Dave Strasser

Dave Strasser (born July 13, 1969) is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He competes in the Welterweight division.

Mixed martial arts career

Strasser's second professional fight was a no-rules bout against a fighter making his professional debut, Travis Fulton.^[1] Strasser subdued the inexperienced Fulton with a choke hold from behind.^[1] Fulton would go on to become one of the most prolific fighters in mixed martial arts history, with almost 250 recorded professional decisions as of January 2010.

At UFC 42, Strasser fought a welterweight bout against Romie Aram.^[2] Aram had been undefeated before the fight, and was being groomed by the UFC for a possible title shot against Matt Hughes.^[3] As such, Aram came into the fight as the favorite.^[3] In the first round, Strasser was immediately dropped by a punch to the head, but he successfully pulled guard, and the referee stood the fighters up.^[2] Strasser scored a takedown later in the round, delivering punches and elbows from the top position.^[2] Strasser controlled the second round with standup striking, though Aram remained competitive.^[2] The fighters remained on their feet in the third round, with Aram delivering more powerful punches but Strasser displaying better precision.^[2] Strasser's blows in this round made Aram's nose bleed.^[2] All three judges scored the fight for Strasser, and he won by unanimous decision.^[2]

Strasser fought again in the UFC at UFC 44.^[4] In the welterweight match, his opponent was judo practitioner Karo Parisyan, who was making his debut in the UFC.^[4] Parisyan's status as a student of notable judokas Gene LeBell and Gokor Chivchyan increased fan interest in the bout,^[4] but the 21-year-old was still seen as a significant underdog.^[5] When the fight started, Strasser attempted to stay on his feet and exchange punches.^[4] Parisyan, however, performed a judo throw, which put Strasser on the ground and placed him in position for a kimura armlock, which Parisyan duly applied.^[5] As a result of the hold, Strasser submitted at 3:52 of the first round.^[4] This fight was notable, as judokas had not enjoyed many prior successes in MMA competitions, and Parisyan's win helped to establish judo as a viable martial arts style in MMA.^[5]

Strasser has also worked as a mixed martial arts trainer and promoter. He runs a gym, Dave Strasser's Freestyle Academy, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.^[6] Nick Thompson^[7] and Jameel Massouh^[8] are among the fighters who have trained with Strasser.

Mixed martial arts record

External links

• Professional MMA record for Dave Strasser from Sherdog

References

1. ^ ^{a b} McCauley, Bob. "Travis Fulton - on the road to the top", Martial Arts magazine, November 1, 1999.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Plott, J. Michael. "Xtreme Fighting: UFC 42: Sudden Impact", Black Belt magazine, August 2003, pp. 54-55.
3. ^ ^{a b} Meltzer, Dave. "UFC 42: Wrestler vs. wrestler", Yahoo! Sports, May 14, 2009.
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} Plott, J. Michael. "Xtreme Fighting: Couture Spanks Ortiz at UFC 44", Black Belt magazine, January 2004, pp. 52 & 94.
5. ^ ^{a b c} Fogan, Sara. "Judo Stylist Triumphs at UFC 44", Black Belt magazine, April 2004, p. 118.
6. ^ Cole, David. "Ready to rumble `Ultimate fighting,' described by some as barbaric, will brawl in Kenosha", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 19, 1999.
7. ^ "20 questions for... NICK THOMPSON", mmaranks.com interview, published February 27, 2006.
8. ^ Knapp, Brian. "Torres retains title in all-out slugfest", ESPN.com, published April 6, 2009.