Ross Pearson

Ross Pearson
Born 26 September 1984
Sunderland, England
Other names The Real Deal
Nationality English
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Division Featherweight (2011–2012)
Lightweight (2004-2011, 2012-present)
Reach 69.0 in (175 cm)[1]
Fighting out of Sunderland, England
Team The Alliance
Rank      Black belt in Tae Kwon Do[2]
     Brown belt in Judo[2]
     Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]
Years active 2004 – present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 26
Wins 17
By knockout 7
By submission 5
By decision 5
Losses 8
By knockout 3
By submission 2
By decision 3
No contests 1
Other information
Website http://www.rosspearson.net/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: 1 April 2010

Ross Pearson (born 26 September 1984) is an English mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2004, Pearson is perhaps most notable as the Lightweight division winner of The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom and as one of the head coaches on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes.

Background

Pearson, born and raised in Sunderland, England, began training in Tae Kwon Do at the age of six, before adding judo and boxing to his repertoire in high-school. Pearson later began training in mixed martial arts at the age of 17 and also attended Carilion Craft Training in Sunderland, to become a bricklayer.[4][5]

The Ultimate Fighter

Pearson appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom. He defeated A.J. Wenn by knockout in an elimination match earning him a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada to compete on the show. Pearson inarguably controlled the first round against Wenn, leading Dana White and other observers of the fight at ringside to predict that Wenn wouldn't come out of his corner for the second round. Pearson finished the fight early in the second round. Pearson had his second fight against Team United States fighter Richie Whitson. Pearson defeated Whitson via a first round armbar.

Pearson won his semi-final fight against Jason Dent via unanimous decision. The win put Pearson into the finals against his teammate Andre Winner.

Pearson had a professional record of 8–3 when he entered The Ultimate Fighter house. One of those losses was a decision loss to Abdul Mohammed on the now-defunct Cage Gladiators show in Liverpool. The decision was extremely controversial and Pearson's managers openly accused the promotion's judges of being biased towards Mohammed, who was fighting out of the Wolfslair Academy and was thus the hometown fighter. The promoter's decision to remove the fight from a subsequent television broadcast of the event it took place on was also seen as a suspicious act. Pearson's camp refused to allow any more of their fighters to compete on Cage Gladiators events.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pearson fought Andre Winner on 20 June at the The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pearson won the fight by unanimous decision (29–28 on all cards), along with the six figure contract.

At UFC 105, Pearson had his next UFC fight against veteran Aaron Riley. Pearson controlled the fight, and never looked troubled by the offense of Riley and was able to demonstrate varied strikes throughout the fight. After the fight was paused in the second round following a flying knee to the head of Riley; doctors viewed the cuts on Riley's face and came to the conclusion that he was unable to continue.

Pearson defeated kickboxer Dennis Siver by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) on 31 March 2010 at UFC Fight Night 21.[7] The bout was entertaining all three rounds with both fighters showing interesting stand-up skills. The bout received Fight of the Night honours, giving both fighters an extra $30,000.

Pearson was submitted by Cole Miller via second-round rear-naked choke on 15 September 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22.[8]

Pearson faced Spencer Fisher on 27 February 2011 at UFC 127.[9] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[10]

Pearson was defeated by Brazilian Edson Barboza via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) at UFC 134 in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors.[11]

For his next fight, Pearson dropped to Featherweight and faced Junior Assunção on 30 December 2011 at UFC 141.[12]Pearson defeated Assunção via unanimous decision.

Pearson was briefly linked to a rematch with Dennis Siver on 14 April 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 2.[13] However, it was confirmed the bout will not happen at the event.[14]

Pearson faced Cub Swanson on 22 June 2012 at UFC on FX 4.[15] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

In July 2012 Pearson was confirmed as the Team UK coach for The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Pearson faced George Sotiropoulos in a Lightweight bout on 15 December 2012 at UFC on FX 6.[16] He won the fight via TKO in the third round.

Pearson next faced Ryan Couture on 6 April 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 9.[17] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Pearson faced Melvin Guillard on 26 October 2013 at UFC Fight Night 30.[18] The fight ended in a no contest when Pearson was deemed unable to continue after being cut on the forehead by an accidental illegal knee.[19]

A rematch with Guillard was expected to take place on 8 March 2014 at UFC Fight Night 37. However, Pearson pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by Michael Johnson.[20]

Pearson faced Diego Sanchez on 7 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42.[21] Despite seemingly controlling the action over the bout's duration, Pearson lost the fight via split decision.[22] 13 of 14 media scorecards had the bout 30-27 Pearson, while the 14th had Pearson winning 29-28.[23] As a result, Pearson filed an appeal with the New Mexico Athletic Commission, "in hopes the decision is overturned, at the very least to a no-contest."[24] The official decision was ultimately upheld.[25] Despite an official loss on the scorecards, UFC president Dana White indicated that the organization has ruled out the possibility of an immediate rematch and said that they will informally treat it as a win for Pearson and that he would be compensated that way.[26]

Pearson was expected to face Abel Trujillo on 16 August 2014 at UFC Fight Night 47.[27] However, on 4 August, Trujillo pulled out of the Pearson bout and was replaced by Gray Maynard.[28] He won the fight by TKO in the second round. After a close first round, Early in the second round Pearson tagged Maynard with nice combinations and dropped him with Maynard not intelligently defending himself and then ref Keith Peterson stepped in to stop the fight.

Pearson faced Al Iaquinta on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 55.[29] Despite being the odds-on-favorite, Pearson lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Pearson faced Sam Stout on 14 March 2015 at UFC 185.[30] Pearson won the fight via knockout in the second round dropping Stout with a left hook and finishing him with a right hand on the ground.[31] Subsequently, Pearson won a Performance of the Night bonus.[32]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

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 17–8 (1) Sam Stout KO (punches) UFC 185 14 March 2015 2 1:33 Dallas, Texas, United States Performance of the Night.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 16–8 (1) Al Iaquinta TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping 8 November 2014 2 1:39 Sydney, Australia
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 16–7 (1) Gray Maynard TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St. Preux 16 August 2014 2 1:35 Bangor, Maine, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 15–7 (1) Diego Sanchez Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov 7 June 2014 3 5:00 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
style="background-color: #c5d2ea; text-align:center" |NC 15–6 (1) Melvin Guillard NC (illegal knee) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz 26 October 2013 1 1:57 Manchester, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 15–6 Ryan Couture TKO (punches) UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi 6 April 2013 2 3:45 Stockholm, Sweden
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 14–6 George Sotiropoulos TKO (punches) UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson 15 December 2012 3 0:41 Gold Coast, Australia Return to Lightweight
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 13–6 Cub Swanson TKO (punches) UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida 22 June 2012 2 4:14 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 13–5 Junior Assunção Decision (unanimous) UFC 141 30 December 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Featherweight debut
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 12–5 Edson Barboza Decision (split) UFC 134 27 August 2011 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Fight of the Night
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 12–4 Spencer Fisher Decision (unanimous) UFC 127 27 February 2011 3 5:00 Sydney, Australia
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 11–4 Cole Miller Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares 15 September 2010 2 1:49 Austin, Texas, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 11–3 Dennis Siver Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi 31 March 2010 3 5:00 Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Fight of the Night
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 10–3 Aaron Riley TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 105 14 November 2009 2 4:38 Manchester, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 9–3 Andre Winner Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale 20 June 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won The Ultimate Fighter 9
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 8–3 Ian Jones Submission (rear-naked choke) Ultimate Force: Nemesis 1 November 2008 1 3:33 Doncaster, England
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 7–3 Abdul Mohamed Decision (unanimous) Cage Gladiators 9: Beatdown 4 October 2008 3 5:00 Liverpool, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 7–2 Cedric Celerier Submission (punches) MMA Total Combat 24 31 May 2008 1 2:35 London, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 6–2 Aidan Marron Submission (armbar) Ultimate Force: Punishment 3 May 2008 3 4:34 Doncaster, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 5–2 Sami Berik Submission (triangle choke) Strike and Submit 6 13 April 2008 1 0:37 Gateshead, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 4–2 Mark Spencer TKO (punches) MMA Total Combat 23 23 February 2008 1 3:44 Cornwall, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3–2 Steve Tetley Submission (armbar) CWFC: Enter The Rough House 5 8 December 2007 1 4:46 Nottingham, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–2 Gavin Bradley KO (punch) MMA Total Combat 22 24 November 2007 1 2:05 Cornwall, England
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1–2 Nicolas Lipari TKO (doctor stoppage) MMA Total Combat 21 22 September 2007 1 5:00 Cornwall, England
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–1 Will Burke Decision MMA Total Combat 21 22 September 2007 3 5:00 Cornwall, England
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 0–1 Chris Hughes Submission (rear-naked choke) HOP 1: Fight Night 1 12 December 2004 2 2:33 Swansea, Wales

