Daniel Roberts (fighter)

Last updated
Daniel Roberts
BornDaniel Lamar Roberts
(1980-08-05) August 5, 1980 (age 43)
Rockford, Illinois, United States
Other namesNinja
Nationality American
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division Welterweight
Reach74.0 in (188 cm)
Fighting out of San Francisco, California, United States
TeamCesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Fairtex Gym
RankBlack Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Under Jake Shields
Years active2007-2015
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins15
By knockout2
By submission9
By decision4
Losses6
By knockout1
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Daniel Lamar Roberts (born August 5, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2015. A professional since 2007, he is a veteran of the UFC, Pancrase, Titan FC, and Legacy FC.

Contents

Background

Roberts is a graduate of Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he majored in Business Administration. At Bacone College, Roberts was a standout athlete and an NAIA All-American wrestler. Roberts also has 12 years of jiu-jitsu experience and is proficient in Karate, Judo and Boxing. [1]

He recently moved out to California to train with Gilbert Melendez and his team, the Skrap Pack. He also trains at Fairtex Muay Thai in San Francisco.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Roberts made his professional debut in 2007, and moved to 9-0 before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Roberts signed a four-fight deal with the UFC in March 2010. He made his debut on short notice, filling in for an injured Anthony Johnson to fight John Howard at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones. [2] After an exciting grappling affair in the first two minutes, Howard delivered a punch that knocked Roberts unconscious.

Roberts was expected to fight Julio Paulino at UFC 116, [3] but Paulino was forced from the card with an injury. Roberts instead fought veteran Forrest Petz. [4] Roberts won the fight via split decision.

Roberts fought and quickly defeated Mike Guymon on October 23, 2010 at UFC 121. [5] The fight barely passed the minute mark in the first round before Roberts applied an anaconda choke, and earned the submission win. His submission win also earned him the 'Submission of the Night' honors. [6]

On January 1, 2011 at UFC 125, Roberts fought Greg Soto and after some early back-and-forth grappling, Roberts grabbed Soto's arm in a kimura, took top position and forced the tapout with just over a minute left in the opening round. [7]

Roberts then faced fellow up-and-comer, Claude Patrick, on April 30, 2011 at UFC 129. [8] On the judges scorecards, Roberts lost two of the three rounds, ultimately losing the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

When injuries caused shuffling at UFC on Versus 4, taking place June 26, 2011, Roberts stepped in on very short notice to fight Rich Attonito. [9] Roberts lost the fight via unanimous decision (29–27, 30–27, 29–28).

Roberts was expected to face TJ Waldburger on September 17, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 25. [10] However, he had to pull out due to injury and was replaced by Mike Stumpf. [11]

Roberts next faced Charlie Brenneman on January 20, 2012 at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. [12] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. He was later released from the promotion following three consecutive losses. [13]

Post-UFC career

In his first fight after his UFC release, Roberts would face Nuri Shakir at Freedom Fight MMA on October 27, 2012. [14] He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Roberts would then get his second straight submission win, when he submitted UFC veteran Brian Foster via rear-naked choke at Combat MMA on May 18, 2013. [15]

He then faced Justin Baesman at War MMA 1 on June 22, 2013. He lost the fight via split decision. [16]

After a near one-year hiatus, Roberts faced Brock Jardine at Titan FC 28: Brilz vs. Davis on May 16, 2014. [17] He won the fight via split decision. [18]

Personal life

A week before his win at UFC 125, Roberts found out he was a father to a daughter named Gabrielle. [19]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
22 matches15 wins7 losses
By knockout21
By submission91
By decision45
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss15–7 Akihiro Murayama Decision (split)Pancrase: 266April 26, 201535:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss15–6 Derrick Krantz Submission (Von Flue choke)Legacy FC 35September 26, 201412:49 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win15–5Brock JardineDecision (split) Titan FC 28: Brilz vs. Davis May 16, 201435:00 Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States
Loss14–5 Justin Baesman Decision (split)War MMA 1June 22, 201335:00 Stockton, California, United States
Win14–4 Brian Foster Submission (rear-naked choke)Combat MMAMay 18, 201311:29 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win13–4Nuri ShakirSubmission (rear-naked choke)Freedom Fight MMAOctober 27, 201222:55 Sudbury, Ontario, CanadaCatchweight (180 lbs) bout.
Loss12–4 Charlie Brenneman Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller January 20, 201235:00 Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Loss12–3 Rich Attonito Decision (unanimous) UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry June 26, 201135:00 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss12–2 Claude Patrick Decision (unanimous) UFC 129 April 30, 201135:00 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win12–1 Greg Soto Submission (kimura) UFC 125 January 1, 201113:45 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win11–1 Mike Guymon Submission (anaconda choke) UFC 121 October 23, 201011:13 Anaheim, California, United StatesSubmission of the Night.
Win10–1 Forrest Petz Decision (split) UFC 116 July 3, 201035:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss9–1 John Howard KO (punch) UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones March 21, 201012:01 Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Win9–0 Anthony Macias TKO (submission to punches)XFL: New Year's RevolutionJan 16, 201014:00 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win8–0Mike JacksonSubmission (rear-naked choke)Bricktown Brawl 2Aug 28, 200911:33 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Win7–0Jeff LindsayTKO (submission to punches)Bricktown Brawl 1May 8, 200911:14 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Win6–0Gabriel VasquezSubmission (kimura)C3 FightsJanuary 30, 200911:37 Clinton, Oklahoma, United States
Win5–0Levi AveraSubmission (kimura)Freestyle Cage FightingSeptember 21, 200822:45 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Win4–0Akira NinjoDecision (unanimous)Extreme Fighting LeagueMarch 15, 200834:00 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win3–0Danny GrassSubmission (rear-naked choke)Extreme Fighting LeagueJanuary 25, 200810:56 Miami, Oklahoma, United States
Win2–0Jeremy MichaelSubmission (arm-triangle choke)Extreme Fighting LeagueNovember 10, 200711:20 Catoosa, Oklahoma, United States
Win1–0Brandon GainesDecision (split)Extreme Fighting LeagueSeptember 8, 20073N/A Oklahoma, United States

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References

  1. "Home Page". Archived from the original on 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  2. Unbeaten Roberts Replaces Johnson at UFC’s Versus Debut
  3. "Daniel Roberts vs. Julio Paulino set for UFC 116 preliminary card". mmajunkie.com. May 2010. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  4. "Forrest Petz replaces injured Julio Paulino, meets Daniel Roberts at UFC 116". mmajunkie.com. June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010.
  5. "Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts targeted for UFC 121 prelims". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2010-08-02. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  6. "Cain Velasquez, Diego Sanchez, Paulo Thiago and Daniel Roberts earn $70K for UFC 121 performances". baltimoremartialarts.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  7. "UFC 125: Daniel Roberts set to take on Greg Soto on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas". mmafrenzy.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  8. "Daniel Roberts takes on Claude Patrick at UFC 129". MMADiehards.com. January 8, 2011.
  9. "UFC on Versus 4: Matt Brown vs John Howard booked for June 26 with Martin Kampmann injured". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  10. "Daniel 'Ninja' Roberts vs. T.J. Waldburger Added to UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  11. "Daniel Roberts out at UFC Fight Night 25, T.J. Waldburger meets Mike Stumpf". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  12. "Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel Roberts targeted for UFC on FX 1". mmajunkie.com. December 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  13. Steven Marrocco (February 25, 2012). "Daniel Roberts looks for personal-life stability following UFC release". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-28.
  14. Ben Leeson (October 26, 2012). "Shakir sees Freedom Fight bout against Roberts as must-win". thesudburystar.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  15. Sherdog.com Staff (May 18, 2013). "CMMA: Combat MMA Results". Sherdog.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014.
  16. Bryan Tucker (June 22, 2013). "War MMA Results: Roberts vs. Baesman". mmafighting.com.
  17. Dana Becker (March 21, 2014). "Titan FC 28 Lands Brock Jardine-Daniel Roberts". fightline.com.
  18. MMAJunkie.com Staff (May 17, 2014). "Titan FC 28 results: Brilz outworks Davis, Herman tops Starnes". mmajunkie.com.
  19. "UFC Fighter Daniel 'Ninja' Roberts: Facing the Fears of Fatherhood". Bleacherreport.com. 2011-01-18. Retrieved 2011-01-20.