Tim McKenzie (born July 21, 1982) is a retired 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, incorpo ...

. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2011, he fought in 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 ...

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki pr ...

, and

Tachi Palace Fights Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which hosted events at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Matchmaker for TPF was former fighter Richard Goodman. Regarded as a regional promotion, ...

. Known for his exciting fighting style, only one of his 23 career bouts made it to a decision.

Background

Born and raised in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, McKenzie began training in MMA while attending University of the Pacific alongside fellow fighters

Nick Diaz Nickolas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC welterweight champion ...

and his younger brother

Nate Diaz Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is currently a free agent. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought for over 15 year ...

, under the tutelage of head coach

Cesar Gracie Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training facility located in Pleasant Hill, California and is home to numerous highly ranked mixed martial artists who compete in organizations such as the Ultimate Fightin ...

. Later during his career McKenzie moved to

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

to train with AZ Combat Sports.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

McKenzie made his professional debut in 2001, winning his first two fights via first-round TKO, before being signed by the WEC.

World Extreme Cagefighting

McKenzie made his debut for the pre-

Zuffa Zuffa, LLC () is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the ...

owned WEC at WEC 6 on March 27, 2003. McKenzie won via TKO in the first round. McKenzie then won his next four consecutive fights, bringing his career record to an undefeated 7-0 before making his next WEC appearance at WEC 10 against

Alex Stiebling Alex Stiebling (born December 26, 1976) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1999 until 2009, he competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, WEC, King of the Cage, BodogFIGHT, the World Fight ...

. McKenzie was handed his first professional loss via arm-triangle choke in the second round. McKenzie made his next promotional appearance at

WEC 17 WEC 17: Halloween Fury 4 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 14, 2005 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. A light heavyweight tournament was held with the winner being crowned th ...

against Scott Smith and was defeated via first-round TKO. After the loss to Smith, McKenzie fought

Doug Marshall Douglas Garrett Marshall (born February 3, 1977) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2003 until 2014, Marshall has fought in Bellator, Tachi Palace Fights, the Super Fight League, and the Pala ...

and won in dominating fashion, finishing the future WEC Light Heavyweight Champion in the first round via TKO. After a loss to

Steve Cantwell Steven Francis Cantwell (born August 12, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2012, he competed for the UFC and for the UFC's sister organization, World Extreme Cagefighting. There, Cantwell ...

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 keikog ...

submission at

WEC 33 ''WEC 33: Marshall vs. Stann'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) that took place on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. Background A rematch for the WEC Middlweight Championship between champion Paulo Filho ...

, McKenzie made his last appearance for the promotion at

WEC 34 ''WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008, at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and ...

against Jeremy Lang and won via

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 in the third round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

McKenzie made his

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 ...

debut at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann on April 1, 2009 against Aaron Simpson. McKenzie was defeated in the first round via TKO.

Post-UFC

Since leaving the

, McKenzie has gone 2–3 in his last five fights. McKenzie most recently competed on April 16, 2011 at Showdown Fights: Shootout against Jordan Smith. McKenzie won via knockout 11 seconds into the fight.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–9 , Jordan Smith , TKO (punches) , Showdown Fights: Shootout , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:11 ,

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–9 ,

Seth Baczynski Seth Baczynski (born October 26, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional since 2006, Baczynski has formerly competed for the UFC, and was a cast member ...

, TKO (elbows & punches) , TPF 7: Deck the Halls , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 , Lemoore, California, United States , Catchweight (174 lbs) bout. Controversial loss due to Baczynski "phantom tapping" due to an armbar, prompting McKenzie to release it before referee stoppage. , - , Loss , align=center, 13–8 , Josh Thornburg , Submission (armbar) , Global Knockout: Fall Brawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Jackson, California Jackson (formerly, Botilleas, Botilleas Spring, Bottileas, Bottle Spring, and Botellas) is a city in and the county seat of Amador County, California. Its population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census. The city is acc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–7 , Marcus Gaines , Submission (armbar) , RF: Rebel Fighter , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Placerville, California Placerville (, ; formerly Old Dry Diggings, Dry Diggings, and Hangtown) is a city in and the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,747 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,389 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sa ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 , David Mitchell , Submission (guillotine choke) , TPF 4: Cinco de Mayhem , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 , Lemoore, California, United States , Return to

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 ...

; for the inaugural Tachi Palace Fights Welterweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 , Aaron Simpson , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Jeremy Lang , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:40 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , Return to Middleweight. , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Yuichi Nakanishi , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BODOGFight: Vancouver , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 ,

Chael Sonnen Chael Patrick Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...

, Submission (D'arce choke) , BODOGFight: Costa Rica Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:13 , Costa Rica , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Mike McGuinnes , TKO , ICFO 1: Stockton , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 ,

, TKO (punches & elbows) ,

WEC 19 ''WEC 19: Undisputed'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 17, 2006 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California.http://www.wec.tv/index.cfm?fa=eventdetail.fightCard&eid=572 The event aired li ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:35 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Scott Smith , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Bill Mahood , KO (punches) , Freedom Fight: Canada vs USA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:06 , Hull, Quebec, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

Akihiro Gono (born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1994, he is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. Gon ...

, TKO (punches) , Pancrase: Brave 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:53 , Chiba, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , WEC 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:25 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

Emanuel Newton Emanuel Newton (born February 1, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division, where he is a former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. He has also competed for WEC, King of the ...

, Decision , ROTR: Rage on the River , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Redding, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Kenny Kingsford , TKO , IFC: Battleground Tahoe , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:02 ,

Lake Tahoe, Nevada Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake ...

, United States , Light Heavyweight debut. , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Chris Kiever , Submission (heel hook) , IFC: Rumble on the Rio , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 , Hidalgo, Texas, United States ,

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Shane Davis , Submission (armbar) , IFC WC 18: Big Valley Brawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Lakeport, California Lakeport is an incorporated city and the county seat of Lake County, California. This city is northwest of Sacramento. Lakeport is on the western shore of the county namesake, Clear Lake, at an elevation of . The population was 5,026 at the 202 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , John Appleby , TKO (punches) , WEC 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Paul Ward , TKO , IFC: Night of the Warriors 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 , Iona, California, United States , Middleweight debut. , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Dax Bruce , TKO (punches) , IFC WC 16: Warriors Challenge 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Orville, California, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Tim Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Middleweight mixed martial artists 1982 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters