Will Brooks
| Will Brooks | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 8, 1986 (age 29) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Other names | Ill Will |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Style | Freestyle Wrestling, Boxing, Kickboxing |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Coconut Creek, Florida, United States |
| Team | American Top Team |
| Years active | 2011-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 18 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 8 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Will Brooks (born October 8, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. He is the current Bellator Lightweight Champion.
MMA career
Early career
Brooks took up wrestling in high school, but his main focus was playing football. Excelling in football during high school, he ended up going to college to play at Harper College, in Palatine. At Harper, he met an old friend from high school in Nick Redding, who ended up changing the course of his life to MMA.[1]
Brooks made his professional MMA debut in January 2011. He competed exclusively in his native Illinois and quickly amassed an undefeated record of 7-0 in the first two years of his career.
DREAM
In late 2012, Brooks received the biggest opportunity of his career as he was invited to Japan by the DREAM organization. He faced experienced veteran Satoru Kitaoka at Dream 18 on December 31, 2012.[2] Despite being a heavy underdog, Brooks dominated the fight and won via TKO in the second round.
Bellator MMA
Following his impressive international debut, Brooks was quickly signed by Bellator Fighting Championships in January 2013.[3]
For his debut, Brooks was entered into the Bellator Lightweight Tournament. He faced Ricardo Tirloni in the opening round at Bellator 87 and won the fight via unanimous decision. He faced Saad Awad in the semi-finals and lost via KO in the first round.
Following the first loss of his career, Brooks rebounded with a win over Cris Leyva at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013.
In the fall of 2013, Brooks entered into the Bellator Season 9 Lightweight tournament. He faced veteran John Alessio in the Quarterfinals on September 27, 2103 at Bellator 101. He won the fight in dominant fashion via unanimous decision.
Brooks had a rematch with Saad Awad in the semifinal round and dominated the fight for all three rounds, winning a unanimous decision victory.
Brooks faced Alexander Sarnavskiy in the finals. He won the fight via dominant unanimous decision to earn a future title shot at the Lightweight title.
On May 17, 2014, Brooks faced Michael Chandler filling in for the injured champ Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 120 for the Interim Bellator Lightweight Championship.[4] He won via split decision to become the Interim Bellator Lightweight Championship.[5]
With Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez leaving the promotion, Brooks faced Michael Chandler in a rematch at Bellator 131 on November 15, 2014 for the vacant Bellator Lightweight Championship.[6] He won the fight via TKO in the fourth round to become the undisputed Bellator Lightweight Champion.
Brooks made his first title defense against long-awaited challenger Dave Jansen at Bellator 136 on April 10, 2015.[7] He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Brooks made his second defense against Marcin Held on November 6, 2015 at Bellator 145.[8] Despite Held popping Brooks' knee in the opening round, Brooks continued on and won the fight via unanimous decision to retain the Bellator Lightweight Championship.
Championships and accomplishments
- Bellator MMA
- Bellator Lightweight Championship (One time, current)
- Two Successful Title Defenses
- Interim Bellator Lightweight Championship (One time)
- Bellator Season 9 Lightweight Tournament Winner
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 18 matches | 17 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 5 | 1 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 8 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 17–1 | Marcin Held | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 145 | November 6, 2015 | 5 | 5:00 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | Defended the Bellator Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 16–1 | Dave Jansen | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 136 | April 10, 2015 | 5 | 5:00 | Irvine, California, United States | Defended the Bellator Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 15–1 | Michael Chandler | TKO (punches) | Bellator 131 | November 15, 2014 | 4 | 3:48 | San Diego, California, United States | Won the vacant Bellator Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 14–1 | Michael Chandler | Decision (split) | Bellator 120 | May 17, 2014 | 5 | 5:00 | Southaven, Mississippi, United States | Won the Interim Bellator Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 13–1 | Alexander Sarnavskiy | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 109 | November 22, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States | Bellator Season 9 Lightweight Tournament Final |
| Win | 12–1 | Saad Awad | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 105 | October 25, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Bellator Season 9 Lightweight Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | 11–1 | John Alessio | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 101 | September 27, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Portland, Oregon, United States | Bellator Season 9 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Win | 10–1 | Cris Leyva | TKO (punches) | Bellator 97 | July 31, 2013 | 3 | 2:20 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | |
| Loss | 9–1 | Saad Awad | KO (punches) | Bellator 91 | February 28, 2013 | 1 | 0:43 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Bellator Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | 9–0 | Ricardo Tirloni | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 87 | January 31, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States | Bellator Season 8 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Win | 8–0 | Satoru Kitaoka | TKO (punches) | Dream 18 | December 31, 2012 | 2 | 3:46 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 7–0 | Drew Dober | Decision (unanimous) | Disorderly Conduct: The Yin & The Yang | August 10, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Tory Bogguess | TKO (punches) | XFO 44 | June 16, 2012 | 1 | 4:20 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Ryan Bixler | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Chicago Cagefighting Championship IV | October 15, 2011 | 2 | 1:00 | Villa Park, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Joseph Richardson | Submission (armbar) | XFO 41 | September 3, 2011 | 1 | 3:49 | Island Lake, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Bobby Reardanz | Submission (armbar) | XFO 39 | May 13, 2011 | 3 | 3:22 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Guillermo Serment | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Chicago Cagefighting Championship III | March 5, 2011 | 2 | 0:45 | Villa Park, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | J.R. Hines | TKO (punches) | XFO 38 | January 22, 2011 | 1 | 2:09 | Woodstock, Illinois, United States |
See also
- List of current mixed martial arts champions
- List of male mixed martial artists
- List of current Bellator fighters
References
- ↑ "Will Brooks Bio". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Karakhanyan-Takaya, Baroni-Sakurai, Brooks-Kitaoka booked for DREAM 18 card". mmajunkie.com. December 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Will Brooks signs with Bellator, first fight vs. Ricardo Tirloni". global-mma.com. January 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Will Brooks replaces Eddie Alvarez, faces Michael Chandler as Bellator 120 stays on PPV". mmafighting.com. May 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Bellator 120 Results: Will Brooks Spoils the Alvarez vs. Chandler Trilogy, Captures Interim Belt". mmaweekly.com. May 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Tito Ortiz-Stephan Bonnar, Will Brooks-Michael Chandler set for Nov. 15 Bellator". sherdog.com. September 5, 2014.
- ↑ "Will Brooks to defend Bellator's 155-pound title against Dave Jansen in April". mmafighting.com. February 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Bellator 145 Fight Card". bellator.com. 2015-11-06.