Sherman Pendergarst
Sherman Maurice Pendergarst (February 1, 1967 – July 20, 2012) was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He competed in the UFC, Bellator, Adrenaline MMA, King of the Cage and YAMMA Pit Fighting.[1]
Sherman Pendergarst | |
---|---|
Born | Baltimore, Maryland, US | February 1, 1967
Died | July 20, 2012 45) Davenport, Iowa, US | (aged
Other names | The Tank |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight | 204 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |
Division | Light Heavyweight (2010-2012) Heavyweight (2005-2010) |
Reach | 74.0 in (188 cm) |
Stance | Southpaw |
Fighting out of | Bettendorf, Iowa |
Team | Miletich Fighting Systems |
Rank | Brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu |
Years active | 2005-2012 |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 30 |
Wins | 11 |
By knockout | 2 |
By submission | 8 |
By decision | 1 |
Losses | 18 |
By knockout | 11 |
By submission | 2 |
By decision | 5 |
No contests | 1 |
Other information | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Background
Pendergarst was born in Baltimore, Maryland and was raised in Virginia along with four other siblings. He attended and graduated from Randolph-Macon Academy where he excelled in football and wrestling and then attended Old Dominion University where he competed in collegiate wrestling. After college he worked as a mortgage broker but soon began practicing martial arts and boxing before moving to Bettendorf, Iowa to train with the Miletich Fighting Systems.[2]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Pendergast made his professional mixed martial arts debut on April 2, 2005, winning by submission in the first round. He would then go on to win his next fight also by submission in the first round before being handed his first professional loss in his next bout at the hands of future Bellator and WEC veteran Eric Schambari, via decision. In his next bout a month later, he was again defeated via decision, this time by future UFC veteran, Carmelo Marrero.
Pendergarst then went on to win his next three fights before facing UFC veteran, the late Justin Eilers who defeated Pendergarst via knockout, the first knockout loss of Pendergarst's career. However, he would continue to pick up wins in small US organizations and compiled a record of 8-3 before being signed by the UFC.
UFC
Pendergarst faced Dutch professional kickboxer Antoni Hardonk at UFC 65 on November 18, 2006 in Sacramento, California. Pendergarst lost the bout due to a powerful leg kick from the K-1 kickboxing veteran 3:15 into the fight.[3]
Post-UFC
After losing his UFC bout, Pendergarst won his next bout via rear-naked choke submission before losing four of his next five fights, the fifth being a knockout loss at the hands of future UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, Shane Carwin. His next win would be two fights later in 2008 where he won via rear-naked choke submission. However, this would be the last win of his career as he dropped nine of his final ten career fights, although at the hands of fighters such as Houston Alexander, Tim Hague, Abe Wagner, Joey Beltran, and Razak Al-Hassan. Pendergarst's last bout was ruled a no-contest on February 18, 2012, after he was hit with an accidental groin strike.
Personal life
On July 20, 2012, Pendergarst died at the age of 45 from colon cancer. He fought the last professional bout of his career one year after his diagnosis, providing a testimony to the reputation he had earned in MMA as a very tough fighter.[4][5]
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown | ||
30 matches | 11 wins | 18 losses |
By knockout | 2 | 11 |
By submission | 8 | 2 |
By decision | 1 | 5 |
No contests | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NC | 11–18 (1) | Bruce Nelson | NC (groin kick) | CFX/Crowbar MMA: Winter Brawl | February 18, 2012 | 1 | 3:31 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | Nelson landed an accidental groin strike |
Loss | 11–18 | Razak Al-Hassan | TKO (punches) | North American Fighting Championship: Unstoppable | June 5, 2010 | 1 | 1:21 | Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, United States | Light heavyweight debut |
Loss | 11–17 | Brian Heden | KO (punches) | SD Total Combat 6 | February 20, 2010 | 2 | 1:14 | Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States | |
Loss | 11–16 | Justin Lemke | TKO (punches) | GCF: Strength and Honor | November 7, 2009 | 1 | N/A | West Allis, Wisconsin, United States | |
Loss | 11–15 | Houston Alexander | TKO (leg kicks and punches) | Adrenaline MMA 4 | September 18, 2009 | 1 | 1:51 | Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States | |
Loss | 11–14 | Joey Beltran | TKO (punches) | Bellator 5 | May 1, 2009 | 1 | 2:24 | Dayton, Ohio, United States | |
Loss | 11–13 | Mike Marrello | Decision (split) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 28 | February 27, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
Loss | 11–12 | Josh Barnes | Submission (guillotine choke) | Extreme Challenge: The War at the Shore | January 23, 2009 | 1 | 0:32 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
Loss | 11–11 | Abe Wagner | Decision (split) | VFC 25: Primetime | December 5, 2008 | 5 | 5:00 | Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States | |
Loss | 11–10 | Tim Hague | TKO (punches) | KOTC: Unrefined | September 18, 2008 | 2 | N/A | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
Win | 11–9 | Brian Heden | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 24 | June 8, 2008 | 1 | 2:10 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
Loss | 10–9 | Oleksiy Oliynyk | Submission (ezekiel choke) | YAMMA Pit Fighting 1 | April 11, 2008 | 1 | 4:18 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
Loss | 10–8 | Shane Carwin | KO (punch) | ROF 31: Undisputed | December 1, 2007 | 1 | 1:41 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
Win | 10–7 | Kyle Olsen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Extreme Challenge 85 | October 6, 2007 | 1 | 3:54 | Bismarck, North Dakota, United States | |
Loss | 9–7 | Patrick Castillo | Decision (unanimous) | CCCF: Showdown 2 | July 20, 2007 | 3 | 3:00 | Concho, Oklahoma, United States | |
Loss | 9–6 | Jon Murphy | KO (punch) | Extreme Challenge 75 | March 23, 2007 | 1 | 2:16 | Trenton, New Jersey, United States | |
Loss | 9–5 | Semtex Harz | TKO (injury) | FightFest 10 | February 3, 2007 | 1 | 1:19 | Canton, Ohio, United States | |
Win | 9–4 | Brett Stevens | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ECF: Winter War | January 27, 2007 | 1 | 1:42 | Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States | |
Loss | 8–4 | Antoni Hardonk | TKO (leg kick) | UFC 65: Bad Intentions | November 18, 2006 | 1 | 3:15 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
Win | 8–3 | Pat Stano | Decision | Xtreme Gladiators 3 | September 23, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Richmond, Virginia, United States | |
Win | 7–3 | Aaron Brink | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PF 2: Live MMA | August 18, 2006 | 1 | 0:54 | Hollywood, California, United States | |
Win | 6–3 | Tony Nelson | Submission (kneebar) | ISCF: Rampage in the Cage 2 | June 3, 2006 | 1 | 0:51 | Lafayette, Louisiana, United States | |
Loss | 5–3 | Justin Eilers | KO (punches) | Combat in the Cage 2 | May 20, 2006 | 2 | 4:34 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
Win | 5–2 | Glen Sandull | KO (punches) | SF 3: Beatdown | April 22, 2006 | 1 | N/A | New Jersey, United States | |
Win | 4–2 | Jason Cadima | TKO (strikes) | WFL - Real: No Fooling Around | April 1, 2006 | 2 | 0:43 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
Win | 3–2 | David Woolby | Submission (forearm choke) | WFL: Mortal Conquest | December 3, 2005 | 2 | 2:15 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
Loss | 2–2 | Carmelo Marrero | Decision (unanimous) | Reality Fighting 9 | August 6, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Wildwood, New Jersey, United States | |
Loss | 2–1 | Eric Schambari | Decision (unanimous) | Inferno Promotions: Meltdown | July 22, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Garland, Texas, United States | |
Win | 2–0 | Mike Dexter | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WFL: Judgement Night | May 14, 2005 | 1 | 3:42 | Taunton, Massachusetts, United States | |
Win | 1–0 | Semtex Harz | Submission (guillotine choke) | Reality Fighting 8 | April 2, 2005 | 1 | 1:05 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |
References
- "Sherman Pendergarst "The Tank" (11-18-0) Official Mixed Martial Arts Record". Mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2012/07/former-ufc-fighter-sherman-pendergarst-loses-battle-with-cancer
- "Antoni Hardonk vs. Sherman Pendergarst, UFC 65 Bout". tapology.com. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
- "Sherman Pendergarst dies at 45". ESPN.com. 2012-07-20.
- "Twitter / patmiletich: Sherman Pendergarst passed". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-07-21.