Tom Breese (born 26 September 1991) is an English

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, incorpo ...

who competes in the

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 ...

division of

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation'') better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. History Martin Lewandowsk ...

(KSW). A professional competitor since 2010, he formerly competed for 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 ...

and

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

. He is currently ranked #4 in the KSW Middleweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Born in Birmingham to a Welsh father and an English mother, Breese began training MMA at the age of 16. A successful

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...

and

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

competitor, he won a junior national freestyle wrestling championship, as well as a second-place finish at the IBJJF world championships when he was a purple belt. Breese compiled an amateur record of 3-0-1 before successfully making his professional debut for

in 2010. Breese fought exclusively in his native England and amassed an undefeated record of 7–0 with all but one win coming by way of submission before joining the

in 2015.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Breese made his promotional debut against Luiz Dutra Jr. on 30 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 67. Breese won the fight via TKO in the first round after dropping his opponent with a straight left and following up with ground and pound. Breese faced

Cathal Pendred Cathal Pendred is an Irish actor and former mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the Cage Warriors Welterweight World Champion. Background Pendred was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant ...

on 24 October 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 76 ''UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 76'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 24, 2015, at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background The event was the third that the organization has hosted in Dublin, ...

. Breese dominated the fight with striking exchanges en route to another TKO victory in the first round. In similar fashion to his UFC debut, Breese dropped his opponent with a straight left and followed up with ground and pound to earn the TKO victory. The win also earned him his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Breese faced

Keita Nakamura is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and grappler currently competing in the Welterweight division of RIZIN. A professional competitor since 2003, he has formerly competed for the UFC, World Victory Road, Pancrase, Shooto, DREAM, ...

on 27 February 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 84 ''UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 84'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 27 February 2016 at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background The event was the eighth that the promotion hosted in London a ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Breese faced

Sean Strickland Sean Thomas Strickland (born February 27, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2008, he is the former King of ...

on 4 June 2016 at

UFC 199 ''UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 4, 2016, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Background While this was the first time the organization has held an event at the venue, it was the fifth time that U ...

. He lost the fight via split decision, marking the first loss in Breese's career. Breese was expected to face

Oluwale Bamgbose Oluwale Bamgbose (born August 4, 1987) is a Nigerian- American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Education Oluwale was raised by traditional parents who were very ...

on 18 March 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 107 ''UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 107'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 18, 2017, at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background This event wa ...

. However, on the day of the event, Breese was deemed unfit to compete and the bout was cancelled. Breese faced Dan Kelly on 27 May 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 130 ''UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 130'' or ''UFC Liverpool'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the UFC that was held on May 27, 2018, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Background The event w ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

award. Breese was expected to face

Cezar Ferreira Cezar Jesus Ferreira (born February 15, 1985), better known in his home country Brazil as Cezar Mutante, is a mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed fo ...

on 17 November 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 140 ''UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 140'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 17, 2018 at Estadio Mary Terán de Weiss in Buenos Aires ...

. However, it was reported on 9 November 2018 that Breese pulled out of the event due to injury and was replaced by

Ian Heinisch Ian Edward Heinisch (born August 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2015, he has also competed for the World Series of Fightin ...

. Breese was expected 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 ...

on 16 March 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 147 ''UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 147'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 16, 2019 at The O2 Arena in London, England. ...

. However, Di Chirico pulled out of the fight in early January citing an undisclosed injury and subsequent surgery. He was replaced by

. However, on 1 February 2019 Ferreira withdrew from the fight, citing a knee injury, and was replaced by

. In turn, Breese withdrew from the fight against Heinisch due to health concerns. Breese faced

Brendan Allen Brendan Allen (born December 28, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2015, he has also competed for the Legacy Fighting Alliance ...

on 29 February 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 169 ''UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 169'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 27'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 29, 2020 at Chartway Arena in ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Breese was scheduled to meet Roman Kopylov on 4 October 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. However, Kopylov was removed from the bout for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by KB Bhullar. The fight took place a week later at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. Breese won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This win earned him the ''

'' award. Breese was expected to face

Omari Akhmedov Omari Akhmedov (born October 12, 1987) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). He previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Ba ...

on 16 January 2021 at

UFC on ABC 1 ''UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 1'' and ''UFC Fight Island 7'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 16, 2021, at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island ...

. During fight week, the UFC opted to move the bout to UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. He lost the bout via second round arm triangle submission. Breese was scheduled to face

Antônio Arroyo João Antônio Barbosa Arroyo (born 1 July 1989) is a Brazilian male mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. He has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background After graduating with a business ...

on 5 June 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. However, the fight would be cancelled a few hours before it was to take place due to medical issues suffered by Breese.

Levels Fight League

After the pull out from his last bout, Breese was released from the UFC and signed a multi-fight deal with Levels Fight League. Breese made his debut against David Ramirez at LFL 4 on March 13, 2022. He won the fight by submission due to rear naked choke at 1:46 of the second round, winning the LFL Middleweight title in the process. Breese defended his title against Ahmed Sami at Levels Fight League 5 on June 26, 2022. He won the bout and kept the title, submitting Sami in the second round via guillotine choke.

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki

Breese made his KSW debut against

Damian Janikowski Damian Janikowski (born June 27, 1989 in Wrocław) is a Polish mixed martial artist and former wrestler who won the Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the Greco-Roman 84 kg category. He is currently ranked #8 in the KSW Middleweight ra ...

on September 10, 2022 at KSW 74, controversially winning via guillotine choke in the second round, with the bout being stopped after the ref thought that Janikowski tapped when he said he didn't.

Championships and achievements

(Three times)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 ,

Paweł Pawlak Paweł Pawlak (born February 8, 1989) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #1 in the KSW Middleweight rankings. A professional since 2010, he ...

, TKO (elbow and punches) , KSW 76: Parnasse vs. Rajewski , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:54 ,

Grodzisk Mazowiecki Grodzisk Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 29,363 inhabitants (2011). It is 30 km. southwest of Warsaw. Between 1975 and 1998 it was situated in the Warszawa Voivodeship but since 1999 it has been situated in the Masovian Voivodesh ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , KSW 74: De Fries vs. Prasel , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:53 ,

Ostrów Wielkopolski Ostrów Wielkopolski () (often abbreviated ''Ostrów Wlkp.'', formerly called simply ''Ostrów'', german: Ostrowo, Latin: ''Ostrovia'') is a city in west-central Poland with 70,982 inhabitants (2021), situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship; ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Ahmed Sami , Submission (guillotine choke) , Levels Fight League 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:52 ,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, The Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , David Ramires , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Levels Fight League 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:46 ,

, The Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:41 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , KB Bhullar , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, TKO (elbows and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:47 ,

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Dan Kelly , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:33 ,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (split) ,

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

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

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

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, 9–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Luiz Dutra Jr. , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:58 ,

Goiânia Goiânia (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Goiás. With a population of 1,536,097, it is the second-largest city in the Central-West Region and the 10th-largest in the country. Its metropolitan area has a population ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Thibaud Larchet , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CWFC 74 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:57 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Warren Kee , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BAMMA 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:06 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jack Magee , Submission (triangle choke) ,

BAMMA 10 This is a listing of event held by the BAMMA, British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the BAMMA, British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 200 ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:19 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Mark Tucker , TKO (knee to the body) , BAMMA 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Qasim Shafiq , Submission (triangle choke) ,

BAMMA 8 This is a listing of event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 2009 at the Roo ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Lee Taylor , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

BAMMA 7 This is a listing of event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 2009 at the Room ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Shahid Hussain , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

BAMMA 4 This is a listing of event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 2009 at the Room ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:57 ,

, England ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Breese, Tom Living people 1991 births English male mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Birmingham, West Midlands Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu English practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters