Michael Joe Whitehead (born June 29, 1981) is a former 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 ...

. He competed in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

and

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

weight classes 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 ...

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 ...

Affliction Affliction or Afflicted may refer to: Books * ''Affliction'' (novel), a 2013 Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novel by Laurell K. Hamilton * ''Affliction'', a novel by Russell Banks, basis of the 1998 film Film and TV * ''Affliction'' (1997 film), ...

, and

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'', ...

Mixed martial arts career

Crater High School Crater High School is a public high school in Central Point, Oregon, United States. Small School Initiative Beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, a program called the Small School Initiative was established in Crater after a monetary grant f ...

, Mike was a state champion wrestler in the 189lb division in 1999 and played defensive lineman in football. Mike Whitehead started wrestling at

North Idaho College North Idaho College (NIC) is a public community college in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It has an enrollment exceeding 6,000 and is situated at the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene near downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Tubbs Hill, Coeur d'Alene, Idah ...

Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by nine other names before assuming its current name in 1997.Kre ...

, and the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

. He is a 3 time All American Wrestler and Abu Dhabi qualifier. In 2005, he participated in the reality series ''

The Ultimate Fighter 2 ''The Ultimate Fighter 2'' was the second season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The season featured a heavyweight and a welterweight division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC coa ...

'' 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 ...

. Prior to his fight with

Renato Sobral Renato da Cunha Sobral (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the Ult ...

, he was on a 13 fight win streak, including five straight victories in the IFL. He has proven himself dangerous standing and striking, as well as with wrestling and submission grappling. He has also competed in the standup only fight organization Xtreme Fighting Association where he defeated Ethen Cox by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Whitehead was arrested by Las Vegas Metro Police on April 14, 2010, after a female acquaintance filed a report that he had sexually assaulted her at his home. He faces several charges including two counts of sexual assault and one count each of attempted sexual assault and open and gross lewdness. Additional charges could still be coming for Mike based on the marijuana grow operation detectives found when they went to serve a warrant in response to the sexual assault. Detectives found 50 marijuana plants inside the residence, all of which were confiscated and destroyed after they were granted a warrant for the plants. Whitehead reached an agreement with Clark County prosecutors to make a no-contest plea. On September 12, 2011, he pleaded no-contest to the charges and faced up to 20 years in prison. On January 19, 2012, Whitehead was sentenced to one to four years in prison.

Championships and accomplishments

*Icon Sport **SuperBrawl 24: Return of the Heavyweights Tournament Runner Uphttp://wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=shows&show=74870 *International Fighting Championship **IFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 27–8 , Brian Heden , Decision (unanimous) , Dakota FC / Ultimate Productions: Winter Brawl , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Kevin Randleman Kevin Christopher Randleman (August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in collegiate wrestling, in which he became ...

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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, ...

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Zak Jensen ''The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights'' is the tenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series '' The Ultimate Fighter''. In a press conference following ''UFC 98'', Dana White announced that filmin ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–5 , Soakai Pulu , Submission (keylock) , Throwdown Showdown 1: Showdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

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Daniel Sarafian Daniel Sarafian Gantman (born 21 August 1982 in São Paulo) is an Armenian-Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed in 2018. A professional since 2006, Sarafian has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...

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Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 , Vernon White , TKO (punches) , IFL: Las Vegas , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:54 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Wojtek Kaszowski , TKO (punches) , IFL: Connecticut , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 ,

Krzysztof Soszynski Krzysztof Soszyński (; born August 2, 1977) is a Polish–Canadian actor and retired mixed martial artist. An 11-year competitor from 2003 until 2014, Soszynski fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, the Los Angeles Anacondas of the IFL, and was a co ...

, Decision (unanimous) , IFL: World Championship Final , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Michael Buchkovich , TKO (submission to punches) , CFC2: Combat Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Ruben Villareal , Submission (keylock) , Valor Fighting: Showdown At Cache Creek II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Rich Beecroft , Submission (keylock) , RITC 85: Xtreme Cage Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Mike Bourke , TKO (retirement) , UAGF: Kaos on the Kampus , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5 , Robert Beraun , Submission (kimura) , RITC 80: Fight Night at The Fort , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 , Fountain Hills, Arizona, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5 ,

Keith Jardine Keith Jardine (born October 31, 1975) is an American actor and retired mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the UFC and Strikeforce. Jardine was known for upset victories in bouts he took at short notice against highly rated fight ...

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UFC 57 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 ...

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Travis Fulton Travis Jon Fulton (May 29, 1977 – July 10, 2021) was an American mixed martial artist and a professional boxer in the heavyweight division of both sports. Known as a longtime veteran in mixed martial arts, he competed in over 300 sanctioned ...

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Aaron Brink Aaron Franklin Brink (born November 12, 1974), also known by his stage name Dick Delaware, is an American professional mixed martial artist and pornographic film actor who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He has competed for King of ...

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Brandon Vera Brandon Michael Vera (born October 10, 1977), or also known by his ring name as The Truth, is a Filipino-American (of Italian heritage) retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavyweigh ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Demian Decorah , TKO (punches) , EC 59: Extreme Challenge 59 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Brian Stromberg , Submission , SF 5: Stadium , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–3 , Karl Knothe , Submission (neck crank) , EC 58: Extreme Challenge 58 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–3 , Alex Paz , Decision (split) , HOOKnSHOOT: Absolute Fighting Championships 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 ,

Tim Sylvia Timothy Deane Sylvia (born March 5, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, professional wrestler, and a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. He has competed as a Super Heavyweight and Heavyweight. While he is best kno ...

, TKO (knee and punches) , SB 24: Return of the Heavyweights 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

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 , SuperBrawl Return of the Heavyweights Finals. , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Ben Rothwell , Decision (unanimous) , SB 24: Return of the Heavyweights 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , SuperBrawl Return of the Heavyweights Semifinals. , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , SB 24: Return of the Heavyweights 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 ,

, United States , SuperBrawl Return of the Heavyweights Quarterfinals. , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Kim Bower , TKO (punches) , GVT: Gladiators Vale Tudo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Worley, Idaho Worley is a city in southwestern Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 257 at the 2010 census, up from 223 in 2000.

, United States ,

Kickboxing record

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Las Vegas, Nevada, USA The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Mike 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Medford, Oregon American male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling American male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers Heavyweight mixed martial artists Southern Oregon University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers