Ben Nguyen

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Ben Nguyen
BornBenjamin Nguyễn
(1988-08-03) August 3, 1988 (age 37)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S.
Other namesBen 10
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
Division Flyweight
Bantamweight
Reach65+1⁄2 in (166 cm)
Style Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Fighting out of Brisbane, 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

Benjamin "Ben" Nguyen (born August 3, 1988), or Nguyễn Ben, is an American mixed martial artist who competed as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he compiled a record of 4–3 with the organization. He is also a former Nitro Bantamweight Champion and [3] K-Oz Bantamweight Champion. [4]

Contents

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 and in the process 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 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. [30] Nguyen lost the fight via TKO in the first round. [31]

Personal life

Nguyen's hometown is Sioux Falls, South Dakota. [32] Nguyen said that he started Taekwondo when he was twelve years old after he was bullied in school by both White American and Black American students. [33] 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. [34] In a 2015 video, Nguyen said that he owns two cats which were both about a year old. [35] Nguyen said that he likes cars and motorcycles. [36]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
27 matches18 wins9 losses
By knockout106
By submission52
By decision31
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss18–9 Kyoji Horiguchi KO (punches) Rizin 15 April 21, 201912:53 Yokohama, Japan Catchweight (60 kg) bout.
Loss18–8 Wilson Reis Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa December 2, 201835:00 Adelaide, Australia
Loss18–7 Jussier Formiga Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 221 February 11, 201831:43 Perth, Australia
Win18–6 Tim Elliott Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt June 11, 201710:49 Auckland, New ZealandPerformance of the Night.
Win17–6 Geane Herrera Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson November 27, 201635:00 Melbourne, Australia
Loss16–6 Louis Smolka TKO (punches and elbows) UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker July 13, 201624:41 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win16–5 Ryan Benoit Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 193 November 15, 201512:35 Melbourne, Australia
Win15–5 Alp Ozkilic TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt May 10, 201514:59 Adelaide, AustraliaFlyweight debut.
Win14–5Reece McLarenDecision (unanimous)Nitro MMA 12October 11, 201455:00 Logan City, AustraliaDefended the Nitro MMA Bantamweight Championship.
Win13–5Julian WallaceKO (punch)Nitro MMA 11March 8, 201410:25 Logan City, AustraliaWon the Nitro MMA Bantamweight Championship.
Win12–5Shantaram MaharajSubmission (rear-naked choke)K-Oz Entertainment – Bragging Rights 6: Night of TitlesJuly 27, 201333:58 Madeley, Australia
Win11–5Luke MorrisDecision (unanimous)K.O. Martial Arts: Adrenalin-UnleashedJune 29, 201335:00 Eatons Hill, Australia
Win10–5Kian PhamTKO (punches)Australia RegionalApril 27, 201322:48 Brisbane, Australia
Win9–5Greg PenalozaTKO (doctor stoppage)Roshambo MMA 1: In the CageApril 6, 201325:00 Brisbane, Australia
Win8–5Andrew WhitneySubmission (armbar)The Cage Inc.: Battle at the Border 9April 23, 201113:48 Hankinson, North Dakota, United States
Loss7–5Chavalit SityodtongTKO (punches)Martial Combat 7August 18, 20102N/A Sentosa, Singapore
Win7–4Laramie ShafferTKO (doctor stoppage)OFC: Battle at Huset's SpeedwayJuly 31, 201015:00 Brandon, South Dakota, United States
Loss6–4Josh PhillipsTKO (punches)The Cage Inc.: Battle at the Border 5May 15, 201043:51 Hankinson, North Dakota, United States
Loss6–3Eric PerezTKO (punches)Canadian Fighting Championship 3November 13, 200924:20 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Loss6–2 Alexis Vila KO (punch) PFC: Best of Both Worlds February 6, 200920:34 Lemoore, California, United States
Win6–1Danny SchroderTKO (corner stoppage)TCI: Fight HungerOctober 17, 200822:07 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win5–1Nate HansenSubmission (triangle choke)The Cage Inc.: Summer Slam 4June 14, 200811:30 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win4–1Nick HolbrookKO (punches)Fury Fights: Battle in Brookings 3April 21, 200722:36 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Win3–1Mitch WisnerTKO (punches)Fury Fights: Temple Fight Night 2March 10, 200712:00 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Win2–1Chuck PageKO (elbows)Fury Fights: Temple Fight Night 1March 1, 200713:12 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Win1–1Jess FuhrimanKO (punches)Fury Fights: Battle in Brookings 2February 24, 200710:34 Brookings, South Dakota, United States
Loss0–1Austin PetersonSubmission (rear-naked choke)Fury Fights: Battle in Brookings 1December 2, 200620:58 Brookings, South Dakota, United States

[38]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ben Nguyen - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC . 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  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. Archived from the original on November 28, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Ben Nguyen: Not Your Typical UFC Debut Story - Ultimate Fighting Championship-Mobile". UFC . 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. (July 22, 2015). "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. ↑ Riggs, Drake (January 30, 2019). "RIZIN 15 gets Kyoji Horiguchi vs Ben Nguyen and inaugural light heavyweight title bout". bjpenn.com. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  31. ↑ Cunningham, Cillian (April 21, 2019). "Kyoji Horiguchi Continues Blistering RIZIN Run With First-Round TKO". punditarena.com. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  32. ↑ 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.
  33. ↑ 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."
  34. ↑ UFC Fight Night 65: Miocic v Hunt: Queensland well represented on Adelaide card, smh.com.au, May 7, 2015
  35. ↑ 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."
  36. ↑ 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!"
  37. ↑ Gerbasi, Thomas (December 21, 2015). "Ten Best – The Newcomers of 2015". UFC .
  38. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Ben". Sherdog. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
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