time fought in the Featherweight division for ...

, Decision (unanimous) , WFCA 16: Grand Prix Akhmat 2016 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Grozny, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 , Andre Harrison , Decision (unanimous) , Titan FC 34 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

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

Desmond Green Desmond Green (born October 11, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division for Ultimate Fighting Championship. Green is the current BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Middleweight and Police Gazette Diamond Belt cha ...

, Decision (split) , Titan FC 33 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Lloyd Woodard , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 29 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Eric Marriott , Decision (unanimous) ,

Titan FC 27 ''Titan FC 27: Ricci vs. Gurgel'' was a mixed martial arts event, held on February 28, 2014 at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. Official fight card See also *Titan Fighting Championships *List of Titan FC events *Titan FC ...

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

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Calvin Miller , Submission (rear naked choke) , XFC: Louisiana , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 , Ponchatoula, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , John LeBlanc , Submission , In Ya Face: Caged Warrior Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Steven Siler , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Newark, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Wesley Dunlap , KO (punch) , FFI: Blood and Sand 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 , Biloxi, Mississippi, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Wellington Brito , TKO (punches) , Natural Disaster 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 , Denham Springs, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Ronnie Rogers , Submission (rear naked choke) , FFI: Blood and Sand 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:15 , Biloxi, Mississippi, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Will Cruthirds , Submission (rear naked choke) , FFI: Blood and Sand 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 , Biloxi, Mississippi, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , J.C. Pennington , Submission (triangle choke) , XFC: Chaos at the Castine Center 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:12 , Mandeville, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Booker Arthur , Decision (unanimous) , XFC: Nightmare on the Northshore , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Mandeville, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Paul Soileau , Submission (guillotine choke) , FLABBP - Round 2: Tournament of Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:32 , Gonzales, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

Phil Daru Phil Daru (born November 20, 1988) is an American former mixed martial artist and college football player. Daru is noted for training UFC fighters, boxers, Olympic athletes, and NFL football players. He was named Best Strength and Conditioning C ...

, Submission (armbar) , XFC: Chaos at the Castine Center , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 , Mandeville, Louisiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Derrick Breaux , Submission , In Ya Face: Karnival Karnage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:56 , rowspan=2, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Lee Hammond , Submission (guillotine choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:21 ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holobaugh, Kurt 1986 births American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People from Livingston Parish, Louisiana Mixed martial artists from Louisiana Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu