Victor "The Matrix" Valimaki (born December 17, 1981) is a Canadian

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...

 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...

. He competes in the Light Heavyweight

Light Heavyweight (MMA)

The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....

 division. Valimaki holds notable victories over Dan Severn

Dan Severn

Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...

, Jason Day

Jason Day (fighter)

Jason Day is a Canadian mixed martial artist born in Lethbridge, Alberta. He has fought for a variety of Mixed martial arts promotions, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, TKO Major League MMA, and King of the Cage....

 and Vernon White

Vernon White

Vernon Verdell White is a professional mixed martial arts fighter who has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship , Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Pancrase, and the International Fight League . He lives in California, and belongs to the fighting team The Lion's...

.

MMA Debut

Victor made his professional MMA

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...

 debut in 2001, with his first pro fight being with the Maximum Fighting Championship against JR Wallace at MFC 1

MFC 1

MFC 1: Maximum Fighting was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship on March 3rd, 2001 in Grande Prairie, Alberta...

. Valimaki lost by decision, then bounced back picking up three consecutive wins in a row, two of which was at MFC 3 and MFC 4, improving his record to 3-1.

MFC 5: Sweet Redemption

On September 21, 2002, Victor fought fellow Canadian and UFC

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...

 veteran, Rob MacDonald. At the end of the first round, Valimaki's coaches noticed that he could not continue the fight, and threw in the towel.

Absence and Return to MMA

After his fight with MacDonald at MFC 5, Valimaki was absent from fighting for almost 3 years. When he returned to MMA

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...

 in September 2005, at MFC 8: Resurrection, he faced Dan "The Beast" Severn

Dan Severn

Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...

, and won an impressive, hard-fought Unanimous Decision.

Then, he went on to win 4 more fights from June to September 2006, including wins over Jason Day

Jason Day (fighter)

Jason Day is a Canadian mixed martial artist born in Lethbridge, Alberta. He has fought for a variety of Mixed martial arts promotions, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, TKO Major League MMA, and King of the Cage....

 and Vernon White

Vernon White

Vernon Verdell White is a professional mixed martial arts fighter who has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship , Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Pancrase, and the International Fight League . He lives in California, and belongs to the fighting team The Lion's...

.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In December 2006, Valimaki got his first shot at the UFC

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...

. He fought David Heath

David Heath (fighter)

David Alan Heath is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he made his debut at UFC 62, defeating Cory Walmsley by first-round submission...

 at UFC Fight Night 7

UFC Fight Night 7

Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter or called UFC Fight Night 6.5 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 10, 2006. The event took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida and was broadcast live on Spike TV in the United...

, but came up short with Heath winning a Split Decision.

Valimaki then returned to the MFC and defeated Jared Kilkenny by knockout, which earned him a second chance to fight in the UFC

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...

.

Valimaki returned to the UFC

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...

 at UFC 70 - Nations Collide

UFC 70

UFC 70: Nations Collide was the second UFC event held in the United Kingdom, and the first in Manchester on Saturday, April 21, 2007. The first UFC event in the UK was UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall on July 13, 2002. UFC 70 was also only the seventh UFC event held outside the United States, and the...

 against up and comer, Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara is an Italian mixed martial artist and boxer, who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middleweight Division. Sakara is also a Former World Junior Boxing Contender. He holds notable wins over Elvis Sinosic, Thales Leites, James Irvin.-Background:Sakara was born...

. After attempting to exchange strikes with Sakara, Valimaki fell short of a win, as the more experienced Sakara was able to win the fight by TKO at 1:44 of the first round, dropping his record to 0-2 inside the octagon.

Return to Maximum Fighting Championship

After his stint with the UFC

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...

, Valimaki returned to the MFC on August 24, 2007 for the MFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Canadian, Roger Hollett

Roger Hollett

Roger "The Hulk" Hollett, is a Canadian mixed martial artist fighting out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has competed in various events such as ECC, Extreme Cage Combat and Maximum Fighting Championship...

. Early in the first round, Hollett caught Valimaki with a punch that connected to his face, which opened up a cut near his eye, and rupturing his orbital bone. Shortly after, Valimaki submitted due to his impaired vision from the injury.

Recent Years

Since his bout with Hollett at MFC 13, Valimaki has been riding a 7 fight win streak, including his most recent win by a 5 round Decision for the TFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Lew Polley, who was the first person to ever defeat Roger "The Hulk" Hollett

Roger Hollett

Roger "The Hulk" Hollett, is a Canadian mixed martial artist fighting out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has competed in various events such as ECC, Extreme Cage Combat and Maximum Fighting Championship...

.

On March 19, 2010, Valimaki faced Canadian

French Canadian

French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...

, and TKO

TKO Major League MMA

TKO Major League MMA is a defunct Canadian mixed martial arts organization, formerly the biggest MMA promotion in Canada. Despite its name, it was considered a minor circuit, overshadowed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, with which it had a close working relationship...

 veteran, Martin "The Stress" Desilets at TFC 10: High Voltage (formerly High Octane) in Edmonton, Alberta for Valimaki's first title defense as the TFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Early on in the fight, Desilets hit Valimaki with an accidental low blow. After the fight was restarted by referee Yves Lavigne, the two began to exchange. Near the end of the round, Desilets caught Valimaki with a flurry of punches, then hit Valimaki with a second accidental low blow. Valimaki dropped to his knees and signaled to the ref that he was hurt and made a "T" with his hands for a time out. Yves Lavigne decided, by his own judgement, that Victor had taken too much damage and halted the bout at 4:50 of the first round, to award Desilets the controversial victory via TKO and crown him as the new TFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

On May 21, 2010, it was announced at the Aggression MMA 3 event that Valimaki has signed a fight deal with the Canadian Promotion. He is scheduled to make his AMMA debut on July 9, 2010 facing a not yet announced opponent.

Valimaki is scheduled to face Strikeforce vet Ovince St. Preux

Ovince St. Preux

Ovince St. Preux is a Haitian-American mixed martial artist, who competes in the light heavyweight division for Strikeforce.- Early life :...

 at Aggression MMA IV: Victory on July 9, 2010. This will be Valimaki's first fight since his controversial first round loss to Martin Desilets on March 19, 2010. St. Preux is coming off a 3 fight win streak, all ending in the first round.

After being scheduled to face St. Preux on July 9, Valimaki was forced off the card due to an injury sustained while training. Valimaki is set to return to the TFC

The Fight Club

The Fight Club is a Canadian mixed martial arts promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. TFC currently fights at the Shaw Conference Centre.-Rounds:...

 organization at TFC 11: Full Force, in a much anticipated rematch against Martin Desilets for the TFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Desilets reigned victorious in their fist meeting at TFC 10: High Octane in March 2010, winning by a controversial first round TKO stoppage.

Rematch with Desilets and Future

On September 10, 2010, at TFC 11: Full Force, Valimaki fought a rematch against Martin "The Stress" Desilets for the TFC Light Heavyweight Title. Valimaki was unable to regain the belt, as Desilets landed a knee to the head at :37 sec of the first round to stop Valimaki.

On December 10, 2010, Valimaki faced Karl Knothe at TFC 12: Devastation. Knothe defeated Valimaki via TKO(strikes) at 4:59 of Round 1. With the win, Knothe increased his Win streak to 12, as Valimaki falls to 3 consecutive defeats in a row.

Mixed martial arts record

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|  Marcus Vänttinen

Marcus Vänttinen

Marcus Vänttinen is a Finnish professional mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Vänttinen has mostly competed in Finland, most notably for M-1 Global....

|
|Fight Festival 31
|
|
|
|Helsinki, Finland
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|16-8
|  Karl Knothe
|TKO(strikes)
|TFC 12: Devastation
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:59
|Edmonton, Alberta, 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...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|16-7
|  Martin Desilets
|KO(knee)
|TFC 11: Full Force
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:37
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|Rematch for TFC Light Heavyweight Championship
|-
|Loss
|align=center|16-6
|  Martin Desilets
|TKO (strikes)
|The Fight Club 10: High Octane
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:50
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|Lost the TFC Light Heavyweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|16-5
|  Lew Polley
|Decision (unanimous)
|The Fight Club 8: Salvation
|
|align=center|5
|align=center|5:00
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|Won the Vacant TFC Light Heavyweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|15-5
|  Jason Cecil
|Submission (guillotine)
|The Fight Club 7.5: Bad InTENTions
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:11
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|14-5
|  Isaiah Larson
|TKO (strikes)
|The Fight Club 7: Full Throttle
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|3:40
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|13-5
|  Rodney Glunder

Rodney Glunder

Rodney "The Silent Assassin" Glunder is a Dutch-Surinamese mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He has fought for M-1 Global, Cage Rage, K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championship, RINGS, It's Showtime and Art of War Fighting Championship, and holds notable wins over top contenders Cheick Kongo, Melvin...

|Submission (rear naked choke)
|M-1 Challenge 10 - Finland
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:14
|Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|12-5
|  Noah Inhofer
|TKO
|King Of The Cage Canada - Unrefined
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|N/A
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11-5
|  Nick Hinchliffe
|Submission (strikes)
|King Of The Cage Canada - Excalibur
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|1:47
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10-5
|  Chester Post
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|King Of The Cage Canada - Moment de Vérité
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Montreal, Quebec, 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...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|9-5
|  Roger Hollett

Roger Hollett

Roger "The Hulk" Hollett, is a Canadian mixed martial artist fighting out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has competed in various events such as ECC, Extreme Cage Combat and Maximum Fighting Championship...

|Submission (strikes)
|MFC 13 - Lucky 13
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:06
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|For the MFC Light Heavyweight Championship
|-
|Loss
|align=center|9-4
|  Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara

Alessio Sakara is an Italian mixed martial artist and boxer, who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middleweight Division. Sakara is also a Former World Junior Boxing Contender. He holds notable wins over Elvis Sinosic, Thales Leites, James Irvin.-Background:Sakara was born...

|TKO (strikes)
|UFC 70

UFC 70

UFC 70: Nations Collide was the second UFC event held in the United Kingdom, and the first in Manchester on Saturday, April 21, 2007. The first UFC event in the UK was UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall on July 13, 2002. UFC 70 was also only the seventh UFC event held outside the United States, and the...

|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:44
|Manchester, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9-3
|  Jared Kilkenny
|KO
|MFC 11 - Gridiron
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|3:26
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|8-3
|  David Heath

David Heath (fighter)

David Alan Heath is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he made his debut at UFC 62, defeating Cory Walmsley by first-round submission...

|Decision (split)
|UFC Fight Night 7

UFC Fight Night 7

Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter or called UFC Fight Night 6.5 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 10, 2006. The event took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida and was broadcast live on Spike TV in the United...

|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, United States

United States

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

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-2
|  Vernon White

Vernon White

Vernon Verdell White is a professional mixed martial arts fighter who has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship , Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Pancrase, and the International Fight League . He lives in California, and belongs to the fighting team The Lion's...

|Decision (unanimous)
|EF 2 - The Ultimate Decision
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Vancouver, British Columbia, 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...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-2
|  Jason Day

Jason Day (fighter)

Jason Day is a Canadian mixed martial artist born in Lethbridge, Alberta. He has fought for a variety of Mixed martial arts promotions, including the Ultimate Fighting Championship, TKO Major League MMA, and King of the Cage....

|Submission (rear naked choke)
|MFC 10 - Unfinished Business
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:15
|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-2
|  Shane Lightle
|TKO
|ECC 3 - East Coast Warriors
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:46
|Halifax, Nova Scotia, 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...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-2
|  Craig Sloan
|Decision
|ECC 2 - Collision Course
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Moncton, New Brunswick

Moncton, New Brunswick

Moncton is a Canadian city, located in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The city is situated in southeastern New Brunswick, within the Petitcodiac River Valley, and lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-2
|  Dan Severn

Dan Severn

Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...

|Decision (unanimous)
|MFC 8 - Resurrection
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, 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...

|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|3-2
|  Rob MacDonald
|TKO (towel)
|MFC 5 - Sweet Redemption
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|5:00
|Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-1
|  Chris Peak
|TKO
|MFC 4 - New Groundz
|
|align=center|2
|
|Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-1
|Johnny Gooch
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|MFC 3 - Canadian Pride
|
|align=center|N/A
|
|Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-1
|Rich Martens
|Decision
|BDCT 1 - Beat Down in Cow Town 1
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|7:00
|Alberta, Canada
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-1
|JR Wallace
|Decision
|MFC 1

MFC 1

MFC 1: Maximum Fighting was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship on March 3rd, 2001 in Grande Prairie, Alberta...

|
|align=center|N/A
|
|Alberta, Canada
|
|-

Championships and accomplishments

• The Fight Club

  The Fight Club

  The Fight Club is a Canadian mixed martial arts promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. TFC currently fights at the Shaw Conference Centre.-Rounds:...

  
  

  • TFC Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

External links