Daniel Sarafian
Daniel Sarafian Gantman (born August 21, 1982, in Sao Paulo, Brazil) is a Armenian-Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of Absolute Championship Berkut. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Sarafian has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, and was a competitor on Globo's The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.
| Daniel Sarafian | |
|---|---|
| Born | Daniel Sarafian Gantman August 21, 1982 Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)[1] |
| Division | Light Heavyweight Middleweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 69.7 in (177 cm)[2] |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Team | Power MMA And Fitness |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3] |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 7 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Sarafian started training in the martial arts at the age of five years under his grandfather who was a black belt in judo. Sarafian took solely judo classes until he was ten years old when he began training karate. At sixteen he began taking lessons in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. After entering high school and getting constantly picked on for being overweight, Sarafian began working out and training MMA. Only a couple classes into MMA, Sarafian "fell in love with fighting".
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Sarafian made his professional debut at Predator FC 2 against Jorge Luis Bezerra, winning the fight via submission in round three. In his next bout, he agreed to fight UFC and Strikeforce veteran Mike Whitehead. Sarafian lost the fight via unanimous decision. After his bout with Whitehead Sarafian was asked to take a fight for District Combat Promotions, a small promotion based in the United States. Sarafian took the fight and won via submission (armbar) in the third round.
Sarafian stayed in the United States and fought on the Texas' promotion, Xtreme Fight Championship. He fought Cedric Marks and won the fight via submission in the first round. Sarafian then signed a one-fight deal with Bellator Fighting Championships to compete on their first fight card of their inaugural season. Sarafian fought Gary Padilla, losing in the second round via referee stoppage. Sarafian racked up four straight wins before signing on to take part on The Ultimate Fighter.
The Ultimate Fighter
In March 2012, it was revealed that Sarafian was selected to be a participant on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. Sarafian defeated Richardson Moreira via decision to move into the Ultimate Fighter house, and become an official cast member.
Sarafian was selected as the third pick (sixth overall) by Vitor Belfort to be a part of Team Belfort. In the first Middleweight fight of the season, Sarafian was selected to fight Renee Forte. Sarafian dominated the fight and won via rear naked choke in the second round.[4]
In the semi-finals Sarafian was selected to fight Sérgio Moraes. Sarafian won the fight in the first round via KO after hitting Moraes with a flying knee as he dropped for a take down. The win moved Sarafian into the finals of the middleweight tournament, set to take place at the UFC 147.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Sarafian was scheduled to officially make his UFC debut at UFC 147 on June 23, 2012, to determine the middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. However, due to an injury, Sarafian was replaced by Sérgio Moraes and did not compete at the event.[5]
In his debut, Sarafian faced C.B. Dollaway on January 19, 2013, at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping.[6] He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Despite the loss, it was awarded the Fight of the Night honors.
Sarafian faced promotional newcomer Eddie Mendez on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10.[7] He won the fight via arm triangle submission in the first round.
In what was originally set to be The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil middleweight final, Sarafian faced Cezar Ferreira on November 9, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 32.[8] He lost the fight via split decision.
Sarafian faced Kiichi Kunimoto in a welterweight bout on June 14, 2014, at UFC 174.[9] He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
Sarafian was expected to return to middleweight and face Dan Miller on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58.[10] However, Miller pulled out of the bout on December 11 and was replaced by promotional newcomer Antônio dos Santos.[11] Sarafian won the fight via second round TKO as dos Santos dislocated a finger and was unable to continue.[12]
Sarafian was expected to face Ricardo Abreu on June 6, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 68.[13] However on May 4, Sarafian was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury and was replaced by Jake Collier.[14]
Sarafian was expected to face Sam Alvey on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83.[15] However, Alvey pulled out of the bout in late December after sustaining a broken jaw and was replaced by Oluwale Bamgbose[16][17] Sarafian lost the fight via knockout in the first round. After his loss to Bamgbose, Sarafian was subsequently released from the promotion[18]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- *The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil Middleweight Tournament Finalist (replaced due to injury by Sérgio Moraes)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 17 matches | 11 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 2 |
| By submission | 7 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 11–6 | Carlos Eduardo | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 82: Silva vs. Kolobegov | March 9, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 10–6 | James Austen Heidlage | Decision (unanimous) | LFA: Sioux Falls Fight Night 1 | April 29, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 9–6 | Oluwale Bamgbose | KO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy | February 21, 2016 | 1 | 1:00 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 9–5 | Antônio dos Santos | TKO (finger injury) | UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway | December 20, 2014 | 2 | 1:01 | Barueri, Brazil | Return to Middleweight. |
| Loss | 8–5 | Kiichi Kunimoto | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 174 | June 14, 2014 | 1 | 2:52 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Welterweight debut. |
| Loss | 8–4 | Cezar Ferreira | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson | November 9, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Goiânia, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–3 | Eddie Mendez | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum | June 8, 2013 | 1 | 2:20 | Fortaleza, Brazil | |
| Loss | 7–3 | C.B. Dollaway | Decision (split) | UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping | January 19, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 7–2 | Ricardo Silva | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pretorian 1 | July 5, 2011 | 1 | 4:01 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–2 | Gilklei Antonio Silva | Submission (punches) | Blaze FC 1 | February 26, 2011 | 1 | 1:44 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–2 | Mauricio Alonso | Decision (unanimous) | First Class Fight 5 | October 23, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–2 | Yuri Villas Boas | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Hero Kombat 1 | April 24, 2010 | 1 | 2:14 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Gary Padilla | TKO (punches) | Bellator 1 | April 3, 2009 | 2 | 3:04 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Win | 3–1 | Cedric Marks | Submission (triangle choke) | Xtreme Fight Championship | February 27, 2009 | 1 | 2:06 | Austin, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Lamont Lister | Submission (armbar) | District Combat Promotions 1 | December 13, 2008 | 3 | 1:32 | Washington, D.C., United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Mike Whitehead | Decision (unanimous) | Platinum Fighting Productions 1 | December 9, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Quezon City, Philippines | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jorge Luis Bezerra | Submission (guillotine choke) | Predador FC 2 | August 11, 2006 | 3 | 0:43 | São Paulo, Brazil |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 3 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 3-0 | Sérgio Moraes | KO (flying knee) | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil | June 17, 2012 (airdate) | 1 | 4:07 | São Paulo, Brazil | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil semifinal round. |
| Win | 2-0 | Renee Forte | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil | May 8, 2012 (airdate) | 2 | 0:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil preliminary round. |
| Win | 1-0 | Richardson Moreira | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil | March 25, 2012 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil elimination round. |
References
- Gerbasi, Thomas (2014-12-19). "Official Fight Night Barueri 2014 Weigh In Results". ufc.com. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
- "Fight Card - UFC 174 Johnson vs. Bagautinov". UFC.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
- "Daniel Sarafian - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- "Episode No. 3 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil'". Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- Staff (2012-06-18). "Sergio Moraes replaces injured Daniel Sarafian in 'TUF: Brazil' middleweight final". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- "UFC makes official Jan. 19 card in Brazil". MMAjunkie.com. November 3, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06.
- Dana Becker (2013-03-18). "Daniel Sarafian-Eddie Mendez Added To UFC On FUEL TV 10". fightline.com. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- Christoffer Esping. "Cezar Mutante möter Daniel Sarafian på UFC Fight Night 32". mmanytt.se. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
- Matt Erickson (2014-03-18). "Daniel Sarafian meets Kiichi Kunimoto at UFC 174 in Vancouver". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
- Jacob Cooper (2014-10-16). "Daniel Sarafian vs. Dan Miller Added To UFC Fight Night 58". fansided.com. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
- Staff (2014-12-11). "Antonio dos Santos Jr. replaces Dan Miller at UFC Fight Night 58". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
- Ben Fowlkes (2014-12-20). "UFC Fight Night 58 results: Daniel Sarafian gets odd injury TKO vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
- Jason Floyd (2015-03-10). "Daniel Sarafian vs. Ricardo Abreu booked for UFC Fight Night 68 in New Orleans". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- Staff (2015-05-04). "Daniel Sarafian out of UFC Fight Night bout; Ricardo Abreu meets Jake Collier on June 6". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
- Staff (2015-12-16). "Sam Alvey vs. Daniel Sarafian joins UFC Fight Night 82 lineup in Pittsburgh". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
- Staff (2015-12-29). "Sam Alvey suffers broken jaw, out of UFC Fight Night 82 vs. Daniel Sarafian". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- Tristen Critchfield (2016-01-05). "Oluwale Bamgbose replaces injured Sam Alvey, meets Daniel Sarafian at UFC Fight Night Pittsburgh". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-01-05.
- Ben Fowlkes (2016-02-21). "UFC Fight Night 83 results: Oluwale Bamgbose flattens Daniel Sarafian for 1st UFC win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
