Matt Dwyer (born December 17, 1989) is a Canadian

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 Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has competed 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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Dwyer made his professional debut in 2011 competing in regional promotions in his native

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He compiled a record of 7 - 1, finishing all of his opponents, including notable fighters

Shonie Carter Mearion Shonie Bickhem III (born May 3, 1972), better known as Shonie Carter, is an American mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, a UFC veteran, and a contestant on ''The Ultimate Fighter 4'' reality show. He has als ...

and DaMarques Johnson by KO/TKO before signing with the UFC in the summer of 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dwyer was expected to make his promotional debut on August 2, 2014 at

UFC 176 ''UFC 176: Aldo vs. Mendes II'' was a planned mixed martial arts event that was scheduled to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 2, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background The event was expected to ...

against Alex Garcia. However, Dwyer pulled out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by

Neil Magny Aoutneil "Neil" Jacques Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Magny ...

. Subsequently, after

was cancelled, Magny/Garcia was rescheduled and eventually took place on August 23, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 49 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 49'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 23, 2014, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Background The event was headlined by Lightweight contenders Benson ...

. Dwyer eventually made his debut on October 4, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 54 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 54'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on October 4, 2014. Background This event was the first event the UF ...

where he faced

Albert Tumenov Albert Khuseinovich Tumenov (russian: Альберт Туменов; krc, Альберт Туменланы; born December 26, 1991) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and former amateur boxer. Tumenov competes in the welterweight di ...

. Dwyer lost the fight knockout in the first round. Dwyer faced

William Macário William Francisco da Silva Macário (born July 1, 1991) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing as a welterweight. A professional competitor since 2010, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fi ...

on February 22, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 61 ''UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 61'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 22, 2015, at the Ginásio Gigantinho in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Background The event was the first that the UFC has hosted ...

. Dwyer won the fight via knockout in the first round. Subsequently, Dwyer earned a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Dwyer faced

Alan Jouban Alan Michael Joubanhttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2016_Results/07-07-16MMA.pdf (born November 25, 1982) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A profess ...

on July 15, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 71 ''UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 71'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 15, 2015, at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Background The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout b ...

. He lost the back and forth fight by unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Dwyer face promotional newcomer Randy Brown on January 30, 2016, at

UFC on Fox 18 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 18'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 30, 2016, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background The event was headlined by a potential UFC Light Heavyweight ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC career

After being released from the promotion Dwyer would return to the Canadian regional scene winning three straight including victories over UFC veteran's

Jesse Ronson Jesse Ronson (born December 24, 1985) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competed the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Lightweight division. A professional fighter since 2009, he has previously competed in promotions such as UFC, ...

and Dominique Steele. During this period however Dwyer would have 3 fights cancelled causing a period of inactivity from mid 2016-late 2017 He would briefly be paired against

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Riggs formerly c ...

for the main event of Fight Night 9: Lethbridge for the vacant Middleweight title on January 21, 2019. However the bout was canceled due to injury for Riggs. He would be replaced by Chris Curtis, Dwyer would go on to lose the fight via majority decision. Dwyer next faced KB Bhullar at Unified MMA 38 for the Middleweight title on September 27, 2019. He would lose the fight via unanimous decision. Travelling to Russia for his next bout, he faced Mikhail Ragozin at RCC 7 on December 14, 2019. Dwyer would lose the fight via unanimous decision. Returning to action amidst the

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

pandemic, he faced UFC veteran and Ultimate Fighter winner Elias Theodorou at Rise FC 6 on March 13, 2021. He would lose the fight via technical knockout in the third round. Dwyer faced Christophe Van Dijk on December 1, 2022 at BFL 74, losing the bout via knockout due to a knee and punches in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

*Battlefield Fight League **Battlefield Fight League Welterweight Championship (one time; former) ***One successful title defense **Battlefield Fight League Middleweight Championship (one time; former) *

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) vs.

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–9 , Christophe Van Dijk , KO (knee and punches) , BFL 75 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:28 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–8 , Elias Theodorou , TKO (punches) , Rise FC 6: Fighting the Stigma , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–7 , Mikhail Ragozin , Decision (unanimous) , RCC 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–6 , KB Bhullar , Decision (unanimous) , Unified MMA 38 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

, Canada , For the Unified MMA Middleweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 , Chris Curtis , Decision (majority) , Z Promotions Fight Night 9: Lethbridge , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to ...

, Canada , For the vacant ZP Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Dominique Steele , KO (punch) , XXFC 18: Diablo Fight Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, Canada , Won the vacant XFFC Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Chris Anderson , Decision (split) , BFL 53 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , Middleweight debut; won BFL Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , XFFC 10: Out of the Ashes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Grande Prairie, Alberta Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 , Randy Brown , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Alan Jouban Alan Michael Joubanhttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2016_Results/07-07-16MMA.pdf (born November 25, 1982) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A profess ...

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

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 Stat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 ,

, KO (superman punch) , UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

, KO (head kick and punch) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , DaMarques Johnson , TKO (punches) , BFL 30 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the adja ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, TKO (retirement) , BFL 27 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Colin Daynes , TKO (punches) , BFL 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:33 ,

Penticton, British Columbia Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration population w ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Ryan Chiappe , TKO (punches) , BFL 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Levi Alford , KO (punch) , BFL 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Marcus Aurelio , KO (slam) , BFL 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Nanaimo, British Columbia Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "Hub City," which was ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mark Doble , TKO (punches and elbows) , BFL 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped establish the Coldstream Ranch in nearb ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Levi Alford , KO (knee) , BFL 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,

, Canada , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Matt Living people 1989 births Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Canadian male mixed martial artists Sportspeople from New Westminster Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters