Frank Trigg

Not to be confused with educator Frank Trigg.

Frank Trigg
Born	(1972-05-07) May 7, 1972 (age 52) Kendall, New York, U.S
Nickname	Twinkle Toes [1]
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight	181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Division	Welterweight Middleweight
Reach	71 in (180 cm)
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	Rochester, New York, U.S
Team	Xtreme Couture
Rank	Black belt in Catch Wrestling under Neil Melanson Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 2nd degree black belt in Judo
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active	1997–2011
Mixed martial arts record
Total	30
Wins	21
By knockout	12
By submission	4
By decision	5
Losses	9
By knockout	4
By submission	4
By decision	1
University	University of Oklahoma
Notable school(s)	East Ridge JR-SR High School
Website	http://franktrigg.com/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Frank Trigg (born May 7, 1972) is an American retired mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler, MMA referee ^[2] and TV host. ^[3] Trigg is a veteran of the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, BAMMA, World Fighting Alliance, and has made professional wrestling appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. ^[4]

Mixed martial arts career

After years of training in Wrestling and Tai Chi, Trigg in 1995, began studying Judo under Sensei and former Olympian, Patrick Burris. It was while training with Burris that Trigg earned his first black belt and was introduced to the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

A high school state champion wrestler in his native New York, Trigg initially wrestled at Oklahoma State as a walk-on before transferring to Phoenix College. After finishing second in the NJCAA championships, he returned to the NCAA ranks when OSU's arch-rivals Oklahoma offered him a scholarship. After receiving his bachelor's degree in Public Affairs and Administration from OU in 1997, Trigg stayed on as an assistant coach for the Sooners. Frustrated with his place in the US wrestling pecking order, he started a professional MMA career, using his purses to pay for flights to enter international freestyle wrestling tournaments. In 1999, Trigg fought at Pride 8 in Japan, defeating Fabiano Iha via TKO due to strikes. Less than a year later, in early 2000, Trigg qualified as an Olympic Trials Finalist in wrestling.

Beating some of the World's best athletes convinced Trigg that a legitimate professional wrestling and mixed martial arts career was the next step. By the end of 2000, Trigg fought the Shooto world champion Hayato Sakurai for his title. While Trigg initially controlled the bout, Sakurai staged a comeback and brutally knocked Trigg out in the second round due to knees, handing Trigg his first career loss.

Trigg joined the World Fighting Alliance from 2001–2002, where he held the WFA welterweight title. Trigg was undefeated in WFA.

After several successful years with the WFA, in 2003, Trigg joined the premier organization in the world for MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Trigg earned an immediate title shot against champion Matt Hughes at UFC 45: Revolution. After a tactical grappling match-up early on, Trigg fell victim to a rear naked choke in the first round.

Trigg rebounded quickly, defeating Dennis Hallman and Renato Verissimo in UFC 48 and UFC 50 to earn another shot at Hughes' Welterweight Championship.

In their second fight at UFC 52, Trigg had Hughes at the brink of defeat after an illegal groin strike went unnoticed by referee Mario Yamasaki. Hughes went on to reverse position, and slam Trigg to the mat before locking in a rear naked choke late in round one. This was considered one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history. After this loss, fans of Frank Trigg affectionately termed the choke the "rear naked Trigg."

Trigg returned at UFC 54 to take on future welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre where he lost by a rear naked choke in the opening round. The loss would be Trigg's final appearance in the UFC until UFC 103, almost 50 events later.

First UFC Release

After not securing another fight in the UFC, Trigg participated in Rumble on the Rock's 2006 welterweight tournament, winning his first round fight against Ronald Jhun. He was upset in the second round by Carlos Condit.

Trigg remained inactive after that loss, focusing on his broadcasting job with Pride FC.

He won the Icon Sport Middleweight title on December 6, 2006, TKO-ing Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

His next fight was on at Pride 33, on February 24, 2007, against Middleweight Grand Prix champion Kazuo Misaki. Trigg out wrestled Misaki and maintained control on the ground, winning by a 30–27 unanimous decision.

A month later, on March 31, 2007, Trigg unsuccessfully defended his Icon Sport middleweight title against Robbie Lawler, losing in the fourth round via KO.

On December 17, 2007, Trigg beat Edwin Dewees in the first round by submission at HDNet Fights- Reckless Abandon.[2] On August 24, 2008, Trigg traveled to Japan to compete at Sengoku 4 where he bested 2000 Judo Olympic Gold Medalist Makoto Takimoto via a unanimous decision. On October 3, 2008, Trigg won a unanimous decision over Falaniko Vitale at Strikeforce: Payback in Denver, Colorado. On February 14, 2009, Trigg won a unanimous decision over Danny Babcock (5–2) at XCF: Rumble in Racetown in Daytona, FL.

Return to UFC (2009–2010)

On May 27, 2009, Trigg re-signed with the UFC after agreeing a four-fight deal with the company, where he returned to the welterweight division against Ultimate Fighter veteran Josh Koscheck at UFC 103. Koscheck defeated Trigg via first-round TKO.

After this disappointing loss, Trigg went on to face the former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra at UFC 109 and lost for a second time since his return via KO (punches) in the first round.

Trigg was released by the UFC following his loss to Serra. ^[5]

Late career

Trigg returned for the inaugural Israel Fighting Championship on November 9. Trigg easily defeated Roy Neeman by strikes in the first round. After the fight, he said he didn't really know what was next for him. ^[6]

At BAMMA 6, Trigg defeated British standout John Phillips by TKO (doctor stoppage) in round 1. ^[7]

Trigg was scheduled to be the main event at BAMMA 7 against Tom Watson for the Middleweight title. ^[8] However, on August 9, it was announced that Watson had to pull out due to a back injury and would be replaced by Jim Wallhead in a non-title fight. ^[9] Trigg lost the fight via split decision.

On July 11, 2015 Trigg was inducted into the newly restructured UFC Hall of Fame in the fights wing along with Matt Hughes for their second fight at UFC 52.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

In addition to MMA, Frank Trigg was also an analyst and on-screen character in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2008, aligning himself with Kurt Angle, who used his passing resemblance to Trigg as part of a storyline. At No Surrender (2008) he faced A.J. Styles in an MMA style match, the match going to a draw due to an "unintentional" low blow on Trigg. The crowd was hostile to both combatants, chanting "This is bullshit", "We want wrestling", and "Fire Russo". After the match, Styles beat down Trigg using a kendo stick and declared that "I'm a wrestler, I don't do this crap!".

In 2019, Trigg appeared as the trainer for Moose in the build up for his Bound for Glory match with Ken Shamrock. On 20 October 2019, Trigg was in the corner of Moose and interfered several times in the match, most notably removing a turnbuckle pad which Ken Shamrock was thrown into resulting in a Moose victory.

MMA refereeing

Long a critic of MMA officiating stemming from his second fight with Hughes, Trigg was approached by veteran referee "Big John" McCarthy in 2011 with the offer to take his official's training course. Trigg spent several sessions with McCarthy learning the ins and outs of being an MMA referee and began controlling amateur fights in 2014. On December 9, 2017, Trigg made his UFC debut as a referee, officiating a match-up between Alexis Davis and Liz Carmouche at UFC Fight Night 123. ^[10]

Personal life

Frank Trigg has four children; Frankie, Kiara, Stone, and Lavin. ^[11] Trigg welcomed his son Stone in September 2008. ^[12] On October 2, 2010, Trigg welcomed his son Lavin.

In 2006, he appeared in the episode "Fight Schlub" on the sitcom The King of Queens . He has mostly worked as a stuntman since retirement from fighting, with credits including extensive work on the re-make of Hawaii Five-0 . Frank is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, initiated in 1997 at the Xi Delta chapter at the University of Oklahoma

He is the second retired UFC fighter to return as a UFC referee, with the first being Dan Severn.

Championships and accomplishments

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (Fight Wing, Class of 2015) vs. Matt Hughes 2 at UFC 52
• World Fighting Alliance
  • WFA Welterweight Championship (One time)
• Icon Sport
  • Icon Sport Middleweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

31 matches	21 wins	10 losses
By knockout	12	5
By submission	4	4
By decision	5	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	21–9	Jim Wallhead	Decision (split)	BAMMA 7: Trigg vs. Wallhead	September 10, 2011	3	5:00	Birmingham, England
Win	21–8	John Phillips	TKO (punches)	BAMMA 6: Watson vs. Rua	May 21, 2011	1	2:41	London, England
Win	20–8	Roy Neeman	TKO (punches)	Israel FC: Genesis	November 9, 2010	1	2:36	Tel Aviv, Israel	Catchweight (181 lb)
Loss	19–8	Matt Serra	TKO (punches)	UFC 109	February 6, 2010	1	2:23	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	19–7	Josh Koscheck	TKO (punches)	UFC 103	September 19, 2009	1	1:25	Dallas, Texas, United States
Win	19–6	Danny Babcock	Decision (unanimous)	XCF: Rumble in Racetown 1	February 14, 2009	3	5:00	Daytona, Florida, United States
Win	18–6	Falaniko Vitale	Decision (unanimous)	Strikeforce: Payback	October 3, 2008	3	5:00	Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Win	17–6	Makoto Takimoto	Decision (unanimous)	World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 4	September 24, 2008	3	5:00	Saitama, Saitama, Japan
Win	16–6	Edwin Dewees	Submission (kimura)	HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon	December 15, 2007	1	1:40	Dallas, Texas, United States
Loss	15–6	Robbie Lawler	KO (punches)	Icon Sport: Epic	March 31, 2007	4	1:40	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States	Lost the Icon Sport Middleweight Championship.
Win	15–5	Kazuo Misaki	Decision (unanimous)	Pride 33	February 24, 2007	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	14–5	Jason Miller	TKO (soccer kicks)	Icon Sport - Mayhem vs. Trigg	December 1, 2006	2	2:53	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States	Won the Icon Sport Middleweight Championship.
Loss	13–5	Carlos Condit	Submission (triangle armbar)	Rumble on the Rock 9	April 21, 2006	1	1:22	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States	ROTR Welterweight Tournament Second Round.
Win	13–4	Ronald Jhun	Decision (unanimous)	Rumble on the Rock 8	January 20, 2006	3	5:00	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States	ROTR Welterweight Tournament Opening Round.
Loss	12–4	Georges St-Pierre	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC 54	August 20, 2005	1	4:09	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	12–3	Matt Hughes	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC 52	April 16, 2005	1	4:05	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win	12–2	Renato Verissimo	TKO (elbows)	UFC 50	October 22, 2004	2	2:11	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	11–2	Dennis Hallman	TKO (punches)	UFC 48	June 19, 2004	1	4:15	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	10–2	Matt Hughes	Submission (standing rear-naked choke)	UFC 45	November 21, 2003	1	3:54	Uncasville, Connecticut, United States	For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win	10–1	Dennis Hallman	TKO (punches)	WFA 3: Level 3	November 23, 2002	1	3:50	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won the WFA Welterweight Championship.
Win	9–1	Jason Medina	TKO (submission to elbows)	WFA 2: Level 2	July 5, 2002	1	3:43	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	8–1	Laverne Clark	TKO (submission to punches and elbows)	World Fighting Alliance 1	November 3, 2001	3	2:15	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	7–1	Hayato Sakurai	TKO (knees)	Shooto: R.E.A.D. Final	December 17, 2000	2	2:25	Chiba, Chiba, Japan
Win	7–0	Ray Cooper	Submission (forearm choke)	WEF: New Blood Conflict	August 26, 2000	2	3:05	N/A
Win	6–0	Fabiano Iha	TKO (punches)	Pride 8	November 21, 1999	1	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	5–0	Jean Jacques Machado	TKO (corner stoppage)	Vale Tudo Japan 1998	October 25, 1998	3	0:20	Tokyo, Japan
Win	4–0	Marcelo Aguiar	TKO (punches)	Shooto - Las Grandes Viajes 3	May 13, 1998	2	3:08	Tokyo, Japan
Win	3–0	Dan Gilbert	Submission (forearm choke)	Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7	October 18, 1997	1	2:45	Texas, United States
Win	2–0	Javier Buentello	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7	October 18, 1997	1	2:35	Texas, United States
Win	1–0	Ali Elias	KO (knee)	Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7	October 18, 1997	1	10:36	Texas, United States

Submission Grappling Record

3 Matches, 0 Wins, 3 Losses
Result	Rec.	Opponent	Method	Event	Division	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	0-3	Dennis Hallman	Submission (Heel Hook)	ADCC 2005	–88 kg	2005	United States
Loss	0-2	Renzo Gracie	Referee Decision	ADCC 1998	–77 kg	1998	Abu Dhabi
Loss	0-1	Bill Simpson	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	ACE World Series of Martial Arts	–77 kg	August 26, 1995	Tulsa	catch wrestling ruleset, Judo vs Wrestling

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of Phi Beta Sigma brothers

References

1. "MMA SUBMISSION: FRANK TRIGG". ESPN. September 18, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
2. "Frank Trigg Talks Life After MMA; Refereeing, UFC Bidding War on MMA Meltdown | Fight Network". Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
3. TAGGradio.com (July 13, 2009). "TAGG com" . Retrieved March 3, 2015.
4. "Frank Trigg, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Felice Herrig \u0026 Comedian Greg Wilson as bizarro Conor McGregor by MMA Roasted - Hear the world's sounds". Soundcloud.com. February 26, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
5. Archived February 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
6. "Former UFC Champion Ricco Rodriguez Sets Up Bout With Jeff Monson". MMAWeekly.com. November 9, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
7. Bower, Mick (May 21, 2011). "Watson Blasts 'Ninja,' Retains Title at BAMMA 6". Sherdog.com. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
8. https://web.archive.org/web/20110711131546/http://mmajunkie.com/news/24311/trigg-vs-watson-title-fight-villasenor-vs-mills-co-headline-bamma-7-on-sept-10.mma. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. "Champ Watson out, Wallhead in against Trigg in BAMMA 7 headliner". mmajunkie.com. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
10. "Legendary fighter Frank Trigg hated UFC officials. Then he became one". August 13, 2019.
11. Archived May 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
12. "Frank Trigg – Unfinished Business". UFC.com. September 16, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2009.

External links

• Official site of Frank Trigg
• Professional MMA record for Frank Trigg from Sherdog
• Frank Trigg at UFC