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Johnny Bedford

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Johnny Bedford
Born (1983-01-06) January 6, 1983 (age 41)
Woodville, Ohio, U.S.
Other namesBrutal
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionFeatherweight
Bantamweight
Reach71 in (180 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofFort Worth, Texas, United States
Colleyville, Texas, United States
TeamFitness Fight Factory
Team Takedown[1]
RankBlack belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active2003–2017 (MMA)
2018–2021 (bareknuckle)
Mixed martial arts record
Total39
Wins23
By knockout10
By submission9
By decision4
Losses14
By knockout2
By submission11
By decision1
Draws1
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Johnny Bedford (born January 6, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer. A professional from 2003 to 2017, he fought in the UFC, Bellator, the Legacy Fighting Alliance, and was a competitor on Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller. He also fought for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), where he was a former BKFC Bantamweight Champion.

Background

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Bedford was born and raised in Woodville, Ohio. At the age of five, Bedford began wrestling year round. He and his family would travel all over the Midwest so Bedford could compete in various wrestling tournaments. He went on to wrestle for Woodmore High School, where his father was the head wrestling coach. Bedford was a three-time state qualifier, placed in the state tournament twice, and during his senior year finished third in the state tournament with a record of 51–1.[2] After graduating from Woodmore he enrolled at Cleveland State University. At Cleveland State, Bedford was on the wrestling team for a year and a half before he was removed from the school (as well as the wrestling squad) before later making the transition to a career in mixed martial arts.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

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Amateur career

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Bedford began fighting in 2003 because he was a self-proclaimed "tough guy" that just wanted to prove how tough he was. Bedford proclaims his first six amateur fights took place in a barn where the promoter just asked the audience who wanted to fight and then would match them up by who was closest to one another's weight. With no commission in Ohio at the time, the fights were not sanctioned.[3]

Early professional career

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After a successful amateur career, Bedford took a year and half off from fighting before being offered his first professional fight in 2006 for $200. With no income, Bedford took the fight on short notice and lost via submission in the first round. Bedford began fighting more frequently and by the end of 2009 Bedford held a 13–8–1 record.

Bellator

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Bedford was invited to fight for Bellator in 2010.[4] The fight took place at Bellator 19 in Grand Prairie, Texas, on May 20, 2010. Bedford fought and defeated Jared Lopez via third-round TKO.

Post-Bellator

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At King of Kombat 9: Resurrection, Bedford fought future UFC fighter, Edwin Figueroa. Bedford lost the fight via TKO in the opening of the second round, handing Bedford his only knockout loss in his career. Four months later he bounced back with a first round submission over WEC veteran Frank Gomez.

The Ultimate Fighter

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In 2011, Bedford had signed with the UFC to compete on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller in Las Vegas. In the first episode, Bedford fought Carson Beebe to gain entry into the Ultimate Fighter house. Bedford defeated Beebe in the first round via submission (neck crank). He was selected as a part of Team Mayhem.

Bedford then fought Josh Ferguson in the third episode and won by unanimous decision after using his superior size to take down and control Ferguson.

In the semi-finals Bedford pleaded for the fight against Team Mayhem teammate, John Dodson. The coaches and Dana White agreed with the fight, and matched the two up. After a closely contested first round, Bedford lost after being knocked unconscious one minute into round two. When asked if he knew where he was immediately after the fight, Bedford replied, "I'm in Ohio"; his home state.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Though he did not win the show, Bedford signed an exclusive contract with the UFC. He officially made his UFC debut on December 3, 2011, at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale against Ultimate Fighter castmate Louis Gaudinot. Bedford dominated the entirety of the fight and won in the third round via TKO after hitting several knees to Gaudinot's body.

Bedford was expected to face Eddie Wineland on January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox 2, replacing Demetrious Johnson who had been pulled from the bout to be a participant in the UFC's inaugural Flyweight tournament.[5][6] However, Wineland himself was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Mitch Gagnon.[7] On January 25, 2012, the UFC announced the bout was cancelled due to Gagnon's alleged visa issues.[8] Bedford received his show-money of $8,000, despite the cancellation.[9]

Bedford was expected to face Nick Denis at UFC on Fox 3 on May 5, 2012.[10] However, Bedford was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Roland Delorme.[11]

After nearly a year off due to various injuries, Bedford returned on December 15, 2012, to face Marcos Vinicius at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale.[12] He won the fight via KO in the second round.

Bedford was expected to face Erik Perez on April 27, 2013, at UFC 159.[13] However, Perez pulled out of the bout just days before the event citing an injury and was replaced by Bryan Caraway.[14] He lost the back-and-forth fight via submission in the third round.

Bedford was expected to face Hugo Viana on September 4, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 28.[15] However, Bedford pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Wilson Reis.[16]

Bedford faced Rani Yahya on April 11, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 39.[17] The bout ended in a No Contest as an accidental clash of heads rendered Yahya unable to protect himself, forcing a referee stoppage at 0:39 of round 1.[18] Bedford argued vociferously that the accidental clash of heads should have been ruled a TKO victory in his favor.[19]

A rematch with Yahya was expected to take place on June 28, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 44.[20] However, Yahya was forced out of the bout and replaced by Cody Gibson.[21] For the second time in a row, his fight ended under somewhat controversial circumstances as Bedford was dropped by punches from Gibson and the fight was stopped by the referee just as Bedford appeared to be regaining consciousness, resulting in a first-round TKO loss.[22]

The rescheduled rematch with Rani Yahya eventually took place on September 13, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 51.[23] Yahya won via submission in the second round, and Bedford was subsequently released from the promotion shortly after.[24]

Grappling

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On September 30, 2012, Johnny Bedford competed in a no gi super fight against Jimmy Flick (Flick Brother's MMA) at the American Grappling Federation's Dallas Fall Classic.[25] Johnny won the match by points.

Bare knuckle boxing

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Bedford faced Nick Mamalis at the inaugural Bare Knuckle FC event held on June 2, 2018. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

He made his sophomore appearance in the sport against Matt Murphy at BKFC 3 on October 20, 2018. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

BKFC Lightweight Tournament and championship

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Bedford entered the BKFC Lightweight tournament and faced Abdiel Velazquez at BKFC 5 on April 6, 2019. He won the fight via fourth-round knockout, advancing to the tournament finals.[26]

In the tournament final on June 22, 2019, Bedford defeated Reggie Barnett Jr. via unanimous decision to win BKFC and Police Gazette lightweight titles, the former later being renamed the BKFC Bantamweight Championship.[27]

Bedford next faced Charles Bennett at BKFC 9 on November 16, 2019, in a non-title bout. He won the fight via second-round technical knockout.[28]

Bedford was expected to make his first title defense against Dat Nguyen at BKFC 14 on November 14, 2020. The fight however was canceled due to a Bedford injury. Bedford eventually lost his title belt to undefeated Dat Nguyen on February 5, 2021, in Lakeland, Florida.[29]

Bedford faced Reggie Barnett Jr. in a rematch for the vacant BKFC Bantamweight Championship at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Retirement

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On December 21, 2022, Beford announced his retirement from bare-knuckle fighting and other combat sports. He had been previously booked to fight Jarod Grant in March 2022 but withdrew from the fight.[30] Later, he was set to face Dat Nguyen in another title defense in January 2023. But the match was canceled after Bedford retired.[31]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
39 matches 23 wins 14 losses
By knockout 10 2
By submission 9 11
By decision 4 1
Draws 1
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 23–14–1 (1) Jesse Arnett Decision (majority) Fight Night 5: Medicine Hat September 9, 2017 5 5:00 Dallas, Texas, United States Originally for the Z Promotions Bantamweight Championship; switched to a non-title bout when Bedford missed weight.
Loss 23–13–1 (1) Jimmy Flick Submission (guillotine choke) Legacy Fighting Alliance 18 July 14, 2017 3 3:09 Dallas, Texas, United States
Win 23–12–1 (1) Eric Higaonna TKO (punches) WXC 68: Nemesis April 28, 2017 1 1:28 Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States Defended the WXC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 22–12–1 (1) Mike Hernandez Submission (rear-naked choke) WXC 64: Redemption August 13, 2016 1 2:45 Taylor, Michigan, United States Defended the WXC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 21–12–1 (1) Taylor Moore Submission (kimura) WXC 63: Implosion April 23, 2016 4 2:15 Southgate, Michigan, United States Defended the WXC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 20–12–1 (1) Josh Robinson TKO (punches) WXC 59: Homeland Pride August 8, 2015 5 3:17 Taylor, Michigan, United States Won the WXC Bantamweight Championship.
Loss 19–12–1 (1) Rani Yahya Submission (kimura) UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski September 13, 2014 2 2:04 Brasília, Brazil
Loss 19–11–1 (1) Cody Gibson TKO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens June 28, 2014 1 0:38 San Antonio, Texas, United States
NC 19–10–1 (1) Rani Yahya No Contest (accidental headbutt) UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson April 11, 2014 1 0:39 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates No Contest due to accidental clash of heads.
Loss 19–10–1 Bryan Caraway Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 159 April 27, 2013 3 4:44 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win 19–9–1 Marcos Vinicius KO (body kick and punches) The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale December 15, 2012 2 1:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 18–9–1 Louis Gaudinot TKO (knees to the body) The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale December 3, 2011 3 1:58 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 17–9–1 Frank Gomez Submission (rear-naked choke) Jackson's MMA Series 3 December 18, 2010 1 1:34 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Loss 16–9–1 Edwin Figueroa TKO (punches) King of Kombat 9 August 20, 2010 2 0:17 Austin, Texas, United States
Win 16–8–1 Jared Lopez TKO (knees and punches) Bellator 19 May 20, 2010 3 2:16 Grand Prairie, Texas, United States
Win 15–8–1 Ryan Webb Submission (kimura) Supreme Warrior 10 April 3, 2010 3 2:14 Frisco, Texas, United States
Win 14–8–1 Danny Tims Decision (unanimous) C3 Fights 19 February 13, 2010 3 3:00 Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States
Win 13–8–1 Tim Snyder Submission (rear-naked choke) Supreme Warrior 9 November 28, 2009 1 0:55 Frisco, Texas, United States
Win 12–8–1 Humberto DeLeon Decision (unanimous) Cage Kings 6 October 9, 2009 3 3:00 Bossier City, Louisiana, United States
Loss 11–8–1 Mike Baskis Submission (guillotine choke) Supreme Warrior 8 September 18, 2009 3 2:22 Frisco, Texas, United States
Win 11–7–1 Daniel Pineda Submission (triangle choke) Supreme Warrior 7 June 20, 2009 2 2:58 Frisco, Texas, United States
Win 10–7–1 Francisco Barragan Submission (D'Arce choke) Urban Rumble 4 May 23, 2009 1 0:53 Pasadena, California, United States
Win 9–7–1 Jeremy Dodd TKO (punches) Supreme Warrior 5 April 11, 2009 1 2:11 Frisco, Texas, United States
Loss 8–7–1 Daniel Pineda Submission (kneebar) Supreme Warrior 3 February 21, 2009 1 2:00 Frisco, Texas, United States
Loss 8–6–1 Dustin Neace Submission (kneebar) King of Kombat 5 November 22, 2008 1 1:38 Austin, Texas, United States
Win 8–5–1 Shane Waits Submission (armbar) Elite Combat League 1 November 1, 2008 2 2:12 Bixby, Oklahoma, United States
Win 7–5–1 Joshua Lee Submission (rear-naked choke) Supreme Warrior 1 September 19, 2008 1 1:38 Frisco, Texas, United States
Win 6–5–1 Rocky Long Decision (unanimous) King of Kombat 4 July 26, 2008 3 5:00 Austin, Texas, United States
Loss 5–5–1 Stephen Ledbetter Submission (triangle choke) Revolution Fight League 3 May 17, 2008 1 N/A Macon, Georgia, United States
Win 5–4–1 Damon Chamberlin TKO (punches) Toledo Fight Challenge December 22, 2007 1 0:24 Toledo, Ohio, United States
Win 4–4–1 Justin Moore TKO (punches) Knockout Promotions July 21, 2007 2 3:22 Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Win 3–4–1 Rocky Long Decision (unanimous) Adrenaline Fight Sports 1 June 30, 2007 3 5:00 Lufkin, Texas, United States
Loss 2–4–1 Billy Vaughan Submission (heel hook) Explosion CFC 2 March 10, 2007 1 1:31 Tinley Park, Illinois, United States
Loss 2–3–1 Arman Loktev Submission (armbar) Fightfest 11 February 3, 2007 1 0:28 Canton, Ohio, United States
Win 2–2–1 Dan Caesar Submission (guillotine choke) Explosion CFC 1 December 16, 2006 1 0:20 Tinley Park, Illinois, United States
Loss 1–2–1 Dustin Neace Submission (armbar) Genesis 5 November 25, 2006 2 0:56 Findlay, Ohio, United States
Draw 1–1–1 Kris Kanaley Draw Ironheart Crown 11 November 18, 2006 2 5:00 Hammond, Indiana, United States
Win 1–1 Roc Castricone TKO (punches) Fightfest 8 October 20, 2006 1 2:43 Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Loss 0–1 Chino Duran Submission (choke) Xtreme Gladiators 3 September 23, 2006 1 N/A Richmond, Virginia, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 2–1 John Dodson KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller November 16, 2011 (airdate) 2 1:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Semi-finals.
Win 2–0 Josh Ferguson Decision (unanimous) November 2, 2011 (airdate) 2 5:00 Quarter-finals.
Win 1–0 Carson Beebe Submission (neck crank) September 21, 2011 (airdate) 1 4:19 Preliminary bout.

Bare knuckle record

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Professional record breakdown
7 matches 6 wins 1 loss
By knockout 3 0
By decision 3 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 6–1 Reggie Barnett Jr. Decision (unanimous) BKFC 20 August 20, 2021 5 2:00 Biloxi, Mississippi, United States Won the vacant BKFC Bantamweight Championship. Later vacated the title.
Loss 5–1 Dat Nguyen Decision (unanimous) BKFC KnuckleMania February 5, 2021 5 2:00 Miami, Florida, United States Lost the BKFC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 5–0 Charles Bennett TKO (hand injury) BKFC 9 November 16, 2019 2 2:00 Biloxi, Mississippi, United States Non-title bout.
Win 4–0 Reggie Barnett Jr. Decision (unanimous) BKFC 6 June 22, 2019 5 2:00 Tampa, Florida, United States Won the inaugural BKFC Bantamweight Championship. Bantamweight Tournament Final
Win 3–0 Abdiel Velazquez TKO (punches) BKFC 5 April 6, 2019 4 0:58 Biloxi, Mississippi, United States Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal
Win 2–0 Matt Murphy Decision (unanimous) BKFC 3: The Takeover October 20, 2018 5 2:00 Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
Win 1–0 Nick Mamalis TKO (punches) BKFC 1: The Beginning June 2, 2018 2 1:41 Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA

References

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  1. ^ Thomas Gerbasi (December 11, 2012). "Johnny Bedford - Leaving that Bad Luck Behind". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  2. ^ a b Official Johnny Bedford Website, BRUTAL Johnny Bedford. Brutaljohnnybedford.com (2011-09-21). Retrieved on 2011-12-08.
  3. ^ 'TUF' 14: Meet bantamweight hopeful Johnny Bedford. Usatoday.com (2011-09-21). Retrieved on 2011-12-08.
  4. ^ "Johnny Bedford sets sights on next level". ESPN.com. 2010-05-17. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  5. ^ "UFC adds flyweights: Johnson vs. McCall, Benavidez vs. Urushitani at UFC on FX 2". mmajunkie.com. December 11, 2011. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012.
  6. ^ "'TUF 14' fighter Johnny Bedford takes UFC on FOX 2 slot against Eddie Wineland". mmajunkie.com. December 14, 2011. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012.
  7. ^ "Mitch Gagnon Steps In Against Johnny Bedford at UFC on Fox 2". mmafrenzy.com. December 28, 2011.
  8. ^ "Bedford/Gagnon off". MMAJunkie.com. January 25, 2012. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012.
  9. ^ "The Mitch Gagnon vs. Johnny Bedford fight scheduled for UFC on Fox 2 has been cancelled due to visa issues". MMAMania.com. January 25, 2011.
  10. ^ "UFC on FOX 3 adds Johnny Bedford vs. Nick Denis, Dennis Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza". mmainterplay.com. February 17, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012.
  11. ^ Helwani, Ariel (April 18, 2012). "Roland Delorme Replaces Johnny Bedford Against Nick Denis at UFC on FOX 3". mmafighting.com. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  12. ^ "The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale adds Bedford-Vinicius". MMAjunkie.com. October 2, 2012. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  13. ^ "Unbeaten 135-pounders Johnny Bedford and Erik Perez meet at UFC 159". MMAjunkie.com. March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  14. ^ Staff (2013-04-22). "Erik Perez out, Johnny Bedford now meets Bryan Caraway at UFC 159". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  15. ^ Alexandre Fernandes (2013-07-12). "Hugo Wolverine enfrenta Johnny Bedford no UFC de Belo Horizonte (Brazilian Portuguese)". sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  16. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2013-08-21). "Wilson Reis replaces injured Johny Bedford against Hugo Viana at UFN 28". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  17. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2014-02-10). "Rani Yahya drops to 135 pounds, meets Johnny Bedford at UFN 39 card in Abu Dhabi". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  18. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2014-04-11). "UFC Fight Night 39 results: Johnny Bedford vs. Rani Yahya ends in 39-second no-contest". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  19. ^ Brent Brookhouse (2014-04-11). "Johnny Bedford knocks Rani Yahya out with headbutt, loses mind at 'no contest' announcement". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  20. ^ Staff (2014-04-21). "Rani Yahya and Johnny Bedford get rematch at UFC Fight Night 44". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  21. ^ Staff (2014-05-20). "Rani Yahya está fora da luta contra 'desafeto' Johnny Bedford; Ultimate anuncia substituto (Brazilian Portuguese)". tatame.com.br. Archived from the original on 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  22. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2014-06-28). "UFC Fight Night 44 results: Cody Gibson stops irate Johnny Bedford in 38 seconds". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  23. ^ C.J. Tuttle (2014-07-24). "Rani Yahya-Johnny Bedford Rematch Set for UFC Fight Night on Sept. 13". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  24. ^ Steven Marrocco (2014-09-13). "UFC Fight Night 51 results: Rani Yahya gets revenge, taps Johnny Bedford in second". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  25. ^ "2012 AGF Dallas Winter Classic - Johnny Bedford (F3) vs Jimmy Flick (Flick Brother's MMA Academy)". YouTube.com. September 30, 2012.
  26. ^ Eric Kowal (6 April 2019). "Bare Knuckle FC 5 results". mymmanews.com.
  27. ^ "Chesapeake fighter Reggie Barnett Jr. loses bare knuckle title bout". The Virginian-Pilot. June 24, 2019.
  28. ^ "BKFC 9: Lobov vs. Knight 2 Results". cagesidepress.com. November 16, 2019.
  29. ^ Damon Martin (September 15, 2020). "Paige VanZant bare-knuckle debut with BKFC targeted for November with at least two title fights". mmafighting.com.
  30. ^ "Johnny Bedford Out, Antony Retic to face Jarod Grant for Interim Bantamweight Strap". My MMA News. 2022-03-12. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  31. ^ "Former UFC fighter, BKFC champion Johnny Bedford announces retirement from combat sports". MMA Junkie. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
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