Virgil Zwicker, (born June 26, 1982), is an American 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 ...

currently competing in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division. A professional competitor since 2003, Zwicker has formerly competed for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

and KSW.

Background

Zwicker grew up on the San Pasqual Indian Reservation in North County, San Diego, to a father who was a truck driver and a mother who worked hard to support Zwicker and his 11 other siblings. Zwicker's older brother was a

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

boxer and aided Zwicker in his fighting career. Zwicker belongs to the Kumeyaay-Ipai tribe and grew up in a poverty stricken environment. There weren't a lot of opportunities for Zwicker to play organized sports growing up, but he was a star football player in

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his inn ...

, known as a smaller player who hit very hard. With little supervision on the reservation, by the age of eleven Zwicker was routinely fighting grown men. It was also when he was eleven years old that he was arrested for the first time, in 1994. The arrest was for assaulting his school's vice principal and from then until 2005, Zwicker spent most of his time in and out of

juvenile hall In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile dete ...

s and prisons for various offenses, including assaulting a police officer. After spending over four years in prison for this offense, he returned a year later for knocking a man's eye out in a fight. He attended Orange Glen High School in

Escondido, California Escondido (Spanish language, Spanish for "Hidden") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County (San Diego area), North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Zwicker's first fight came when he was released from being incarcerated and took the fight on two weeks' notice. He defeated Denis Hall in under a minute via TKO. He then racked up a 9–1 record, defeating notables such as future UFC and Strikeforce competitor Ovince St. Preux.

Strikeforce

Zwicker signed with Strikeforce and fought Lavar Johnson at Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker. However, Zwicker lost via first-round KO, after the two veterans exchanged wild punches. Zwicker next fought against Brett Albee at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. At Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier, Zwicker faced Guto Inocente. He lost the fight via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

KSW

Zwicker faced Mike Hayes on December 7, 2013 at KSW 25. He won the fight via KO in the first round.

Bellator MMA

Zwicker signed a mult-fight contract with Bellator, facing Nick Moghadden on September 13, 2013 at Bellator 99. He won the fight by TKO in round one. In his second fight for the promotion, Zwicker faced Linton Vassell at Bellator 122 on July 25, 2014. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Zwicker filled in for an injured James Thompson against UFC veteran

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 ...

on October 17, 2014 at Bellator 129. The fight ended in a majority draw as Alexander was docked a point for repeated illegal headbutting. A rematch with Alexander took place at Bellator 132 on January 16, 2015. Zwicker won the bout via split decision. Zwicker faced former UFC competitor Razak Al-Hassan at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Zwicker next faced Brian Rogers on December 4, 2015 at Bellator 147. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. Zwicker faced Dan Charles at Bellator 162 on October 21, 2016. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

World Fighting Championship Akhmat

Zwicker signed three-fight deal with Chechen promotion World Fighting Championship Akhmat. Zwicker made his debut for the organisation on May 21, 2017 in Grozny, Chechnya

Kickboxing

Zwicker debuted as a

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

kickboxer in the main event of ''WCK Muay Thai: Bad to the Bone'' in

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 ...

on April 6, 2013, losing to Sergio Piqué via

split decision A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split de ...

. He will rematch Piqué at ''WCK Muay Thai: Matter of Pride'' in Temecula, California, US on February 15, 2014.

Personal life

On Christmas Eve of 2013, Zwicker was stabbed in an attempted carjacking, but was able to fend off the three assailants attempting to take his car and was not wounded fatally. On July 10, 2019 Zwicker was arraigned on charges of sexual assault of a minor and plead not guilty. In all, Zwicker was charged with resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, illegal possession of a firearm, aggravated sexual assault on a minor and lewd acts on a child. It was reported by San Diego County police that Zwicker has been involved in 10 legal cases between 2003 and 2014.

Kickboxing record

, - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2016-01-09 , , Loss , , align=left, Xiu Pengcheng , , Kunlun Fight 36 , , Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, China , , KO , , 2 , , , , 0-2 , - , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2013-04-06 , , Loss , , align=left, Sergio Piqué , , WCK Muay Thai: Bad to the Bone , , Temecula, California, USA , , Decision (split) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 0-1 , - , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Championships and accomplishments

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation''), better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premier mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. Awards *Violent Money TV ** ...

** Fight of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, , Attila Végh , KO (punches) , Oktagon 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, Slovakia , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–8–1 , Alexander Romanov , Submission (neck crank) , S-70: Plotforma Cup 2018 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

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, 16–7–1 , Aleksander Emelianenko , TKO (punches) , World Fighting Championship Akhmat 44 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6–1 , Nikoley Rachek , KO (punches) , Plotforma S-70 8th , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6–1 , Zelimkhan Umiev , Submission (kimura) , World Fighting Championship Akhmat 38 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5–1 , Dan Charles , TKO (punches) , Bellator 162 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, United States , Return to

. , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5–1 , Brian Rogers , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Bellator 147 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:38 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4–1 , Razak Al-Hassan , KO (punch) , Bellator 137 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 ,

, United States , Catchweight bout of 206 lbs. , - , Win , align=center, 13–4–1 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 132 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 12–4–1 ,

, Draw (majority) , Bellator 129 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , Catchweight bout of 215 lbs. , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Linton Vassell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 122 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:07 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Mike Hayes , KO (punch) , KSW 25: Khalidov vs. Sakurai , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 , Wroclaw, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Nick Moghadden , TKO (punches) , Bellator 99 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 , Guto Inocente , Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , Return to

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

. , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Brett Albee , TKO (punches) , Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:46 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Lavar Johnson , KO (punches) , Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Eddie Sapp , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Native Fighting Championship 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 , Cody Goodale , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiator Challenge: Maximum Force , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , San Jacinto, California, United States , Return to

. , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Ovince Saint Preux , TKO (punches) , Top Combat Championship 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:46 ,

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debut. , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , William Richey , Decision (unanimous) , Called Out MMA 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Buckley Acosta , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Venom , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:59 , Pauma Valley, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Dave Diaz , Submission , GC 85: Cross Fire , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Abraham Ramirez , TKO (punches) , Apocalypse Fights 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ty Montgomery , TKO (punches) , Galaxy Productions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Tom Hubert , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Total Combat 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:54 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Denis Hall , TKO (punches) , CFF: Cobra Classic 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 , Anza, California, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zwicker, Virgil Living people 1982 births American male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists American male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers Native American sportspeople People of Kumeyaay descent Sportspeople from Temecula, California