Nick Pace (born April 17, 1987) is a former 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 competed in the

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Pace mostly fought in the Ring of Combat promotion where he was the reigning and inaugural Ring of Combat Bantamweight champion until he signed with

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

. After the WECs merger with the UFC, Pace became a member of the UFC. After he retired from MMA in 2017, he became a professional Jiu jitsu competitor and competed in the

Combat Jiu-Jitsu Submission wrestling, also known as Submission grappling, Submission fighting a form of competition and a general term for martial arts and combat sports that focus on Clinch fighting, clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a Submis ...

Worlds tournament hosted by

Eddie Bravo Edgar A. Bravo (''né'' Cano; born May 15, 1970) is an American martial arts instructor, podcaster, stand-up comedian, and musician. After earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2003, Bravo began teaching his own self-developed style of j ...

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Pace trains with the Tiger Schulmann Fight Team in

Elmwood Park, New Jersey Elmwood Park is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, and is a bedroom community, bedroom suburb located from New York City. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's ...

, alongside former Bellator champion

Lyman Good Lyman Merrill Good (born May 26, 1985), also known as "American Cyborg", is an American mixed martial artist. He is perhaps best known for his time spent with Bellator, where he was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion. Good currently co ...

and former UFC Bantamweight title contender

Jimmie Rivera Jimmie Ernesto Rivera (born June 29, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer, currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Prior to signing with BKFC, Rivera competed in the UFC's Bantamweig ...

l. Pace is head instructor at the Staten Island branch of Tiger Schulmann's Mixed Martial Arts and has trained with the team since the age of 10, influenced by his childhood love of

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after ...

Bellator

Pace began his career in the Ring of Combat promotion at Ring of Combat 22. He defeated Sean Santella via unanimous decision. Pace then joined the

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

and gained notice in the media with a flying knee KO of Collin Tebo. Pace later said "I hope Bellator calls me because I know I can win their tournament, but I hope the WEC calls me too."

Ring of Combat

Despite his wishes to compete in the Bellator tournament, he did not return and instead rejoined Ring of Combat where he defeated Lennox Chance via submission (rear naked choke) in the first round. He followed this up with a unanimous decision victory over Jose Adriano at Ring of Combat 29. Pace was then rewarded with a Ring of Combat Bantamweight Championship fight against Steve DeAngelis. Pace was able to neutralise the wrestling of his opponent to keep himself out of trouble. Pace then secured a D'Arce Choke for the tapout, to take the title and become the inaugural champion. Pace would later have to relinquish the title, however, after signing with World Extreme Cagefighting.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Pace made his WEC debut against

Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Johnson (born August 13, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Flyweight Champion (135 lb). He is the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight Champion. Known fo ...

on September 30, 2010, replacing Clint Godfrey. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010,

merged with 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 ...

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Pace faced

Will Campuzano William Campuzano (born May 27, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2008, Campuzano has also former ...

on December 4, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale. Pace failed to make weight for the bout, so it was fought as a catchweight bout. Pace defeated Campuzano in the 3rd round with a

pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks ...

choke, which was the first time the submission was used in a professional mixed martial arts bout. Pace was expected to face Michael McDonald on August 6, 2011 at

UFC 133 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 ...

. However, Pace instead faced

Ivan Menjivar Ivan Menjivar (born May 30, 1982) is a Salvadorian-Canadian mixed martial artist who formerly fought in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Menjivar was born in La Paz, El Salvador, in 1982. Fleeing the ...

at the event after McDonald was pulled from the bout to compete at

UFC 130 ''UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background This event was to be the third meeting between Frankie Edgar ...

. Pace lost via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Pace faced Miguel Torres on November 19, 2011 at

UFC 139 ''UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 2011 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. It was the first UFC event in San Jose, the longtime home and base are ...

in a catchweight bout of 141 pounds after missing weight. Pace lost a decisive decision to Torres after three rounds. After losing to Torres, and missing weight for the second time in three fights, Pace was released from the promotion.

Cage Fury Fighting Championships

After four years away from competition, Pace made his return to MMA and fought for the CFFC Bantamweight Championship against Ricky Bandejas on Oct 31, 2015. He won the bout and became the title holder. He then defended his title two years later against Ahmet Kayretli. He retired from MMA shortly after and vacated the title.

Comeback to competition

A year later, Pace made his comeback to martial arts competition in the Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds

BJJ 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 ...

tournament. He has competed in this tournament twice to date.

Championships and accomplishments

*Ring of Combat **ROC Bantamweight Championship (One time) *Cage Fury Fighting Championships **CFFC Bantamweight Championship (One time, Current) *Opened his own Tiger Schulmanns School in Tottenvile, Staten Island NY where he teaches alongside his brother Ricky Pace

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Ahmet Kayretli , Submission (rear naked choke) ,

Cage Fury Fighting Championships Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion primarily operating in the Northeastern United States. Founded by Felix and Amy Martinez, they promoted their first shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey, la ...

63 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:47 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Ricky Bandejas , Submission (rear naked choke) ,

52 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 , Miguel Torres , Decision (unanimous) ,

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

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 ,

, Submission (Pace choke) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'' is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Charlot ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:32 ,

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 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

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

, Decision (unanimous) ,

WEC 51 ''WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on September 30, 2010 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. This was the only event that the WEC hosted in Colorado. Backgr ...

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

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Steve DeAngelis , Submission (D'arce choke) , Ring of Combat 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jose Adriano , Decision (unanimous) , Ring of Combat 29 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Lennox Chance , Submission (rear naked choke) , Ring of Combat 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Collin Tebo , KO (flying knee) ,

Bellator 11 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Sean Santella , Decision (unanimous) , Ring of Combat 22 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pace, Nick American male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Living people Sportspeople from New York City 1987 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters