Rudy Bears 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

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. A professional competitor since 2007, Bears has formerly competed for Bellator,

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'', ...

Titan Fighting Championships 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 ...

and

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

Background

Bears is from

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

and had a troubled upbringing, involving himself with

street gangs A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

and crime. He originally attended Van Horn High School but was caught trying to steal a car and as a result, was placed in jail for one month while looking at seven years in the penitentiary. It was during this time in jail, at the age of 17, that Bears decided to turn his life around. He wrote a heartfelt letter to the judge, who gave the young Bears a second chance. The judge released Bears on probation while in exchange Bears would have to finish high school and stay out of trouble, Bears then graduated from Truman High School and began practicing the

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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

International Sport Combat Federation

Before competing in professional mixed martial arts, Bears competed as an amateur in the International Combat Sport Federation, primarily as a

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

, and won three ICSF titles.

Early professional career

Bears made his professional debut against future Strikeforce veteran and current

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 ...

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 ...

Isaac Vallie-Flagg Isaac Vallie-Flagg (born April 8, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also formerly competed in Strikefor ...

. Bears won the bout in the first round via

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

submission. Bears then compiled a record of 10-3 with one-fight stints in the Titan Fighting Championships and

organizations, winning both by TKO. After the TKO win for

, in a catchweight bout of 175 lbs. Bears was invited to compete in Strikeforce.

Strikeforce

Bears made his Strikeforce and

debut against then-undefeated future UFC veteran,

Tyron Woodley Tyron Woodley (born April 17, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at Strikeforce and was an NCAA Di ...

in the main event, Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears on November 20, 2009. Bears lost the fight via arm-triangle choke submission and would not return to

, as Bears then signed with 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. ...

Bellator

Bears made his Bellator debut at

Bellator 16 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and m ...

against

Brent Weedman Brent Weedman (born February 10, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist who has competed in Bellator's Welterweight division. He has competed in several Bellator Tournaments, including the: Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournamen ...

and was knocked out in the first round, the first knockout loss of Bear's career. He then appeared three more times for the organization, going 2-1 in his next three fights with the loss being a rematch with

Zak Cummings Zacharry "Zak" Michael Cummings (born August 2, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also formerly comp ...

, who had defeated Bears early in his career.

Titan Fighting Championships

After his stint in Bellator, Bears signed with the Titan Fighting Championships and made his debut for the organization against former UFC Welterweight,

Jason High Jason High (born October 12, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2005, High has also competed for Strikeforce, Aff ...

. Bears lost the bout via technical submission 51 seconds into the fight after refusing to tap out due to a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

submission. After bouncing back with a win via rear-naked choke submission, Bears has lost six of his last eight fights competing for both Bellator and Titan FC.

Shamrock Fighting Championships

Following a win over Zak Bucia, Bears defeated Josh Weston via rear-naked choke submission on January 17, 2015 at Shamrock FC: Shock to earn himself the promotion's vacant Welterweight title and a Bellator contract.

Return to Bellator

Bears faced

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987) is a British Kickboxing, kickboxer, Boxing, boxer, and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is recognised in the MMA community for his unortho ...

Bellator 140 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company ...

on July 17, 2015. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Bears next faced

Neiman Gracie Neiman Gracie Stambowsky (born December 12, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. A two-time Pan-American champion in coloured belts, Gracie medalled at the 2013 black belt World No-Gi Championship be ...

at Bellator 163 on November 4, 2016. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

*Shamrock Fighting Championships **SFC Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Forrest Petz Forrest Leonard Petz (born September 22, 1975) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2013, he is perhaps best known for his two stints in the UFC, but also fought for King of the Cage and Adrenaline MMA. Ba ...

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bears, Rudy American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Missouri Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing American Kenpo Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing jujutsu Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1979 births Sportspeople from Kansas City, Missouri People from Independence, Missouri American jujutsuka American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu