Michael Kevin Guymon (born September 17, 1974) is a retired American professional

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 formerly competed in Bellator's

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

division. He has also 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 ...

, as an alternate for the

Tucson Scorpions The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008.

in the

IFL IFL may refer to: ;American football *Intense Football League, (2004–2008) in the United States, merged into the Indoor Football League *Indoor Football League, (2008–present) in the United States *Intercontinental Football League, a European l ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. He is the former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion. Michael was featured in the movie documentary "The Hurt Business" that debuted September 29th 2016 playing himself.

Background

Guymon was born in

Newport Beach, CA Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws v ...

but raised in

Irvine, CA Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 1971. ...

. He attended many different schools but graduated from Woodbridge High School and went to Orange Coast College to further his studies. Guymon was trying to live his dream of playing professional baseball but while doing that he stumbled into mixed martial arts and instantly fell in love with the sport. He began training

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

and

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

soon after finding out about the new combat sport. Once Guymon noticed that to become successful in MMA he would need to start developing a ground game, he started taking classes on

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

and

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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

In 1999, Guymon had his first professional fight against Zach Turnage with the fight resulting in a draw after fighting in three five-minute rounds and a five-minute overtime. He won two straight before opening the eyes of the matchmaker for the

promotion who offered him a fight against up and comer, Diego Sanchez. Guymon took the fight and lost by armbar submission with three seconds left in the first round. Guymon's next four fights came inside the

promotion all wins and all of them coming by submission in the first round. With the four wins he improved his overall record to 6-1-1 getting him signed to the

. He made his debut taking on

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 ...

losing via a split decision. Guymon then returned to

and won five straight fights, the last one being for the King of the Cage Welterweight Championship just three weeks after his suicide attempt.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Four days after defending the King of the Cage Welterweight Championship against

Quinn Mulhern Quinn Patrick Mulhern (born September 20, 1984) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2007 until 2014, ...

, Guymon received a call from the

about signing a contract. Guymon accepted and signed onto a four-fight deal. He lost his UFC debut on January 11, 2010 in

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

UFC Fight Night 20 ''UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 20'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 11, 2010 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Background Nik Lentz ...

against 20-year-old

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, Rory MacDonald. The fight stayed standing for the most part but ended when Rory took the fight to the ground and

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

submitted Guymon with an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

near the end of the first round. Guymon defeated

Yoshiyuki Yoshida (born May 10, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the welterweight division. A student of former Shooto competitor Noboru Asahi, he has competed in Shooto, Cage Force, and the UFC. On December 1, 2007, he became the first Cage ...

on May 8, 2010 at

UFC 113 ''UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 8, 2010, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background UFC 113 featured the rematch between Lyoto Machida and Mauríci ...

by unanimous decision. Guymon faced Daniel Roberts on October 23, 2010 at

UFC 121 ''UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, United States. The event was the fourth time the UFC has hosted at the Hon ...

. Guymon would go on to lose the fight after Roberts locked on an anaconda choke, following with a gator roll that tightened the squeeze forcing Guymon to tap. Guymon next faced

DaMarques Johnson DaMarques Johnson (born June 28, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He competed for the UFC and King of the Cage and was the Welterweight runner-up on '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom''. Background Johnson ...

on January 22, 2011 at

UFC Fight Night 23 ''UFC: Fight for the Troops 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 23'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 22, 2011 at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. The event was the third that the UFC has ho ...

where he was injured early into the fight. He lost via verbal submission in the first round. After the fight, due to rupturing two discs in his back, Guymon announced his retirement from MMA.

Post-UFC

Guymon came out of retirement on March 16, 2012 dropping down to the

division where he defeated Chris Leyva by TKO due to punches in the second round at BAMMA USA: Badbeat 5. In his second fight at Lightweight in Bamma USA he beat Mike Dizack by split decision. Guymon faced

Savant Young Savant Young (born June 19, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 until 2013, he competed for the WEC, Bellator, Shooto, Affliction, the Tokyo Sabres of the IFL, King of the Cage, and Tachi Pala ...

Bellator 85 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 Mixed martial arts weight classes, weight classes and all of the ch ...

. He suffered the first knockout loss of his career after a left hook from Young put Guymon out cold, just under a minute into the second round. After the fight, Guymon was taken to the hospital, where the doctor noticed he had fracture of the orbital, cheekbone and jaw. The doctor advised Guymon to never compete again in any combat sport. Days after his first Bellator win against Aaron Miller on November 2, 2013, Guymon announced his retirement from MMA for the second time.

Personal life

Mike Guymon is currently married to Nicole Guymon.

Suicide attempt

On August 11, 2009, Guymon attempted to commit suicide after a dispute with his wife about possibly divorcing. Guymon wrote his family a suicide note and had planned to shoot himself with a handgun, but before he could do so, his wife was able to wrestle the gun away. Guymon then got into his truck and drove away but was stopped a few blocks away by the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Guymon tried numerous times to get the deputies to shoot and kill him but all refused. The deputies were able to calm Guymon down and get him some help.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 15–6–1 , Aaron Miller , Submission (triangle choke) ,

Bellator 106 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 ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:20 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6–1 ,

, KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 , Mike Dizak , Decision (unanimous) , BAMMA USA: Badbeat 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Commerce, California Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , Cris Leyva , TKO (punches) , BAMMA USA: Badbeat 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:10 , Commerce, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5–1 ,

, Submission (body triangle) , UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is the principal city ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4–1 , Daniel Roberts , Submission (anaconda choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3–1 , Rory MacDonald , Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2–1 ,

, TKO (submission to punch) , KOTC: Distorted , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:32 ,

Highland, California Highland (and neighboring "East Highlands") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population of the city was 53,104 as of the 2010 census, up from 44,605 at the 2000 census. The term ''Highland'' also refers to a geo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2–1 ,

Kyacey Uscola ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Franklin'' for the final episode of the season) is the eleventh installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced rea ...

, TKO (punches) , KOTC: Militia , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:12 , Highland, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2–1 , Anthony Lapsley , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , KOTC: Prowler , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3:37 , Highland, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2–1 , James Fanshier , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Bio Hazard , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 , Highland, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 , Chris Moore , TKO (punch) , KOTC: Fight Nite @ The Shrine , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:52 , Los Angeles, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2–1 ,

, Decision (split) , IFL: Las Vegas , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1–1 , Josh Ramage , Submission (triangle choke) , KOTC: Destroyer , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 ,

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, 5–1–1 , Ken Cadoy , Submission (guillotine choke) , KOTC 63: Final Conflict , , align=center, 1 , align-center, N/A , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1–1 , Ray Perales , Submission (triangle choke) , KOTC 58: Prime Time , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:02 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1–1 , Joe Frainee , TKO (submission to punches) , KOTC 41: Relentless , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1–1 , Diego Sanchez , Submission (armbar) , KOTC 23: Sin City , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:57 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0–1 , Thomas Schulte , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Athlete 3: Vengeance , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 , Denver, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0–1 , Eric Duus , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Athlete 2: The Gathering , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 ,

Cabazon, California Cabazon (Spanish: ''Cabazón'') is a unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail. In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 0–0–1 , Zach Turnage , Draw , Kage Kombat 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 , Los Angeles, California, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guymon, Mike American male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1974 births Living people Mixed martial artists from California Sportspeople from Newport Beach, California People from Irvine, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American Muay Thai practitioners American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu