Ian Freeman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ian Freeman | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname | The Machine |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 205lbs (93 kg) |
| Born | November 10, 1966 |
| Fighting out of | Stanley, County Durham, England |
| Town of birth | Sunderland, England |
| Fighting style | Vale Tudo |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 8 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
Ian William "The Machine" Freeman (born November 10, 1966 in Sunderland, England) is an English mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights as a light heavyweight for Cage Rage. He is the reigning British Light Heavyweight champion. He is also the coach of the forthcoming British-based team in the International Fight League.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Martial arts background
Ian Freeman came into martial arts from boxing, in which he'd trained for around 10 years. Whilst working as a doorman, he ended up fighting with a man who was high on drugs and a friend mentioned that rather than punch him, he should have choked the man unconscious.[1] Curious as to what he could learn, he started training in Goshin Jujitsu for around six to eight months before competing in amateur vale tudo competition. In his early days, he trained periodically with names such as Marco Ruas and Renzo Gracie.[2]
[edit] Mixed martial arts career
After competing in amateur vale tudo, Ian Freeman turned pro in 1999, considered an early ambassador for the sport and given the nickname, "the Iron Ambassador". In early 2000, UFC approached Ian to fight at UFC 24, where he lost to Scott Adams. He fought two further times in UFC, winning both bouts. Pursuing other avenues, Ian's career seemed to hit the skids with four losses in a row, managing to bounce back with a submission win in a rematch with Stanislav Nuschik.
Ian's greatest triumph was arguably his win on home soil over Frank Mir at UFC 38. The heavy underdog, Ian Freeman lived up to his nickname as he systematically ground Mir down and broke his spirit, winning a first round stoppage in front of a British crowd. The match was bittersweet for Ian, having dedicated the match to his father who, unbeknownst to him, died the previous day of cancer. Victory saw Freeman with the chance to make his mark on the UFC heavyweight division but his next bout saw him stopped by Andrei Arlovski. A draw with Vernon White signalled the end of Freeman's second stint in UFC and saw him return to the fledgling UK MMA scene for which his win over Frank Mir had done so much.
Unfortunately, after one successful fight for the Cage Warriors promotion, Ian took a break from MMA, citing chronic fatigue syndrome and an intense training schedule which had caught up with him. He returned 11 months later to fight Ryan Robinson for the vacant Cage Rage Heavyweight title. Defeating Robinson inside one round with his now-customary ground and pound, Freeman vacated the title and announced he was dropping to Light Heavyweight.[3] In early 2005, Ian again appeared to ebb away from MMA, appearing as a referee in ITV's ill-fated Celebrity Wrestling gameshow, that was quickly relegated to Sunday mornings and subsequently cancelled.[4]
[edit] Retirement
Ian Freeman originally signed on to fight Forrest Griffin at UFC 55 - Fury but was involved in a riding accident, which saw him fall from his horse. As he had not competed in nearly 9 months, this confirmed his retirement from competitive MMA.[5] He later cited the return of chronic fatigue as a factor in his layoff and subsequent retirement. After a year-long layoff, he got back into training and regained his love of MMA. He approached Cage Rage and soon enough, he was offered his big comeback match to fight the Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight champion Melvin Manhoef at Cage Rage 17. Originally slated as a "superbout" at a catchweight of 96kg (211lbs), Manhoef asked for the fight to take place at the light heavyweight limit of 93kg (205lbs), which placed his World Light Heavyweight title on the line. After a career of being a small heavyweight, this would be Freeman's first match at light heavyweight.
[edit] Return to mixed martial arts
Unfortunately, The Machine's return to MMA ended in a quick, first-round KO loss, being knocked out by Melvin Manhoef in just 17 seconds. However, still being one of the best known mixed martial artists in Britain, he was granted a shot at British Light Heavyweight champion, Mark Epstein at Cage Rage 18 on September 30, 2006. Freeman overpowered Epstein with his ground-and-pound tactics, winning a unanimous decision and his second Cage Rage title.
On May 10, 2008, Ian fought Paul Cahoon for the British Cage Rage Light Heavyweight title. He won after three rounds with a unanimous decision.
[edit] Non-fighting career
Ian is the editor of the UK MMA magazine "Fighters Only"[6]. His autobiography, "Cage Fighter: The True Story of Ian 'The Machine' Freeman", was published in 2004 by Blake Publishing.
On November 1, 2006, it was announced that Ian will coach a British-based team that will participate in the International Fight League from 2008.[7]
In 2005, Ian was the referee on ITV's ill-fated Celebrity Wrestling gameshow. Freeman has also starred in the 2008 British action-comedy film Sucker Punch.[8]
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| 19 wins (7 KO/TKO's, 8 Submissions, 4 Decisions), 7 Losses, 1 Draw . | ||||||
| Date | Outcome | Opponent | Method | Event | Round, time | Notes |
| 10th May 2008 | Win | Paul Cahoon | Decision (Unanimous) | Cage Rage 26 | 3, 5:00 | Won the Cage Rage British Light Heavyweight Title |
| 30th September 2006 | Win | Mark Epstein | Decision (Unanimous) | Cage Rage 18 | 3, 5:00 | Won the Cage Rage British Light Heavyweight Title |
| 1st July 2006 | Loss | Melvin Manhoef | KO | Cage Rage 17 - Ultimate Challenge | 1, 0:17 | For the Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Title |
| 12th December 2004 | Win | Will Elworthy | TKO | House of Pain - Fight Night | 1 | |
| 27th September 2004 | Win | Ryan Robinson | TKO | Cage Rage 9 - No Mercy | 1, 3:21 | Wins Cage Rage Heavyweight Title but vacates title shortly afterwards, signalling his intention to drop to light heavyweight. |
| 2nd November 2003 | Win | Keith Dace | TKO | CWFC - Cage Warriors 5 | 1, 0:47 | |
| 6th June 2003 | Draw | Vernon White | Split Draw | UFC 43 - Meltdown | 3, 5:00 | Scorecards: 30-27, 28-29, 29-29 |
| 22nd February 2003 | Win | Gerhard Ettl | Submission (Armbar) | Free Fight Association Austria - Fight Night Championships 4 | 2, 1:40 | |
| 22nd November 2002 | Loss | Andrei Arlovski | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 40 - Vendetta | 1, 1:25 | |
| 13th July 2002 | Win | Frank Mir | TKO | UFC 38 - Brawl at the Hall | 1, 4:35 | |
| 17th July 2001 | Win | Carlos Barreto | Decision (Unanimous) | Hook N Shoot - Kings 1 | 3, 5:00 | |
| 14th July 2001 | Win | Stanislav Nuschik | Submission (Front Choke) | Free Fight Association Austria - Fight Night Championship 3 | 1, 1:57 | |
| 27th April 2001 | Loss | Stanislav Nuschik | KO | MFC - Russia vs the World 1 | 1, 0:20 | |
| 18th March 2001 | Loss | Valentijn Overeem | Submission (Knees) | 2 Hot 2 Handle: Simply The Best | 1, 1:42 | |
| 4th February 2001 | Loss | Osami Shibuya | Submission (Rib Injury) | Pancrase - Proof 1 | 1, 3:51 | |
| 12th December 2000 | Loss | Bob Schrijber | TKO | It's Showtime - Christmas Edition | ||
| 22nd September 2000 | Win | Tedd Williams | Decision | UFC 27 - Ultimate Bad Boyz | 3, 5:00 | |
| 23rd July 2000 | Win | Bob Stines | KO (Punch) | Pancrase - 2000 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1 | 1, 2:38 | |
| 9th June 2000 | Win | Nate Schroeder | Submission (Strikes) | UFC 26 - Ultimate Field of Dreams | 2 | |
| 10th March 2000 | Loss | Scott Adams | Submission (Heel Hook) | UFC 24 - First Defense | 1, 3:09 | |
| 5th December 1999 | Win | Travis Fulton | TKO (didn't answer the bell) | Millennium Brawl 1 - The Beginning | 3, 0:00 | |
| 3rd October 1999 | Win | Dave Shortby | TKO | Total Fight KRG 5 | 1, 2:02 | |
| 28th August 1999 | Win | Mark Lamborn | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | British Vale Tudo | 1, 0:55 | |
| 28th August 1999 | Win | Keith Dace | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | British Vale Tudo | 1, 0:46 | |
| 27th June 1999 | Win | Kemal Lock | Submission (Ankle Lock) | British Grand Prix '99 | 1, 3:55 | |
| 27th June 1999 | Win | Scotty Smith | TKO | British Grand Prix '99 | 1, 0:09 | |
| 27th June 1999 | Win | Tony Bailey | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | British Grand Prix '99 | 1, 1:32 | |
[edit] References
- ^ "IAN FREEMAN - The Machine’s Fired Up for Cage Rage 17", www.knucklepit.com Retrieved November 4, 2006
- ^ "Interview with Ian 'The Machine' Freeman", SFUK Retrieved November 4, 2006
- ^ "Cage Rage 9 Report", cagerage.tv Retrieved November 4, 2006
- ^ "ITV to drop Celebrity Wrestling", BBC News Retrieved October 23, 2006
- ^ "The Pit Report: UFC Creeps Into the Mainstream", insidefights.insidepulse.com Retrieved November 4, 2006
- ^ Contact Us. Figters Only Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-11-06.
- ^ IFL Names Heavyweight Champion Ian Freeman As Coach Of British Team For 2008. International Fighting League (IFL). Retrieved on 2006-11-06.
- ^ Sucker Punch. Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
