Scott Holtzman (born September 30, 1983) is an American former

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 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 ...

. A professional from 2012 to 2022, he formerly competed for the

Xtreme Fighting Championships Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) is a premier international mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in Spring Lake, Michigan, with offices throughout the United States and South America. The XFC showcases both male and female fighters, ad ...

, where he was the Lightweight Champion.

Background

Holtzman was born in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

and spent his childhood in Fountain City. He attended Central High School, where he played football and baseball. During high school, he also played

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

with the Knoxville Amateur Hockey Association. After high school, Holtzman attended

Hiwassee College Hiwassee College was a private liberal arts college in Madisonville, Tennessee. Founded in 1849, the college offered associate degrees as well as bachelor's degrees. The majority of its associate degree graduates went on to complete bachelor's ...

, where he played baseball and earned an associate degree in Business Administration. He transferred from Hiwassee to the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, where he played club hockey and earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology. In 2008-09, Holtzman enjoyed a brief stint playing for the

Knoxville Ice Bears The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Ice Bears have made the playoffs ...

Mixed martial arts career

Holtzman began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2009. He compiled an undefeated amateur record of 4–0, with his final match earning him a contract with the

(XFC). In his professional debut, Holtzman defeated Brandon Demastes by rear-naked choke at XFC16: High Stakes in front of a home crowd in Knoxville, Tennessee. He would decidedly win his next two fights against Matt Metts ( XFC 18: Music City Mayhem) and Chris Coggins ( XFC 20: High Octane) each in the first round by KO/TKO stoppage respectively.

XFC Lightweight Title

Holtzman opened up 2013 with a win by unanimous decision against Jason Hicks in a title eliminating match at XFC 22: Crossing The Line. After his match with Hicks, Holtzman was expected to face, then XFC Lightweight champion,

Nick Newell Nicholas George Newell (born March 17, 1986, in Milford, Connecticut) is an American mixed martial artist, who competes in the lightweight division. He is notable for having a MMA career while missing one of his hands. Early life Newell was born ...

for the Lightweight belt. In May 2013, it was reported that Newell had refused to fight Holtzman. According to XFC president, John Prisco, Newell was hoping to face former UFC fighters in order to make his claim to move up into the UFC. Prisco, however, felt that Holtzman had "earned the right" to face Newell for the title. Since Newell refused to fight Holtzman, Prisco stripped Newell of his belt and paired Holtzman against John Mahlow to compete for the vacated Lightweight belt at XFC 24: Collision Course. On June 14, 2013, Holtzman beat Mahlow by TKO (punches) in the second round to win the XFC Lightweight Title. Holtzman quickly had the opportunity to defend his title at XFC 26: Night of Champions III, where he won by unanimous decision against Roger Carroll. After a hiatus due in part to a lack of reputable opponents and the XFC's focus on their new international partnerships, Holtzman secured a fight outside of the XFC against George Sheppard at the Premier Fighting Championships (PFC) 9: Unstoppable. Holtzman would go on to win by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On August 14, 2014, Holtzman announced that he had signed a four-fight deal with 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 ...

. Holtzman made his promotional debut against Anthony Christodoulou on August 8, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 73 ''UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 73'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 8, 2015, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Background The event was headlined by a light heavyweight bo ...

. He won the one-sided fight via submission in the third round. In his second fight for the promotion, Holtzman faced

Drew Dober Andrew Martin Dober (born October 19, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also formerly competed for Bella ...

on January 2, 2016 at

UFC 195 ''UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event held on January 2, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was expected to feature a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between then-unde ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Holtzman next faced

Cody Pfister Cody Carson Pfister (born August 7, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Shark Fights, King of the Cage, and the Resurrec ...

on July 13, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 91 ''UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 91'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 13, 2016, at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ba ...

. Holtzman won the fight via unanimous decision. Holtzman faced

Josh Emmett Joshua James Emmett (born March 4, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Emmett currently competes in the featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Emmett has al ...

on December 17, 2016 at

UFC on Fox 22 ''UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 22'') was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on December 17, 2016, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Background After pr ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Holtzman next faced Michael McBride April 22, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 108 ''UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 108'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on April 22, 2017, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Background A feathe ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Holtzman faced

Darrell Horcher Darrell Joseph Horcher (born July 28, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2010, he formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator and the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, where he w ...

on December 9, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 123 ''UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 123'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 9, 2017, at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Background ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. On January 25, 2018 Holtzman announced that he had signed a new, four-fight deal with UFC. Holtzman faced Alan Patrick on October 6, 2018 at

UFC 229 ''UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor ''was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas–Paradise, ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the third round after dropping Patrick with a punch and eventually finishing the fight with elbows. Holtzman faced

Nik Lentz Nik Lentz (born August 13, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He most notably fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the lightweight division. Background Lentz was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in Twin ...

on February 17, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 1. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Holtzman faced

Dong Hyun Ma Kim Dong-hyun ( ko, 김동현, 金東炫; born September 9, 1988), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, also known as "The Maestro", is a South Korean mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the UFC's lightweight division. At the turn of 20 ...

on August 3, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 5 ''UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 3, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background T ...

. He won the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage between the second and third round as the swelling on Ma's right eye rendered him unable to continue. Holtzman faced Jim Miller on February 15, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 167 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 ...

. He won the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. The bout also earned Holtzman his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Holtzman faced

Beneil Dariush Beneil Khobier Dariush (born May 6, 1989) is an Assyrian-American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, he is #4 in the UFC lightw ...

on August 8, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 174 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 174'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 32'' and ''UFC Vegas 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in round one. Hotzman faced

Mateusz Gamrot Mateusz Gamrot (born December 11, 1990) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gamrot is a former KSW Featherweight Champion and KSW Lightwei ...

on April 10, 2021 at

UFC on ABC 2 ''UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 2'' and ''UFC Vegas 23'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 10, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, N ...

. He lost the bout via knockout in the second round. Hotzman faced

Clay Guida Clayton Charles Guida (; born December 8, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently signed to the UFC competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Guida also formerly competed for Strikeforc ...

on December 3, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Backg ...

. He lost the fight via split decision and Hotzman retired after the loss.

Championships and achievements

*2013 AXS TV Fighter of the Year *2013-2014 XFC Lightweight Champion *

** Fight of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

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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 ...

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Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, New Mexico, Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into north ...

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Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Nik Lentz Nik Lentz (born August 13, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He most notably fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the lightweight division. Background Lentz was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in Twin ...

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Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

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Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holtzman, Scott 1983 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Tennessee Hiwassee College alumni Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL) players Sportspeople from Knoxville, Tennessee Southern Professional Hockey League players University of Tennessee alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu