Timothy Deane Sylvia (born March 5, 1976) is an American retired

mixed martial arts 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, incor ...

(MMA) fighter,

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 a former two-time

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

. He has competed as a Super Heavyweight and

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 W ...

. While he is best known for competing in the UFC, Sylvia has also fought for Affliction, the International Fighting Championships (IFC), and

ONE FC ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

Background

Sylvia was born and raised in

Ellsworth, Maine Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. The 2020 Census determined it had a population of 8,399. Named after United States Founding Father Oliver Ellsworth, it contains historic buildings a ...

, attending Ellsworth High School and graduating in 1992. He joined a

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

school as a child, and began

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 ...

in high school. After graduation, he worked construction, community gardening, hanging sheet rock, as a bouncer, and painting houses. After high school, he played semi-pro

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

for three years before becoming interested in MMA, and began to train with

Marcus Davis Marcus Paul Davis (born August 24, 1973), is an American professional mixed martial artist and former professional boxer who is perhaps best known for competing in the UFC. A professional MMA competitor from 2003 until 2014, Davis also compete ...

, a fellow bouncer. During this time Sylvia decided to take up

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling ...

. After training for a year, and winning

tournaments, he got the opportunity to fight in a Rhode Island

no holds barred No holds barred or No Holds Barred may refer to: * ''No Holds Barred'' (1952 film), a film starring The Bowery Boys * ''No Holds Barred'' (1989 film), a film starring Hulk Hogan * ''No Holds Barred'' (Biohazard album) (1997) * ''No Holds Barred ...

amateur event, in which he knocked out his opponent in 17 seconds. A long time UFC fan, Sylvia and some friends attended ''

UFC 28 ''UFC 28: High Stakes'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 17, 2000 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. History UFC 28 marked the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC even ...

'' in

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.

in 2000. In late 2000 Sylvia sold all of his belongings and moved to

Bettendorf, Iowa Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. It is the 15th largest city of Iowa and the third-largest city in the "Quad Cities". It is part of the Davenport– Moline– Rock Island, IA- IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The popul ...

, to train with Team Miletich which had members such as former UFC champions Matt Hughes and

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in addition to serving as the head coach on '' The Ultim ...

. Sylvia was promoted to a purple belt in

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

on October 31, 2011.

Mixed martial arts career

Early professional career

Sylvia made his professional MMA debut in 2001 fighting for the IFC. He went on to rack up thirteen consecutive wins with ten knockouts in organizations such as the Hawaii-based SuperBrawl, and Extreme Challenge.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In 2002, Sylvia signed with 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 won a TKO victory over Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at '' UFC 39'' when Correira's corner threw in the towel. Sylvia then went on to defeat Ricco Rodriguez at '' UFC 41'', winning the UFC heavyweight championship for the first time. Soon after Sylvia defended his title with another quick victory over Gan McGee at ''

UFC 44 ''UFC 44: Undisputed'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 26, 2003, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, ...

''.

Controversy

After the fight with McGee, Sylvia tested positive for the banned substance

Stanozolol Stanozolol ( abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceutical company W ...

. He voluntarily forfeited his title and was handed a six-month suspension, and fined $10,000 by the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers ...

(NSAC). He later commented that the steroid usage was for shedding excess weight. Sylvia apologized and made no effort to claim innocence.

Injury

At '' UFC 48'' in June 2004, Sylvia returned to face

Frank Mir Francisco Santos Mir III (; born May 24, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed for Bellator MMA in the Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for sixteen years. A fo ...

for the vacant

UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

; he lost. Early on in the fight Mir trapped Sylvia's right arm in an

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, ...

submission attempt. As Sylvia tried to escape the hold, Sylvia's right

radius bone The radius or radial bone is one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna. It extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and runs parallel to the ulna. The ulna is usually slightly longer tha ...

snapped about three inches below his elbow. Referee Herb Dean immediately stopped the fight and declared Sylvia unable to continue. Sylvia took exception to the decision and repeatedly claimed his arm was not broken (though the break could be explicitly seen on the slow-motion replay of the fight), even touching it and moving it around to demonstrate. Sylvia was taken to a local hospital where an x-ray revealed that his arm was in fact broken; he then took several months off to recuperate. Afterward, Sylvia said he was glad the referee stopped the fight, thereby saving his arm from further damage.

