Ben Nguyen

Ben Nguyen or Nguyễn Ben, (born August 3, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he compiled a record of 4–3 with the organization. He is also Nitro Bantamweight Champion,[3] K-Oz Bantamweight Champion[4] and No. 1 Bantamweight in Australia.[1]

Ben Nguyen
Born (1988-08-03) August 3, 1988
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
Other namesBen 10
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
DivisionFlyweight
Bantamweight
Reach65 1⁄2 in (166 cm)
StyleTaekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Fighting out ofBrisbane, Australia
Rank3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo[1]
Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2]
Green belt in Judo[1]
Kickboxing record
Total5
Wins5
By knockout2
Losses0
Mixed martial arts record
Total27
Wins18
By knockout10
By submission5
By decision3
Losses9
By knockout6
By submission2
Other information
Notable relativesMartin Nguyen, brother
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

MMA career

Early career

Nguyen began his professional mixed martial arts career while working during the day as a computer technician. In 2012 he went to Thailand to attend Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Scholar Athlete program. He then moved to Brisbane, Australia fighting from there.

Nguyen made his professional MMA debut in December 2006, losing his first fight. Over the next nearly eight years, he amassed a record of 14 wins against 5 losses; in the process he became the Nitro Bantamweight Champion, K-Oz Bantamweight Champion and the number one Bantamweight in Australia, in 2015.

Nguyen achieved internet fame when his March 8 2014 fight versus Julian Wallace surfaced on YouTube. Wallace attempted to intimidate Nguyen at the pre-fight weigh-ins by forcefully putting his fist against Nguyen's chin and trying to put Nguyen off his game.[5][6] This tactic, however, proved ineffective as Nguyen knocked Wallace out within 25 seconds of the first round. The video of this fight went viral and has amassed over 58 million views on YouTube, and over a 100 million views on Facebook and other social network platforms.[7][8][9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nguyen made his promotional debut, facing Alptekin Özkılıç on May 10, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65.[10] He won the fight via KO in the first round.[11]

Nguyen faced Ryan Benoit on November 15, 2015 at UFC 193.[12] He won the fight via submission in the first round.[13]

Nguyen was expected to face Justin Scoggins on March 20, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 85.[14] However, Scoggins pulled out of the fight in the week leading up to the event citing injury. As a result, Nguyen was pulled from the card entirely.[15]

Nguyen next faced Louis Smolka on July 13, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91.[16] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[17]

Nguyen faced Geane Herrera on November 27, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101.[18] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[19]

Nguyen was expected to face Joseph Benavidez on June 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 110.[20] However, Benavidez pulled out of the fight on May 10 with a knee injury and was replaced by Tim Elliott.[21] He won the fight by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round.[22] The win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[23]

Nguyen faced Jussier Formiga on February 11, 2018 at UFC 221.[24] He lost the fight via technical submission in the third round due to a rear-naked choke.[25]

Nguyen faced Wilson Reis on December 2, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142.[26] He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.[27][28]

Rizin Fighting Federation

On January 31, 2019 Rizin Fighting Federation announced Nguyen had signed for the promotion.[29] He faced Kyoji Horiguchi in a 132 pound catchweight bout on April 21, 2019 at Rizin 15. Nguyen lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Personal life

Nguyen's hometown is Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[30] Nguyen said that he started Taekwondo when he was twelve years old after he was bullied in school.[31] After high school, he went to college to become an engineer but then he switched paths to follow his dream of becoming an MMA fighter.

Nguyen met his wife, Brisbane kickboxer April Adams, while training in Thailand, eventually following her to make Brisbane his home. They married in late 2015.[32] In a 2015 video, Nguyen said that he owns two cats which were both about a year old.[33] Nguyen said that he likes cars and motorcycles.[34]

