Mikel "Mike" Bronzoulis (born January 5, 1979) 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, incorp ...

who most recently competed in the

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 of

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 ...

. A professional competitor since 2007, Bronzoulis has competed for

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'', ...

Legacy FC In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

Titan FC Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having UFC veterans Jorge Masvidal, Keith Jardin ...

, and was a finalist on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...

's Bellator: Fight Master reality show.

Background

Bronzolis began practicing

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

when he was around seven years old, when his father, a martial artist himself, brought the young Bronzoulis to a

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

school. From the beginning, Bronzoulis had found his passion, eventually learning

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

, Tang Shu Do,

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...

, Shotoru, American Freestyle, 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 ...

. When he turned 16, Bronzoulis spent most of his time at the Fairtex Thai kickboxing camp and also watched

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...

movies. Bronzoulis is a lifetime registered sex offender, having been convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in 1997.

Mixed martial arts career

Bronzoulis made his professional debut in 2007. On April 25, 2009, he fought

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 ...

veteran

Kamal Shalorus Kamal Shalorus (; born 26 August 1973) is an Iranian-born British professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of ONE Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Shalorus has also formerly competed for the U ...

to a majority draw.

Shark Fights

Bronzoulis made his Shark Fights debut in 2010 at Shark Fights 12 where he defeated Anselmo Martinez via disqualification. His next fight under the organization was at Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort against

Lucas Lopes Lucas Lopes de Freitas (born October 5, 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. A professional since 1999, he has competed for Strikeforce, Shooto, and Titan FC. , - , Loss , align=center, 29-20 , DeWayne Diggs , TKO (punches) , S ...

where he won via unanimous decision.

Legacy Fighting Championship

On March 20, 2010, Bronzoulis was defeated by Levi Forrest via unanimous decision at Legacy FC 2 for the Legacy Welterweight Title. On November 5, 2010, Bronzoulis defeated Jonathan Harris at Legacy FC 4 via TKO due to punches in round one to win the Legacy FC Welterweight Championship. On January 29, 2011, Bronzoulis defeated Joe Christoper at Legacy FC 5 via TKO due to punches in round three to retain the Legacy FC Welterweight Championship, he later vacated the title when he signed with Strikeforce. On December 16, 2011, Bronzoulis returned to Legacy FC against

Jorge Patino Jorge Luis Patino (born May 8, 1973) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1995, Patino has formerly competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, ...

at Legacy FC 9 losing via unanimous decision. On May 11, 2012, Bronzoulis lost to UFC vet

Gerald Harris Gerald Harris (born November 19, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and current high school science teacher, who most recently fought in Bellator. He was a cast member of Spike TV's ''The Ultimate Fighter 7'' and has also compet ...

at Legacy FC 11 via split decision. On November 16, 2012, Bronzoulis defeated Robert Shawn Machado at Legacy FC 15 via unanimous decision.

Strikeforce

On May 25, 2011, it was announced that Bronzoulis had signed a four-fight deal with Strikeforce. Bronzoulis made his debut for the promotion on June 18, 2011, against WEC veteran

Todd Moore Todd Labanes Moore (born December 30, 1983) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2014, Moore fought in the WEC, Strikeforce, Titan FC, Legacy FC, and DREAM. Background Born and rais ...

at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum. He lost the fight via unanimous decision (29-28, 29–28, 29–28). Bronzoulis rebounded from this loss just two months later when he defeated

Chad Leonhardt Chad Leonhardt (born February 19, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist who fought for Strikeforce and Bellator Fighting Championships. MMA career Bellator Fighting Championships Leonhardt made his debut on May 9, 2009 at Bellator 9 agai ...

via TKO in the third round on the undercard of Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte.

