Chris Cope
Encyclopedia
Chris Cope is an American
mixed martial artist
who competes in the welterweight
division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Cope has made a name for himself fighting on the regional circuit in California. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), fighting in their welterweight division. He has also fought for the UFC's sister promotion, Strikeforce
.
In April of 2000, Cope participated in a week-long trip to the California high desert at Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree. This trip, which combined intense physical training with deep spiritual reflection, was to have a profound effect on Cope's athletic and philosophical development.
Following high school, Cope graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara where he earned a degree in Sociology.
Upon completion of his courses in 2005, Cope joined AKA MMA and trained with the likes of Josh Koscheck
, Phil Baroni
and Mike Swick
. Three months later he drove south to San Diego and began training with KJ Noons and Tyrone Glover and, shortly after, turned pro where he has amassed a 4-1 overall record.
The self-proclaimed gym rat has settled into Arena MMA after bouncing around several gyms in California. Cope currently works at a local San Diego law firm but still manages to train two times a day, six days a week.
Cope was the fifth pick on Team Lesnar and tenth overall. dos Santos had selected Cope to face the heavy favorite, Javier Torres
, for the second preliminary bout. After a three round battle, Cope was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
Cope's quarter-final match was against Team dos Santos' Shamar Bailey
. Cope defeated Bailey after two rounds via unanimous decision. Cope showed good takedown defense along with immediately following his corner's advice throughout the fight.
In the semifinals Cope was defeated by Ramsey Nijem
via TKO in the second round, knocking him out of the tournament.
card, fighting against fellow semifinalist and teammate, Chuck O'Neil
. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cope faced promotional newcomer Che Mills
on November 5, 2011 at UFC 138
. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
|Loss
|align=center|5-2
|Che Mills
|TKO (knees and punches)
|UFC 138
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:40
|Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-1
|Chuck O'Neil
|Decision (unanimous)
|The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-1
|Ron Keslar
|TKO (head kick and punches)
|Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|4:32
|San Jose, California
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|3-1
|Josh Samman
|KO (punches)
|Moon Management: Ubersmash 2
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Tallahassee, Florida
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-0
|Armando Montoya Jr.
|KO (head kick)
|SBP: Boxing at the Beach
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|N/A
|Redondo Beach, California
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-0
|Marcos Gonzalez
|Decision (unanimous)
|Battle in the Ballroom
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Irvine, California
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
|Jermaine Wilson
|Decision (unanimous)
|TC 24: War in the Armory
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|N/A
|Oceanside, California
, United States
|
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
who competes in the welterweight
Welterweight (MMA)
The welterweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The UFC's & Strikeforce's welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb...
division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Cope has made a name for himself fighting on the regional circuit in California. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), fighting in their welterweight division. He has also fought for the UFC's sister promotion, Strikeforce
Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...
.
Early life
Born and raised in Carmel Valley, California, Chris Cope began training karate at eight years of age before progressing into taekwondo and then kempo. While at Carmel High School, he added kickboxing to his game and began to fight on the local mixed martial arts circuit. Although not a star athlete, Cope was one of only four juniors to earn a spot on the 1999-2000 Carmel High varsity basketball team, which featured several future college players. He also played baseball all four years of high school.In April of 2000, Cope participated in a week-long trip to the California high desert at Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree. This trip, which combined intense physical training with deep spiritual reflection, was to have a profound effect on Cope's athletic and philosophical development.
Following high school, Cope graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara where he earned a degree in Sociology.
Early career
He fought on the amateur circuit and earned the International Kickboxing Federation California cruiserweight title in 2004. Soon after, Cope committed himself to further developing his mixed martial arts repertoire and began grappling with jiu-jitsu expert Jeff Glover to further round out his overall skills.Upon completion of his courses in 2005, Cope joined AKA MMA and trained with the likes of Josh Koscheck
Josh Koscheck
Josh D. Koscheck is an American mixed martial artist from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, a former collegiate wrestling champion and is currently fighting at welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his debut with the organization on the first season of the reality television show,...
, Phil Baroni
Phil Baroni
Philip George Baroni is an American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 14–14–0. Baroni has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he holds a record of 3–7–0. Also he has fought in the PRIDE FC where he holds a record of 4–2–0...
and Mike Swick
Mike Swick
Mike Swick is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight....
. Three months later he drove south to San Diego and began training with KJ Noons and Tyrone Glover and, shortly after, turned pro where he has amassed a 4-1 overall record.
The self-proclaimed gym rat has settled into Arena MMA after bouncing around several gyms in California. Cope currently works at a local San Diego law firm but still manages to train two times a day, six days a week.
The Ultimate Fighter
Cope had signed with the UFC in 2011 to compete on the The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos.Cope was the fifth pick on Team Lesnar and tenth overall. dos Santos had selected Cope to face the heavy favorite, Javier Torres
Javier Torres
Javier Torres is a Mexican-American amateur boxer in the Super Heavyweight division. He's currently the second rated amateur boxers in the Super Heavyweight division, for the U.S. National team.-Personal life:...
, for the second preliminary bout. After a three round battle, Cope was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
Cope's quarter-final match was against Team dos Santos' Shamar Bailey
Shamar Bailey
Shamar Bailey is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Bailey has made a name for himself fighting in the Midwest, and his 1-1 stint with Strikeforce. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs...
. Cope defeated Bailey after two rounds via unanimous decision. Cope showed good takedown defense along with immediately following his corner's advice throughout the fight.
In the semifinals Cope was defeated by Ramsey Nijem
Ramsey Nijem
Ramsey Nijem is a Palestinian-American mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Nijem has made a name for himself fighting in Utah. He was a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs...
via TKO in the second round, knocking him out of the tournament.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Even though he lost in the semifinals, Cope remained signed after the show. He made his official UFC debut June 4, 2011 on The Ultimate Fighter 13 FinaleThe Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos Finale, , was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2011 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:Featured were the finalists from The Ultimate Fighter 13 – Team Lesnar...
card, fighting against fellow semifinalist and teammate, Chuck O'Neil
Chuck O'Neil
Chuck O'Neil is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, O'Neil has fought all over the Massachusetts area, building an 8-3 record on the regional circuit even having a 1-0 stint in Bellator Fighting Championships...
. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Cope faced promotional newcomer Che Mills
Che Mills
Che Mills is an English mixed martial artist. He is a former Cage Rage British welterweight champ, and holds 2 notable KO wins over DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius Zaromskis.-Early career:...
on November 5, 2011 at UFC 138
UFC 138
UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2011 at LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S. and live on Sportsnet in Canada...
. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Mixed martial arts record
|-|Loss
|align=center|5-2
|Che Mills
Che Mills
Che Mills is an English mixed martial artist. He is a former Cage Rage British welterweight champ, and holds 2 notable KO wins over DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius Zaromskis.-Early career:...
|TKO (knees and punches)
|UFC 138
UFC 138
UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2011 at LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S. and live on Sportsnet in Canada...
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:40
|Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-1
|Chuck O'Neil
Chuck O'Neil
Chuck O'Neil is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, O'Neil has fought all over the Massachusetts area, building an 8-3 record on the regional circuit even having a 1-0 stint in Bellator Fighting Championships...
|Decision (unanimous)
|The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos Finale, , was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2011 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:Featured were the finalists from The Ultimate Fighter 13 – Team Lesnar...
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-1
|Ron Keslar
|TKO (head kick and punches)
|Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum
Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum
Strikeforce / M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce on June 26, 2010 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.-Background:...
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|4:32
|San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|3-1
|Josh Samman
|KO (punches)
|Moon Management: Ubersmash 2
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-0
|Armando Montoya Jr.
|KO (head kick)
|SBP: Boxing at the Beach
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|N/A
|Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-0
|Marcos Gonzalez
|Decision (unanimous)
|Battle in the Ballroom
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
|Jermaine Wilson
|Decision (unanimous)
|TC 24: War in the Armory
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|N/A
|Oceanside, California
Oceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...
, United States
|