Fernando Gonzalez | |
---|---|
Born | Fernando Esparza Gonzalez September 15, 1983 Escondido, California, United States [1] |
Other names | The Menifee Maniac |
Residence | Murrieta, California, United States [2] |
Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
Division | Light Heavyweight Middleweight Welterweight |
Reach | 68.0 in (173 cm) |
Fighting out of | Menifee, California, United States |
Team | Next Generation |
Years active | 2003–present |
Kickboxing record | |
Total | 2 |
Wins | 1 |
Losses | 1 |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 49 |
Wins | 29 |
By knockout | 10 |
By submission | 8 |
By decision | 11 |
Losses | 20 |
By knockout | 2 |
By submission | 5 |
By decision | 13 |
Other information | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Fernando Esparza Gonzalez (born September 15, 1983) [3] is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Gonzalez has also competed for the WEC, King of the Cage, Bellator MMA, Absolute Championship Akhmat, and Strikeforce. Also a successful competitor in Muay Thai, Gonzalez is the former WBC National Muay Thai Cruiserweight Champion. [4]
Born in Escondido, California, Gonzalez began boxing at the age of five. During high school, Gonzalez competed in football and began training in mixed martial arts after graduating at the age of 19. [5]
Gonzalez made his MMA and WEC debut against Mike Castillo on October 17, 2003, at WEC 8. He was victorious via first-round TKO. [6]
After going 7–3 in his next ten bouts, Gonzalez returned to the promotion when he faced Jimmy Dexter at WEC 20, defeating him via rear-naked choke submission. [7]
He next faced Alex Stiebling at WEC 23 on August 17, 2006. He won the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage in the first round. [8]
Gonzalez faced Brendan Seguin at WEC 25 on January 20, 2007. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. [9]
In what would be his last fight for the promotion, Gonzalez faced Hiromitsu Miura at WEC 29 on August 5, 2007. He lost the fight via submission due to punches in the second round. [10]
Gonzalez made his Strikeforce debut at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal on December 17, 2011. He faced Eddie Mendez and lost via split decision. [11]
Gonzalez made his Bellator debut on July 25, 2014, when he faced Bellator season 6 welterweight tournament winner Karl Amoussou at Bellator 122. Despite coming in as an underdog, Gonzalez pulled off the upset, winning via unanimous decision. [12]
In his second appearance for Bellator, Gonzalez was expected to face Justin Baesman at Bellator 127 on October 3, 2014. However, Karo Parisyan's opponent, Marius Žaromskis, was removed from their scheduled bout on the same card, so Gonzalez stepped in as a replacement. [13] He won the fight via TKO in the first round. [14] In his post-fight drug test, Gonzalez tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). [15] As a result, Gonzalez was suspended for 30 days in the state of California by the CSAC and fined $315. [16]
Gonzalez faced Marius Žaromskis at Bellator 132 on January 16, 2015. [17] He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Gonzalez next faced Curtis Millender at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015. [18] He won the fight via submission in the third round, bringing his Bellator record to 4–0. After the fight it was revealed by the CSAC that Gonzalez tested positive for marijuana; his second violation while with the promotion. [19]
On March 4, 2016, Gonzalez fought Gilbert Smith at Bellator 151. He won the fight by split decision. [20]
Gonzalez fought Michael Page on November 19, 2016, at Bellator 165. [21] He lost the fight via split decision.
After his first loss in the promotion, Gonzalez was scheduled to face former Bellator Welterweight Champion, Andrey Koreshkov, at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017. However, an injury forced Koreshkov out of the bout. [22] Instead, Gonzalez faced Brandon Girtz at the event and won via unanimous decision. [23]
Gonzalez faced Brennan Ward at Bellator 182 on August 25, 2017. Originally a catchweight of 178 pounds, Gonzalez missed weight and came in at 180 pounds. He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the third round. [24]
Gonzalez faced Lorenz Larkin in a catchweight bout at Bellator 193 on January 26, 2018. [25] Gonzalez missed weight for the third time in a row. [26] After surviving a late flurry of strikes in the third round, Gonzalez lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion. [27] [28]
Gonzalez faced Gabriel Checco on March 9, 2019 at California Xtreme Fighting (CXF 17) and won by split decision. [29]
Gonzalez faced Elias Silvério on June 8, 2019 at ACA 96 on and lost by unanimous decision. [30]
Gonzalez faced Abubakar Vagaev on October 4, 2019 at ACA 100 and lost by unanimous decision. [31]
Gonzalez faced Ty Freeman on May 29, 2021 at J Street Fights 1 and won by knockout in the third round. [32]
Gonzalez faced Sidiah Parker on August 28, 2021 at NWFA 1: Retribution and lost by unanimous decision. [33]
Gonzalez faced Maki Pitolo on March 4, 2022 at Tuff-N-Uff 127 and lost by unanimous decision. [34]
Gonzalez made his debut against Vincent Familari in a middleweight bout at BKFC: Knucklemania IV on April 27, 2024. [35] He lost the bout by unanimous decision. [36]
Gonzalez was scheduled to face Kyle McElroy at BKFC Fight Night: Pechanga on July 12, 2024. [37] McElroy was replaced by Rodney Thomas for unknown reasons. [37] Gonzalez won the bout by unanimous decision. [38]
Gonzalez and his wife have children. [39]
49 matches | 29 wins | 20 losses |
By knockout | 10 | 2 |
By submission | 8 | 5 |
By decision | 11 | 13 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 29–20 | Maki Pitolo | Decision (unanimous) | Tuff-N-Uff 127 | March 4, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Loss | 29–19 | Sidiah Parker | Decision (unanimous) | NWFA 1: Retribution | August 28, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Bentonville, Arkansas, United States | Catchweight (180 lb) bout. |
Win | 29–18 | Ty Freeman | KO | J Street Fights 1 | May 29, 2021 | 3 | 0:14 | Bentonville, Arkansas, United States | |
Loss | 28–18 | Abubakar Vagaev | Decision (unanimous) | ACA 100 | October 4, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Grozny, Russia | |
Loss | 28–17 | Elias Silvério | Decision (unanimous) | ACA 96: Goncharov vs. Johnson | June 8, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Łódź, Poland | Return to Welterweight. |
Win | 28–16 | Gabriel Checco | Decision (split) | CXF 17: March Madness | March 9, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Middleweight bout. |
Loss | 27–16 | Piotr Strus | Decision (split) | ACB 87: Mousah vs Whiteford | May 19, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Nottinghamshire, England | Middleweight bout. |
Loss | 27–15 | Lorenz Larkin | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 193 | January 26, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Temecula, California, United States | Catchweight (180 lbs) bout; Gonzalez missed weight. |
Win | 27–14 | Brennan Ward | Submission (guillotine choke) | Bellator 182 | August 25, 2017 | 3 | 1:02 | Verona, New York, United States | Catchweight (180 lbs) bout; Gonzalez missed weight. [40] |
Win | 26–14 | Brandon Girtz | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 174 | March 3, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Catchweight (174 lbs) bout; Gonzalez missed weight. [41] |
Loss | 25–14 | Michael Page | Decision (split) | Bellator 165 | November 19, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | |
Win | 25–13 | Gilbert Smith | Decision (split) | Bellator 151 | March 4, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
Win | 24–13 | Curtis Millender | Submission (guillotine choke) | Bellator 137 | May 15, 2015 | 3 | 1:14 | Temecula, California, United States | Gonzalez tested positive for marijuana metabolites in post-fight drug test. |
Win | 23–13 | Marius Žaromskis | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 132 | January 16, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Temecula, California, United States | |
Win | 22–13 | Karo Parisyan | TKO (punches) | Bellator 127 | October 3, 2014 | 1 | 1:43 | Temecula, California, United States | Catchweight (173 lb) bout. Gonzalez tested positive for THC in his post-fight drug test. |
Win | 21–13 | Karl Amoussou | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 122 | July 25, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Temecula, California, United States | Welterweight bout. |
Loss | 20–13 | David Mitchell | TKO (punches) | WFC 8: Avila vs. Berkovic | February 15, 2014 | 3 | 1:45 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
Loss | 20–12 | Max Griffin | Decision (split) | WFC 7: Griffin vs. Gonzalez | November 16, 2013 | 5 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | For the Interim WCFC Middleweight Championship. |
Win | 20–11 | Kenny Ento | Decision (unanimous) | Gladiator Challenge: Showdown | May 25, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Woodlake, California, United States | |
Win | 19–11 | Lucas Gamaza | Decision (unanimous) | Red Canvas: Art of Submission 3 | October 27, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockton, California, United States | |
Win | 18–11 | Theodore Whitfield | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge | September 29, 2012 | 1 | 1:02 | San Diego, California, United States | |
Loss | 17–11 | Eddie Mendez | Decision (split) | Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal | December 17, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | |
Loss | 17–10 | Joe Williams | Decision (split) | Respect in the Cage | June 4, 2011 | 5 | 5:00 | Pomona, California, United States | For the RITC Middleweight Championship. |
Loss | 17–9 | Brent Cooper | Decision (unanimous) | Respect in the Cage | April 23, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Pomona, California, United States | |
Win | 17–8 | Nick Zarate | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge: Never Quit | November 8, 2009 | 1 | 0:47 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
Win | 16–8 | Frank Avant | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Gladiator Challenge: High Impact | July 23, 2009 | 1 | 0:21 | Pauma Valley, California, United States | |
Loss | 15–8 | Tony Lopez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KOTC: Storm | May 16, 2009 | 5 | 1:48 | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | For the KOTC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Win | 15–7 | Larry Mays | TKO (elbows) | Gladiator Challenge: Venom | April 23, 2009 | 1 | 1:53 | Pauma Valley, California, United States | |
Loss | 14–7 | Tony Lopez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KOTC: Misconduct | October 16, 2008 | 2 | 1:37 | Highland, California, United States | Light Heavyweight debut; for the KOTC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Win | 14–6 | Hector Urbina | Submission (guillotine choke) | KOTC: Fight Nite @ The Shrine | April 19, 2008 | 1 | 2:10 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Welterweight bout. |
Loss | 13–6 | Jay Martinez | TKO (punches) | MMA Xtreme 15 | November 16, 2007 | 2 | 3:11 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
Loss | 13–5 | Hiromitsu Miura | Submission (punches) | WEC 29 | August 5, 2007 | 2 | 3:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 13–4 | Joe Atoe | TKO (punches) | MMA Xtreme 12 | June 30, 2007 | 1 | 2:31 | Mexicali, Mexico | |
Win | 12–4 | Jay Carter | Decision (unanimous) | X-1: Extreme Fighting 2 | March 17, 2007 | 3 | 3:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
Loss | 11–4 | Brendan Seguin | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 25 | January 20, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 11–3 | Umar Luv | Submission (injury) | KOTC: Destroyer | December 1, 2006 | 2 | 0:28 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
Win | 10–3 | Alex Stiebling | TKO (doctor stoppage) | WEC 23 | August 17, 2006 | 1 | 2:35 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
Win | 9–3 | Jimmy Dexter | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WEC 20 | May 5, 2006 | 1 | 4:09 | Lemoore, California, United States | Return to Middleweight. |
Loss | 8–3 | Danny Higgins | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Extreme Wars 2: X-1 | March 18, 2006 | 2 | N/A | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
Win | 8–2 | Ray Lizama | Decision (unanimous) | KOTC 63: Final Conflict | December 2, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
Win | 7–2 | Aaron Torres | Submission (punches) | KOTC 58: Prime Time | August 5, 2005 | 1 | 1:33 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
Win | 6–2 | Sidney Silva | Decision (unanimous) | Extreme Wars: X-1 | July 2, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Return to Welterweight. |
Loss | 5–2 | Miguel Gutierrez | Submission (armbar) | KOTC: Mortal Sins | May 7, 2005 | 1 | 1:42 | Primm, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 5–1 | Reggie Orr | Decision (majority) | KOTC 49: Soboba | March 20, 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | San Jacinto, California, United States | Welterweight bout. |
Win | 4–1 | Reggie Orr | Submission (injury) | KOTC 44: Revenge | November 14, 2004 | 2 | 2:38 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
Win | 3–1 | Travis Goodman | KO (punch) | KOTC 41: Relentless | September 24, 2004 | 1 | 0:25 | San Jacinto, California, United States | Return to Middleweight. |
Win | 2–1 | Scott Sepulveda | TKO (punches) | KOTC 39: Hitmaster | August 6, 2004 | 1 | 3:28 | San Jacinto, California, United States | Welterweight debut. |
Loss | 1–1 | Eric Escobedo | Decision | Pit Fighting Championship | February 7, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | California, United States | |
Win | 1–0 | Mike Castillo | TKO (punches) | WEC 8 | October 17, 2003 | 1 | 1:27 | Lemoore, California, United States |
1 Win (0 (T)KO's), 1 Losses | |||||||||
Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015-09-19 | Loss | ![]() | Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 | San Jose, California, US | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | 0–1 | |
2010-07-3 | Win | ![]() | Extreme Brawling | USA | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | |||
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes |
2 matches | 1 win | 1 loss |
By decision | 1 | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1–1 | Rodney Thomas | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC Fight Night: Pechanga | July 12, 2024 | 5 | 2:00 | Temecula, California, United States | |
Loss | 0–1 | Vincent Familari | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC: Knucklemania IV | April 27, 2024 | 5 | 2:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Joseph Jonathan Riggs is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Riggs formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator, ProElite, M-1 Global, and King of the Cage. Riggs is the former WEC Middleweight Champion.
Karo Parisyan is an Armenian-American former mixed martial artist, who last competed in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 1999, Parisyan is a former WEC Welterweight Champion and has also competed for the UFC, Bellator, and Impact FC.
Ryan Duane Couture is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009, he has formerly competed for the UFC and Strikeforce. He is the son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.
Benson Henderson is an American former professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Lightweight division for Bellator MMA. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. He is considered one of the greatest lightweight MMA fighters of all time and is tied with BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar, Islam Makhachev, and Khabib Nurmagomedov for most UFC lightweight title defenses.
Marius Žaromskis is a Lithuanian retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions. A professional competitor for over 24 years, Zaromskis formerly competed for Strikeforce, Cage Rage, Bellator, DREAM, and also fought at Dynamite!! 2010. Žaromskis won the DREAM 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix and became their inaugural Welterweight Champion.
Joey Beltran is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He also competed in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship where he was the former BKFC Heavyweight Champion.
Luis Vicente Palomino is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter who is the current Lightweight champion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he once held both Lightweight and Welterweight, making him the first “double champ” in the BKFC. He also competed in the Lightweight division for the World Series of Fighting and Absolute Championship Berkut. In addition, he previously fought in the featherweight division.
Michael Richman is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional competitor in mixed martial arts since 2008, Richman has competed for Bellator MMA, and is also 2-0 as a professional boxer. Richman currently competes as a bare-knuckle boxer with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
Douglas Lima is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. Lima and his younger brother, Dhiego, own and operate American Top Team - Team Lima in Duluth, Georgia.
Waachiim Spiritwolf is a Native American professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since from 2006 until 2015, he competed for King of the Cage, Tachi Palace Fights, Bellator, and Strikeforce.
Lorenz Larkin is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009, Larkin formerly competed for Strikeforce and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Roberto "Robbie" Andres Peralta is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, the World Series of Fighting, Strikeforce, and Bellator.
Andrey Andreevich Koreshkov is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. He is the former Bellator Welterweight World Champion.
Alonzo Martinez is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Alonzo has fought twice for Bellator Fighting Championships as a lightweight and once with Strikeforce as a welterweight. Martinez has been an MMA fighter for over eleven years, with notable fights against Toby Imada, and UFC vets Estevan Payan, Yves Edwards, and Yaotzin Meza. He is also known for his submission expertise, with 22 of his 36 career wins coming by submission.
Nah-Shon Burrell is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Burrell has competed for Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Strikeforce, Absolute Championship Berkut and the Cage Fury Fighting Championships.
Keith Berry is an American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Middleweight division. A professional fighter since 2005, Berry has formerly fought for the WEC, Strikeforce, King of the Cage and Elite XC ShoXC. Berry is the former 2x King of the Cage Middleweight Champion.
Chris Honeycutt is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA).
Sabah Homasi is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Titan FC, and Strikeforce.
Ryan Roberts is an American former professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the Featherweight division, but has also competed at Lightweight and Bantamweight. He is the former VFC featherweight champion, and is also known for his short stints in Bellator and UFC. He is a bare-knuckle boxer, currently competing in the lightweight division in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
David Mundell is an American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer. He currently competes in the middleweight division of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, where he is the current BKFC Middleweight Champion. A professional mixed martial arts competitor from 2014 to 2019, he has fought in Bellator, Cage Fury Fighting Championships and the Titan Fighting Championships.