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Henderson vs. Khabilov". UFC.com. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matt Newsum (14 August 2014). "Fighter Ross Pearson ignores wedding plans for UFC contest". BBC Sport.
  3. ↑ "Ross Pearson Bio". Ross Pearson "The Real Deal" Official Website. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Ross-Pearson?id=
  5. ↑ http://www.mmaspot.com/index.php/redblack/comments/20091030_on_the_spot_ross_pearson/#axzz33Qpltrx4
  6. ↑ "cagewarriors.com". Retrieved 29 November 2008.
  7. ↑ "Pearson faces Siver". fightersonly.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  8. ↑ "Pearson-Miller at UFN 22; Baroni-Salter at UFC 118". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  9. ↑ "Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson targeted for UFC 127 in Australia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  10. ↑ "UFC 127 preliminary-card results: Pearson tops Fisher, judges rob Fukuda". mmmajunkie.com. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  11. ↑ "WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Sunderland UFC star Ross Pearson ready for war in Rio". Sunderland Echo. 19 April 2011.
  12. ↑ "Twitter Exchange Helps Make Junior Assuncao vs. Ross Pearson at UFC 141". mmaweekly.com. 31 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver rematch added to UFC on FUEL TV 2". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver II not happening at UFC on FUEL TV 2". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Ross Pearson vs. Cub Swanson added to UFC on FX 4 in New Jersey". mmajunkie.com. 29 March 2012.
  16. ↑ "UFC on FX 6 Will Also Feature Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson and ‘The Smashes' Finals". mmaweekly.com. 7 September 2012.
  17. ↑ "UFC on FUEL TV 9 adds Couture-Pearson". mmajunkie.com. 9 February 2013.
  18. ↑ Dana Becker (2013-08-06). "Melvin Guillard-Ross Pearson Slated For Return To England In October". fightline.com. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  19. ↑ "Lyoto Machida Arrives at 185 Pounds, Knocks Out Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 30" by Brian Knapp, Sherdog.com
  20. ↑ Mookie Alexander (2014-01-23). "Ross Pearson injured, Michael Johnson now fights Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  21. ↑ Rick Wright (2014-03-28). "Sanchez added to UFC card". abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  22. ↑ Chuck Mindenhall (2014-06-08). "Ross Pearson’s victory disappears in the ‘Land of Enchantment’". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  23. ↑ "Sanchez-Pearson decision might be worst in MMA history, and that's saying something". mmajunkie.com. 2014-06-08.
  24. ↑ Matt Erickson and Steven Marrocco (2014-06-09). "Ross Pearson appeals UFC Fight Night 42 loss to Diego Sanchez". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  25. ↑ Jorge Hernandez (2014-06-18). "New Mexico Athletic Commission Says ‘No’ to Overturning Diego Sanchez-Ross Pearson Decision". swfight.com. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
  26. ↑ Staff (2014-06-11). "After controversial loss, UFC's Ross Pearson to receive $30,000 win bonus". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  27. ↑ Marc Raimondi (2014-07-11). "Ross Pearson steps in to face Abel Trujillo at UFC Fight Night Maine". msn.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  28. ↑ Jacob Cooper (2014-08-04). "Abel Trujillo out, Ross Pearson now meets Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 47". cagepages.com. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  29. ↑ Staff (2014-10-02). "Ross Pearson vs. Al Iaquinta set for UFC Fight Night 55 in Sydney". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  30. ↑ Elias Cepeda (2015-01-14). "Ross Pearson to face Sam Stout at UFC 185". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  31. ↑ Dave Doyle (2015-03-14). "UFC 185 results: Ross Pearson knocks out Sam Stout". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  32. ↑ C.J. Tuttle (2015-03-15). "UFC 185 Bonuses: Dos Anjos, Jedrzejczyk, Pearson, Dariush earn $50K awards". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-03-15.

External links