Return

Six months after his loss to

, Sylvia returned (a titanium plate had been attached to his forearm) to the UFC in February 2005, taking on

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...

to crown an interim UFC heavyweight champion as Mir, while still the nominal UFC champion, had suffered numerous injuries from a motorcycle accident that left him unable to defend his title. Sylvia was knocked to the ground by an overhand right punch, and while on the ground was caught in an Achilles lock and submitted. In May 2005, Sylvia defeated Mike Block in the IFC by TKO, then went on to face MMA veteran

Tra Telligman Tracy Telligman (most often billed as "Tra" Telligman ; born February 7, 1965) is a retired American mixed martial artist and boxer who has fought in the UFC, PRIDE, and Pancrase. He is also known for fighting despite having only one pectoralis m ...

at ''

UFC 54 ''UFC 54: Boiling Point'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 20, 2005, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later relea ...

''. With one second left in the first round, Sylvia landed a left head kick which

knocked out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving strikin ...

Telligman. Sylvia made his cable television debut next, fighting

Assuerio Silva Assuério Silva (born June 18, 1974) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer, having competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pancrase. He became the Heavyweight King of Pancrase on May 30, 2007, defeating Tatsuya ...

at ''

Ultimate Fight Night 3 ''Ultimate Fight Night 3'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 16, 2006. The event took place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was broadcast live on Spike TV in the Un ...

'' on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was ...

, winning a unanimous decision after three rounds in a match that was intended to decide the next number one contender.

Reclaiming the title

At '' UFC 59'', Sylvia was finally awarded his rematch with the then-outright champion

. After being knocked down by Arlovski, Sylvia won the fight via knockout in round one. Sylvia next defended his championship in a trilogy fight with Andrei Arlovski at

UFC 61 ''UFC 61: Bitter Rivals'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, July 8, 2006. The event took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast live on pay-per-view ...

. Sylvia utilized his reach and size advantage to win the uneventful fight by unanimous decision. Sylvia next fought Mundials world Jiu-Jitsu champion, 2-time ADCC world champion and Jiu-Jitsu Pan American champion Jeff Monson at '' UFC 65''. Billed as a classic "striker vs. grappler" match, Sylvia won again via unanimous decision by keeping the fight on the outside with the jab. On March 3, 2007, Sylvia fought former UFC Heavyweight and UFC Light Heavyweight champion

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he bec ...

at UFC 68. After being knocked down by Couture he lost the fight and title by decision. On October 20, 2007 at

UFC 77 ''UFC 77: Hostile Territory'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The event took place on Saturday, October 20, 2007, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Background The main event featured An ...

, Sylvia defeated

Brandon Vera Brandon Michael Vera (born October 10, 1977), or also known by his ring name as The Truth, is a Filipino-American (of Italian heritage) retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavywe ...

via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–27, 29–28). In the post-fight interview he called out

Cheick Kongo Cheick Kongo is a French heavyweight Mixed Martial artist and former Kickboxer who fights in Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2001, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of May 10, 2022, he is #4 in the ...

to fight for the spot as number one contender for the heavyweight championship belt. On February 2, 2008 Sylvia lost via guillotine choke to

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (, born 2 June 1976), better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Inte ...

UFC 81 ''UFC 81: Breaking Point'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held on February 2, 2008, by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip. Background The main event featured Tim Sylvia and Ant ...

in Las Vegas for the interim heavyweight championship. Early in 2008, Sylvia requested and was granted a release from his UFC contract, which still had one fight remaining on it. Sylvia cited unhappiness with pay, desire to face

Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko ( rus, Фёдор Влади́мирович Емелья́ненко, r=Fyodor Vladimirovich Yemelyanenko, p=ˈfʲɵdər vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjænʲɪnkə, IPA; born ...

, the non-exclusive contracts of other organizations, and the opportunity to fight more often as his reasons for leaving.

Post-UFC

On March 28, 2008, Sylvia signed with Adrenaline MMA, formerly

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

, to a two-year contract that allowed him to fight for other organizations while under contract with Adrenaline. A few weeks later he was offered to fight

Affliction Clothing Affliction Clothing is an American clothing manufacturer and retailer based in Seal Beach, California. It was launched in 2005 by Courtney Dubar and partners, and is now owned by Affliction Holdings LLC. The company offers a wide range of produ ...

's inaugural event Affliction: Banned. The fight took place on July 19, 2008, and saw the Russian dropping Sylvia and taking his back before securing a rear naked choke, forcing Sylvia to submit at 0:36 of the first round. On February 25, 2009, Sylvia's manager (and Adrenaline MMA

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

) Monte Cox announced that Sylvia would face former boxing world heavyweight champion and 1988 Olympic gold medalist Ray Mercer in a boxing main event at ''Adrenaline MMA III'' on May 30, 2009, at the

Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City (formerly Trump Taj Mahal) is a casino and hotel on the Boardwalk, owned by Hard Rock International, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The casino, originally known as the ''Trump Taj Mahal,'' was inaugura ...

Atlantic City 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.

. However, after the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board refused to sanction the fight, the event was moved to Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

and rescheduled to June 13. Only days before the bout, it was changed to be contested under MMA rules, again because of sanctioning problems. When they finally met, Mercer knocked Sylvia out with a single punch nine seconds into the first round. Sylvia weighed in at 310.6 pounds for the Super Heavyweight fight. Before his bout with Mercer, Sylvia was scheduled to face Paul Buentello at '' Affliction: Trilogy.'' But after the devastating KO loss, Cox and Affliction decided it would be best for Sylvia to sit out the next few months, because of his recent losses. After Affliction folded, Sylvia defeated Jason Riley via TKO (punches) 2:32 into the first round at the ''Adrenaline IV''

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

on September 18, 2009 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was later revealed through Sherdog.com that Sylvia broke his right hand about a minute and a half into his fight with Riley, spoiling a debut with the Japanese promotion

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

, planned for October 25. Sylvia's next fight was expected to be a rematch with

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

alumni

Wes Sims Wesley Edward Sims (born 12 October 1979) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001 until 2013, he competed in the UFC, the WEC, Strikeforce, K-1 and the IFL. Background Sims was born in Cleveland a ...

on March, 20th in Ohio. However, the Ohio State Athletic Commission refused to sanction the bout, saying that the fight was "non-competitive", resulting in the bout being rescheduled to June 6, 2010, in Nova Scotia, Canada, for the IFC Superheavyweight title. In the meantime, Sylvia fought five time World's Strongest Man

Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (; born 7 February 1977), also known as "Pudzian" and "Dominator", is a Polish entrepreneur, mixed martial artist and former strongman competitor. With 43 international victories at a record 70% winning percenta ...

at Moosin: God of Martial Arts on May 21, 2010, winning by submission (punches). The Sims fight was scuttled again (as well as another against UFC veteran

Pedro Rizzo Pedro Augusto Rizzo (; born 3 May 1974) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed for the UFC, PRIDE, M-1 Global, and Affliction. Although he never captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Rizzo competed for i ...

), when it was discovered that Sylvia broke his foot at Moosin. Sylvia defeated Paul Buentello by Knockout due to an uppercut at Powerhouse World Promotions: War on the Mainland on August 14. As heavyweight fighter

entered the ring during the post fight interview, Powerhouse World Promotions announced Sylvia would make his first title defense against the fellow UFC veteran. The fight never occurred, however, as PWP disappeared after this inaugural event. Sylvia fought Vince Lucero at CFX/Extreme Challenge on December 11. Sylvia won the fight by submission due to punches.

Titan Fighting Championship

Sylvia fought Abe Wagner at Titan Fighting Championships 16 (Sylvia replaced Todd Duffee), Sylvia weighed in at 311 pounds and was defeated 32 seconds into the first round, ending his 4 fight win streak. The super heavyweight matchup served as the main event of Friday night's HDNet-broadcast event, which took place at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. Wagner's speed advantage was evident in the opening seconds, and he looked to pepper Sylvia with strikes on multiple levels as he retreated and stayed away from his opponent's length. Then a right hand brought about the beginning of the end. Wagner caught Sylvia on the temple, and the former UFC champ was visibly staggered. As "The Maine-iac" tried to recover, Wagner went on the assault with jackhammer punches that chased Sylvia across the cage. Sylvia avoided the shots as he retreated, but once he reached the cage, Wagner landed a four-punch combination that saw his opponent slump to the canvas. Referee Jason Herzog wasted little time in rushing in to call the fight, and the decision was justified when Sylvia stumbled as he returned to his feet. The entire process took just 32 seconds.

