Mark Madsen (fighter)

Mark Madsen
Madsen at UFC Fight Night 160 in Copenhagen
Born	Mark Overgaard Madsen (1984-09-23) 23 September 1984 (age 40) Nykøbing Falster, Denmark
Other names	The Olympian
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Division	Welterweight (2013–2019) Lightweight (2019–2023) [1]
Style	Wrestling
Team	Team Olympian Xtreme Couture (2018–2021) [2] [3] Fight Ready (2021–present) [3]
Trainer	Martin Kampmann (head coach) [1]
Wrestling	Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling [4]
Years active	2013–2023 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	14
Wins	12
By knockout	3
By submission	3
By decision	6
Losses	2
By knockout	1
By submission	1
Notable club(s)	BK Thor (wrestling)
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record Representing   Denmark Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 75 kg World Championships 2005 Budapest 74 kg 2007 Baku 74 kg 2009 Herning 74 kg 2015 Las Vegas 75 kg 2006 Guangzhou 74 kg European Championships 2014 Vantaa 75 kg World Military Championships 2005 Vilnius 74 kg Junior European Championships 2004 Murska Sobota 74 kg Cadet European Championships 2001 Izmir 63 kg

Mark Overgaard Madsen ^[5] (born 23 September 1984) is a Danish retired professional mixed martial artist and former Greco-Roman wrestler, who currently serves as president of Dominance FC, a mixed martial arts promotion. As a mixed martial artist, he competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). ^{[6] [7] [8]}

As a wrestler, Madsen won the silver medal in the 75 kg class at the 2016 Summer Olympics and was five-time medalist at the world championships, among other championships. ^{[9] [10]}

Wrestling career

Madsen at the 2016 Olympics

Madsen started wrestling at six years old. ^[11] At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he lost to Russia's Varteres Samurgashev in the first preliminary round of men's Greco-Roman 74 kg, with a technical score of 1–7, and a classification score of 1–3. ^[12]

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, Madsen was defeated by another Russian wrestler, Roman Vlasov, in the second round of the men's Greco-Roman 74 kg category. ^[13] Because his opponent advanced further until the final round, Madsen qualified for the repechage bout, where he scored four points and defeated France's Christophe Guénot. ^[14] In the bronze medal match, Madsen was unable to score enough points in the first two periods, and lost to Lithuania's Aleksandr Kazakevič, finishing in fifth place. ^[15]

A few months after the games, Madsen signed a contract with European MMA. ^[16]

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Madsen won silver in men's Greco-Roman 75 kg, losing the final match against Roman Vlasov, who previously beat him in the 2012 Summer Olympics. ^[17]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Madsen competed in two professional bouts in 2013 and 2014 but because he was receiving salary from the Danish Wrestling Federation for his commitment, Madsen was subsequently essentially forbidden to compete in mixed martial arts. ^[18] Due to his retirement from wrestling, he was allowed to start training and competing in mixed martial arts. ^[19]

After amassing four straight professional victories in the regional circuit, Madsen signed with Cage Warriors. ^[20] Madsen made his promotional debut against Alexandre Bordin at Cage Warriors Academy's inaugural event on September 23, 2018. The fight was largely contested on the ground, leading Madsen to a unanimous decision victory by dominant grappling. ^[21]

After the bout with Bordin, Madsen has been training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Madsen headlined Cage Warriors Academy Denmark 2 against Mathew Bonner on December 15, 2018 and won the bout via unanimous decision. ^{[22] [2]}

Madsen made his Cage Warriors debut against Thibaud Larchet at Cage Warriors 103 on March 9, 2019. ^{[23] [24]} Madsen won the fight via unanimous decision.

Madsen faced Danish boxer Patrick Nielsen in an MMA bout at Olympian Fight Night 1 on June 8, 2019. ^[25] Madsen won the fight in the first round via rear-naked choke. ^[26]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Madsen made his promotional debut against Danillo Belluardo on September 28, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 18. ^{[27] [28]} He won the fight via TKO in the first round. ^[29]

After recovering from shoulder injury and staph infection, Madsen returned to face Austin Hubbard on March 7, 2020 at UFC 248. ^[30] He used his superior wrestling to win the fight by unanimous decision despite suffering a broken jaw during the course of the bout. ^[31]

Madsen faced Clay Guida on August 21, 2021 in the co-main event in UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum. He won the fight via split decision. ^[32]

Madsen was scheduled to face Vinc Pichel on February 12, 2022 at UFC 271. ^[33] However, they were pushed back to April 9, 2022 at UFC 273 due to unknown reasons. ^[34] He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[35]

Madsen was scheduled to face Drakkar Klose on October 29, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 213. ^[36] However, Klose pulled out in mid-October due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. ^[37] He was replaced by Grant Dawson. ^[38] In turn, the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night 214 on November 5, 2022. ^[39] At the weigh-ins, Dawson weighed in at 157.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Grant was fined 30% of his individual purse, which went to Madsen. ^[40] Madsen lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round. ^[41]

Madsen faced Jared Gordon on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. ^[42] He lost the bout at the end of the first round via TKO stoppage, getting dropped with an elbow and finished with ground and pound. ^[43]

On January 31, 2024, Madsen announced that he is retiring from MMA. ^[44]

Dominance Fighting Championship

On June 17, 2024, Madsen announced that he would be launching a mixed martial arts promotion called Dominance Fighting Championship (DFC). ^[45] The promotion held its inaugural event on September 21 at K.B. Hallen. ^[46]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Nordic MMA Awards - MMAviking.com
  • 2018 Knockout of the Year vs. Dez Parker ^[47]
  • 2019 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year ^[48]

Amateur wrestling

• Olympic Games
  • 2016 Rio de Janeiro - Greco-Roman, 75 kg, 2nd place
  • 2012 London - Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 5th place
• International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
  • World Wrestling Championships
    • 2005 Budapest - Greco-Roman, 74 kg 2nd place
    • 2006 Guangzhou - Greco-Roman, 74 kg, third place
    • 2007 Baku - Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 2nd place
    • 2009 Herning - Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 2nd place
    • 2015 Las Vegas - Greco-Roman, 75kg, 2nd place
  • European Wrestling Championships
    • 2004 Murska Sobota - Greco-Roman, junior level, 74 kg, 1st place
    • 2014 Vantaa - Greco-Roman, 75 kg, 3rd place
• Nordic Wrestling Association
  • 2005 Nordic Championships Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 1st place
  • 2006 Nordic Championships Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 1st place
  • 2008 Nordic Championships Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 1st place
  • 2010 Nordic Championships Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 1st place
  • 2015 Nordic Championships Greco-Roman, 80 kg, 1st place
  • 2016 Nordic Championships Greco-Roman, 75 kg, 1st place
  • 2017 Nordic Championships Greco-Roman, 80 kg, 2nd place
• Danish Wrestling Federation
  • 1999 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 54 kg, 3rd place
  • 2001 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 69 kg, 1st place
  • 2002 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 1st place
  • 2004 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 74 kg, 1st place
  • 2005 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 84 kg, 1st place
  • 2007 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 84 kg, 1st place
  • 2008 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 84 kg, 1st place
  • 2009 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 84 kg, 1st place
  • 2010 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 96 kg, 1st place
  • 2015 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 80 kg, 1st place
  • 2016 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 80 kg, 1st place
  • 2017 Danish Championships Greco-Roman, 80 kg, 1st place

^{[10] [49]}

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

14 matches	12 wins	2 losses
By knockout	3	1
By submission	3	1
By decision	6	0

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	12–2	Jared Gordon	TKO (elbow and punches)	UFC 295	November 11, 2023	1	4:42	New York City, New York, United States
Loss	12–1	Grant Dawson	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos	November 5, 2022	3	2:05	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Catchweight (157.5 lb) bout; Dawson missed weight.
Win	12–0	Vinc Pichel	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 273	April 9, 2022	3	5:00	Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win	11–0	Clay Guida	Decision (split)	UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum	August 21, 2021	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	10–0	Austin Hubbard	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 248	March 7, 2020	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	9–0	Danilo Belluardo	TKO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier	September 28, 2019	1	1:12	Copenhagen, Denmark	Lightweight debut.
Win	8–0	Patrick Nielsen	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Olympian Fight Night	June 9, 2019	1	2:47	Copenhagen, Denmark	Catchweight (166 lb) bout.
Win	7–0	Thibaud Larchet	Decision (unanimous)	Cage Warriors 103	March 9, 2019	3	5:00	Copenhagen, Denmark
Win	6–0	Matthew Bonner	Decision (unanimous)	Cage Warriors Academy Denmark 2	December 15, 2018	3	5:00	Frederikshavn, Denmark
Win	5–0	Alexandre Bordin	Decision (unanimous)	Cage Warriors Academy Denmark 1	September 23, 2018	3	5:00	Nykøbing Falster, Denmark
Win	4–0	Dez Parker	KO (punch)	Danish MMA Night Vol. 1	June 9, 2018	1	4:30	Brøndby, Denmark
Win	3–0	Matthias Freyschuss	Technical Submission (guillotine choke)	MMA Galla 04	January 13, 2018	1	0:26	Nykøbing Falster, Denmark
Win	2–0	Chay Ingram	Submission (guillotine choke)	European MMA 9: "Mark" Your Time	May 23, 2014	1	2:27	Copenhagen, Denmark
Win	1–0	Philipp Henze	TKO (punches)	European MMA 6	September 26, 2013	1	0:44	Copenhagen, Denmark	Welterweight debut.

