Tristan Connelly[1] (born December 12, 1985) is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter who formerly competed in the featherweight division of the UFC[2] and had previously won the Cage Sports Lightweight Championship,[3] Unified MMA Lightweight Championship,[4] as well as the Rise FC Lightweight Championship.[5]

Tristan Connelly
BornTristan Connelly[1]
(1985-12-12) December 12, 1985 (age 38)
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Other namesBoondock
ResidenceVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
DivisionFeatherweight (2011, 2015, 2021–present)
Lightweight (2010–2011, 2012–2019)
Welterweight (2019)
Middleweight (2013)
Reach68 in (173 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
TeamCheckmat Vancouver
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins14
By knockout4
By submission9
By decision1
Losses9
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision7
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background edit

Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Connelly began competing in mixed martial arts in 2010.[6] He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Adam Ryan. Connelly runs a gym, called Pinnacle Combat Academy, in suburban Richmond.[7]

Connelly spent much of his childhood skateboarding and playing hockey, which he credits with preparing him to take hard hits. After taking a BJJ class, Connelly fell in love with the sport and the wider world of mixed martial arts.[8]

Mixed martial arts career edit

Early career edit

Connelly competed in smaller promotions, earning himself a record of 13–6. During that span, he managed to capture lightweight championships in three different promotions: Rise FC, CageSport, Unified MMA.[9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship edit

Replacing Sergey Khandozhko on 5 days notice, Connelly made his promotional debut on September 14, 2019, against Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night 158.[10] At the weigh-ins, Pereira missed weight by a pound and forfeited 20 percent of his purse to Connelly.[11] Despite a flashy start from Pereira he quickly gassed allowing Connelly to dominate the remainder of the fight and winning via unanimous decision.[12] The bout was awarded a Fight of the Night bonus, but due to Pereira's weight miss, his bonus was forfeited to Connelly.[13]

Connelly was scheduled to make his sophomore appearance in the organization against Alex da Silva Coelho on April 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris.[14] However, the event was initially rescheduled and eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bout was scrapped.[15]

Connelly spent the next year on the sidelines recovering from a disc injury in his neck that he acquired in a car crash in 2019 before his UFC debut.[16]

In his sophomore appearance in the UFC, Connelly faced Pat Sabatini at UFC 261 on April 24, 2021.[17] He lost the fight via unanimous decision after being knocked down early in the fight.[18]

Connelly was then scheduled to face Makwan Amirkhani on October 30, 2021 at UFC 267.[19] However, Connelly withdrew in early September due to a neck injury and was replaced by Lerone Murphy.[20][21]

Connelly faced Darren Elkins on April 30, 2022 at UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera.[22] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[23]

On June 9, 2022 it was announced that Connelly was released from the UFC.[24]

Post UFC edit

Connelly faced Xavier Nash on October 12, 2022 at BFL 74. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[25]

Championships and accomplishments edit

Mixed martial arts record edit

Professional record breakdown
23 matches 14 wins 9 losses
By knockout 4 1
By submission 9 1
By decision 1 7
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 14–9 Xavier Nash Decision (unanimous) BFL 74 October 12, 2022 3 5:00 Vancouver, Canada Return to Lightweight.
Loss 14–8 Darren Elkins Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera April 30, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 14–7 Pat Sabatini Decision (unanimous) UFC 261 April 24, 2021 3 5:00 Jacksonville, Florida, United States Return to Featherweight.
Win 14–6 Michel Pereira Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje September 14, 2019 3 5:00 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Welterweight bout; Pereira missed weight (172 lb). Fight of the Night.
Win 13–6 D'Juan Owens TKO (punches) Rise FC 4 July 27, 2019 5 1:56 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Won the Rise FC Lightweight Championship.
Win 12–6 Zach Juusola Submission (guillotine) Final Fight Championship 36 May 9, 2019 1 2:46 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win 11–6 Tyrone Henderson TKO (retirement) CageSport 54 December 15, 2018 1 5:00 Tacoma, Washington, United States Defended the CS Lightweight Championship.
Win 10–6 Joey Pierotti Submission (armbar) CageSport 50 April 28, 2018 4 1:06 Tacoma, Washington, United States Won the CS Lightweight Championship.
Loss 9–6 Shane Campbell Submission (kneebar) Unified MMA 31 June 9, 2017 3 4:54 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Lost the Unified MMA Lightweight Championship.
Win 9–5 Lenny Wheeler Submission (rear naked choke) Elite 1 MMA May 6, 2017 3 3:47 Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Win 8–5 Garret Nybakken Submission (rear naked choke) Unified MMA 30 March 31, 2017 3 2:47 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Won the Unified MMA Lightweight Championship.
Win 7–5 Adam Assenza Submission (rear naked choke) Fight Night 2 November 28, 2016 2 1:11 Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Win 6–5 Ash Mashreghi TKO (punches) BFL 45 Ascension September 17, 2016 1 1:24 Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
Loss 5–5 Mario Pereira Decision (unanimous) BFL 39: Halloween Hell October 17, 2015 3 5:00 Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada Featherweight bout.
Win 5–4 Shawn Albrecht TKO (punches) BFL 37: Gladiator July 25, 2015 1 4:21 Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada Return to Lightweight.
Win 4–4 Jonathan Dubois Submission (rear naked choke) AFC 18: Mayhem May 19, 2013 1 2:48 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Middleweight debut.
Loss 3–4 Myles Merola Decision (unanimous) AFC 13: Natural Selection November 3, 2012 3 5:00 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Win 3–3 Corey Houston Submission (rear naked choke) AFC 11: Takeover September 15, 2012 1 4:47 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Return to Lightweight.
Loss 2–3 Matt Trudeau TKO (shoulder injury) Armageddon FC 7 November 19, 2011 1 5:00 Colwood, British Columbia, Canada Featherweight bout.
Win 2–2 Upneet Rai Submission (rear naked choke) Armageddon FC 6 June 18, 2011 1 2:30 Colwood, British Columbia, Canada Catchweight (150 lb) bout.
Loss 1–2 Dan Ring Decision (unanimous) Armageddon FC 4 November 6, 2010 3 5:00 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lightweight bout.
Loss 1–1 Takahiro Kajita Decision (unanimous) Deep: Cage Impact in Nagoya July 11, 2010 2 5:00 Nagoya, Japan
Win 1-0 Jimmy Phan Submission (rear naked choke) Armageddon FC March 6, 2010 1 2:26 Colwood, British Columbia, Canada

[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Kickboxing * Mixed martial arts show results Date: May 9, 2019
  2. ^ UFC.com. "TRISTAN CONNELLY KNOWS HE DESERVES TO BE HERE". UFC. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  3. ^ Tapology.com. "Cage sports 54 Championship bout". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  4. ^ Tapology.com. "Tristan Connelly fights for Unified MMA lightweight championship". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  5. ^ Sportsnet.ca. "Tristan Connelly scores massive underdog win in UFC debut". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  6. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Tristan Connelly fighter bio". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  7. ^ Neil Davidson. "B.C. fighter Tristan Connelly returns to action at UFC 261 after extended layoff". Penticton Herald. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  8. ^ Joseph, Rohit. "How a Vancouver fighter beat Goliath in first UFC fight". CBC. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  9. ^ "Across The Pond Profile: UFC fighter Tristan Connelly | MMA UK". 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  10. ^ Alexander K. Lee (September 10, 2019). "Michel Pereira to fight short-notice replacement Tristan Connelly at UFC Vancouver". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  11. ^ "UFC on ESPN+ 16 weigh-in results: Cerrone, Gaethje official, but one fighter heavy". MMAjunkie.com. September 13, 2019.
  12. ^ Damon Martin (September 14, 2019). "UFC Vancouver results: Tristan Connelly pulls off stunning upset with unanimous decision over Michel Pereira". mmafighting.com.
  13. ^ a b Ryan Harkness (September 15, 2019). "Video: Tristan Connelly's reaction to $100,000 bonus after UFC Vancouver win is priceless". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  14. ^ Tristen Critchfield (January 20, 2020). "Tristan Connelly to Face Alex da Silva Coelho at UFC Event on April 11". Sherdog.
  15. ^ Nolan King and John Morgan (2020-03-15). "UFC postpones three events amid growing coronavirus outbreak". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  16. ^ "The Long Road Back For Tristan Connelly | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  17. ^ Mike Heck (April 5, 2021). "Tristan Connelly returns to face Pat Sabatini at UFC 261". mmafighting.com.
  18. ^ Jay Anderson (April 24, 2021). "UFC 261 Results: Pat Sabatini Takes Early Lead, Decision Over Tristan Connelly". cagesidepress.com.
  19. ^ Brand, Jeremy. "Tristan Connelly vs. Makwan Amirkhani Set for UFC 267". Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  20. ^ Farrah Hannoun (2021-09-07). "Tristan Connelly out of UFC 267 fight against Makwan Amirkhani". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  21. ^ "With Tristan Connelly out, Lerone Murphy steps in to face Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 267". MMA Junkie. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  22. ^ "Darren Elkins vs. Tristan Connelly set for April 30 UFC event". MMA Fighting. 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  23. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-04-30). "UFC Vegas 53: Darren Elkins Wins Gruelling, Hard-Hitting Scrap with Tristan Connelly". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  24. ^ Simon, Zane (2022-06-09). "Tristan Connelly among latest batch of UFC roster cuts". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  25. ^ Brand, Jeremy (2022-10-12). "BFL 74 Results". MMA Sucka. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  26. ^ Simon Head (January 6, 2020). "MMA Junkie's 2019 'Upset of the Year': Tristan Connelly moves up, beats Michel Pereira on 5 days' notice". MMAjunkie.com.
  27. ^ Brian Knapp (January 3, 2020). "Sherdog's 2019 Upset of the Year". Sherdog.

External links edit