Gabe Ruediger

Gabe Ruediger
Born	(1977-08-29) August 29, 1977 (age 46) Topanga Canyon, California, United States
Other names	Godzilla
Residence	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Division	Lightweight (155 lb)
Reach	70 in (180 cm) [1]
Fighting out of	Van Nuys, California
Team	PKG
Rank	Orange belt in Judo  Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active	2002–2012
Mixed martial arts record
Total	26
Wins	18
By knockout	4
By submission	13
By decision	1
Losses	8
By knockout	5
By submission	2
By decision	1
Website	www.gabegodzilla.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Gabriel G. "Gabe" Ruediger (born August 29, 1977) is a former American mixed martial artist, who competed in the Lightweight division for the UFC, WEC and Tachi Palace Fights. He is a former WEC Lightweight Champion, and former TPF Lightweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Ruediger is a retired mixed martial arts fighter from Rancho Cucamonga. He started training in karate when he was seven years old and eventually moved on to kung fu. He was a student at Nevada Union High School. ^[2] He appeared in a video as Paris Hilton's personal trainer.

Ruediger is a former WEC Lightweight Champion. In the WEC, he maintained a 9 fight winning streak before being defeated by Hermes Franca. Ruediger made his UFC debut at UFC 63, losing to The Ultimate Fighter 2 contestant Melvin Guillard via body punch in the second round.

The Ultimate Fighter

Ruediger was one of three fighters on The Ultimate Fighter 5 who had previously fought inside the UFC's Octagon (the others being Joe Lauzon and Matt Wiman). Only Lauzon, of the three, had a victory in the UFC. In episode 5, Team Pulver selected Corey Hill to fight Ruediger. The episode showed Ruediger eating ice cream cake after learning of his upcoming fight, shortly before the weigh ins. He was then struggling to make the weight requirement, and let himself be dragged to and from the sauna room, but getting out before it could actually work. Ultimately, Penn and Maynard gave up and walked off as Ruediger literally begged for them to pick him back up. After displaying what could be signs of extreme exhaustion, an ambulance carried him off to the hospital. He took direct criticism from his own coaches and teammates for "taking short cuts" and displaying a lack of dedication, due to his request for a colonic to lose weight (a procedure where they input plastic tubes up your rectum to flush fecal matter out of your system) and his overall poor work ethic. The next day, Dana White dismissed Ruediger from the competition and he was ordered to leave the house.

Ruediger later stated that he saw The Ultimate Fighter show as a "marketing tool" ^[3] and that audience members should "take what you see on TV with a grain of salt."

Post UFC

In a March 2007 interview Ruediger says that he would be fighting "very soon" in a "large organization". ^[4] In an article by Loretta Hunt at The Fight Network, it was revealed that FEG officials had a verbal commitment from Ruediger to fight Katsuhiko Nagata for their June 2 K-1 Dynamite!! USA supercard in Los Angeles. ^[5] Many unsubstantiated rumours appeared on the Internet regarding his failure to obtain a license to fight in California, asserting that his failure to make weight on The Ultimate Fighter was the reason. These were refuted in an interview with Armando Garcia, the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). According to Garcia, because Ruediger was a late replacement on the K-1 Dynamite card doctors with the CSAC did not have sufficient time to review his medical information, and could not issue him a license in time for the K-1 fight. He was then cleared for a license, fighting 5 times in the state of California since his reinstatement . ^[6]

Return to the UFC

After Terry Etim injured himself in preparation for his bout against Joe Lauzon at UFC 118, Ruediger signed a four fight deal with the UFC, and stepped in as Etim's replacement. ^[7] The fight was selected to be shown on the Spike TV broadcast. Ruediger lost the fight early in the first round via armbar submission.

Ruediger was expected to face Paul Kelly on November 20, 2010 at UFC 123. ^[8] However, Ruediger was forced out of the bout with a groin injury. ^[9]

Ruediger faced Paul Taylor on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126. ^[10] Ruediger was defeated via second round KO and subsequently released from the promotion. ^[11]

Post UFC

Ruediger faced Scott "KO" Catlin on March 16, 2012 at BAMMA BadBeat 5 and lost via TKO from punches 36 seconds into the second round.

Gabe fought SiriusXM radio host Jason Ellis in a celebrity boxing match at Ellismania 8 "Shave my Friends Tonight" in Las Vegas on July 14, 2012. Gabe was KO'd by Ellis in the 2nd round. Ruediger contested that Ellis had cheated by using different wraps, gloves, and headgear and stated that if they wore the same gear, Ellis would not have won the fight. Gabe then requested a rematch with Ellis and the two fought at Ellismania 9. Gabe lost the decision 29-28, and was generally dominated by Ellis.

Championships and accomplishments

• Tachi Palace Fights
  • TPF Lightweight Championship (One time)
• World Extreme Cagefighting
  • WEC Lightweight Championship (One time)
    • Two successful title defenses
  • Tied (Jamie Varner; Hermes França) for most consecutive successful defenses in the Lightweight division
  • Tied (Jamie Varner; Hermes França) for most successful defenses in the Lightweight division

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

26 matches	18 wins	8 losses
By knockout	4	5
By submission	13	2
By decision	1	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	18–8	Scott Catlin	Submission (armbar)	Bamma USA: Bad Beat 9	May 31, 2013	2	2:13	Commerce, California, United States	Retired shortly after the fight.
Loss	17–8	Scott Catlin	TKO (punches)	Bamma USA: Bad Beat 5	March 16, 2012	2	0:36	Anaheim, California, United States
Loss	17–7	Paul Taylor	KO (head kick and punches)	UFC 126	February 5, 2011	2	1:42	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	17–6	Joe Lauzon	Submission (armbar)	UFC 118	August 28, 2010	1	2:01	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win	17–5	Lenny Lovato	TKO (punches)	TPF 5: Stars and Strikes	July 9, 2010	1	3:25	Lemoore, California, United States	Won the vacant TPF Lightweight Championship.
Win	16–5	Dominique Robinson	Submission (rear-naked choke)	TPF 3: Champions Collide	February 4, 2010	2	4:49	Lemoore, California, United States
Win	15–5	Wander Braga	Submission (guillotine choke)	Call to Arms: Called Out Fights	August 15, 2009	2	0:58	Ontario, California, United States
Win	14–5	Adam Lehman	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Fight Circuit MMA: Victorious	June 7, 2009	1	2:19	Adelanto, California, United States
Win	13–5	Darren Crisp	Submission (guillotine choke)	PFC 13: Validation	May 8, 2009	1	1:03	Lemoore, California, United States
Win	12–5	Max Son	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Gladiator Challenge: Warriors	February 4, 2009	1	0:24	Pauma Valley, California, United States
Loss	11–5	Justin Wilcox	Decision (unanimous)	JG and TKT Promotions: Fighting 4 Kidz	August 30, 2008	3	5:00	Santa Monica, California, United States
Loss	11–4	Akbarh Arreola	Submission (kimura)	MMA Xtreme 15	November 16, 2007	1	2:03	Mexico City, Mexico
Win	11–3	George Kassimatis	Submission (guillotine choke)	Ringside Ticket	August 30, 2007	1	3:51	Highland, California, United States
Loss	10–3	Melvin Guillard	TKO (punch to the body)	UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn	September 23, 2006	2	1:01	Anaheim, California, United States
Win	10–2	Savant Young	Submission (armbar)	PF 1: The Beginning	May 12, 2006	3	1:29	Hollywood, California, United States
Loss	9–2	Hermes França	KO (punches)	WEC 19: Undisputed	March 17, 2006	1	0:36	Lemoore, California, United States	Lost the WEC Lightweight Championship.
Win	9–1	Sam Wells	Decision (unanimous)	WEC 17: Halloween Fury 4	October 14, 2005	3	5:00	Lemoore, California, United States	Defended the WEC Lightweight Championship.
Win	8–1	Bobir Hasanov	Submission (armbar)	KOTC 61: Flash Point	September 23, 2005	1	0:23	San Jacinto, California, United States
Win	7–1	Jason Maxwell	Submission (rear-naked choke)	WEC 14: Vengeance	March 17, 2005	1	3:28	Lemoore, California, United States	Defended the WEC Lightweight Championship.
Win	6–1	Olaf Alfonso	Submission (rear-naked choke)	WEC 12	October 21, 2004	1	3:05	Lemoore, California, United States	Won the vacant WEC Lightweight Championship.
Win	5–1	Steve Ramerez	Submission (triangle choke)	WEC 11	August 20, 2004	1	1:24	Lemoore, California, United States
Win	4–1	Cory Reeves	TKO (punches)	IFC: Battleground Tahoe	January 31, 2004	1	2:40	Lake Tahoe, Nevada, United States
Win	3–1	Carlos Cordero	TKO (punches)	WEC 7	August 9, 2003	1	2:57	Lemoore, California, United States
Win	2–1	Phat Houng	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Pit Fighting Championship	July 16, 2003	1	1:10	N/A
Win	1–1	Josh Gardner	TKO (punches)	Gladiator Challenge 14	February 16, 2003	1	1:41	Porterville, California, United States
Loss	0–1	Sam Wells	KO (punch)	WEC 5: Halloween Havoc	October 18, 2002	1	4:27	Lemoore, California, United States

References

1. "Gabe "Godzilla" Ruediger's Tapology Profile". tapology.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
2. "Gabe Ruediger | UFC". 14 September 2018.
3. "Last post here for a while". mma.tv. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
4. UFCDaily.com Exclusive Interview with Gabe Ruediger
5. The Fight Network :: All fights, all the time :: Get it on!
6. CSACs Garcia clears air about Ruediger Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
7. ""TUF 5" vet Gabe Ruediger replaces Terry Etim, faces Joe Lauzon at UFC 118 | MMAjunkie.com". Archived from the original on 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
8. "RUEDIGER VS. KELLY SET FOR UFC 123". mmaweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-10. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
9. "Injured Gabe Ruediger out of UFC 123 prelim fight with Paul Kelly". mmajunkie.com. October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010.
10. "Gabe Ruediger vs. Paul Taylor Agreed For UFC 126 In Las Vegas". MMAWeekly.com. November 29, 2010.
11. "Gabe Ruediger Released by the UFC, Contemplating Move to 145lbs". MMAWeekly.com. February 14, 2011.

External links

• Gabe's personal site
• The Ultimate Fighter 5 Bio
• Post-TUF 5 Interview
• Professional MMA record for Gabe Ruediger from Sherdog
• Gabe Ruediger at UFC
• NOKAUT Profile

Awards and achievements			Vacant Title last held by Gilbert Melendez	2nd WEC Lightweight Champion October 21, 2004 - March 17, 2006	Succeeded by Hermes Franca