Liam McGeary

Liam McGeary
Born 4 October 1982[1]
King's Lynn, Norfolk, England
Residence Toms River, New Jersey, United States
Nationality English
Height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Division Light Heavyweight
Reach 81.0 in (206 cm)
Fighting out of Toms River, New Jersey, United States
Team Renzo Gracie
Gracie Barra Jersey
American Kickboxing Academy
Rank Purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie
Years active 2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 10
Wins 10
By knockout 5
By submission 4
By decision 1
Losses 0
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Liam McGeary (born 4 October 1982) is an English professional mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division where he is the current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion.[1]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

McGeary began training in mixed martial arts in 2009, and held an amateur record of 1–1 before making his professional debut in 2010. He won the first two fights of his professional career via armbar submission and then picked up a knockout win before signing with Bellator MMA.[2]

Bellator MMA

In his Bellator debut, McGeary faced Anton Talamantes at Bellator 95 on 4 April 2013 and won via TKO at 78 seconds of the first round.[3]

In his next appearance for the organization at Bellator 100 on 20 September 2013, facing off against Beau Tribolet and won via knockout only 27 seconds into the fight.[4]

McGeary faced Najim Wali on 15 November 2013 at Bellator 108. He won via submission due to an armbar early in the first round.[5]

In the summer of 2014, McGeary was announced as a participant in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament. He faced Mike Mucitelli in the opening quarterfinals at Bellator 118 and won via knockout in the first round. Later, at Bellator 122, he faced Egidijus Valavicius in the semifinals, he won the fight by TKO in the first round. McGeary faced Kelly Anundson in the finals at Bellator 124 on 12 September 2014.[6] He won the fight via inverted triangle choke in the first round.[7]

McGeary faced Emanuel Newton for his Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship on 27 February 2015 at Bellator 134.[8] He won the fight via unanimous decision to become the new Bellator Light Heavyweight champion. During the course of the fight, McGeary attempted several submission attempts including nearly finishing Newton in the first and third rounds with a triangle choke. In all, he set the record (11) for the number of submission attempts in Bellator history.

In March 2015, McGeary signed a multi-fight and multi-year contract extension with the promotion.[9]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 10–0 Emanuel Newton Decision (unanimous) Bellator 134 27 February 2015 5 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Won the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship. Newton tested positive for marijuana metabolites in post-fight.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 9–0 Kelly Anundson Submission (inverted triangle choke) Bellator 124 12 September 2014 1 4:47 Plymouth Township, Michigan, United States 2014 Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament Final
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 8–0 Egidijus Valavicius TKO (knees & punches) Bellator 122 25 July 2014 1 2:10 Temecula, California, United States 2014 Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 7–0 Mike Mucitelli KO (punch) Bellator 118 2 May 2014 1 0:22 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States 2014 Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 6–0 Najim Wali Submission (armbar) Bellator 108 15 November 2013 1 1:31 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 5–0 Beau Tribolet KO (punch) Bellator 100 20 September 2013 1 0:27 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 4–0 Anton Talamantes TKO (elbow & punches) Bellator 95 4 April 2013 1 1:18 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3–0 Walter Howard KO (punch) Ring of Combat 41 15 June 2012 2 0:41 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States 202 lb catchweight bout.[10]
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–0 Shaun Lomas Submission (armbar) Island Rumble 3: Ballistic 15 October 2011 1 1:16 Fort Regent, Jersey
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–0 Grzegorz Janus Submission (armbar) Battle of Jersey 8 May 2010 3 4:45 Saint Helier, Jersey

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Fighter bio: Liam McGeary". Bellator.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Liam McGeary's website". Liammcgeary.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  3. ↑ Brian Knapp (4 April 2013). "Pat Curran chokes Shahbulat Shamhalaev unconscious, keeps featherweight crown at Bellator 95". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Brian Knapp (20 September 2013). "Douglas Lima head kick KOs Ben Saunders in tournament final at Bellator 100". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  5. ↑ Jason Floyd (15 November 2013). "Bellator 108 Prelim Results: DeBlass, Burrell, and McGeary walk away with victories". TheMMAreport.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "Emanuel Newton vs. Joey Beltran title fight headlines Bellator 124". mmafighting.com. 5 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Bellator MMA Best Moments: Top Submissions of 2014
  8. ↑ "Bellator 134 Fight Card". bellator.com.
  9. ↑ Marc Raimondi (March 16, 2015). "Liam McGeary signs multi-year, multi-fight extension with Bellator MMA". mmafighting.com.
  10. ↑ "Liam McGeary vs. Walter Howard: Ring of Combat 41". Tapology.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.

External sites