Amir Khillah
Encyclopedia
Amir Khillah is an Egyptian-American
mixed martial artist
. Amir has a professional record of 9-4, currently fighting in the lightweight division and previously in the welterweight division. He is a former member of The H.I.T. Squad, the team of former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Hughes
. He now owns and operates his own gym, Lighting Kicks MMA, while training full time at Jeremy Horn's
Elite Performance
.
, United States
. For high school, he attended Battle Creek Academy, graduating in 1997. To further his studies, Amir attended Western Michigan University
and obtained a degree in Exercise Science from the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department.
Khillah is currently teaching an MMA college credit class for the fall semester of 2011 at Western Michigan University
.
. Amir lost the fight in the first minute after Miller applied an armbar. Amir lost his second straight fight after being defeated late in the third round against Charles Wilson.
On August 5, 2007, he got his first win by defeating Devin Sprecher via a first round submission. He had accumulated a 3-2 record before fighting Pat Curran
, the young cousin of seasoned veteran Jeff Curran
. During the fight, Amir broke his hand but still managed to continue. He lost via split decision, with many spectators believing Khillah had won the fight. Amir bounced back winning two straight before losing to Alex Carter, a fighter with over 50 professional fights.
Amir's next victory was a 17 second technical knockout win over Brad McRae at Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night 9. While training Amir suffered a right shoulder tear causing him to require surgery.
He was a part of the third IFL
draft held in Chicago, Illinois. He was put in the pool of starters and alternates for the 2008 IFL season but never got his opportunity to compete. Amir tried out for season five of the Ultimate Fighter, making it to the final round of cuts before being disqualified because he tried out with a broken arm. He also tried out for season nine but was cut again in the final round.
Amir finally was selected to be a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter
reality show. He appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 12
. He lost in the elimination round to Cody McKenzie
via technical submission by way of McKenzie's own modified submission. The loss sent Amir home, not getting a chance for the six figure contract. Aside from the Ultimate Fighter, Khillah has been featured on two episodes of Spike TV's Knockout Sportsworld.
After his appearance on TUF, Amir returned to competition against Sergio Lopez at Cage Raisers 3. Amir won the fight via TKO midway through round one. Six months later he fought for Jeremy Horn's promotion, winning his fight via arm-triangle choke submission in round one.
|Win
|align=center|9-4
|
Jay Little
|TKO (punches)
|Upper Peninsula Cagefighting
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|1:04
|Baraga, Michigan
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-4
| James Francis
|Submission (arm-triangle choke)
|Elite Fight Night 13
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:23
|Lehi, Utah
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-4
| Sergio Lopez
|TKO (punches)
|Cage Raisers 3
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:09
|Grand Junction, Colorado
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-4
| Brad McRae
|TKO (punches)
|Elite Fight Night 9
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:17
|Layton, Utah
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|5-4
| Alex Carter
|Decision (unanimous)
|Take That Promotions 3
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Bethalto, Illinois
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-3
| Aaron Wise
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|PB MMA: Return to Glory
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:01
|Fort Smith, Arkansas
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-3
| Zach Lennon
|Decision (unanimous)
|Headhunter Productions 1
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|3:00
|Columbia, Missouri
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|3-3
| Pat Curran
|Decision (split)
|Xtreme Fighting Organization 25
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Island Lake, Illinois
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-2
| Dave Cochran
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Crossroads Combat Challenge 3
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|1:10
|Effingham, Illinois
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-2
| Lazar Stojadinovic
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Power Fights 2
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:15
|Cicero, Illinois
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-2
| Devin Sprecher
|Submission
|Bonecrunch Fighting
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Sarasota, Florida
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-2
| Charles Wilson
|Submission (strikes)
|Pure Force V
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|4:23
|Tinley Park, Illinois
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center| 0-1
| Mark Miller
|Submission (armbar)
|Total Fight Challenge 6
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:41
|Hammond, Indiana
, United States
|
Egyptian American
Egyptian Americans are Americans of Egyptian ancestry, first-generation Egyptian immigrants, or descendants of Egyptians who immigrated to the United States. In the 2007 U.S. census, the number of people with Egyptian ancestry was estimated at 195,000, although some estimates range from several...
mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
. Amir has a professional record of 9-4, currently fighting in the lightweight division and previously in the welterweight division. He is a former member of The H.I.T. Squad, the team of former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes (fighter)
Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
. He now owns and operates his own gym, Lighting Kicks MMA, while training full time at Jeremy Horn's
Jeremy Horn
Jeremy Graham Horn is an American mixed martial artist. He is one of the most experienced fighters in the sport with a professional record of 88–21–5...
Elite Performance
Elite Performance
__NOINDEX__Elite Performance Gym is a mixed martial arts training organization founded by former IFC Middleweight and King of the Cage Light Heavyweight Champion, Jeremy Horn...
.
Biography
Khillah was born in Egypt and lived there for six years until he and his family moved to Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For high school, he attended Battle Creek Academy, graduating in 1997. To further his studies, Amir attended Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
and obtained a degree in Exercise Science from the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department.
Khillah is currently teaching an MMA college credit class for the fall semester of 2011 at Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
.
Mixed martial arts
Amir made his professional debut against The Ultimate Fighter 9 contestant, Mark MillerMark Miller (fighter)
Marcus Dennis Miller is an American mixed martial artist. He has won MMA welterweight titles with XFO and Total Fight Challenge as well as the USKO international rules kickboxing title. A former IFL fighter, Miller was a competitor on SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs...
. Amir lost the fight in the first minute after Miller applied an armbar. Amir lost his second straight fight after being defeated late in the third round against Charles Wilson.
