Tarec Saffiedine - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Tarec Saffiedine is an Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

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...

of Lebanese

Lebanese people

The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....

descent, 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. He has fought in a number of promotions around the world including DREAM

DREAM (mixed martial arts)

Dream is a mixed martial arts organization promoted by former PRIDE FC executives and K-1 promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group. DREAM replaced FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight series, Hero's. The series retains many of the stylistic flourishes and personnel from Pride FC...

in Japan and 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...

in the United States.

Early life

Saffiedine was born to a Lebanese

Lebanese people

father, who emigrated to Belgium

Belgium

to study as an ophthalmologist, and Belgian

Belgians

Belgians are people originating from the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe.-Etymology:Belgians are a relatively "new" people...

mother. His father was also a Taekwondo

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

practitioner. He grew up in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert

Woluwe-Saint-Lambert

Woluwe-Saint-Lambert or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium...

in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

and played basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

in his youth. Inspired by Japanese comic books

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

, he took up Karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

at age 16, and is now a black belt

Black belt (martial arts)

In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...

in Shihaishinkai, a style of Karate that includes striking

Strike (attack)

A strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent. There are many different varieties of strikes...

, Judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

throws and ground fighting

Ground fighting

Ground fighting is hand-to-hand combat which takes place while the combatants are on the ground, generally involving grappling...

. He also has an amateur kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

record of 12-1-1 and later began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

and Muay Thai

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

, and then wrestling

Wrestling

Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

when he emigrated to the United States. Early in his career he worked a number of jobs including in a restaurant, a cinema and as a gardener and security guard. He received his nickname, "Sponge", from one of his coaches because he learns quickly.

Early career

Saffiedine made his professional MMA debut in March 2007, beating his opponent Guillaume Janvier with a kimura. He went on to fight a further three times that year, all in promotions in his native Belgium

Belgium

and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. In January 2008, he relocated to the United States

United States

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

and began training with Team Quest

Team Quest

Team Quest is a mixed martial arts training camp founded by Randy Couture, Matt "The Law" Lindland, and Dan Henderson with six facilities located in Gresham, Oregon, Tualatin, Oregon, Murrieta, California, West Linn, Oregon, Oceanside, California, Redding, California and Chiang Mai, Thailand...

. His first fight since his trans-Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

move came in June that year at Ultimate Cage Wars 12 in Canada

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...

, where he defeated his opponent Rich Bondoc with an armbar. In 2009, he had two fights in the US and won both.

DREAM

From there, Saffiedine went to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

to compete in DREAM

DREAM (mixed martial arts)

. His first fight came against Seichi Ikemoto

Seichi Ikemoto

is a Japanese mixed martial artist, with a professional MMA record of 20-17-5. He is a veteran of Shooto, PRIDE and DEEP. His speciality is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent.-Biography and career:...

at DREAM 10: Welterweight Grand Prix 2009 Final
Dream 10
Dream.10: Welter Weight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream on July 20, 2009. Dream's welterweight division has a weight limit. The event was broadcast live in North America on...

. The bout was not part of the Welterweight Grand Prix, but was a reserve bout. He went on to win a unanimous decision.

His next opponent under the DREAM banner was Yoon Dong-Sik

Yoon Dong-Sik

*1992 World Youth Championships - 2nd place*1992 Italian Open - gold medal*1993 Asian Championships - 3rd place*1993 German Open - gold medal*1993 Paris Open - 2nd place*1993 Austrian Open - gold medal*1994 Austrian Open - gold medal...

, which took place at Dream 12. He replaced former WEC

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho

Paulo Filho

Paulo Fernando de Souza Leite Filho, better known as simply Paulo Filho , is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist as well as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo practitioner, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...

in the match on short notice, and lost by way of split decision. Saffiedine normally competes 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...

(170 lbs.), but since he was replacing Filho, he fought as a Middleweight

Middleweight (MMA)

The middleweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Strikeforce's middleweight division, which groups competitors within 171 to 185 lb...

(185 lbs.).

Strikeforce

He then returned to the United States to compete at Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi
Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi
Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi was a mixed martial arts event held by the Strikeforce. The sixth Challengers episode took place on February 26, 2010, at the San Jose Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California.-Background:The Sarah Kaufman vs...

, where he defeated James Terry by way of unanimous decision. He used effective striking to keep his opponent off balance, going as far as to open a cut under Terry's left eye that was bleeding profusely by early in the third round. Though his opponent, an experienced wrestler

Wrestling

, did attempt some takedowns, Saffiedine shrugged off most of them or got to his feet quickly when the action did hit the mat. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Saffiedine.

Saffiedine was next scheduled to face off against Nate Moore on 21 May 2010 at Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey
Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey
Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey was a mixed martial arts event held by the Strikeforce. The eighth Challengers episode took place on May 21, 2010, at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The event drew an estimated 249,000 viewers, with a peak at 294,000 on Showtime.-Televised...

. The opening round provided some back-and-forth action with Moore pushing forward with a wrestling attack, then responding well when Saffiedine began to take control with his strikes. That changed in the second, as Moore returned to his takedown-heavy strategy, but Saffiedine stood tall in the face of the attack and delivered powerful punches while remaining on his feet. A well placed punch by Saffiedine ended the fight by knockout at 1:21 of the second round - his first career KO win.