Fight Tour

Sylvia was originally scheduled to face Shayne Adams (1–2) on August 13 at a Fight Tour event at the Rockford Metro Centre in Rockford, Illinois. But due to a scheduling conflict with the athletic commission the event will now take place on August 20. Sylvia was then scheduled to face Brian Heden at the August 20 Fight Tour event because the Illinois Athletic Commission would not approve the fight between Adams and Sylvia. However the bout between Sylvia and Heden was later scrapped for unknown reasons and Sylvia would now face submission specialist Patrick Barrentine. Sylvia defeated Barrentine via TKO in the first round. Sylvia weighed in at 280.5 pounds for the bout, 30 pounds lighter than his previous bout against Wagner.

ProElite

Sylvia was expected to take on

at ProElite 2 on November 5, However Rizzo later pulled out of the bout due to injury. Sylvia instead competed against

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

heavyweight Andreas Kraniotakes and won the fight via unanimous decision.

New England Fights

Sylvia fought against Randy Smith at NEF: Fight Night 3 on June 16 in his home state of Maine. Sylvia defeated Smith in 12 seconds via TKO.

ONE Fighting Championship

In mid-July 2012, it was announced that Tim Sylvia had signed with the Asia-based promotion

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

. The promotion quickly announced that Sylvia would face

in his debut, marking the fourth time the two fighters had faced each other. Sylvia and Arlovski faced off at ONE Fighting Championship: Pride of a Nation on August 31, 2012 in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

. The fight between Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski ended in a no-contest due to an illegal soccer kick by Andrei Arlovski. According to ONE FC rules at the time, soccer kicks are legal only if the referee clears the fighter to do so after determining the grounded fighter can still intelligently defend himself. Arlovski received no such clearance, the kick was deemed illegal. Four days later, One FC eliminated the clearance restriction. On May 31, 2013 Sylvia fought Tony Johnson at ONE FC 9: Rise to Power. Sylvia lost by TKO (doctor stoppage) in 3:25 of the third round.

Inoki Genome Federation

Sylvia fought Satoshi Ishii at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye and lost by unanimous decision.

Fight Nights

Sylvia fought Dagestan prospect Ruslan Magomedov at Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 13 and lost by unanimous decision.

Retirement

Sylvia was scheduled to face Juliano Coutinho at Reality Fighting on January 3, 2015, However Sylvia was denied medical clearance by the Mohegan Athletic Unit, and as a result the fight was cancelled. Sylvia weighed in at 371 pounds for the fight. When asked why the fight was cancelled Monte Cox, Sylvia’s manager, wrote on Facebook “Not 100 ercentsure... because of his age he had to do a lot of meds at last minute,” Cox wrote. “In all he needed a stress test, MRI, EKG, eye, blood and physical." Apparently all the tests ordered by the Mohegan commission have made a significant impact on Sylvia’s bank account, as he wrote on Cox’s Facebook thread that he is “ 2,000in the hole because of all the estsI had to do. After the cancelled fight Sylvia announced his retirement from MMA. He appeared in the cage alongside his proposed opponent and said an MRI issue prevented him from competing. “This is the end of my career,” Sylvia said at Mohegan Sun Arena, adding, “They said that I’ve received enough damage over 16 years.”

Professional wrestling career

On September 25, 2010, Sylvia made his

pro wrestling 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 ...

debut, losing via submission to fellow mixed-martial-artist

Josh Barnett Joshua Lawrence Barnett (born November 10, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist, submission grappler, professional wrestler and color commentator currently signed to Bellator MMA, where he competes in their Heavyweight division. Barnett p ...

, at IGF's Genome 13 event. A grassroots Twitter campaign started on August 1, 2013 for

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the prom ...

president

Dixie Carter Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law'' (1999–2002). She was nomin ...

to sign Sylvia and add him to the TNA ranks. Sylvia himself endorsed the campaign by re-tweeting it to his Twitter followers.

Personal life

Sylvia has a son, Maverick, from his previous relationship. In 2010, Sylvia confirmed that he is a police officer in the State of Illinois on a part-time basis (one day a month).

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(Two times) ** Fight of the Night (One time) *Powerhouse World Promotions **PWP Heavyweight Championship (One time) *

International Sport Karate Association The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the United ...

