Steve Cantwell

Steven Francis Cantwell (born August 12, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2012, he competed for the UFC and was the last reigning WEC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Steve Cantwell
BornSteven Francis Cantwell
(1986-08-12) August 12, 1986
Long Beach, California, United States
Other namesThe Robot
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionLight Heavyweight
Middleweight
Reach75.0 in (191 cm)
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, United States
TeamOne Kick's Gym
Rank Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Black belt in Kickboxing[1]
Years active2005–2012
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins7
By knockout3
By submission4
Losses6
By knockout1
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: September 13, 2009

Background

Cantwell was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Pahrump, Nevada at the age of 10. After being expelled middle school and high school because of fighting, Cantwell began training in kickboxing at the age of 16, under the tutelage of Nick Blumgren at One Kick's Gym.[2][3]

Mixed martial arts career

World Extreme Cagefighting

After acquiring a 3–0 record in smaller shows, Cantwell made his WEC debut at WEC 26: Condit vs. Alessio in 2007 against Brian Stann, where he suffered a quick TKO loss. After two subsequent victories, Cantwell again faced Stann, WEC Light Heavyweight Champion at WEC 35 and won by TKO in the second round. Shortly after Cantwell took the title, the WEC dropped both its Light Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions, making Cantwell the final WEC Light Heavyweight Champion.[4]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Later that year, Cantwell signed with the UFC, which is owned by the WEC's parent company Zuffa. Cantwell faced fellow UFC newcomer Razak Al-Hassan at UFC: Fight for the Troops an earned a technical submission victory by dislocating Al-Hassan's elbow in an armbar, causing referee Mario Yamasaki to stop the fight.[5] Cantwell's celebration of the victory and post-fight comments sparked some criticism when he said, "I've been waiting so long to do that, you have no idea".[6] He later apologized for his behavior.[7]

He fought Luiz Cané at UFC 97, but lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Cantwell would next face Brian Stann at UFC Fight Night 13 in what would be their third fight. In their previous fight Cantwell had defeated Stann to become the last reigning WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. Cantwell lost the rubber match via unanimous decision.

Cantwell was expected to face Vladimir Matyushenko on January 2, 2010 at UFC 108,[8] but pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons.[9] Since there was no time to find a suitable replacement to face Matyushenko, the bout was called off.[10] UFC President Dana White mentioned at the UFC 108 Pre-Fight Press Conference that Cantwell may never fight again, but refused to disclose what Cantwell's medical issues were.[11]

With the questions surrounding his medical condition apparently cleared,[12] Cantwell was expected to face UFC newcomer Ricardo Romero on July 3, 2010 at UFC 116.[13] However, for unknown reasons, Cantwell was replaced by Seth Petruzelli.[14]

Cantwell was expected to face Stanislav Nedkov on October 16, 2010 at UFC 120.[15] However less than 48 hours before the event, Cantwell was forced off the card after suffering a knee injury during a pre-fight workout. With no time to find a suitable opponent for Nedkov, the bout was cancelled.[16]

Cantwell faced Cyrille Diabaté on March 3, 2011 at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann[17] and lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Cantwell dropped to Middleweight for his next fight and faced Mike Massenzio on October 8, 2011 at UFC 136.[18] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Cantwell faced Riki Fukuda on February 26, 2012 at UFC 144.[19] He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.[20]

Championships and Accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
13 matches 7 wins 6 losses
By knockout 3 1
By submission 4 0
By decision 0 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 7–6 Riki Fukuda Decision (unanimous) UFC 144 February 26, 2012 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Loss 7–5 Mike Massenzio Decision (unanimous) UFC 136 October 8, 2011 3 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States Middleweight debut.
Loss 7–4 Cyrille Diabaté Decision (unanimous) UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann March 3, 2011 3 5:00 Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Loss 7–3 Brian Stann Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard September 16, 2009 3 5:00 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Loss 7–2 Luiz Cané Decision (unanimous) UFC 97 April 18, 2009 3 5:00 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 7–1 Razak Al-Hassan Technical submission (armbar) UFC: Fight for the Troops December 10, 2008 1 4:04 Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States Submission of the Night.
Win 6–1 Brian Stann TKO (punches) WEC 35: Condit vs. Miura August 3, 2008 2 4:01 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship
Win 5–1 Tim McKenzie Submission (rear-naked choke) WEC 33: Marshall vs. Stann March 26, 2008 1 2:13 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 4–1 Justin McElfresh TKO (punches) WEC 29 August 5, 2007 1 0:47 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 3–1 Brian Stann TKO (punches) WEC 26: Condit vs. Alessio March 24, 2007 1 0:41 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3–0 Leonardo Pecanha TKO (doctor stoppage) Jungle Fight Europe December 17, 2006 3 2:32 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Win 2–0 Mike Ashford Submission (armbar) RITC 78: Back with a Vengeance January 14, 2006 1 2:01 Glendale, Arizona, United States
Win 1–0 Richie Hightower Submission (armbar) RITC 68: Hello Glendale! April 23, 2005 1 2:45 Glendale, Arizona, United States
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References
  1. http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Steve-Cantwell?id=
  2. http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Steve-Cantwell?id=
  3. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/16/feelin-home/
  4. "Condit, Varner Retain Titles; Cantwell Crowned". Sherdog.
  5. Steve Cofield. "Poor officiating and bad breaks overshadow good UFC card". Yahoo! Sports.
  6. Maggie Hendricks. "Cantwell's remarks cast a cloud over his win". Yahoo! Sports.
  7. Bill Reger. "Cantwell Explains Controversial Comments". MMA On Tap.
  8. "Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Steve Cantwell set for UFC 108 prelims". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
  9. "Cantwell latest out of UFC 108". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
  10. "Steve Cantwell vs. Vladimir Matyushenko pulled from UFC 108 fight card". mmajunkie.com. 2009-12-30.
  11. "Dana White says Steve Cantwell may never fight again". ProMMA.info. 2009-12-30.
  12. "STEVE CANTWELL CLEARED TO RETURN TO FIGHTING". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  13. "Ricardo Romero vs. Steve Cantwell In The Works For UFC 116". heavy.com. 2010-06-03.
  14. "Seth Petruzelli rejoins UFC, meets Ricardo Romero on UFC 116 preliminary card". MMAjunkie. Archived from the original on 2010-06-08.
  15. "Stanislav Nedkov vs. Steve Cantwell slated for UFC 120 in London". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  16. "Cantwell off UFC 120 Card". fightersonlymagazine.co.uk. October 15, 2010. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010.
  17. "Steve Cantwell vs. Cyril Diabate Agreed for UFC on Versus 3". mmaweekly.com. December 29, 2010.
  18. "Steve Cantwell vs. Mike Massenzio added to UFC 136 in Houston". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  19. "Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda Likely for UFC 144". mmaweekly.com. 2011-11-23.
  20. Anton Tabuena (June 4, 2012). "UFC Releases Several Fighters From Their Roster". bloodyelbow.com.
Preceded by
Brian Stann		 7th WEC Light Heavyweight Champion
August 3, 2008 – December 3, 2008		 Vacant
WEC Light Heavyweight division
was dissolved into the UFC
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