| Bobby Southworth | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bobby Southworth December 16, 1969 Madison, Wisconsin, United States [1] |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 228 lb (103 kg; 16.3 st) |
| Division | Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Wrestling, Boxing |
| Fighting out of | Santa Cruz, California |
| Team | Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Gracie Systems Ralph Gracie Jiu-jitsu (1996–1997) American Kickboxing Academy (1997–2003, 2004–present) [2] |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Dave Camarillo [3] |
| Years active | 1999–2003, 2004–2010 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 10 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| University | UC Davis |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Bobby Southworth (born December 16, 1969) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought in the Light Heavyweight division.
He has fought in PRIDE FC and appeared on Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter. He was the first Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.
Southworth was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and was adopted when he was six weeks old. [4] Southworth has three sisters. He grew up in Santa Cruz, California. He liked surfing as a hobby, as well as playing football and basketball, and track. [2] After graduating from Soquel High School, Southworth continued to Cabrillo College, then UC Davis, playing basketball at both. [4]
His initial interest in martial arts was sparked after seeing Royce Gracie at UFC 1 and UFC 2. [2] While Southworth was looking for a sport to stay fit, a friend invited him to a jiu-jitsu class in a nearby gym. [2] Instantly hooked by the discipline, Southworth joined Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy before moving on to Gracie Systems, which was formed after Cesar's cousin Ralph Gracie moved stateside. [2] Subsequently, Ralph opened his own academy in Mountain View, California, where Southworth continued teaching and training jiu-jitsu. [2] Southworth grew interested in taking a no-holds-barred bout, which Gracie disapproved of, leading to Southworth's departure from the academy. [2] Subsequently he joined American Kickboxing Academy, which at the time had no proper Brazilian jiu-jitsu program, so he took the responsibility of teaching the discipline. [2]
Southworth's first major exposure in the mixed martial arts world was when he faced Vitor Belfort on two-weeks short notice at PRIDE 13 on March 25, 2001. [2] Southworth was overwhelmed by the Brazilian veteran and lost by rear naked choke in the first round.
In late 2003, Southworth had a falling out over money with Javier Mendez and briefly retired from the sport. Still having the spark to compete, Southworth mended fences with Mendez and rejoined the academy about a year later. [2]
Southworth then appeared on Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter. He won his first preliminary fight against Lodune Sincaid, but lost the second versus Stephan Bonnar by split decision. Bobby returned to the house as a possible replacement for Forrest Griffin, should he not have been medically cleared to fight in the semifinals, but Forrest's cut healed safely and Southworth did not fight again until the undercard of the finale, where he fought a man he picked on in the house Sam Hoger and was defeated. It was a unanimous decision victory for Sam Hoger.
Southworth next moved to Strikeforce, where his first fight was against James "The Sandman" Irvin. The bout was declared a No-Contest after a mere 17 seconds when in a freak accident, Southworth and Irvin's clinch pressed against the cage, pushing open the cage door and causing Irvin to fall out of the ring.
In his next fight, Southworth was given the opportunity to fight for Strikeforce's vacant light heavyweight championship against Vernon "Tiger" White. Southworth won a decision victory, taking White down repeatedly and controlling the pace of the match.
Southworth's next fight was a non-title bout against Anthony Ruiz, a fight that Ruiz won by way of TKO (cut) in round 2. A rematch was set up, but this time it would be for Southworth's championship. In a rather slow-paced fight, Southworth defeated Ruiz via 5-round Unanimous Decision on June 27, 2008 and thus became the only man to successfully defend the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.
In his next title defense, at Strikeforce: Destruction on November 21, 2008, Southworth lost the light heavyweight championship against former UFC Light Heavyweight fighter Renato Sobral "Babalu" by TKO (cut) of the 1st round at 5:00. Southworth was winning the round, having scored a takedown and controlling the clinch, until "Babalu" opened up a horrendous gash above Bobby's left eye with ten seconds to go. "Big" John McCarthy stopped the action to let doctors inspect, and Southworth finished the round by dropping "Babalu" with a punch just before the bell. However, when doctors got a better look at the wound between rounds, the fight was stopped due to the size and depth of the cut. Southworth announced he would like a rematch and Sobral verbally agreed, however a rematch was never organized and following Sobral's 2013 retirement it is unlikely a rematch would ever occur.
Southworth also tried out for 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, despite the fact that both the Middleweights and Light-Heavyweights were invited to try out, the UFC decided that the season would focus exclusively on Middleweights. [5]
In the last bout of his career, Southworth faced Aaron Boyes at Xtreme MMA 2 on July 31, 2010. He won the fight via first-round knockout.
Bobby has four children, 3 daughters and one son. [6]
Bobby co-founded the American Kickboxing Academy Sunnyvale in 2008. [7] In 2015, Southworth began coaching at UFC Gym Hollow Brook in San Antonio, Texas. [2] [8]
| 17 matches | 10 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 3 |
| By submission | 2 | 2 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 10–6 (1) | Aaron Boyes | TKO (punches) | Xtreme MMA 2 | July 31, 2010 | 1 | 1:56 | Sydney, NSW, Australia | |
| Loss | 9–6 (1) | Renato Sobral | TKO (cut) | Strikeforce: Destruction | November 21, 2008 | 1 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | Lost the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–5 (1) | Anthony Ruiz | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson | June 27, 2008 | 5 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | Defended the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 8–5 (1) | Anthony Ruiz | TKO (cut) | Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives | November 16, 2007 | 2 | 0:52 | San Jose, California, United States | Non-title bout. |
| Win | 8–4 (1) | Bill Mahood | TKO (rib injury) | Strikeforce: Playboy Mansion | September 29, 2007 | 1 | 1:15 | Beverly Hills, California, United States | |
| Win | 7–4 (1) | Vernon White | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Triple Threat | December 8, 2006 | 5 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | Won the inaugural Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| NC | 6–4 (1) | James Irvin | No Contest | Strikeforce: Revenge | June 9, 2006 | 1 | 0:17 | San Jose, California, United States | Both fighters fell from the cage. |
| Loss | 6–4 | Sam Hoger | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale | April 9, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 6–3 | Bryan Pardoe | TKO | X-1 | September 6, 2003 | 2 | 0:14 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 5–3 | Brian Vanderwalle | Submission (armbar) | IFC WC 18: Big Valley Brawl | July 19, 2003 | 1 | 4:28 | Lakeport, California, United States | |
| Loss | 4–3 | David Pa'aluhi | KO | Warriors Quest 4: Genesis | March 29, 2002 | 1 | 0:16 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 4–2 | Floyd Sword | TKO | IFC WC 14: Warriors Challenge 14 | July 18, 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Friant, California, United States | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Vitor Belfort | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PRIDE 13: Collision Course | March 25, 2001 | 1 | 4:09 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 3–1 | Ivan Sequet | TKO (submission to strikes) | Bushido 1 | January 18, 2001 | 1 | Tempe, Arizona, United States | ||
| Win | 2–1 | Toby Oberdine | Submission (choke) | IFC WC 10: Warriors Challenge 10 | October 11, 2000 | 1 | 2:30 | Friant, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–1 | Bob Ostovich | TKO (punches) | SB 12: SuperBrawl 12 | June 1, 1999 | 1 | 4:22 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Jason Godsey | Submission (choke) | Neutral Grounds 12 | May 28, 1999 | N/A | United States |