On August 5, 2007, he got his first win by defeating Devin Sprecher via a first round submission. He had accumulated a 3-2 record before fighting Pat Curran
Pat Curran (fighter)
Pat Curran is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Lightweight and Featherweight. He is the cousin of World Extreme Cagefighting veteran and former Featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran...
, the young cousin of seasoned veteran Jeff Curran
Jeff Curran
Jeffrey M. Curran is an American mixed martial artist. He fights at a number of different weight classes for a large number of organizations, including: Ultimate Fighting Championship , Strikeforce, PRIDE Fighting Championship, World Extreme Cagefighting , International Fight League , and King of...
. During the fight, Amir broke his hand but still managed to continue. He lost via split decision, with many spectators believing Khillah had won the fight. Amir bounced back winning two straight before losing to Alex Carter, a fighter with over 50 professional fights.
Amir's next victory was a 17 second technical knockout win over Brad McRae at Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night 9. While training Amir suffered a right shoulder tear causing him to require surgery.
He was a part of the third IFL
International Fight League
The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006 and closed on July 31, 2008...
draft held in Chicago, Illinois. He was put in the pool of starters and alternates for the 2008 IFL season but never got his opportunity to compete. Amir tried out for season five of the Ultimate Fighter, making it to the final round of cuts before being disqualified because he tried out with a broken arm. He also tried out for season nine but was cut again in the final round.
Amir finally was selected to be a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship , and soon to be shown on FX. The show features unknown, professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as...
reality show. He appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 12
The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck
The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter....
. He lost in the elimination round to Cody McKenzie
Cody McKenzie
Cody McKenzie is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, McKenzie mostly competed in his regional circuit, before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to appear on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs...
via technical submission by way of McKenzie's own modified submission. The loss sent Amir home, not getting a chance for the six figure contract. Aside from the Ultimate Fighter, Khillah has been featured on two episodes of Spike TV's Knockout Sportsworld.
After his appearance on TUF, Amir returned to competition against Sergio Lopez at Cage Raisers 3. Amir won the fight via TKO midway through round one. Six months later he fought for Jeremy Horn's promotion, winning his fight via arm-triangle choke submission in round one.
Awards and accomplishments
- State Championships (Gold medalist)
- National Championships
- Olympic Training Center athlete
- Pan-Am Cup (Silver medalist)
- World University Games
- Olympic Trials
- 2004 U.S. National Collegiate National Champion (welter weight)
Mixed martial arts record
|-|Win
|align=center|9-4
|
Jay Little|TKO (punches)
|Upper Peninsula Cagefighting
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|1:04
|Baraga, Michigan
Baraga, Michigan
Baraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-4
|
James Francis|Submission (arm-triangle choke)
|Elite Fight Night 13
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:23
|Lehi, Utah
Lehi, Utah
-Attractions:Lehi Roller MillsLehi Roller Mills was founded in 1906 by a co-op of farmers. George G. Robinson purchased the mill in 1910, and since then it has remained in the family. It is run today by grandson R. Sherman Robinson....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-4
|
Sergio Lopez|TKO (punches)
|Cage Raisers 3
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:09
|Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-4
|
Brad McRae|TKO (punches)
|Elite Fight Night 9
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:17
|Layton, Utah
Layton, Utah
-External links:*...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|5-4
|
Alex Carter|Decision (unanimous)
|Take That Promotions 3
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Bethalto, Illinois
Bethalto, Illinois
Bethalto is a village located in Madison County, Illinois, USA. Bethalto, like the rest of Madison County, is part of the Illinois Metro-East portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-3
|
Aaron Wise|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|PB MMA: Return to Glory
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:01
|Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-3
|
Zach Lennon|Decision (unanimous)
|Headhunter Productions 1
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|3:00
|Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|3-3
|
Pat CurranPat Curran (fighter)
Pat Curran is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Lightweight and Featherweight. He is the cousin of World Extreme Cagefighting veteran and former Featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran...
|Decision (split)
|Xtreme Fighting Organization 25
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Island Lake, Illinois
Island Lake, Illinois
Island Lake is a village in Lake and McHenry Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 8,153 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Island Lake is a village located at , lying in the far northwest Chicago suburbs....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-2
|
Dave Cochran |Submission (rear naked choke)
|Crossroads Combat Challenge 3
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|1:10
|Effingham, Illinois
Effingham, Illinois
Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-2
|
Lazar StojadinovicLazar Stojadinovic
Lazar Stojadinovic is an American mixed martial artist and former King of the Cage Bantamweight Champion.Stojadinovic made his professional debut on October 19, 2007 with a submission loss to Simon Marini at XFO - Xtreme Fighting Organization 20....
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Power Fights 2
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:15
|Cicero, Illinois
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-2
|
Devin Sprecher|Submission
|Bonecrunch Fighting
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-2
|
Charles Wilson|Submission (strikes)
|Pure Force V
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|4:23
|Tinley Park, Illinois
Tinley Park, Illinois
Tinley Park is a village located primarily in Cook County, Illinois, United States with a small portion in Will County. The population was 48,401 at the 2000 census, and 58,322 in the 2007 census. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs south of Chicago...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center| 0-1
|
Mark MillerMark Miller (fighter)
Marcus Dennis Miller is an American mixed martial artist. He has won MMA welterweight titles with XFO and Total Fight Challenge as well as the USKO international rules kickboxing title. A former IFL fighter, Miller was a competitor on SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs...
|Submission (armbar)
|Total Fight Challenge 6
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:41
|Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|