Sean Salmon

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1 Profile
2 Early Career
3 UFC
4 Recent Career (2007 - Present)
5 Mixed martial arts record
6 Gallery
7 External links

Profile

Sean Salmon (born September 11, 1977) is an American professional mixed martial artist training out of Duke Roufus' Milwaukee MMA.

He stands 5 ft. 10 in. (178 cm) tall and fights in the middleweight division (185 lbs.).

Salmon is a UFC and Strikeforce veteran and is currently unsigned to any major promotion.

Early Career

Sean Salmon made his professional mixed martial arts debut on November 26, 2005 for the Hammer House Cage Fighting promotion. He submitted his opponent, Rob Wince, with a keylock in the first round.

After defeating Jerry Spiegel in King of the Cage to round out 2005, Salmon went on to fight eight times in 2006.

He won his first four bouts of that year, but would suffer his first professional defeat in July when he was submitted by future UFC competitor, David Heath in just 50 seconds.

Salmon would finish the year strongly though, scoring victories in his next three bouts to improve his record to 9-1.

UFC

With only a year and a half worth of MMA experience, Salmon was awarded a contract with the UFC. He was immediately thrown in as the main event of UFC Fight Night 8 against TUF 2 heavyweight winner, Rashad Evans. Salmon looked like he was up to the daunting task in the first round as he controlled Evans with his wrestling but it would all come crumbling down in the second round when Evans unleashed a head kick from hell that knocked Salmon cold in highlight reel fashion.

Four months later, Salmon returned on the undercard of UFC 71. Originally to face Eric Schafer, Salmon instead met Alan Belcher after Schafer suffered as injury. Salmon left his neck out while going for a takedown shortly into the fight and was tapped with a guillotine choke.

After the bout, Salmon was granted permission by the UFC to gain some experience outside of the UFC.

Recent Career (2007 - Present)

Two weeks after the Belcher loss, Salmon got back into the win column when he submitted Jason Freeman with a first round keylock.

After another victory, Salmon suffered another setback when he tapped by UFC veteran, Travis Wiuff, with a guillotine choke in the main event of an IFO event.

He would post three victories in his following three fights and announce a drop down to the middleweight division.

Now a middleweight, Salmon entered Strikeforce's one night, four man tournament as an alternate. However, the night before the event one of the four main competitors pulled out and Salmon was brought in to replace him. He faced UFC veteran, Jorge Santiago in the opening round and was brutally knocked out with a flying knee in just 24 seconds that left him convulsing on the mat.

The devastating loss saw Salmon take a good ten months off from fighting. He eventually returned in September, 2008 where he picked up a stoppage victory over Mitch Whitesel.

Salmon would get back into taking quick turnarounds between his fights though as he stepped in to face TUF 3 runner-up Josh Haynes under a month later. It would not bode well for victory as he was submitted with an achilles lock midway through the second round.

A rear naked choke defeat followed against Lucio Linhares five months later, before Salmon stopped the two fight slide with a unanimous decision win over John Doyle.

Weickert Controversy

In June, 2009, Salmon faced WEC veteran, Allan Weickert and was submitted with an armbar midway through the second round. It was not until three months later that Salmon wrote in a blog entry on MMA Junkie that he may have thrown the fight:

"In the second round, I took him (Weickert) down again. He went for an armbar, I defended it (only to prove to myself that he couldn't get it), and then I put my arm back in to give him the win so that I could return to England, healthy. Just so you all know, that is the most embarrassing thing that I have ever admitted out loud."

Quickly following the posting of that article, the proverbial shit hit the fan with Ohio State Athletic Commission Executive Director, Bernie Profato responding to the article:

"I’m going to confront him with it," said Profato. "I’m not going to stand for this kind of sh-t. If he doesn’t print a retraction, then he’s out. I’m not going to compromise the integrity of the sport and have someone throw a fight. ... If I had proof, he’d banned for life in Ohio."