Matt Van Buren (born June 12, 1986) 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 ...

who competed in the light heavyweight division for the

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 ...

. Van Buren has also fought for Bellator and was a finalist on

The Ultimate Fighter 19 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 19'') is the nineteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Van Buren made his debut in 2010, he won his first three bouts against Manny Okorie, Aaron Johnson and Brandon Saling.

Bellator

Van Buren made his Bellator debut in October 2011, defeating Nick Nichols via TKO in the second round at Bellator 52. The following November, Van Buren faced Shawn Levesque at

Bellator 57 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

. Van Buren won via rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Van Buren then fought

Mike Mucitelli Michael Mucitelli (born December 7, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division. Background Mucitelli was born in Rochester, New York, but his family moved to Syracuse, New York w ...

on August 24, 2012 at Bellator 73. Van Buren lost via submission in the first round. On November 30, 2012, Van Buren faced Terry Davinney at Bellator 82 and lost via KO in just 15 seconds.

Post-Bellator

After his run in Bellator, Van Buren faced Mojtaba Najim Wali on July 20, 2013 at Gladiators of the Cage: The North Shore's Rise to Power 2. Van Buren won via unanimous decision breaking his two fight losing streak.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

On March 25, 2014 it was announced that Van Buren would appear on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn. In the fight to get into the house, Van Buren faced Daniel Vizcaya. Van Buren won via KO and was picked by

Frankie Edgar Frankie Edgar (born October 16, 1981) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Beginning his career in the Lightweight division, ...

to be on his team. Van Buren then faced Chris Fields in the elimination round. Despite being rocked with a punch in the second round by Fields, Van Buren won via unanimous decision and moved on to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Van Buren faced

Daniel Spohn Daniel Brian Spohn (born October 12, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, and was a competitor on The Ulti ...

. After being rocked twice in the fight, Van Buren came back and won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In the finals of

, Van Buren faced Corey Anderson at

The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 19'') is the nineteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The ...

on July 6, 2014. Van Buren lost the bout via TKO in the first round. Van Buren faced

Sean O'Connell Sean O'Connell was a Gaelic football manager and player who featured for the Derry county team in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and was on the Derry side that finished runners-up to Dublin in the 1958 All-Ireland Championship – winning a ...

on January 18, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 59 ''UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 59'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 18, 2015, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Despite the loss, he was awarded a ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Van Buren was briefly linked to a bout with Jonathan Wilson on August 8, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 74. However, Van Buren was removed from the card in early June citing injury and replaced by Jared Cannonier. In October 2015 Van Buren was released by the UFC.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(Runner-Up) ** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

Mixed martial arts record

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Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcas ...

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References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Buren, Matt Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Norfolk, Virginia Mixed martial artists from Virginia 1986 births People from Chula Vista, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu