Peter Sobotta (born January 11, 1987) is a retired Polish-born German professional mixed martial artist, who fought 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 of 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 ...

(UFC). A professional competitor since 2004, Sobotta has also formerly competed for KSW.

Background

Sobotta was born in

Zabrze Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: ''Hindenburg O.S.'', full form: ''Hindenburg in Oberschlesien'', Silesian: ''Zŏbrze'', yi, זאַבזשע, Zabzhe) is an industrial city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Sil ...

, Poland, on January 11, 1987, and grew up in the small German town of

Balingen Balingen (; Swabian: ''Balenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located near the Swabian Jura, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35 km northeast of Villingen-Schwenn ...

. His childhood hero was

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

, who inspired him to take up

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 ...

, beginning with

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and then

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

and

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 ...

. He then took up

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

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 ...

when an MMA school opened near his home town.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Sobotta had his first professional mixed martial arts fight at the age of 17, and he compiled a record of 8–1, competing for several regional promotions across Europe before being signed by 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 ...

in 2009.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sobotta made his promotional debut on June 13, 2009, at

UFC 99 ''UFC 99: The Comeback'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on June 13, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. Background This event was the first UFC event held in Germany, as well as the first in mainland Europe ...

against Paul Taylor. After three rounds, Sobotta lost the fight via unanimous decision. Sobotta was scheduled to have his second UFC fight against

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 November 14, 2009, at

UFC 105 ''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape de ...

, but due to a military commitment for Sobotta, the bout was canceled. Instead, Sobotta fought

James Wilks James Brett Wilks (born 5 April 1978) is an English film producer, vegan activist, a combatives expert and instructor, and former professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2003 until 2012, he competed for the UFC, King of the Cag ...

on June 12, 2010, at

UFC 115 ''UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 12, 2010 at General Motors Place (now Rogers Arena) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background This was the fourth UFC ev ...

, losing by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–28, 30–27). Sobotta then faced

The Ultimate Fighter 7 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest'' was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike, after ''UFC Fight Nigh ...

winner,

Amir Sadollah Amir Ali Sadollah ( fa, امیرعلی ﺳﻌدالله, born August 27, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist, formerly with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter 7''. He has fough ...

on November 13, 2010, at

UFC 122 ''UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 13, 2010 at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was promptly released from the promotion along with

Goran Reljic Goran may refer to: Ethnic groups * Gorane, or Goran, an ethnic group of northern Africa * Goran (Kurdish tribe), an ethnic group of the Middle East * Gorani (ethnic group), an ethnic group of the southeastern Europe Other uses * Göran, a Sw ...

and

Seth Petruzelli Seth Christopher Petruzelli (born December 3, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and entrepreneur. Petruzelli competed in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions for the UFC, WEC, Eli ...

. After three years on the independent circuit, going 5-0-1 in the process, Sobotta was re-signed by the UFC. Sobotta faced promotional newcomer

Pawel Pawlak Pavel ( Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian and Macedonian: Павел, Czech, Slovene, Romanian: Pavel, Polish: Paweł, Ukrainian: Павло, Pavlo) is a male given name. It is a Slavic cognate of the name Paul (derived from the Greek Pavlos). P ...

UFC Fight Night 41 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 ...

on May 31, 2014. Sobatta defeated Pawlak by unanimous decision to earn his first UFC victory. Sobotta was expected to face

Sérgio Moraes Sérgio Ricardo de Moraes (born July 23, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the welterweight and middleweight division's for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was a competitor on '' The Ultimat ...

on April 11, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 64 ''UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 64'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 11, 2015, at the Tauron Arena Kraków in Kraków, Poland. Background The event was the first that the organization has ...

. However, Sobotta was forced out of the bout, citing an injury, and he was replaced by

Gasan Umalatov Gasan Nasrulaevich Umalatov ( Russian: Гасан Насрулаевич Умалатов; born November 3, 1982 in Dagestan) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Bac ...

. The fight with Moraes was rescheduled for June 20, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 69 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 ...

. On June 9, the fight was scrapped once again as Moraes pulled out for undisclosed reasons. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Steve Kennedy. Sobotta won the fight via submission in the first round. Sobotta faced

Kyle Noke Kyle Noke (born 18 March 1980) is an Australian retired mixed martial artist who competed as a Welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Noke has also fought for EliteXC. Background Noke, origina ...

on November 15, 2015, at

UFC 193 ''UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm'' was a mixed martial arts event held on 14 November 2015, at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the most attended UFC event in the history of the company at the time, with 56,214 people filling th ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round, after being dropped with a body kick, followed by punches on the ground. Sobotta was expected to face Dominic Waters on May 8, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 87 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 87'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 8, 2016, at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Background The event was the first that the organization hosted ...

. However, Sobotta pulled out of the fight in late March, citing an injury, and he was replaced by

Leon Edwards Leon Aaron Edwards (born 25 August 1991) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Welterweight Champion. A profe ...

. Sobotta next faced

Nicolas Dalby Nicolas Dalby (born November 16, 1984) is a Danish mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the Welterweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2008, he is both a former Welterweight and interim welterweight ...

on September 3, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 93 ''UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 93'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 3, 2016, at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Background After ...

. Before the bout, Sobotta announced he would henceforth represent

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in the UFC, rather than continue to choose between Poland and Germany and offend the other. Sobotta won the fight by unanimous decision. Sobotta faced Ben Saunders on May 28, 2017, at

UFC Fight Night 109 ''UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 109'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 28, 2017, at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. Background Preliminar ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Sobotta faced

on March 17, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 127 ''UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 127'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 17, 2018, at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background A heavy ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Sobotta was scheduled to face

Alessio Di Chirico Alessio Di Chirico (born December 12, 1989) is an Italian former mixed martial artist who competed in Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Di Chirico was born in Rome, Italy. He attended University of Fo ...

in a middleweight bout on September 28, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN+ 18 ''UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 160'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 18'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 28, 2019 at Royal Arena in Cop ...

. However, Sobotta was forced out of the bout due to an undisclosed injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Makhmud Muradov. Sobotta faced

Alex Oliveira Alex de Oliveira (born February 21, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born and raised in Três Rios, Rio de Janeiro, Oliveira ...

on July 26, 2020, at

UFC on ESPN 14 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 14'' and ''UFC Fight Island 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 26, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Following the last fight of his contract, Sobotta announced his retirement.

Personal life

Sobotta was born in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, but raised in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He chose to wear the

n flag at his weigh-in for

, despite the fact that he has dual citizenship to both Poland and Germany. He explained on the

post fight press conference that the reason he chose to wear the Jamaica flag was to send the "One Love" message to the world. On December 9, 2017, Sobotta married his wife Lisa Sobotta and they have two children.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–7–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:59 ,

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, 17–5–1 , Ben Saunders , TKO (punches and knee) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5–1 ,

, TKO (body kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center , 15–4–1 , Steve Kennedy , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 , Berlin, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Berlin, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4–1 , Tamirlan Dadaev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , R2F: Casino Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4–1 , Mustafa Asmaoui , Submission (rear-naked choke) , R2F: Casino Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4–1 , Branimir Radosavljevic , Submission (rear-naked choke) , R2F: Casino Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, , Juan Manuel Suárez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MMA Attack 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4–1 , Marius Panin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Eurogames MMA Sports , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

, Romania , , - , Draw , align=center, 8–4–1 , Borys Mańkowski , Draw (overturned) , MMA Attack , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Paul Taylor , Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Kerim Abzailow , TKO (punches) ,

KSW Extra KSW may refer to: * Kansas Southwestern Railway, a defunct United States railroad company * Kearny Street Workshop, a multidisciplinary arts organization in San Francisco, California * '' Keeping Scientology Working'', an internal document for Scie ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Dąbrowa Górnicza Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, southern Poland, near Katowice and Sosnowiec. It is located in eastern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, on the Czarna Przemsza and Biała Przemsza rivers (tributaries of the Vistula, see ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Dominique Stetefeld , Submission (triangle choke) , Free Fight Association , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Simon Fiess , TKO (punches) , Free Fight Association , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Robin Dutry , Submission (armbar) , Outsider Cup 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Nelson Siegert , Submission (punches) , FFC: Battle for the Belt , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:55 ,

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Hendrik Nitzsche , TKO (punches) , FFC: Battle for the Belt , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:15 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Peter Micuch , TKO (punches) , FFC: Heaven or Hell , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:15 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Peter Salzgeber , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UCS: Fighting Day 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 , Geislingen, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Christian Bruckner , Submission (armbar) , Free Fight Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

, Germany ,

References

External links

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Personal life

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links