^[50]

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Mark O. Madsen Fighting at UFC Copenhagen". mmaviking.com. August 22, 2019.
2. O'Leary, Ryan (November 8, 2018). "Madsen Training in USA for Matchup with the 'Beast' at CWA Denmark 2". mmaviking.com.
3. Mark Madsen making big life changes ahead of #UFC273. MMAjunkie.com . January 31, 2022 – via YouTube.
4. "MARK O MADSEN THE OLYMPIAN".
5. "Mark Overgaard MADSEN". Olympics. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
6. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Mark Madsen". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
7. "Mark Overgaard Madsen". London 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-30. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
8. Nag, Anwesha (2021-08-22). "What is multiple sclerosis, the disease UFC fighter Mark Madsen's wife suffers from?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
9. Nag, Sayan (2021-08-09). "Who is Mark Madsen, the UFC fighter with an Olympic medal?". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
10. "Madsen, Mark Overgaard (DEN)". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
11. Nolan King (September 27, 2019). "Living in trailer park, Olympian Mark Madsen looks to cash in at UFC on ESPN+ 18". mmajunkie.com.
12. "Men's Greco-Roman 74kg (163 lbs) Qualification Official". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
13. "Men's 74kg Greco-Roman – Qualification". London 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
14. "Men's 74kg Greco-Roman – Repechage". London 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
15. "Men's 74kg Greco-Roman – Bronze Medal". London 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
16. O'Leary, Ryan (22 November 2012). "Danish Olympic Wrestler Mark O. Madsen Turns to MMA". mmaviking.com. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
17. "Roman Vlasov defeats Mark Madsen (no, not that one) for Greco-Roman wrestling gold". Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
18. Natasha Hooper (September 27, 2019). "Wrestling star Mark O. Madsen chooses UFC over the Olympics". bjpenn.com.
19. Brett Okamoto (September 25, 2019). "A new dream: Danish wrestling star chose UFC over return to Olympics". espn.com.
20. O'Leary, Ryan (August 10, 2018). "Madsen Signs with Cage Warriors, Debuts at CWA Denmark Launch in September". mmaviking.com.
21. O'Leary, Ryan (September 23, 2018). "Mark O. Madsen Goes the Distance in Win at CWA Denmark". mmaviking.com.
22. O'Leary, Ryan (September 25, 2018). "Mark O. Madsen and CWA Denmark Book Show in Frederikshavn". mmaviking.com.
23. O'Leary, Ryan (December 17, 2018). "Dalby, Burnell, and Madsen Booked for CW103 in Copenhagen, Tickets on Sale Now". mmaviking.com.
24. O'Leary, Ryan (February 3, 2019). "Mark O. Madsen Gets Experienced French Opposition for Cage Warriors 103". mmaviking.com.
25. Ryan O'Leary (June 5, 2019). "Madsen, Magnor, Kasper, and Tollefsen Featured at Olympian Fight Night 1". mmaviking.com.
26. Ryan O'Leary (June 8, 2019). "Live Results: Olympian Fight Night 1". mmaviking.com.
27. Cruz, Guilherme (2019-08-22). "Olympic medalist Mark O. Madsen signs with the UFC, debuts in Denmark". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
28. "Hjemmepublikum gjorde Mark O. Madsen uovervindelig" (in Danish). bt.dk. September 29, 2019.
29. Anderson, Jay (2019-09-28). "UFC Copenhagen Results: Mark Madsen Wastes Little Time Earning First UFC Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
30. "Mark Madsen vs. Austin Hubbard set for UFC 248". MMAfighting.com. 2020-01-11.
31. Marc Raimondi (9 March 2020). "Broken jaw sidelines Madsen after UFC 248 win".
32. Doherty, Dan (2021-08-22). "UFC Vegas 34 Results: Mark O. Madsen Stays Undefeated Against Clay Guida". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
33. Behunin, Alex (2021-11-02). "Mark O. Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel Set For UFC 271". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
34. Nolan King and John Morgan (2022-01-19). "Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel pushed from UFC 271 to UFC 273". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
35. Anderson, Jay (2022-04-09). "UFC 273: Mark O. Madsen Stays Perfect, Improves to 12-0 With Win Over Vinc Pichel". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
36. "UFC adds Drakkar Klose vs. Mark Madsen to Oct. 29 lineup". MMA Junkie. 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
37. Nolan King (2022-10-16). "ACL injury forces Drakkar Klose out of UFC Fight Night 213 grudge match vs. Mark Madsen". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
38. Steve Duncan (2022-10-19). "Klose out, Grant Dawson faces Mark O. Madsen at UFC Vegas 63". mma.uno. Retrieved 2022-10-21.(in Spanish)
39. Farah Hannoun (2022-10-26). "With Drakkar Klose out, Mark Madsen meets Grant Dawson at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
40. Staff (2022-11-04). "UFC Fight Night 214 weigh-in results: A record-tying four weight misses". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
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42. Arshad (2023-09-08). "Jared Gordon vs Mark Madsen Set for UFC 295 in November". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
43. Anderson, Jay (2023-11-12). "UFC 295: Jared Gordon Delivers Crushing Finish of Mark O. Madsen at Home". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
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47. "MMAViking.com's Yearly Nordic Awards". mmaviking.com.
48. "2019 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year : Mark O. Madsen". mmaviking.com. December 25, 2019.
49. "Dannish Wrestling Federation - Mark Overgård Madsen". brydning.dk.
50. Sherdog.com. "Mark". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-08-22.

External links

• Mark Overgaard Madsen at the International Wrestling Database ( alternate link )
• Mark Madsen at UFC
• Professional MMA record for Mark Madsen from Sherdog
• Mark Madsen at Olympics.com
• Mark Madsen at Olympedia
• NBC 2008 Olympics profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 25 August 2012)