Linton Vassell
Linton Vassell (born 3 June 1983) is an English mixed martial artist, who competes in the Heavyweight division of Bellator.[1]A professional 2008, he has also competed for UCMMA and Cage Warriors. He is the former UCMMA Light Heavyweight Champion.
| Linton Vassell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 3 June 1983 Milton Keynes, England |
| Other names | The Swarm |
| Nationality | English |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 238.6 lb (108.2 kg; 17.04 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight |
| Reach | 82 in (208 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Milton Keynes, England |
| Team | Hard Knocks 365 |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
last updated on: 27 February 2012 | |
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Vassell started training in mixed martial arts at the age of 23 in 2007 in Milton Keynes. After training for six months he won his first amateur fight against opponent Ian Tobell in October 2007, three weeks later he was fighting for the AMMA Championship Title against Danny Hudson, a fight he won by submission.[2]
Vassell fought Stav Economou to a decision loss for the vacant UWC Heavyweight Championship.[3]
After winning his next fight, he went to Cage Warriors where he meet Simon Carlsen, he defeated Carlsen by decision at Cage Warriors 41.[4]
After winning two fights on UCMMA he went on to win the UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship.[5]
UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship reign
On 4 February 2012, Vassell defeated Aurelijus Kerpe to become the new UCMMA Light Heavyweight Champion which was made vacant after Jimi Manuwa signed to BAMMA.[6]
He successfully defended his title for the first time when he defeated Nick Chapman by submission early into the second round.[7]
Linton Vassell fought Zelg Galesic for UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship on 2 February 2013. Zelg opened the fight with impressive striking, but Vassell moved the fight on the ground where he dominated Galesic and won the fight by first-round TKO to retain the UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship.
Bellator MMA
On 7 August 2013 Bellator announced that Vassell has signed a contract with the promotion.[9] He made his debut against Matt Jones on 8 November 2013 at Bellator 107. Vassell won the fight via unanimous decision.[10]
Vassell returned to the Bellator cage on 28 March 2014 at Bellator 114, he faced Trevor Carlson. Vassell won via rear-naked choke submission in the second round.[11]
In his next appearance for Bellator, Vassell faced Virgil Zwicker at Bellator 122 on 25 July 2014. Vassell won via submission in the first round.[12]
Vassell challenged Emanuel Newton for his light heavyweight title at Bellator 130 on 24 October 2014.[13] Despite winning the first two rounds of the fight due to a dominant ground game, Vassell lost the fight via submission in the fifth round.
Vassell faced UFC and PRIDE veteran Sokoudjou on 27 February 2015 at Bellator 134.[14] He won the fight by TKO in the second round.
Vassell was next a participant in Bellator's one-night Light Heavyweight tournament at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 on 19 September 2015.[15] He faced Muhammed Lawal in the opening round and lost via unanimous decision.
Vassell had a rematch with Emanuel Newton on 19 February 2016 at Bellator 149.[16] He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Vassell was supposed to fight Francis Carmont at Bellator 158 but a cut over his left eye forced him to withdraw.[17] The bout was re-booked for Bellator 165 on 19 November 2016. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Vassell faced Liam McGeary at Bellator 179 on 19 May 2017. He won the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the third round and, thus, becoming the first fighter to finish McGeary.[18]
After a three-fight winning streak, Vassell faced newly crowned light heavyweight champion, Ryan Bader, at Bellator 186 on 3 November 2017.[19] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
Vassell faced Phil Davis on 25 May 2018 at Bellator 200.[20] He lost the fight via knock out due to a head kick in round three.[21]
Vassell headlined Bellator 234 against Sergei Kharitonov on 14 November 2019.[22] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Olympian MMA Championships
- OMMAC British Light Heavyweight Championship (One Time)
- Ultimate Challenge MMA
- UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship (One Time)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 28 matches | 19 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 4 |
| By submission | 8 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 3 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19–8 (1) | Sergei Kharitonov | TKO (punches) | Bellator 234 | 15 November 2019 | 2 | 3:15 | Tel Aviv, Israel | |
| Loss | 18–8 (1) | Valentin Moldavsky | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 218 | 22 March 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 18–7 (1) | Phil Davis | KO (head kick) | Bellator 200 | 25 May 2018 | 3 | 1:05 | London, England | |
| Loss | 18–6 (1) | Ryan Bader | TKO (punches) | Bellator 186 | 3 November 2017 | 2 | 3:58 | University Park, Pennsylvania, United States | For the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship. |
| Win | 18–5 (1) | Liam McGeary | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Bellator 179 | 19 May 2017 | 3 | 2:28 | London, England | |
| Win | 17–5 (1) | Francis Carmont | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 165 | 19 November 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | |
| Win | 16–5 (1) | Emanuel Newton | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 149 | 19 February 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 15–5 (1) | Muhammed Lawal | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 | 19 September 2015 | 2 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 15–4 (1) | Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou | TKO (punches) | Bellator 134 | 27 February 2015 | 2 | 3:18 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Loss | 14–4 (1) | Emanuel Newton | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 130 | 24 October 2014 | 5 | 0:47 | Mulvane, Kansas, United States | For the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship |
| Win | 14–3 (1) | Virgil Zwicker | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 122 | 25 July 2014 | 1 | 1:07 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Win | 13–3 (1) | Trevor Carlson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 114 | 28 March 2014 | 2 | 1:54 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 12–3 (1) | Matt Jones | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 107 | 8 November 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 11–3 (1) | Zelg Galešic | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 32 | 2 February 2013 | 1 | 4:31 | England | Defended UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–3 (1) | Nick Chapman | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UCMMA 29 | 18 August 2012 | 2 | 0:55 | London, England | Defended UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–3 (1) | Aurelijus Kerpe | Submission (armbar) | UCMMA 26: The Real Deal | 4 February 2012 | 1 | 3:16 | London, England | Won UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–3 (1) | Zsolt Balla | TKO (punches) | UWC 17: Bad to the Bone | 8 October 2011 | 1 | 2:09 | Essex, England | |
| Win | 7–3 (1) | Simon Carlsen | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors: 41 | 24 April 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 6–3 (1) | Rolandas Cizauskas | TKO (punches) | UCMMA 18: Face Off | 5 February 2011 | 1 | 4:21 | London, England | |
| Loss | 5–3 (1) | Matti Mäkelä | TKO (punches) | SC 6: Lion's Den | 29 October 2010 | 3 | 4:10 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| NC | 5–2 (1) | Adrian Preda | No Contest | UCMMA 16: Unbelievable | 23 October 2010 | 1 | N/A | London, England | Accidental Eye Poke. |
| Win | 5–2 | Kevin Thompson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | OMMAC 5: Showdown | 5 June 2010 | 1 | 4:21 | Liverpool, England | Won OMMAC British Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–2 | Nick Nembherd | TKO (punches) | UWC 12: Revolution | 20 March 2010 | 1 | 2:49 | Essex, England | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Stav Economou | Decision (unanimous) | UWC 11: Onslaught | 28 November 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Essex, England | For the Ultimate Warrior Challenge Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 3–1 | Svajunas Siacuila | Submission (americana) | UWC 10 | 28 June 2009 | 1 | 0:48 | Essex, England | |
| Win | 2-1 | Reza Mahdavian | TKO (punches) | UWC 9 | 22 March 2009 | 1 | 2:35 | Essex, England | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Shola Adeniran | TKO (punches) | UWC 8: Vendetta | 8 November 2008 | 3 | 3:43 | Essex, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Chris Greig | Submission (rear-naked choke) | FX3: Fight Night 9 | 13 September 2008 | 1 | 3:19 | Reading, England |
See also
References
- Sherdog.com. "Linton Vassell MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- Linton Vassell. "Linton 'The Swarm' Vassell". LintonVassell.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012.
- Ultimate Warrior Challenge. "Crazy Bear British Champion". UltimateWarriorChallenge.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- Addicted MMA. "Cage Warriors 41 Results". AddictedMMA.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- Jenson. "UCMMA 26 Card "Unbelievable" Event Results". MMAMail.com. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- The Fight Lounge. "UCMMA 26: The Real Deal results". TheFightLounge.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- "UCMMA 29 Results Addicted MMA Mixed martial arts". AddictedMMA.tv. 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012.
- "BAMMA 11 UPDATE: LINTON VASSELL INJURED, PROMOTION SEEKS NEW FOE FOR JASON JONES". Sherdog.com. 23 November 2012.
- MMAjunkie Staff (8 August 2013). "Bellator signs Wolfslair fighters Peter Graham, Gavin Sterritt, Linton Vassell". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "Linton Vassell vs. Matt Jones". sherdog.com. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- Dann Stupp (28 March 2014). "Bellator 114 results: Alexander Shlemenko defends title, notches win No. 50". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- MMAjunkie Staff (25 July 2014). "Bellator 122 results: Koreshkov dominates McDonough to earn welterweight title shot". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- MMAjunkie Staff (30 September 2014). "Emanuel Newton headlines Bellator 130 in title tilt with Linton Vassell". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- "Bellator 134 Fight Card". bellator.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- Michael Stets (19 June 2015). "Bellator 'Dynamite' to feature title fight, one-night light heavyweight tourney, and GLORY kickboxing in San Jose". mmamania.com. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- "Bellator books Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock 3, 'Kimbo' vs. 'Dada 5000' for Houston - MMAjunkie". MMAjunkie.
- Critchfield, Tristen (5 July 2016). "LINTON VASSELL INJURED; FRANCIS CARMONT GETS NEW OPPONENT AT BELLATOR 158". sherdog.com. Sherdog.
- Staff (19 May 2017). "Bellator 179 results: Rory MacDonald dominates Paul Daley for first win since 2014". mmajunkie.com.
- Nick Baldwin (17 August 2017). "Ryan Bader vs. Linton Vassell title fight headlines Bellator 186". bloodyelbow.com.
- "Phil Davis vs. Linton Vassell booked for Bellator 200 in May". MMAjunkie. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- "VIDEO: Phil Davis vs. Linton Vassell ends with highlight-reel finish". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- Nolan King (2 September 2019). "Sergei Kharitonov vs. Linton Vassell, Huerta, Vanderford, Gozali father-son, more set for Bellator 234". mmajunkie.com.