Bellator MMA

On May 6, 2013, it was announced that Bronzoulis would be featured as a participant on

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

's reality TV show Fight Master: Bellator MMA. In his preliminary fight to get on the show, Bronzoulis defeated Gareth Joseph by unanimous decision. During the team selection, he chose

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former United States Army, U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...

to be his coach. In his second fight, Bronzoulis defeated Jason Norwood by knockout in the third round. In the quarter-finals, Bronzoulis faced friend

Chris Lozano Chris Lozano (born September 14, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. A professional since 2008, he has fought for Bellator, and was a competitor on Fight Master: Bellator MMA. Background Lozano began wrestling w ...

and won via unanimous decision. In the semifinals, he fought Eric Bradley and, despite being controlled for most of two rounds, mounted a comeback and won via TKO in the second round. He was set to face

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 com ...

in the tournament final scheduled to take place at

Bellator 98 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 cha ...

, but the bout was canceled after Riggs suffered an eye injury. The bout eventually took place on November 2, 2013, at

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 cha ...

and Bronzoulis lost via unanimous decision.

Post-Bellator

Bronzoulis faced Brandon Farran at Triple A MMA 4: Caged Hostility on January 16, 2014. Bronzoulis lost the fight via TKO (punches) in the first round, marking the first KO/TKO loss of his career. Bronzoulis faced Keith Johnson at Titan FC 29 on August 22, 2014. He lost via rear naked choke submission in the third round.

Return to Legacy FC

Bronzoulis returned to the promotion as he faced Justin Reiswerg at Legacy FC 37 on November 14, 2014. He won the fight by submission in the second round, ending his three-fight losing streak over the past year. In his next fight for the promotion, Bronzoulis faced Jonathan Harris at Legacy FC 39 on February 27, 2015. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight Master: Bellator MMA Season 1 Runner Up *Legacy Fighting Championship **Legacy FC Welterweight Championship (One time) ** One successful title defense ** Legacy FC Lightweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Zane Kamaka , TKO (arm injury) , X-1 49 - Lightweight Grand Prix , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–9–1 ,

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, U ...

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:39 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–8–1 , Dave Burrow , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC vs. RFA Superfight Card , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Robinsonville, Mississippi Tunica Resorts, formerly known as Robinsonville until 2005,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–8–1 , Jonathan Harris , TKO (punches) , Legacy FC 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–8–1 , Justin Reiswerg , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Legacy FC 37 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:51 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8–1 , Keith Johnson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Titan FC 29: Ricci vs. Sotiropoulos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:31 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7–1 , Brandon Farran , TKO (punches) , Triple A MMA 4: Caged Hostility , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5–1 , Robert Shawn Machado , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 , Danny Salinas , KO (head kick) , UWF: Tournament of Warriors Round 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5–1 ,

, Decision (split) , Legacy FC 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 9 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3–1 ,

, TKO (leg kick and punches) , Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:30 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada 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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2–1 , Joe Christopher , TKO (punches) , Legacy FC 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, , Jonathan Harris , TKO (punches) , Legacy FC 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2–1 , Anselmo Martinez , DQ (unintentional knee to downed opponent) , Shark Fights 12: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:54 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2–1 , Levi Forrest , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1–1 , Cleburn Walker , TKO (punches) , Steele Cage 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:39 ,

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, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 7–1–1 ,

, Draw (majority) , KOK 6: Fists of Fury , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Joshua Lee , TKO (punches) , Urban Rumble Championships 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:59 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Keith Schneider , TKO (punches) , Renaissance MMA 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:42 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Mark Ortiz , KO (punches) , Katana Cagefighting: Conquest , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:56 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , George Sweeney , Submission , STFL 3: War Zone , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

McAllen, Texas McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Edwynn Jones , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xp3: The Proving Ground , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Paul Hansen , TKO (punches) , SCP: South Coast Promotions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Robert Larson , TKO , STFL 2: Aftershock , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 74,569 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2019, its estimated population was 101,170, making it the second-largest city ...

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Eric Bradley , TKO (punches) , Fight Master: Bellator MMA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

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Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Fight Master: Bellator MMA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
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New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
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New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
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, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bronzoulis, Mikel 1979 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Tang Soo Do Mixed martial artists utilizing Shotokan Mixed martial artists from Texas American male taekwondo practitioners American male karateka American people of Greek descent

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Shark Fights

Legacy Fighting Championship

Strikeforce

Bellator MMA

Post-Bellator

Return to Legacy FC

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

See also

References

External links