Zach Light
Zach Light (born February 6, 1974) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2011, he competed for the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, and BAMMA. Light is currently a talent scout for Bellator MMA.
| Zach Light | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1974 Lisbon, Iowa, United States |
| Other names | The Lisbon Outlaw |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 170.4 lb (77.3 kg; 12.17 st) |
| Division | Middleweight Welterweight |
| Fighting out of | Huntington Beach, California, United States |
| Team | Wolfslair MMA Academy |
| Years active | 2002–2003, 2006-2011 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 11 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 8 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
last updated on: June 26, 2010 | |
Background
Light was an All-American freestyle wrestler in high school and college. After college, he worked construction and frequently got into bar fights. He then moved to California after a judge told him that he would go to prison for two years if he continued this lifestyle.[1]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Light was inspired to take up mixed martial arts after seeing Tito Ortiz fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and he went on to win his first two fights before being given the chance to fight in the UFC himself.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Light took on Pete Spratt at UFC 37.5 and lost via submission in the first round. This would be his only UFC fight, and the first in a three-fight losing streak; he was defeated by Tony Fryklund and Jeremy Jackson later that year.
Post-UFC/WEC
In 2003, he beat Beto Ibarra before taking a three-year hiatus from the sport.
He returned in 2006, winning against Nick Willert before being defeated by Jake Ellenberger in BodogFIGHT in his next bout. Light then notched up two wins either side of a submission loss to Toby Imada before a five-fight losing streak brought his record to 6-10. Among the fighters who beat him during this period were Tyron Woodley[2] and War Machine.[3]
Light was previously the wrestling coach at the Wolfslair MMA Academy in Liverpool, England where he has trained the likes of Michael Bisping, Quinton Jackson and Cheick Kongo until 2009.[4]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 20 matches | 9 wins | 11 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 3 |
| By submission | 4 | 8 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 9–11 | Aleksey Shapovalov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | League S-70 Russia vs. Brazil | August 5, 2011 | 1 | 1:45 | Sochi, Russia | |
| Win | 9–10 | Maurice Speirs | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Extreme Challenge 187: Battle at the Ballpark | July 23, 2011 | 1 | 3:02 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 8–10 | Vic Hall | Submission (armbar) | Extreme Challenge 183 | January 29, 2011 | 1 | 1:30 | Bettendorf, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 7–10 | Andre Kase | Decision (unanimous) | RCC 12-Hostile Takeover | July 24, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | |
| Loss | 6–10 | War Machine | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BAMMA 3 | May 15, 2010 | 1 | 1:09 | Birmingham, England | |
| Loss | 6–9 | Tyron Woodley | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings | September 25, 2009 | 2 | 3:38 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Loss | 6–8 | Kajan Johnson | KO (punches) | Extreme Fighting Challenge 6: Home Coming | October 11, 2008 | 1 | 2:47 | Prince George, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Loss | 6–7 | Joe Camacho | Submission (verbal) | Sparstar Promotions: Battle of the Rising Stars | June 8, 2007 | 1 | 3:44 | Montebello, California, United States | |
| Loss | 6–6 | Thomas Schulte | Submission (armbar) | Ultimate Warrior Challenge 3: Invasion | April 26, 2008 | 1 | 1:20 | Fairfax, Virginia, United States | |
| Win | 6–5 | Nino Nino | Submission (armbar) | Platinum Fighting Productions: Ring of Fire | December 9, 2007 | 1 | N/A | Quezon City, Philippines | |
| Loss | 5–5 | Toby Imada | Submission (armbar) | Total Combat 21 | June 8, 2007 | 1 | 2:35 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 5–4 | Mario Rivera | Decision (unanimous) | Bring It On: Under Destruction | April 28, 2007 | 1 | 1:57 | Oxnard, California, United States | |
| Loss | 4–4 | Jake Ellenberger | TKO (punches) | BODOGFight: Costa Rica Combat | February 16, 2007 | 1 | 3:51 | Costa Rica | |
| Win | 4–3 | Nick Willert | TKO (punches) | Invincible: Fist of Fury II | November 18, 2006 | 2 | 2:29 | Ontario, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–3 | Beto Ibarra | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pit-Fighting Championship | July 16, 2003 | 1 | N/A | California, United States | |
| Loss | 2–3 | Jeremy Jackson | TKO (punches) | Ultimate Athlete 4: King of the Mountain | September 28, 2002 | 2 | 0:30 | Auberry, California, United States | Return to Welterweight. |
| Loss | 2–2 | Tony Fryklund | Submission (kimura) | WEC 4 | August 31, 2002 | 1 | 4:06 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Loss | 2–1 | Pete Spratt | Submission (armbar) | UFC 37.5 | June 22, 2002 | 1 | 2:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Royden Demotta | Decision (majority) | SuperBrawl 23 | March 9, 2002 | 2 | 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Adam Copenhaver | TKO (punches) | Iowa Challenge 4 | March 2, 2002 | 1 | 7:29 | Iowa, United States |
