Tim Catalfo
Timothy Lance Catalfo (born February 23, 1959) is an American former amateur wrestler, and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor from 1997 until 2003, he competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships and King of the Cage. He was voted as having the seventh-best facial hair in MMA history by hunglodojo.com[1]
| Tim Catalfo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Timothy Lance Catalfo February 23, 1959 |
| Other names | Obake |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 231 lb (105 kg; 16.5 st) |
| Division | Super Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Style | MMA Wrestling |
| Fighting out of | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Team | Team Obake |
| Years active | 1997–2003 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 4 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By submission | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Last updated on: November 7, 2010 | |
Early life
Raised in Montvale, New Jersey, Catalfo attended Pascack Hills High School, where he was New Jersey state wrestling champion in 1977 in the 148-pound weight class.[2][3]
Career
Catalfo comes from a wrestling background; he finished in fourth place at the 1980 All-American Freestyle tournament and in 1st place at the Greco-Roman Games in 1987. After this, he became a professional wrestler with the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) organization. His nickname, "Obake", was given to him by Japanese pro wrestler Yuji Nagata, and is a Japanese folklore creature.[4] Catalfo also used this name to found the "Obake Gym" one of MMA's first independent schools.
In September 1997, he debuted as a mixed martial artist and defeated his opponent Joe Pardo with a neck crank. He then went to Brazil to fight in the International Vale Tudo Championship where he won his bout via disqualification as his opponent Alexandre Ferreira eye gouged him. He returned to the cage three years later to face UFC veteran Dave Beneteau at King of the Cage 9: Showtime. Catalfo defeated Beneteau with a choke after just 25 seconds of the first round.
The PRIDE Fighting Championships of Japan then gave him the opportunity to fight there. He made his promotional debut in February 2002 against fellow wrestler Tom Erikson at PRIDE 19: Bad Blood. Erikson outweighed Catolfo by around 50 pounds and submitted him with relative ease at 2:25 of the first round.[5] He had one more fight after this, submitting James Daniels at an event in Florida a year later.
Personal life
Catalfo is a licensed chiropractor.
Mixed martial arts record
| 5 matches | 3 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 0 |
| By submission | 3 | 2 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 4-2 | James Daniels | Submission (neck crank) | World Extreme Fighting Championships 2: Crunch Time | February 8, 2003 | 1 | 1:19 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 3-2 | Tom Erikson | Submission (rear naked choke) | PRIDE 19 | February 24, 2002 | 1 | 2:25 | Saitama, Japan | Super Heavyweight bout. |
| Loss | 3-1 | Bobby Hoffman | Submission (strikes) | KOTC 11: Domination | September 29, 2001 | 1 | 3:56 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 3-0 | Dave Beneteau | Submission (choke) | KOTC 9: Showtime | June 23, 2001 | 1 | 0:25 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 2-0 | Alexandre Ferreira | DQ (eye gouging) | International Vale Tudo Championship 4: The Battle | February 7, 1998 | 1 | 9:19 | Brazil | |
| Win | 1-0 | Joe Pardo | Submission (neck crank) | International Sport Combat Federation: Submission Fighting Open 1 | September 6, 1997 | N/A | N/A | Griffin, Georgia, United States |
References
- Top Ten: Best Facial Hair in MMA
- "Mills, Catalfo pace Syracuse", The Record (Bergen County), February 2, 1981. Accessed October 19, 2019. "Former New Jersey State wrestling champions Gene Mills of Pompton Lakes and Tim Catalfo of Montvale helped lead Syracuse to a 19-16 college wrestling victory over Navy yesterday.... Catalfo, a State champion at Pascack Hills in 1977, added to the Syracuse victory drive with a decision at 158 pounds."
- NJSIAAnState Champions, New Jersey Wrestling. Accessed October 19, 2019.
- Tim "Obake" Catalfo's official PRIDE profile
- Tim Catalfo loses to Tom Erikson at Pride 19
- Sherdog.com. "Tim". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-12-20.