Mitchell Bradley Clarke (born November 24, 1985) is a Canadian

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

and 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, incorpo ...

. He fought as a

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 ...

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 is the head coach at Complete Fitness & Martial Arts, St. Albert, Canada. He currently wrestles for the

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...

based promotions Real Canadian Wrestling and Love Wrestling.

Background

Clarke was born and raised in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He competed in

wrestling 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 s ...

Walter Murray Collegiate Institute Walter Murray Collegiate, also known as WMCI, is a high school serving grades 9 to 12, located in south-eastern Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This public secondary school was established in 1961 and is supported by the infrastructure of the Nutana S ...

. He attended the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

from where he graduated with a degree in environmental science.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Clarke made his professional MMA debut in May 2007. He fought exclusively in Canada and amassed a record of 9–0 before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Clarke made his UFC debut at

UFC 140 ''UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 10, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the penultimate event for the UFC in 2011. The event ...

in Toronto, Ontario against promotional newcomer

John Cholish John Cholish (born December 17, 1983) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2013, he competed for the UFC and Strikeforce. Mixed martial arts career Early career Cholish made his professional MMA ...

. He lost the fight via TKO (punches) at 4:36 of the second round resulting in the first loss of his professional career. Clarke faced

Anton Kuivanen Anton Kuivanen (born May 1, 1984) is an Estonian- Finnish mixed martial artist and coach. Kuivanen trains and teaches at the GB Gym, which is located in Helsinki, Finland and he has also had training camps in American Top Team located in Coconut ...

on July 21, 2012 at UFC 149. He lost the fight via split decision. Clarke faced John Maguire on June 15, 2013 at

UFC 161 ''UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 15, 2013, at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Background While the UFC has hosted several events in the past in Canada, the event was the first that the or ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Clarke faced

Al Iaquinta Al Iaquinta (born April 30, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, having once challenged for the Lightweight championship belt. A professional ...

UFC 173 ''UFC 173: Barão vs. Dillashaw'' was a mixed martial arts event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 24, 2014. Background A Middleweight Championship bout between then champion Chris Weidman and number one contender V ...

, in his first match outside of Canada. After being dominated in the first round, Clarke won the fight via submission due to a D'Arce choke from the bottom in the second round. The win earned Clarke his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Clarke faced

Michael Chiesa Michael Keith Chiesa (; born December 7, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist, and sports analyst who currently competes in the welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor sin ...

on April 4, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 63. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Clarke next faced Joseph Duffy on July 7, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 90. He lost the fight via submission in the opening minute of the first round. Clarke faced Alex White on September 9, 2017 at

UFC 215 ''UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 9, 2017 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background The promotion was initially planning a PPV even ...

. He lost the fight via TKO at 4:36 of the second round and subsequently announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. He voiced his appreciation to Edmonton fans at the after fight octagon interview with

Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC color commentator, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. He hosts '' The Joe Rogan Experience'', a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, pol ...

and delivered his emotional and humble retirement speech:

Personal life

He currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta, and trains at Complete Fitness and Martial Arts in St Albert. He has won the Welterweight title with the EFC out of Lloydminster and also won the Lightweight title for the TFC. He also trains in Arizona at the MMA Lab with John Crouch and

Benson Henderson Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes for Bellator MMA, currently competing in their Lightweight division. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. As of November ...

. Clarke is the son of Rick Clarke & Elise Brust and stepson of Vickie Clarke. After UFC 173, Clarke told reporters his favourite Super NES video game is '' Turtles in Time.''"UFC 173: Mitch Clarke Calls D'Arce Choke 'Kill or Be Killed' Moment", by MMAFighting.com
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Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

*Evolution Fighting Championships **EFC Lightweight Championship (One time) *The Fight Club **TFC Lightweight Championship (One time) *

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 ...

(One time) vs.

Professional Wrestling

*Monster Pro Wrestling **MPW Heavyweight Championship (One time, current) **MPW Renegade Tag Team Championships (Two times)

Mixed martial arts record

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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 Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 ,

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

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

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Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,60 ...

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, Decision (split) , UFC 149 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

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Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Eddie Rincon , Decision (unanimous) , EFC 8: Aggression , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lloydminster, Alberta Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Josh Machan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Fight Club 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:43 ,

, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Brandon MacArthur , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Fight Club 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Travis Briere , Decision (unanimous) , Adrenaline 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Adam Hunsperger , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Fight Club 7: Full Throttle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Paul Grandbois , Submission (armbar) , EFC 2: Redemption , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Darren Ford , Submission (guillotine choke) , EFC 1: First Conflict , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jase Nibourg , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Brawl in the Mall 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 ,

, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jase Nibourg , Submission (choke) , XCW: Extreme Cage Warz , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

, Canada , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Mitch 1985 births Living people Canadian male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Edmonton Sportspeople from Saskatoon Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu