James McSweeney

James McSweeney
Born James Adam McSweeney
24 October 1980
London, England
Other names The Sledgehammer
Nationality English
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight 206 lb (93 kg; 14.7 st)
Division Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach 77.0 in (196 cm)
Fighting out of Denver, Colorado, United States
Team Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu
Burning Heart Dojo (2013-present) , Tiger Muaythai
Trainer Robert Drysdale
Rodney Glunder (2013-present)
Years active 2005-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 26
Wins 14
By knockout 9
By submission 5
Losses 12
By knockout 7
By submission 4
By decision 1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: 23 July 2011

James Adam McSweeney (born 24 October 1980) is an English mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. A professional competitor since 2005, McSweeney is perhaps best known for being a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, but has also competed in British promotions such as Cage Rage and BAMMA.

Background

Born in London, England, McSweeney started kickboxing when he was six years old. At 15, he left school and moved to Thailand to train full-time in Muay Thai. An accomplished kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, McSweeney won numerous titles.

In 2006, McSweeney transitioned to mixed martial arts and moved in with The Ultimate Fighter coach Rashad Evans. The two quickly struck up a bond after McSweeney helped prepare Evans for his bout against Forrest Griffin in December 2008. While training for his fight against Travis Browne, McSweeney switched his camp from Jackson's Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, New Mexico to the Grudge Training Centre in Denver, Colorado to train full-time along with fellow UFC competitors Shane Carwin, Brendan Schaub and Nate Marquardt. McSweeney recently moved out of the Grudge Training Centre to return to the tutelage of European Muay Thai legend Lucien Carbin and to open up his own gym Sledgehammer MMA in Kent, England.

The Ultimate Fighter

McSweeney was on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights fighting alongside Team Rashad. McSweeney was the first overall pick and fought on the second episode of the show against Wes Shivers defeating him via majority decision. McSweeney moved on to the next round of the tournament, fighting teammate, Matt Mitrione. McSweeney won via guillotine choke in the first round. In the semi-finals, McSweeney lost against former IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson via TKO after getting caught in the crucifix position.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

McSweeney was given another chance by the UFC despite losing on The Ultimate Fighter. He fought Darrill Schoonover on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale card in Las Vegas, Nevada on 5 December winning by TKO in the third round.

McSweeney made his second appearance for the UFC on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale preliminary card, fighting against undefeated newcomer Travis Browne. The fight ended in a TKO victory for Browne due to punches at 4:32 of the first round. McSweeney claims he was hit with illegal elbows and briefly tried to appeal the loss.[1] McSweeney later decided against the appeal to focus on his next fight instead.[2]

McSweeney was to drop to the Light Heavyweight division at UFC 120 to fight Tom Blackledge.[3] However, McSweeney would instead face Fábio Maldonado after Blackledge was forced to pull out of the bout.[4] McSweeney lost the bout in the third round via TKO due to punches.

As of 20 January 2011, conversations over McSweeney's Twitter account were strongly indicative that he is no longer a part of the UFC.[5]

Independent Promotions

McSweeney has gone 10-6 since his release from the UFC.

McSweeney lost a unanimous decision to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez at BAMMA 5: Daley vs Shirai on 26 February 2011. He then had a further loss to submissions ace Francisco France in April 2011 at a Crowbar MMA event.[6] Fighting on 22 July 2011, Mcsweeney defeated Lee Mein by TKO (Punches) in the 1st round.[7] On 20 August 2011, McSweeney defeated Sam Brown by Submission (armbar) in the 1st round.

McSweeney faced former MFC Light Heavyweight Champion Emanuel Newton at Superior Cage Combat 3.[8] He lost by submission in the first round.

McSweeney faced fellow UFC veteran Paul Buentello in a Light Heavyweight bout on 23 August 2013 at Legacy Fighting Championship 22.[9] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Since then, he has won his last two fights, one by submission and one by KO.

ONE Championship

In 2014, McSweeney signed with the Asian promotion ONE Championship. He faced Chris Lokteff in his debut at ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Heroes in May and won via KO due to a flying knee in round 1.

In his second fight for the promotion, McSweeney faced Cristiano Kaminishi at ONE FC: Reign of Champions in August. He again won the fight via KO in the first round.

For his third fight with the promotion, McSweeney faced Roger Gracie at ONE FC 23: Warrior's Way in December.[10] He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record

Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw/No contest

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 14–12 Roger Gracie TKO (front kick to the body & punches) ONE FC 23: Warrior's Way December 5, 2014 3 3:15 Pasay City, Philippines
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 14–11 Cristiano Kaminishi KO (punch & soccer kick) ONE FC: Reign of Champions August 29, 2014 1 1:17 Dubai, UAE
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 13–11 Chris Lokteff KO (flying knee) ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Heroes May 2, 2014 1 3:04 Pasay City, Philippines
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 12–11 Stefan Traunmuller Submission (armbar) FFC09: McSweeney vs. Traunmuller November 15, 2013 1 0:35 Ljubljana, Slovenia Return to Heavyweight
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 11–11 Paul Buentello TKO (body punches) Legacy FC 22 August 23, 2013 2 2:44 Lubbock, Texas, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 11–10 Dion Staring TKO (head kick & punches) CFA 10: McSweeney vs. Staring March 2, 2013 1 0:38 Coral Gables, Florida, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10–10 Matti Mäkelä TKO (punches) Superior Challenge 8 October 6, 2012 2 0:00 Malmö, Sweden
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 10–9 Jeff King Submission (rear-naked choke) Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 7 June 23, 2012 1 2:30 Melbourne, Australia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 9–9 Kym Robinson TKO (punches & elbows) Shamrock Events Night of Mayhem 4 April 14, 2012 1 3:03 Dandenong, Victoria, Australia Return to Light Heavyweight
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 8–9 Felis Leniu Submission (rear-naked choke) Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 6 March 17, 2012 1 0:00 Keysborough, Victoria, Australia Heavyweight bout
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 7–9 Doug Viney Submission (rear-naked choke) Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 5 December 10, 2011 1 2:30 Keysborough, Victoria, Australia
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 6–9 Emanuel Newton Submission (rear-naked choke) Superior Cage Combat 3 November 4, 2011 1 1:45 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 6–8 Sam Brown Submission (armbar) Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 4 August 20, 2011 1 2:25 Melbourne, Australia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 5–8 Lee Mein TKO (punches) Bully's Fight Night 2 July 22, 2011 1 2:01 Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4–8 Francisco France Submission (kimura) Crowbar MMA Spring Brawl 2011 April 29, 2011 1 1:35 Fargo, North Dakota, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4–7 Ricco Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) BAMMA 5 February 26, 2011 3 5:00 Manchester, England 215 pound catchweight bout
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4–6 Fábio Maldonado TKO (punches) UFC 120 October 16, 2010 3 0:48 London, England Light Heavyweight debut
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4–5 Travis Browne TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale June 19, 2010 1 4:32 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 4–4 Darrill Schoonover TKO (punches & knees) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale December 5, 2009 3 3:20 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 3–4 Ricardo Romero Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring of Combat 24 April 17, 2009 1 2:27 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 3–3 Neil Grove KO (punches) Ultimate Challenge UK: Bad Breed December 6, 2008 2 1:38 London, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3–2 Roman Webber KO (knee) Cage Rage 28 September 20, 2008 1 0:10 London, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–2 Chris Cooper TKO (punches) FX3: Fight Night 9 September 13, 2008 1 3:09 Reading, Berkshire, England
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1–2 Mostapha al-Turk TKO (punches) Cage Rage 27 July 12, 2008 1 2:06 London, England For the Cage Rage British HW title
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1–1 Robert Paczków Submission (smother choke) Cage Rage 24 December 1, 2007 1 2:09 London, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–0 Mark Buchanan TKO (punches) Cage Rage 22 July 14, 2007 1 1:30 London, England

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 2–1 Roy Nelson TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 1 4:13 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Semi-finals
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–0 Matt Mitrione Submission (guillotine choke) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 1 3:38 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Quarter-finals
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–0 Wes Shivers Decision (majority) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 2 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Preliminary bout

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hui, Ray (2010-06-21). "James McSweeney to Appeal TUF 11 Finale Loss to Travis Browne". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  2. ↑ Marrocco, Steven (2010-07-12). "James McSweeney decides against NSAC appeal, will focus on UFC 120 fight". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  3. ↑ "James McSweeney Dropping to Light Heavyweight vs. Newcomer Tom Blackledge at UFC 120". MMAFrenzy.com. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  4. ↑ "Fabio Maldonado In Against James McSweeney on UFC 120 Prelims". MMAFrenzy.com. 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  5. ↑ "James McSweeney (@mcsweeneymma) op Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  6. ↑ Scrawled by MMAmadman (2011-04-30). "CROWBAR MMA: SPRING BRAWL 2 RESULTS: Kiko France Submits James McSweeney in Fargo, Honchak and Maxwell Win - 4/29/11 | MMAmadman - UFC News MMA Blog Fight Rumors Odds Rankings Results Videos Strikeforce Bellator". MMAmadman. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  7. ↑ "Bully's Fight Night II Play-by-Play | Top MMA News at". Topmmanews.com. 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  8. ↑ "SCC returns to Las Vegas on Nov 4th with 11 pro MMA bouts". Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "James McSweeney Replaces Marcus Sursa, Faces Paul Buentello In Legacy FC 22 Main Event". sherdog.com. 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  10. ↑ "Roger Gracie returns to light heavyweight, meets James McSweeney at One FC 23". mmafighting.com. 3 November 2014.

External links