Matt Alan Veach (born May 31, 1981) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

fighter who most recently competed in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division. A professional competitor since 2006, 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 ...

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and Ire ...

, the MFC, and

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage Warrio ...

Background

Born and raised in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Veach started wrestling in the sixth grade and competed for 12 years. He was a high school state placer, Junior College All-American, and a D-1 NCAA qualifier for

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Veach made his

debut at UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens, facing off against

veteran,

Matt Grice Donald Matthew Grice (born July 29, 1981) is an American police officer and retired mixed martial artist. He was in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the featherweight division before suffering a traumatic brain injury in a traffic ...

. After getting knocked down in a brief exchange early in the first round, Veach quickly recovered and dropped Grice, following up with punches on the ground as the referee halted the bout at 4:34 of the very first round, giving Matt the win via TKO. At The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale in a fight against

Frank 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, ...

as a replacement for an injured

Kurt Pellegrino Kurt Joseph Pellegrino (born May 7, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division for Bellator Fighting Championships and Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Pellegrino wrestled for Point Pleas ...

, Veach made his second appearance in the

. The first round was very close; Edgar controlled most of the standup part of the round, while Veach landed numerous takedowns and slams. However, early in the second round, Edgar caught Veach with an over hand right that stunned him, leaving him open for Edgar to take him to the ground, achieve the back mounted position and sink in a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

for the win at 2:22 of round two. This marked the first loss of Veach's professional mixed martial arts career. Veach faced Paul Kelly 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 ...

, losing via second round submission. The loss was his second straight getting him released from his UFC contract.

Post UFC

After being released from the UFC, Veach continued to train with Matt Hughes and

Robbie Lawler Robert Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist who has been competing since 2001. He is the former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce, ...

at The HIT Squad. He won 4 straight fights in different promotions following his UFC release.

Maximum Fighting Championships

In February 2011, Veach signed with the Canadian promotion, MFC. His debut came at the main card of

MFC 28 ''MFC 28: Supremacy'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on February 25, 2011 at the River Cree Casino in Enoch, Alberta. Background Antonio McKee was originally scheduled to defend his lightweight tit ...

against

Drew Fickett Andrew Robert Fickett (born December 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, Fickett has also formerly competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, DREAM, Cage Rage, the ...

. Veach took the fight with only five days notice, stepping in for the MFC lightweight champion,

Antonio McKee Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

BAMMA

Veach faced off against 'Judo'

Jim Wallhead Jim Wallhead (born 14 March 1984) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He has competed for BAMMA, Bellator, and M-1 Challenge and the UFC . Wallhead is a member of Team Rough House and Lei ...

in the main event of

12 in Newcastle, England on March 9, 2013. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Steven Mann , Submission (armbar) , Shamrock FC 279 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:10 ,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , BAMMA 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newcastl ...

, North East England , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Zac Kelley , TKO (punches) , C3 Fights: Rumble at Red Rock , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:58 ,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 ,

Eric Wisely Eric Wisely (born July 25, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2006, Wisely has also fought for the Bellator and Strikeforce. Mixed ...

, Submission (armbar) , Gladiator Cage Fights: Knockout Night 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:49 ,

Marion, Illinois Marion is a city in Williamson and Johnson Counties, Illinois, United States, and is the county seat of Williamson County. The population was 16,855 at the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of the early 20th ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3 ,

, Submission (armbar) , MFC 28: Supremacy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

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 anchor ...

, Canada , Catchweight (160 lbs) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Donavon Winters , Decision (split) , Capital City Cage Wars 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Kenneth Rosfort-Nees , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 38: Young Guns , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , McKenzie Jackson , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Mainstream MMA: Swing Back , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Kalel Robinson , Decision (unanimous) , 28 Productions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 , Paul Kelly , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:41 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates ,

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 ,

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

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:22 ,

Las Vegas 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 , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:34 ,

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Alex Carter , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Capital City Cage Wars , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 ,

Diego Brandão Diego Pereira Brandão (born 27 May 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2005, he formerly competed for the UFC, RIZIN, and Fight Nights Global. He was the winner of ...

, TKO (injury) , Pro Battle MMA: Immediate Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:28 , Springdale, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Brent Mehrhoff , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFO 25: Outdoor War 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:22 , Island Lake, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Matt MacGrath , Decision (unanimous) , MFC 16: Anger Management , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Edgar Wade , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Iowa Challenge 44 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 , Keokuk, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Marcus Hermann , Submission (triangle choke) , Iowa Challenge 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jason West , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 82 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:24 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Charles Wilson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pure Force 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:36 ,

Tinley Park Tinley Park (formerly Bremen) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 55,971. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Adam Therriault , Submission (punches) , Shootfighting Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , John Chester , TKO , Supreme Fighting Challenge , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Belleville, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veach, Matt American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Living people 1981 births People from Granite City, Illinois People from Springfield, Illinois Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers