Christian M'Pumbu (born June 2, 1977) is a French-Congolese professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He was the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.

Background

M'Pumbu was born in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

(now known as the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

). He currently resides in France.

Mixed martial arts career

M'Pumbu made his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in 2004. He has fought primarily in Europe for various promotions including KSW and

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 oth ...

. He is currently a member of Team France in M-1 Mixfight. Before his debut in the United States, M'Pumbu amassed a record of 15 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. A notable win from this period is over

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

heavyweight contender

Stefan Struve Stefan Struve (; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Standing at tall, he is the tallest fighter in the history of the UFC. Background Growing ...

Bellator Fighting Championships

M'Pumbu made his U.S. MMA debut on March 26, 2011, at Bellator 38. He faced Chris Davis in the opening round of the Light Heavyweight tournament and won the fight via TKO in the third round. In the semi-finals he defeated

Tim Carpenter Timothy W. Carpenter (born February 24, 1960) is an American Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has been a member of the Wisconsin Senate for more than 20 years, representing the Wisconsin's 3rd Senate district since 2003. Hi ...

via TKO in the first round. M'Pumbu would go on to defeat

Rich Hale Richard "Rich" Hale (born May 17, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. A professional since 2006, he is perhaps best known for his 10-fight stint with Bellator MMA, and mad ...

via TKO in the third round at the finals of the season 4 tournament, becoming the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight champion. He was unofficially dubbed the first African born mixed martial artist to hold a title in a major MMA organization. On October 22, 2011, at Bellator 55, M'Pumbu lost a non-title fight against

Travis Wiuff Travis Wiuff (born March 15, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2001 and List of mixed martial artists with the most sanctioned fights, veteran of o ...

via unanimous decision. On February 28, 2013, at Bellator 91 M'Pumbu faced Bellator 2012 Summer Series Light Heavyweight tournament winner Attila Vegh in his first title defense and lost via unanimous decision. On September 13, 2013, at Bellator 99, M'Pumbu was expected to face UFC veteran

Vladimir Matyushenko Vladimir Vladimirovich Matyushenko (born 4 January 1971) is a Belarusian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 1997 until 2014, he competed for Bellator MMA, the UFC, Affliction, Jungle Fight, and is the former IFL light heavyw ...

. M'Pumbu pulled out of the fight with a hand injury and was replaced with

Houston Alexander Houston Alexander (born March 22, 1972) is an American former professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed in 2017. A professional competitor since 2001, he has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bell ...

. M'Pumbu faced

Quinton Jackson Quinton Ramone Jackson (born June 20, 1978), known by his ring name of Rampage Jackson, is an American rapper, former mixed martial artist, actor, kickboxer, and professional wrestler. During the course of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, ...

in the opening round of Bellator's Season 10 Light Heavyweight tournament in the main event at

Bellator 110 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight ...

on February 28, 2014. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round, the first knockout loss of his career. M'Pumbu made his

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 beg ...

debut against

Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King ...

on October 3, 2014, at Bellator 127. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from '' bellātor'', the Latin word for "warrior". Bellato ...

** Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship (One time; First) ** Bellator Season 4 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner *Union of Peresvit **Star of Peresvit Openweight Tournament Winner **Fire of Persevit Openweight Tournament Winner

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 21–11–1 , Stanislav Klybik , KO (head kick) , League S-70 - Plotforma S-70: 2018 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 ,

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, , Mikhail Ragozin , Decision (unanimous) , RCC 2: Battles in the Cage , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk; , is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, seventh-largest city in Russia, with a population ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–9–1 , Ivan Shtyrkov , Decision (unanimous) , RCC 1: Battles in the Cage , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 21–8–1 , Sergio Souza , DQ (punches after stoppage) , Magnum Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

Rome, Italy Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 20–8–1 , Sebastien Huot Marchand , TKO (arm injury) , ADW: Road to Abu Dhabi 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:12 ,

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 19–8–1 , Denis Stojnic , TKO (punches) , HIT Fighting Championship 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:36 ,

Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (; ) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The urban area was home to 1.45 ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 19–7–1 , Ramis Teregulov , KO (punch) , World Warriors Fighting Championship: CE 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 , Paris, France , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 127 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6–1 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:34 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located 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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5–1 , Attila Végh , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 91 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho () is the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is the thi ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–4–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 55 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Bellator 45 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Bellator 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 , Concho, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3–1 , Chris Davis , TKO (punches) , Bellator 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:34 ,

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 U ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3–1 , Yoshiyuki Nakanishi , Decision (split) , Deep: 47 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2–1 ,

Yuji Sakuragi is a Japanese mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and professional wrestler, currently associated with Real Japan Pro Wrestling (RJPW)'s team Seikendo. He is known for his Kyokushin Karate background and his ability to score KO wins. In MMA, he c ...

, TKO (punches) , Deep: 46 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2–1 , Hideto Tatsumi , TKO (punches) , M-1 Challenge 18: Netherlands Day One , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:53 ,

Hilversum Hilversum () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2–1 , Krzysztof Kulak , Decision (unanimous) , Multi Boxes: 1er Gala International , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Paris, France , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2–1 , Enoc Solves Torres , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Challenge 14: Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 11–2–1 , Leonardo Nascimento Lucio , Draw , 100% fight 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Paris, France , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Marcus Vanttinen , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Challenge 10: Finland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 , Jan Błachowicz , Submission (armbar) , KSW Extra , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:12 ,

Dąbrowa Górnicza Dąbrowa Górnicza () is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, southern Poland, near Katowice and Sosnowiec. It is located in eastern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, on the Czarna Przemsza and Biała Przemsza rivers (tributaries of the Vistula Rive ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Barry Guerin , TKO (punches) , M-1 Challenge 5: Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:32 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Fabio Fernandes , Decision (unanimous) , Fite Selektor , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Dubai City, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Denis Sobolev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Star of Peresvit , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, Submission (D'arce choke) , Star of Peresvit , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Aleksey Gonchar , Decision , Star of Peresvit , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Sergey Mukhamedshin , Submission (guillotine choke) , M-1 MFC: International Mix Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Vladimir Shemarov , Decision , Fire of Persevit , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Valdas Pocevicius , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fire of Persevit , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Denis Bublov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fire of Persevit , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dramane Traore , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xtreme Gladiators 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:40 , Paris, France , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Kuljit Degun , KO (punches) , UKMMAC 7: Rage & Fury , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:32 ,

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, England ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:M'pumbu, Christian Living people 1977 births Democratic Republic of the Congo male mixed martial artists Black French sportspeople French male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Democratic Republic of the Congo savateurs Democratic Republic of the Congo practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu French savateurs French practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Kinshasa Sportspeople from Grand Est Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to France Bellator MMA champions Mixed martial artists utilizing savate Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu