Tim Carpenter (born July 24, 1980) is an American
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 last competed in 2012.
Background
Carpenter was born in
West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...
; the youngest of five kids. His father was a
public school social studies teacher and his mother worked at
West Chester University
West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...
. He was a very fat child and teenager growing up. At the age of 15 he began training in
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 ...
under PA State Champion Joe Condello who was one of Ishikawa sensei's top American students. Through his training in judo he began to lose weight and get in shape and began to compete in Judo competitions. He went on to become one of the top ranked junior judo athletes in the country placing second in the '97 USJI high school nationals, first in the '98 USJI National Junior Olympic championships, first place in the '98 Pa State Championship. His success in competition earned him an opportunity to train for a short time at the US olympic training center, living and training with some of the top athletes in the world.
Mixed martial arts career
Judo and Jiu-Jistu
In 1997 he began training in Gracie Jiu Jitsu under Steve Maxwell and Phil Migliarese at Maxercise in Philadelphia. Maxercise was one of the first Gracie Jiu Jitsu academies in the nation and was frequently visited by Gracie family members, notably Royce, Rorion, Relson, as well as many of their top instructors. Tim was awarded his blue belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu by Royce Gracie after attending a seminar in Philadelphia and Royce watching him roll
with several more advanced students after only 4 months of training in jiu-jitsu. When Maxercise closed Tim became a member of Team Balance under Relson Gracie black belt Phil Migliarese. He was one of the original instructors at Balance Headquarters for several years as well as one of the top competitors for the team winning numerous grappling and Jiu Jitsu titles including:
2004 purple belt Pan American Jiu Jitsu Champion
2004 Arnold World Gracie Jiu Jitsu Champion Purple belt
2004 IBJJF US National Silver Medalist
2005 IBJJF Brown Belt USA vs. Brazil Champion
2005 Arnold World Gracie Jiu Jitsu Champion Brown Belt
2005 Gracie Worlds Submission Wrestling Champion
Multiple Time Grapplers Quest Champion
NAGA Champion
2007 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling world Championship Invitee and Semi Finalist
After years of competing in and winning some of the top Jiu Jitsu and Grappling competitions on the planet Tim was awarded his black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu from Phil Migliarese and Relson Gracie.
Early MMA career
After receiving his black belt, Tim decided to pursue a career in MMA. He went undefeated in his first seven fights, winning the light heavyweight title for two separate organizations, and both the Sportfighting and Combat in the Cage light heavyweight belts belonged to Tim.
Bellator
Despite being undefeated in his first seven fights, he did not have an easy path. He fought and defeated three world class BJJ blackbelts including Guybson Sa, fellow American BJJ phenom Jamal Patterson, and Daniel Gracie.
His victory over Jamal Patterson in
Bellator 33
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 ...
earned him a slot in the very first Bellator LHW tournament against Patterson's team mate and BJJ Blackbelt world champion
Daniel Gracie
Daniel Simões, known professionally as Daniel Gracie, is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is cousin to Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, Charles Gracie and Ryan Gracie.
Biograp ...
.
The fight lasted all three rounds, with Tim Carpenter dominating both the striking and grappling, scoring several knockdowns and close submission attempts on the Brazilian and earning him a hard fought decision victory and advancing to the next round of the tournament where he suffered an early stoppage loss to
Christian M’pumbu.
Carpenter rebounded from this loss with a spectacular highlight reel Knockout victory over MMA veteran and D-1 wrestler Ryan Contaldi at
Bellator 54
2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...
.
His next fight saw him fighting in the second Bellator LHW tournament,
Bellator 71
2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...
. Carpenter won the fight via
armbar
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...
submission in the second round. He was scheduled for an
undercard fight against the durable John Hawk, but earned a spot as a last minute replacement
when Richard Hale failed to make weight.
He took on the hard hitting former heavyweight Beau Tribolet. He dominated the action in the first round before weathering a storm of hard punches in the second round to secure a text book
armbar
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...
from the guard and earning a submission victory with only seconds left on the clock.
His next fight was a decision loss to hulking American wrestler Travis Wiuff.
After his last fight, Carpenter decided to retire from MMA and open his own martial arts academy in order to share his knowledge with others. In his time as an instructor, coach, and mentor, he has helped countless people improve their lives and pursue their dreams through the martial arts. He has produced BJJ world champions, and successful grappling competitors, along with professional and amateur MMA fighters.
His academy
Hellfish Mixed Martial Artsis not focused on producing cage fighters, but rather on helping people improve their lives through training in the martial arts.
Mixed martial arts record
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9–2
,
Travis Wiuff
Travis James Wiuff (born March 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2001 and a longtime veteran of the sport, Wiuff has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Bellat ...
, Decision (unanimous)
,
Bellator 72
2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
,
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 9–1
, Beau Tribolet
, Submission (armbar)
,
Bellator 71
2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 4:51
,
Chester, West Virginia
Chester is a city in northern Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. Sharing a border with Ohio and lying about west of Pennsylvania, Chester is the northernmost city i ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 8–1
, Ryan Contaldi
, TKO (punch)
,
Bellator 54
2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:16
,
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
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 7–1
,
Christian M'Pumbu
Christian M'Pumbu (born June 2, 1977) is a French-Congolese professional mixed martial artist. He was the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.
Background
M'Pumbu was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the ...
, TKO (punches)
,
Bellator 42
2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple Mixed martial arts weight classes, weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: We ...
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:08
,
Concho, Oklahoma
Concho is an unincorporated community in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is north of the Concho Indian Boarding School. The post office opened April 20, 1915. The ZIP code is 73022. The school and post office were named for Indian agen ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 7–0
,
Daniel Gracie
Daniel Simões, known professionally as Daniel Gracie, is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is cousin to Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, Charles Gracie and Ryan Gracie.
Biograp ...
, Decision (split)
,
Bellator 38
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
,
Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the Uni ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 6–0
, Jamal Patterson
, Decision (split)
,
Bellator 33
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 ...
,
, 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, 5–0
, Guybson Sa
, Decision (unanimous)
, Matrix Fights 2
,
, 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, 4–0
, Rich Lictawa
, Decision (unanimous)
, Adrenaline: New Breed
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
,
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, 3–0
, Sean McCann
, Submission (triangle choke)
, CITC: Fearless Fighters Return
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:43
,
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.[Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.][ ...]
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Jonathan Helwig
, Submission (triangle armbar)
, Sportfighting 2
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 4:46
,
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
, United States
,
References
External links
*
Tim Carpenter MMA record from Sherdog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Tim
1980 births
Living people
American male mixed martial artists
Light heavyweight mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Sportspeople from Philadelphia
American male judoka
American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu