Tristan Connelly
Tristan Connelly[1] (born December 12, 1985) is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter who formerly competed in the featherweight division of the UFC[2] and had previously won the Cage Sports Lightweight Championship,[3] Unified MMA Lightweight Championship,[4] as well as the Rise FC Lightweight Championship.[5]
| Tristan Connelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tristan Connelly[1] December 12, 1985 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Other names | Boondock |
| Residence | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Featherweight (2011, 2015, 2021–present) Lightweight (2010–2011, 2012–2019) Welterweight (2019) Middleweight (2013) |
| Reach | 68 in (173 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Team | Checkmat Vancouver |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 9 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Connelly began competing in mixed martial arts in 2010.[6] He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Adam Ryan. Connelly runs a gym, called Pinnacle Combat Academy, in suburban Richmond.[7]
Connelly spent much of his childhood skateboarding and playing hockey, which he credits with preparing him to take hard hits. After taking a BJJ class, Connelly fell in love with the sport and the wider world of mixed martial arts.[8]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Connelly competed in smaller promotions, earning himself a record of 13–6. During that span, he managed to capture lightweight championships in three different promotions: Rise FC, CageSport, Unified MMA.[9]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Replacing Sergey Khandozhko on 5 days notice, Connelly made his promotional debut on September 14, 2019, against Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night 158.[10] At the weigh-ins, Pereira missed weight by a pound and forfeited 20 percent of his purse to Connelly.[11] Despite a flashy start from Pereira he quickly gassed allowing Connelly to dominate the remainder of the fight and winning via unanimous decision.[12] The bout was awarded a Fight of the Night bonus, but due to Pereira's weight miss, his bonus was forfeited to Connelly.[13]
Connelly was scheduled to make his sophomore appearance in the organization against Alex da Silva Coelho on April 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris.[14] However, the event was initially rescheduled and eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bout was scrapped.[15]
Connelly spent the next year on the sidelines recovering from a disc injury in his neck that he acquired in a car crash in 2019 before his UFC debut.[16]
In his sophomore appearance in the UFC, Connelly faced Pat Sabatini at UFC 261 on April 24, 2021.[17] He lost the fight via unanimous decision after being knocked down early in the fight.[18]
Connelly was then scheduled to face Makwan Amirkhani on October 30, 2021 at UFC 267.[19] However, Connelly withdrew in early September due to a neck injury and was replaced by Lerone Murphy.[20][21]
Connelly faced Darren Elkins on April 30, 2022 at UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera.[22] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[23]
On June 9, 2022 it was announced that Connelly was released from the UFC.[24]
Post UFC
Connelly faced Xavier Nash on October 12, 2022 at BFL 74. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[25]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One Time) vs. Michel Pereira[13]
- Rise Fighting Championship
- Rise FC Lightweight Championship (one time; former)
- CageSport MMA
- CS Lightweight Championship (one time; former)
- One successful title defense
- CS Lightweight Championship (one time; former)
- Unified MMA
- Unified MMA Lightweight Championship (one time; former)
- MMAjunkie.com
- 2019 Upset of the Year vs. Michel Pereira[26]
- Sherdog
- 2019 Upset of the Year vs. Michel Pereira[27]
Mixed martial arts record
| 23 matches | 14 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By submission | 9 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 7 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 14–9 | Xavier Nash | Decision (unanimous) | BFL 74 | October 12, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Vancouver, Canada | Return to Lightweight. |
| Loss | 14–8 | Darren Elkins | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera | April 30, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 14–7 | Pat Sabatini | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 261 | April 24, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Return to Featherweight. |
| Win | 14–6 | Michel Pereira | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje | September 14, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Welterweight bout; Pereira missed weight (172 lb). Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 13–6 | D'Juan Owens | TKO (punches) | Rise FC 4 | July 27, 2019 | 5 | 1:56 | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Won the Rise FC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 12–6 | Zach Juusola | Submission (guillotine) | Final Fight Championship 36 | May 9, 2019 | 1 | 2:46 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (160 lb) bout. |
| Win | 11–6 | Tyrone Henderson | TKO (Retirement) | CageSport 54 | December 15, 2018 | 1 | 5:00 | Tacoma, Washington, United States | Defended the CS Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–6 | Joey Pierotti | Submission (armbar) | CageSport 50 | April 28, 2018 | 4 | 1:06 | Tacoma, Washington, United States | Won the CS Lightweight Championship. |
| Loss | 9–6 | Shane Campbell | Submission (kneebar) | Unified MMA 31 | June 9, 2017 | 3 | 4:54 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Lost the Unified MMA Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–5 | Lenny Wheeler | Submission (rear naked choke) | Elite 1 MMA | May 6, 2017 | 3 | 3:47 | Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada | |
| Win | 8–5 | Garret Nybakken | Submission (rear naked choke) | Unified MMA 30 | March 31, 2017 | 3 | 2:47 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Won the Unified MMA Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–5 | Adam Assenza | Submission (rear naked choke) | Fight Night 2 | November 28, 2016 | 2 | 1:11 | Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada | |
| Win | 6–5 | Ash Mashreghi | TKO (punches) | BFL 45 Ascension | September 17, 2016 | 1 | 1:24 | Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Loss | 5–5 | Mario Pereira | Decision (unanimous) | BFL 39: Halloween Hell | October 17, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 5–4 | Shawn Albrecht | TKO (punches) | BFL 37: Gladiator | July 25, 2015 | 1 | 4:21 | Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada | Return to Lightweight. |
| Win | 4–4 | Jonathan Dubois | Submission (rear naked choke) | AFC 18: Mayhem | May 19, 2013 | 1 | 2:48 | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Middleweight debut. |
| Loss | 3–4 | Myles Merola | Decision (unanimous) | AFC 13: Natural Selection | November 3, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Win | 3–3 | Corey Houston | Submission (rear naked choke) | AFC 11: Takeover | September 15, 2012 | 1 | 4:47 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Return to Lightweight. |
| Loss | 2–3 | Matt Trudeau | TKO (shoulder injury) | Armageddon FC 7 | November 19, 2011 | 1 | 5:00 | Colwood, British Columbia, Canada | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 2–2 | Upneet Rai | Submission (rear naked choke) | Armageddon FC 6 | June 18, 2011 | 1 | 2:30 | Colwood, British Columbia, Canada | Catchweight (150 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 1–2 | Dan Ring | Decision (unanimous) | Armageddon FC 4 | November 6, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | Lightweight bout. |
| Loss | 1–1 | Takahiro Kajita | Decision (unanimous) | Deep: Cage Impact in Nagoya | July 11, 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 1-0 | Jimmy Phan | Submission (rear naked choke) | Armageddon FC | March 6, 2010 | 1 | 2:26 | Colwood, British Columbia, Canada |
See also
References
- Kickboxing * Mixed martial arts show results Date: May 9, 2019
- UFC.com. "TRISTAN CONNELLY KNOWS HE DESERVES TO BE HERE". UFC. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- Tapology.com. "Cage sports 54 Championship bout". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- Tapology.com. "Tristan Connelly fights for Unified MMA lightweight championship". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- Sportsnet.ca. "Tristan Connelly scores massive underdog win in UFC debut". Tapology. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- Sherdog.com. "Tristan Connelly fighter bio". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
- Neil Davidson. "B.C. fighter Tristan Connelly returns to action at UFC 261 after extended layoff". Penticton Herald. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- Joseph, Rohit. "How a Vancouver fighter beat Goliath in first UFC fight". CBC. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- "Across The Pond Profile: UFC fighter Tristan Connelly | MMA UK". 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- Alexander K. Lee (September 10, 2019). "Michel Pereira to fight short-notice replacement Tristan Connelly at UFC Vancouver". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- "UFC on ESPN+ 16 weigh-in results: Cerrone, Gaethje official, but one fighter heavy". MMAjunkie.com. September 13, 2019.
- Damon Martin (September 14, 2019). "UFC Vancouver results: Tristan Connelly pulls off stunning upset with unanimous decision over Michel Pereira". mmafighting.com.
- Ryan Harkness (September 15, 2019). "Video: Tristan Connelly's reaction to $100,000 bonus after UFC Vancouver win is priceless". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- Tristen Critchfield (January 20, 2020). "Tristan Connelly to Face Alex da Silva Coelho at UFC Event on April 11". Sherdog.
- Nolan King and John Morgan (2020-03-15). "UFC postpones three events amid growing coronavirus outbreak". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
- "The Long Road Back For Tristan Connelly | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- Mike Heck (April 5, 2021). "Tristan Connelly returns to face Pat Sabatini at UFC 261". mmafighting.com.
- Jay Anderson (April 24, 2021). "UFC 261 Results: Pat Sabatini Takes Early Lead, Decision Over Tristan Connelly". cagesidepress.com.
- Brand, Jeremy. "Tristan Connelly vs. Makwan Amirkhani Set for UFC 267". Retrieved 2021-08-21.
- Farrah Hannoun (2021-09-07). "Tristan Connelly out of UFC 267 fight against Makwan Amirkhani". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- "With Tristan Connelly out, Lerone Murphy steps in to face Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 267". MMA Junkie. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
- "Darren Elkins vs. Tristan Connelly set for April 30 UFC event". MMA Fighting. 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- Anderson, Jay (2022-04-30). "UFC Vegas 53: Darren Elkins Wins Gruelling, Hard-Hitting Scrap with Tristan Connelly". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
- Simon, Zane (2022-06-09). "Tristan Connelly among latest batch of UFC roster cuts". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- Brand, Jeremy (2022-10-12). "BFL 74 Results". MMA Sucka. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- Simon Head (January 6, 2020). "MMA Junkie's 2019 'Upset of the Year': Tristan Connelly moves up, beats Michel Pereira on 5 days' notice". MMAjunkie.com.
- Brian Knapp (January 3, 2020). "Sherdog's 2019 Upset of the Year". Sherdog.