Josh Burkman - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Joshua R. Burkman is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

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 is best known for his participation in the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

. Before becoming a mixed martial artist, Burkman was an amateur wrestler. During his senior year of high school he finished second in his weight class at the state championship. Burkman also played college football before taking on fighting full time.

Burkman was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2
The Ultimate Fighter 2
The Ultimate Fighter 2 was the second season of the mixed martial arts reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. The season featured a heavyweight and a welterweight division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC coaches for this season were welterweight and middleweight...

, which aired on Spike TV

Spike TV

Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...

. Burkman has fought as a 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...

in the UFC up until November 2008 when his contract expired and was not renewed.

Before MMA career

Burkman attended Cottonwood High School (Murray, Utah). He was a three-sport star athlete for the Colts. He was a Class 5A All-State third baseman on the baseball team, and was captain of the football team, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards as a senior. As a member of the wrestling team, he finished second place in the state championships in the 171-pound division.

Burkman played two seasons of college football before he began his career in mixed martial arts. He spent his freshman season at Snow College

Snow College

Snow College is a rural, two-year state college located in Ephraim, Utah, U.S. It offers certificates and associate degrees in a number of areas...

in Ephraim, Utah but he missed half the season with an injury. He then transferred to Dixie State College in St. George, Utah. His sophomore season (2001) was spectacular: he rushed for 1,439 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Rebels, earning JUCO All-American honors. His team won the Dixie Rotary Bowl; for his performance, Burkman earned a scholarship offer from the University of Utah

University of Utah

The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

. Ultimately, he decided to drop football and pursue mixed martial arts.

MMA career

Burkman has a professional mixed martial arts record of 21 wins and 9 losses, with a UFC record of 5 wins and 5 losses.

Burkman was defeated by Pete Sell

Pete Sell

Peter K. Sell, is an American mixed martial artist specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is a black belt under teacher and fellow mixed martial artist Matt Serra in East Meadow, New York, and has trained extensively under striking coach Ray Longo in Garden City, New York...

by unanimous decision

Unanimous decision

A unanimous decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....

at UFC 90

UFC 90

UFC 90: Silva vs. Côté was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 25, 2008 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The main event featured UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva vs Patrick Côté....

.

After three consecutive losses Burkman was released by the UFC in November 2008.

Since being released from the UFC, Burkman has gone 3–1, including a KO victory over Ultimate Fighter alumni Brandon Melendez

Brandon Melendez

Brandon Melendez is an American Mixed Martial Artist. Melendez was a castmember on The Ultimate Fighter 5.-The Ultimate Fighter:...

Mixed martial arts record

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|Loss
|align=center|21–9
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Jordan Mein

Jordan Mein is a Canadian professional mixed martial arts fighter. He has previously fought for King of the Cage.-Background:Jordan's father, Lee Mein, began operating a local promotion called Rumble in the Cage. It gave Jordan his first fighting opportunity and when he was just 11 years old he...

|Decision (unanimous)
|MMA 1: The Reckoning

MMA 1: The Reckoning

MMA: The Reckoning was a mixed martial arts event held by Knockout Entertainment Canada. It took place on April 2, 2011 at Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada. It is the first Mixed Martial arts event to take place in Ontario since the official sanctioning of MMA in August of 2010. The fights are...

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

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|Win
|align=center|21–8
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Jordan Smith

Jordan Smith is a former professional ice hockey player who was drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim of the NHL.-Playing career:...

Orem, Utah

Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|20–8
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Orem, Utah

, US
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|Win
|align=center|19–8
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Brandon Melendez

Brandon Melendez is an American Mixed Martial Artist. Melendez was a castmember on The Ultimate Fighter 5.-The Ultimate Fighter:...

Orem, Utah

, US
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|-
|Loss
|align=center|18–8
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Pete Sell

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 90

UFC 90

Rosemont, Illinois

Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States located immediately northwest of Chicago. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that...

, US
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|-
|Loss
|align=center|18–7
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Dustin Hazelett

Dustin Tyler Hazelett is a American mixed martial artist. He is best known for his fights as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Martial arts background:Dustin Hazelett was born in Louisa, Kentucky, USA...

|Submission (armbar)
|The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Finale, also referred to as The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 21, 2008...

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...

, US
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|Loss
|align=center|18–6
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Mike Swick

Mike Swick is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight....

Las Vegas, Nevada

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|18–5
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Forrest Petz

Forrest Petz is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Petz is a Ultimate Fighting Championships veteran formerly competing in their welterweight division...

|Decision (split)
|UFC 77

UFC 77

UFC 77: Hostile Territory was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . The event took place on Saturday, October 20, 2007 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio...

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, US
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|Loss
|align=center|17–5
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Karo Parisyan

Karapet Parisyan is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist. From his days as a UFC mainstay Karo holds notable wins over Ryo Chonan, Shonie Carter, Drew Fickett, Matt Serra, Nick Thompson, Chris Lytle, Nick Diaz and Antonio McKee.- Early life:...

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 71

UFC 71

UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, US
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|Win
|align=center|17–4
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Hollywood, Florida

-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...

, US
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|Win
|align=center|16–4
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Josh Neer

Joshua Martin Neer is an American mixed martial artist from Des Moines, Iowa who is currently under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championships. He trains at The LifeLine Youth Foundation and The Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Des Moines, Iowa. Neer is formerly an MFS Elite fighter...

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 61

UFC 61

UFC 61: Bitter Rivals was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, July 8, 2006. The event took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States.-Background:The main event was a...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, US
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|Loss
|align=center|15–4
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Jon Fitch

Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...

|Submission (rear naked choke)
|UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4

UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4

Ultimate Fight Night 4 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 6, 2006. The event took place at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Paradise, Nevada and was broadcast live on Spike TV in the United States and Canada...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|15–3
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Drew Fickett

Drew Fickett is an American mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division. He holds notable victories over Josh Koscheck, Dennis Hallman, Kenny Florian, Kurt Pellegrino, Josh Neer, Matt Veach, and Dennis Bermudez....

|Submission (guillotine choke)
| UFC Ultimate Fight Night 3

UFC Ultimate Fight Night 3

Ultimate Fight Night 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 16, 2006. The event took place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was broadcast live on Spike TV in the United States and Canada...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|14–3
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Sammy Morgan

Sammy Morgan (fighter)

Sam "The Squeeze" Morgan is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Welterweight. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2 and also fought in the Strikeforce and EliteXC promotions.-Mixed martial arts record:...

|KO (slam and elbows)
|The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2005. Featured were the finals from The Ultimate Fighter 2 in both the Welterweight and Heavyweight divisions as well as a main event between Diego Sanchez and Nick...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, US
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|-
|Loss
|align=center|13–3
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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...

Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...

, US
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|Win
|align=center|13–2
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Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

, US
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|Win
|align=center|12–2
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Kyacey Uscola

Kyacey Uscola is an American professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter. He was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz. Uscola has fought for brands such as Bodog Fight, KOTC, Gladiator Challenge, and Palace Fighting Championships...

Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|11–2
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|10–2
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Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, US
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|-
|Loss
|align=center|9–2
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Matt Horwich

Matthew Peter Horwich is a journeyman American mixed martial artist. Previously fighting for the Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League where he held the middleweight championship in 2007, BAMMA and in the UFC, he holds notable wins over past and present UFC fighters Jake Rosholt,...

Portland, Oregon

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|9–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|8–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|Win
|align=center|7–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|6–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|5–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|4–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|Win
|align=center|3–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|2–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|-
|Win
|align=center|1–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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|Loss
|align=center|0–1
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Salt Lake City, Utah

, US
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External links

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