He then faced Brock Larson

Brock Larson

Brock Orville Larson is an American mixed martial artist from Brainerd, Minnesota. He most recently competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Larson also competed in World Extreme Cagefighting, before it discontinued its welterweight division, and on the...

on 11 September 2010 at Shark Fights 13
Shark Fights 13
Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs. Prangley was a mixed martial arts event held by Shark Fights on September 11, 2010 at the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas, United States.-Background:...

, on loan from 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...

. After a minute-long feeling-out period, Larson shot out of the gate with punches and was dropped by a side-stepping Saffiedine's first strike. From there, Saffiedine continued to outstrike Larson and was also able to defend against takedowns for all three rounds. All judges scored the fight 30-27 in favour of Saffiedine as he won via unanimous decision.

Saffiedine's next fight was against Tyron Woodley

Tyron Woodley

Tyron Woodley is an American former amateur wrestler for the University of Missouri and is now a professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to a deal with Strikeforce.-Early life:...

at Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine

Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine

Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine was a mixed martial arts event held by the Strikeforce. The thirteenth Challengers episode took place on January 7, 2011, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The event drew an estimated 223,000 viewers, with a peak at...

. He and Woodley squared off in the main event. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Saffiedine was supposed to face Evangelista Santos

Evangelista Santos

Evangelista Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is a member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy. He has fought in Strikeforce, Pride Fighting Championship, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Championships and Pancrase. He is currently fighting for World Victory Road and Strikeforce...

at Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson

Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson

Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson, also known as Strikeforce: Columbus, was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce. It took place on March 5, 2011 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States...

but the fight was cancelled.

Saffiedine fought Scott Smith

Scott Smith

Scott Smith is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1999 to 2007, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Gary Doer...

at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson

Strikeforce / M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce. The event took place on July 30, 2011 at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.-Background:...

. He was the replacement for Paul Daley

Paul Daley

Paul Daley is an English professional mixed martial artist who has fought for EliteXC, Cage Rage, Strikeforce, BAMMA, Maximum Fighting Championship, Cage Warriors, Shark Fights, Impact FC, Pancrase and the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

, who was the original opponent for Saffiedine. He defeated Smith via unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Win
|align=center| 11-3
|

Scott Smith

Scott Smith (fighter)

Bryan Scott Smith, , is an American mixed martial artist previously fighting at middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship making his debut at UFC 59. He also fought for EliteXC before it folded and currently fights for Strikeforce...

| Decision (unanimous)
| Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson

Strikeforce / M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce. The event took place on July 30, 2011 at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.-Background:...

Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Hoffman Estates is a northwestern suburb of Chicago in Illinois. The village is located primarily in Cook County with a small section in Kane County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 49,495 and estimated to be 52,520 in 2003...

, USA
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–3
|

Tyron Woodley

Tyron Woodley is an American former amateur wrestler for the University of Missouri and is now a professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to a deal with Strikeforce.-Early life:...

| Decision (unanimous)
| Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine

Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, USA
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–2
|

Brock Larson

| Decision (unanimous)
| Shark Fights 13

Shark Fights 13

Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs. Prangley was a mixed martial arts event held by Shark Fights on September 11, 2010 at the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas, United States.-Background:...

Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...

, USA
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–2
|

Nate Moore

Nate Moore is an American mixed martial artist and Amateur wrestler.-Mixed martial arts career:Moore fights out of American Kickboxing Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is currently signed with the Strikeforce promotion...

| KO (punch)
| Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey

Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey

Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey was a mixed martial arts event held by the Strikeforce. The eighth Challengers episode took place on May 21, 2010, at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The event drew an estimated 249,000 viewers, with a peak at 294,000 on Showtime.-Televised...

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...

, USA
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–2
|

James Terry

James Terry (fighter)

James Terry is an American mixed martial artist from San Jose, California.. James has an extension college wrestling background. He moved to Northern California in 2005 when he began to sharpen his kickboxing under the guidance of Cung Le. James now trains in MMA and work as an instructor and...

| Decision (unanimous)
| Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi

Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi

Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi was a mixed martial arts event held by the Strikeforce. The sixth Challengers episode took place on February 26, 2010, at the San Jose Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California.-Background:The Sarah Kaufman vs...

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...

, USA
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 7–2
|

Yoon Dong-Sik

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–1
|

Seichi Ikemoto

| Decision (unanimous)
| Dream 10

Dream 10

Dream.10: Welter Weight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream on July 20, 2009. Dream's welterweight division has a weight limit. The event was broadcast live in North America on...

Saitama, Saitama

' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–1
|

Alpine, California

Alpine is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. Alpine had a population of 14,236 at the 2010 census, up from 13,143 at the 2000 census.Alpine is the residence of former United States Representative Duncan Hunter...

, USA
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–1
|

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, USA
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–1
|

Canada

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–1
|

Charleroi

Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...

, Belgium

Belgium

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–1
|

Brakel

Brakel is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek and the Flemish Ardennes. The name is derived from a Carolingian villa Braglo first mentioned in 866 and located in the center of Opbrakel. Since 1970, the municipality has comprised the villages of Nederbrakel,...

, Belgium

Belgium

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
|

Belgium

| MMA Debut

External links

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