Cody Law

Cody Law (born March 24, 1995) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler currently competing in the featherweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was an NCAA Division II champion and two-time DII All-American out of University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown and a PIAA champion as a high schooler.

Cody Law
Born (1995-03-24) March 24, 1995
Windber, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
DivisionFeatherweight (2020–present)
Reach68.5 in (174 cm)
Fighting out ofCoconut Creek, Florida, U.S.
TeamThe Mat Factory[1]
American Top Team (2020–present)[2]
RankBlue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling[4]
Years active2020–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total9
Wins7
By knockout4
By submission1
By decision2
Losses2
By decision2
Amateur record
Total5
Wins5
By knockout1
By submission2
By decision2
Other information
UniversityUniversity of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Pennsylvania State University
Notable school(s)Forest Hills High School
Websitehttps://www.codylawmma.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing Pittsburgh-Johnstown
NCAA Division II Championships
Gold medal – first place2018 Cedar Rapids157 lb

Background

Cody is the son of Crystal Law and has three siblings, one of them is his younger brother named Triston, whom he was teammates with at PSU.[5]

Wrestling career

High school

Law was born in Windber, Pennsylvania, and attended Forest Hills High School. He didn't have particular success as a freshman, posting a negative record (16 wins, 17 losses) and placing sixth at districts (not high enough for regionals). He improved his resume as a sophomore, posting a record of 26 wins and 7 losses and placing third at districts and sixth at regionals, but still not qualifying for state. He kept improving as a junior and posted a record of 36 wins and just 2 losses, the first one on the districts finals (finishing as the runner-up) and the second one came after winning the regionals and reaching the PIAA state finals, where he lost by only one point (2-3).[6] As a senior, he had his most successful season, posting an unbeaten record of 34 victories and no defeats, placing first at districts, regionals and the state championships.[7] Overall, Law posted 112 wins and 26 losses during his career and was in the top 15 of the national high school rankings at 160 pounds.[8]

University

After finishing his high school education, Law attended Pennsylvania State University, that is known for having one of the most successful wrestling teams at the time (still has), having won the NCAA Division I's team titles in the last three seasons at that time. As a redshirt athlete (13'-14'), he compiled a record of 14 victories and 4 defeats in Open tournaments. He then competed as a freshman at 157 pounds, compiling a record of 13 wins and 6 losses during regular season and not competing at that year's NCAA DI championships.[9] After wrestling season, he competed at the 15' Junior Nationals, where he placed third.[10]

After that season, he chose to transfer to the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, that had an NCAA Division II wrestling program. He explained:

"It is a combination of things... My goal is to be a national champion. I wasn't getting the job done there... They're going to win (the team title). I really believe they will, but at the end of the day, my goal is to be an individual champ, too.".

However, this led him unable to compete as a sophomore.[11]

As a junior, he became the top-ranked wrestler in the country and posted a record of 17-1 during regular season.[12] During post-season, he won a PSAC conference title and became an All-American with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA DII championships.[13] As a senior, he had his most successful season, compiling a record of 25 wins and 2 losses (both of those losses to Division I athletes),[9] winning the National Championship and becoming a two-time All-American.[13]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Law began his amateur MMA career a couple of months after he graduated from UPJ and amassed a 5–0 record with three stoppage wins (two submissions, one knockout) and two decisions.[14]

Bellator MMA

On September 1, 2020, Law announced that he had signed a contract with Bellator MMA.[15] He made his professional debut against Orlando Ortega on October 29, 2020, at Bellator 250,[16] winning the bout via submission in the first round.[17]

In the sophomore bout of his professional career, Law faced Kenny Champion at Bellator 254 on December 10, 2020.[18] After dominating the contest, he eventually won the fight via technical knockout at the last minute of the third round.[19]

Law faced Nathan Ghareeb on April 9, 2021, at Bellator 256.[20] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[21]

Law faced Theodore Macuka on July 16, 2021, at Bellator 262.[22] He won the bout via TKO in the first round.[23]

Law faced Colton Hamm on November 12, 2021, at Bellator 271.[24] He won the bout after knocking Hamm out via ground and pound in the first round.[25]

Law was scheduled to face Johnny Soto on March 12, 2022, at Bellator 276.[26] However, Soto was forced to pull out of the bout and was replaced by James Adcock.[27] He won the bout after knocking Adcock out in the first round.[28]

Law faced James Gonzalez at Bellator 282 on June 24, 2022. In an upset, he lost the bout via unanimous decision.[29]

Law faced Cris Lencioni on December 9, 2022, at Bellator 289.[30] He lost the fight via split decision.[31]

Law faced Edwin Chavez on June 16, 2023 at Bellator 297.[32] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[33]

Championships and accomplishments

Folkstyle wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
9 matches 7 wins 2 losses
By knockout 4 0
By submission 1 0
By decision 2 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 7–2 Edwin Chavez Decision (unanimous) Bellator 297 June 16, 2023 3 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Loss 6–2 Cris Lencioni Decision (split) Bellator 289 December 9, 2022 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Loss 6–1 James Gonzalez Decision (unanimous) Bellator 282 June 24, 2022 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 6–0 James Adcock KO (punches) Bellator 276 March 12, 2022 1 1:17 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Win 5–0 Colton Hamm KO (elbows) Bellator 271 November 12, 2021 1 4:21 Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win 4–0 Theodore Macuka TKO (punches) Bellator 262 July 16, 2021 1 1:54 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 3–0 Nathan Ghareeb Decision (unanimous) Bellator 256 April 9, 2021 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 2–0 Kenny Champion TKO (punches) Bellator 254 December 10, 2020 3 4:44 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 1–0 Orlando Ortega Submission (D'Arce choke) Bellator 250 October 28, 2020 1 2:41 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States

See also

References

  1. David McKinney (October 27, 2020). "Dalton Rosta and Cody Law set to compete at Bellator 250". mmamckinney.com.
  2. Damon Martin (October 28, 2020). "How Cody Law went from college wrestling champion to Jorge Masvidal's training partner to Bellator prospect". mmafighting.com.
  3. "Cody Law on Instagram: "Received my blue belt today from @matfactorywrestlingclub I'm so grateful for Issac and the rest of my coaches and teammates who constantly…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  4. "Cody Law - Wrestling". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  5. Knopsnyder, Eric. "Forest Hills wrestler commits to join brother at Penn State". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  6. "Tournament Results". wrestlereg.com. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  7. "Cody Law Class of 2013 160". www.pa-wrestling.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  8. "Cody Law - Wrestling". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  9. LLC, ACS. "Cody Law (Pittsburgh-Johnstown) Profile". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  10. "Cody Law - Wrestling". University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  11. Knopsnyder, Eric. "Exclusive: Forest Hills grad Cody Law leaves Penn State wrestling team for Pitt-Johnstown". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  12. "Wrestlers Up to No. 6 Nationally; Cody Law Ranked First at 157 lbs". University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  13. "Cody Law Named NWCA Super Region I Wrestler of the Year". University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  14. "Cody Law : Amateur MMA Fight Record (5-0-0)". The Underground. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  15. Collegian, Jake Aferiat | The Daily. "Former Penn State wrestler Cody Law signs deal with Bellator". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  16. "Cody Law set to make his professional debut at Bellator 250". MyMMANews.com. 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  17. Sherdog.com. "Bellator 250 Highlight Video: Cody Law Taps Orlando Ortega". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  18. Danny Segura (November 30, 2020). "Linton Vassell vs. Ronny Markes, Cody Law vs. Kenny Champion added to Bellator 254". MMAjunkie.com.
  19. Steve Juon (December 10, 2020). "Bellator 254 results: Live streaming play-by-play updates | 'Macfarlane vs Velasquez'". mmamania.com.
  20. "Fight booking wire (March 22–28): Nogueira-Borga, Law-Ghareeb added to Bellator 256". MMA Junkie. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  21. "Bellator 256 'Bader vs. Machida 2' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  22. "Bellator MMA 262: Velasquez vs. Kielholtz fight card finalized". 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  23. Knopsnyder, Eric. "Cody Law improves to 4-0 with quick knockout". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  24. Martin, Damon (2021-10-21). "Cody Law vs. Colton Hamm added to Bellator 271". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  25. Sherdog.com. "Bellator 271 'Cyborg vs. Kavanagh' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  26. Heck, Mike (2022-02-15). "Cat Zingano vs. Pam Sorenson, John Salter vs. Johnny Eblen among additions to Bellator 276 lineup". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  27. Behunin, Alex (2022-03-11). "Bellator 276: Cody Law Unfazed With Opponent Change, Plans On Getting Another First Round Finish". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  28. Lee, Alexander K. (2022-03-12). "Bellator 276 video: Cody Law stays undefeated with hammer right hand knockout". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  29. Sherdog.com. "Bellator 282 'Mousasi vs. Eblen' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  30. King, Nolan (2022-09-14). "Cris Lencioni returns, meets Cody Law at Bellator 289 in December". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  31. Tribune-Democrat, The. "Cody Law suffers second defeat via split decision". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  32. Sherdog.com. "Austin Vanderford vs. Imamshafi Aliev, Six Other Bouts Complete Bellator 297 Lineup". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  33. Sherdog.com. "Bellator 297 'Nemkov vs. Romero' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  34. "2011-2012 PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships" (PDF).
  35. "2013 PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships: Brackets and Results". live.pa-wrestling.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
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