Ben is a fan of the anime Hajime no Ippo. He's said that the show had been an inspiration to him as long as he's been fighting. He uses "Inner Light," one of the anime's opening songs, as his intro song for his fights. [35]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
27 matches 18 wins 9 losses
By knockout 10 6
By submission 5 2
By decision 3 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 18–9 Kyoji Horiguchi KO (punches) Rizin 15 April 21, 2019 1 2:53 Yokohama, Japan 132lb Catchweight.
Loss 18–8 Wilson Reis Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa December 2, 2018 3 5:00 Adelaide, Australia
Loss 18–7 Jussier Formiga Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 221 February 11, 2018 3 1:43 Perth, Australia
Win 18–6 Tim Elliott Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt June 11, 2017 1 0:49 Auckland, New Zealand Performance of the Night.
Win 17–6 Geane Herrera Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson November 27, 2016 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Loss 16–6 Louis Smolka TKO (punches and elbows) UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker July 13, 2016 2 4:41 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win 16–5 Ryan Benoit Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 193 November 15, 2015 1 2:35 Melbourne, Australia
Win 15–5 Alp Ozkilic TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt May 10, 2015 1 4:59 Adelaide, Australia Flyweight debut.
Win 14–5 Reece McLaren Decision (unanimous) Nitro MMA 12 October 11, 2014 5 5:00 Logan City, Australia Defended the Nitro MMA Bantamweight Championship.
Win 13–5 Julian Wallace KO (punch) Nitro MMA 11 March 8, 2014 1 0:25 Logan City, Australia Won the Nitro MMA Bantamweight Championship.
Win 12–5 Shantaram Maharaj Submission (rear-naked choke) K-Oz Entertainment – Bragging Rights 6: Night of Titles July 27, 2013 3 3:58 Madeley, Australia
Win 11–5 Luke Morris Decision (unanimous) K.O. Martial Arts: Adrenalin-Unleashed June 29, 2013 3 5:00 Eatons Hill, Australia
Win 10–5 Kian Pham TKO (punches) Australia Regional April 27, 2013 2 2:48 Brisbane, Australia
Win 9–5 Greg Penaloza TKO (doctor stoppage) Roshambo MMA 1: In the Cage April 6, 2013 2 5:00 Brisbane, Australia
Win 8–5 Andrew Whitney Submission (armbar) The Cage Inc.: Battle at the Border 9 April 23, 2011 1 3:48 Hankinson, North Dakota, United States
Loss 7–5 Chavalit Sityodtong TKO (punches) Martial Combat 7 August 18, 2010 2 N/A Sentosa, Singapore
Win 7–4 Laramie Shaffer TKO (doctor stoppage) OFC: Battle at Huset's Speedway July 31, 2010 1 5:00 Brandon, South Dakota, United States
Loss 6–4 Josh Phillips TKO (punches) The Cage Inc.: Battle at the Border 5 May 15, 2010 4 3:51 Hankinson, North Dakota, United States
Loss 6–3 Eric Perez TKO (punches) Canadian Fighting Championship 3 November 13, 2009 2 4:20 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Loss 6–2 Alexis Vila KO (punch) PFC: Best of Both Worlds February 6, 2009 2 0:34 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 6–1 Danny Schroder TKO (corner stoppage) TCI: Fight Hunger October 17, 2008 2 2:07 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win 5–1 Nate Hansen Submission (triangle choke) The Cage Inc.: Summer Slam 4 June 14, 2008 1 1:30 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win 4–1 Nick Holbrook KO (punches) Fury Fights: Battle in Brookings 3 April 21, 2007 2 2:36 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Win 3–1 Mitch Wisner TKO (punches) Fury Fights: Temple Fight Night 2 March 10, 2007 1 2:00 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Win 2–1 Chuck Page KO (elbows) Fury Fights: Temple Fight Night 1 March 1, 2007 1 3:12 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Win 1–1 Jess Fuhriman KO (punches) Fury Fights: Battle in Brookings 2 February 24, 2007 1 0:34 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Loss 0–1 Austin Peterson Submission (rear-naked choke) Fury Fights: Battle in Brookings 1 December 2, 2006 2 0:58 Brookings, South Dakota, United States

[36]

References
  1. "Ben Nguyen - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  2. Ben 10 Nguyen [@Ben10MMA] (June 29, 2016). "Caught by surprise tonight with a belt promotion to brow belt! @ufc #bjj #mma #UFCSiouxFalls" (Tweet). Retrieved December 4, 2016 – via Twitter.
  3. Nitro MMA’s Ben Nguyen: Everything Down to a Science, combatpress, October 8, 2014
  4. Bantamweight – Ben Nguyen Archived November 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, k-ozentertainment
  5. Goyder, James (June 4, 2015). "How a Video Going Viral Helped Launch the UFC Career of Ben Nguyen | FIGHTLAND". Fightland.vice.com. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  6. "Ben Nguyen: Not Your Typical UFC Debut Story - Ultimate Fighting Championship-Mobile". M.uk.ufc.com. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  7. "Ben Nguyen will fight in his home town at UFC Brisbane next month". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  8. Nguyen, Michael D. "Baby-Faced Brawler: Ben Nguyen Scores UFC Contract After Viral Knockout". NBC News. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  9. Cepeda, Elias (November 17, 2015). "Ben Nguyen hopes UFC success helps him become more than 'internet famous'". FOX Sports. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  10. Staff (April 1, 2015). "Australian based fighter Ben Nguyen signs with UFC, slated to meet Alptekin Ozkilic at UFC Adelaide". fightnewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  11. Brent Brookhouse (May 9, 2015). "UFC Fight Night 65 results: Ben Nguyen stops Alptekin Ozkilic with one second left in first". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  12. Staff (September 3, 2015). "UFC 193 adds Ryan Benoit vs. Ben Nguyen". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  13. Matt Erickson (November 15, 2015). "UFC 193 results: Ben Nguyen takes out Ryan Benoit with ease with first-round choke". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  14. Emma Challands (February 11, 2016). "UFC Brisbane: Ben Nguyen vs Justin Scoggins and added to Fight Night 85 card". fightnewsaustralia.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  15. Staff (March 12, 2016). "Nguyen vs. Scoggins scrapped, Laprise now meets Pearson in UFC Fight Night 85 shuffle". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  16. Staff (April 21, 2016). "Ben Nguyen vs. Louis Smolka added to UFC Fight Night 91". themmareport.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  17. Ben Fowlkes (July 13, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 91 results: Louis Smolka takes out hometown fan favorite Ben Nguyen in second". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  18. FNA Staff (October 12, 2016). "UFC Melbourne: Ben Nguyen faces Geane Herrera". fightnewsaustralia.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  19. Ben Fowlkes (November 27, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 101 results: Ben Nguyen cruises past Geane Herrera for easy unanimous decision". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  20. Tristen Critchfield (March 23, 2017). "Joseph Benavidez to face Ben Nguyen at UFC Fight Night 110 in New Zealand". sherdog.com. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  21. Damon Martin (May 10, 2017). "Tim Elliott replaces Joseph Benavidez, faces Ben Nguyen at UFC Fight Night in New Zealand". foxsports.com. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  22. Steven Marrocco (June 10, 2017). "UFC Fight Night 110 results: Ben Nguyen dismantles Tim Elliott, chokes him out inside 1 minute". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  23. Staff (June 10, 2017). "UFC Fight Night 110 bonuses: Finishes by Ben Nguyen, Dan Hooker earn them $50K". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  24. "UFC locks in first bouts for Perth event". The West Australian. November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  25. Matt Erickson (August 11, 2017). "UFC 221 results: Jussier Formiga chokes out Ben Nguyen after spinning backfist". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  26. Marcel Dorff (August 11, 2018). "Wilson Reis meets Ben Nguyen during UFC Adelaide in Flyweight clash" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  27. Sherdog.com. "UFC Fight Night 142 Play-by-Play, Results & Round-by-Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  28. Guilherme Cruz (December 7, 2018). "Ben Nguyen announces UFC release". mmafighting.com. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  29. "【アーカイブ動画】1.31『RIZIN.15』記者会見 - RIZIN FIGHTING FEDERATION（ライジン オフィシャルサイト）". jp.rizinff.com (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  30. In a video titled, "Ben Nguyen anxious to fight again in Sioux Falls after eight years away from home", which was published to YouTube on July 11, 2016, someone off camera asked Nguyen, "Give us an idea of what it's like. This is a fight you wanted. You got it, so how's it feel to be here now?". Nguyen said, "It's, it's like living a dream almost, like I woulda never have thought UFC woulda came to my hometown of Sioux Falls, but, um, yeah, I just can't, it kinda came full circle for me. Um, when I started my journey, and I uh went to Tiger Muay Thai, in Thailand, uh to train, and get a little bit of extra knowledge, um, you know. I lived in Australia for a bit, now I'm back here in Sioux Falls, my hometown, so it's, for the UFC, so that's even, like, I can't even put words to describe it. It's just, it's just surreal. It's like a dream." A person off camera asked Nguyen, "Are, are you living here again?" Nguyen responded, "No, I'm not living here permanently right now, but um, no I always come back every, uh, every year to visit my mom and dad, and uh, my whole family's out here, so, it's good." The first question by the person off camera starts at the beginning of the video, and the first question ends at the 0:05 mark of the video. Nguyen's first response starts at the 0:05 mark of the video, and his first response ends at the 0:37 mark of the video. The second question by the person off camera starts at the 0:36 mark of the video, and that question ends at the 0:38 mark of the video. Nguyen's second response starts at the 0:38 mark of the video, and Nguyen's second response ends at the 0:51 mark of the video.
  31. Nguyen talks about himself in a video that was published to YouTube on April 3, 2013. From the 6:43 mark of the video to the 6:52 mark of the video, Nguyen said, "'Taekwondo, I started when I was twelve, after uh I got bullied in school. My mom threw me into martial arts."
  32. UFC Fight Night 65: Miocic v Hunt: Queensland well represented on Adelaide card, smh.com.au, May 7, 2015
  33. In a video that was published to YouTube on December 2, 2015, Nguyen said that he owns two cats. From the 2:13 mark of the video to the 2:25 mark of the video, Nguyen said, "So, I've got two cats. Uh, they're about a year old. Their names uh Tofu and Yuki, and uh I take good care of them, and play with them throughout the day. They kinda keep me sane, you know, just cutting weight and stuff."
  34. Nguyen talked about himself in a video that was published to YouTube on December 2, 2015. From the 2:25 mark of the video to the 2:38 mark of the video, Nguyen said, "I really like, cars and motorcycles. I just love riding, just love the, the freedom of just, not being enclosed in a, a steel cage, and, even though like I fight one sometimes. Ha! Ha!"
  35. "r/hajimenoippo - UFC flyweight contender Ben "10" Nguyen walking into fight with hajime no ippo opening 2". reddit.
  36. Sherdog.com. "Ben". Sherdog. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
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