**ISKA MMA Super heavyweight Championship (One time) *ICON Sport **Superbrawl Return of the Heavyweights Tournament Winner *Extreme Challenge **Extreme Challenge 47 Heavyweight Tournament Winner

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 31–10 (1) , Ruslan Magomedov , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 13 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–9 (1) , Tony Johnson , TKO (doctor stoppage) , ONE Fighting Championship: Rise to Power , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location jus ...

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–8 (1) , Satoshi Ishii , Decision (unanimous) , IGF: INOKI-BOM-BA-YE 2012 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, Japan , , - , NC , align=center, 31–7 (1) ,

, NC (kick to grounded opponent) , ONE Fighting Championship: Pride of a Nation , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:46 ,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 31–7 , Randy Smith , TKO (punches) , NEF Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 ,

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 30–7 , Andreas Kraniotakes , Decision (unanimous) , ProElite: Big Guns , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Islan ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 29–7 , Patrick Barrentine , TKO (punches and elbows) , Fight Tour , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–7 , Abe Wagner , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 16: Sylvia vs. Wagner , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:32 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 28–6 , Vince Lucero , TKO (submission to punches) , CFX: Extreme Challenge on Target , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–6 , Paul Buentello , KO (punch) , PWP: War on the Mainland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:57 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–6 ,

, TKO (submission to punches) , Moosin: God of Martial Arts , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–6 , Jason Riley , TKO (punches) , Adrenaline MMA IV , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–6 , Ray Mercer , KO (punch) , Adrenaline MMA 3: Bragging Rights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:09 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Affliction: Banned , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–4 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:28 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 24–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 68 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–2 , Jeff Monson , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 65: Bad Intentions , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 61: Bitter Rivals , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC 59: Reality Check , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 ,

, KO (head kick) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 , Mike Block , TKO (punches) , IFC: Caged Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–2 ,

, Submission (achilles lock) , UFC 51 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Superbrawl 38 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–1 ,

, Technical Submission (armbar) , UFC 48 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

Las Vegas 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 Veg ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–0 , Gan McGee , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 , Ricco Rodriguez , TKO (punches) , UFC 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 , Wesley Correira , TKO (corner stoppage) , UFC 39 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:43 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Jeff Gerlick , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 48 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Tama, Iowa Tama is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,130 at the time of the 2020 census. Tama is situated two miles south of Toledo, the county seat. The two towns are close enough to have nearly grown together over the ye ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 ,

Mike Whitehead Michael Joe Whitehead (born June 29, 1981) is a former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight weight classes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, IFL, Affliction, and Strikeforce. Mixed ...

, TKO (knee and punches) , Superbrawl 24: ROTH 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,

Jason Lambert Jason L. Lambert (born September 23, 1977) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001 until 2013, he competed for the UFC, WEC, Bellator, King of the Cage, and AFC. He is the former WEC light heavyweight champion. ...

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Superbrawl 24: ROTH 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:13 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Boyd Ballard , KO (knee) , Superbrawl 24: ROTH 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:21 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , Superbrawl 24: ROTH 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Matt Frembling , Decision (unanimous) , Extreme Challenge 47 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Uta ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Gino de la Cruz , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 47 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Ernest Henderson , TKO (fell out of the ring) , Extreme Challenge 47 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Greg Wikan , Submission (choke) , Extreme Challenge Trials , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:20 ,

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 ,

Ben Rothwell Ben Rothwell (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Heavyweight. He most notably had a 17 bout stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and competed for the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL where he h ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Extreme Challenge 42 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Greg Wikan , TKO (corner stoppage) , UW: Ultimate Fight Minnesota , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on the north bank of the Minnesota River, above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 89,987, m ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Gabe Beauperthy , Submission (choke) , GC 3: Showdown at Soboba , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:16 , Friant, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Randy Durant , TKO (punches) , IFC: Battleground 2001 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

, United States ,

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References

External links

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Official Tim Sylvia Tee KO Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylvia, Tim 1974 births American male professional wrestlers American male mixed martial artists American male karateka American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Heavyweight mixed martial artists Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Mixed martial artists from Maine People from Bettendorf, Iowa People from Ellsworth, Maine Professional wrestlers from Maine Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters