Tony Gravely

Tony Gravely
Born	Antonio Lamar Gravely [1] (1991-09-28) September 28, 1991 (age 32) Martinsville, Virginia, United States
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight	135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
Division	Bantamweight
Reach	69 in (175 cm) [2]
Fighting out of	Coconut Creek, Florida
Team	Tech MMA & Fitness Academy (2013–2020) [3] American Top Team (2020–present) [4]
Rank	Black belt in Taekwondo [5] Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [5]
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling [5]
Years active	2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	32
Wins	23
By knockout	10
By submission	3
By decision	10
Losses	9
By knockout	1
By submission	5
By decision	3
University	Appalachian State University
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Tony Gravely ^[1] (born September 28, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2015, he is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

Gravely's father was a taekwondo instructor for over 25 years, so he started taking Tae Kwon Do when he was about three or four years old. He trained and competed in Tae Kwon Do until he started wrestling in sixth grade, continuing wrestling from sixth grade all the way through college. ^[6]

A native of Martinsville, Virginia, Gravely attended Magna Vista High School, where he was a four-time all-state wrestler. He had two undefeated seasons and was a two-time Virginia state champion while wrestling in high school. ^[7]

After high school, Gravely attended Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina on a wrestling scholarship. In three seasons wrestling for the Mountaineers, Gravely appeared in two NCAA Tournaments and won a Southern Conference Tournament Championship. He left Appalachian State with a major in construction management. ^[8]

According to the Martinsville Bulletin, Gravely quit his construction project manager day job in 2016 and decided to focus full-time on an MMA career. ^[9] He trained at Tech MMA Academy in Southwest Virginia for years as he pursued a professional fighting career. ^[10]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Following a 6-1 amateur career, Gravely had his first professional fight in October 2015 against Chad Wiggington. He won the fight at the Elite 8 Warrior Challenge in a unanimous decision to claim his first victory. ^[11] In his second bout, Gravely lost to Pat Sabatini by first-round rear-naked choke submission at CFFC 52.

After a six fight winning streak, Gravely suffered dropped three of his next four fights, getting submitted by Ricky Bandejas in the second round, outpointed by Merab Dvalishili, and armbarred by Manny Bermudez. For his lone outing with Legacy Fighting Alliance at LFA 17, Gravely defeated Keith Richardson via unanimous decision. He also defeated Jerrell Hodge and Jordan Morales. On the strength of that run, Gravely challenged Patchy Mix (11-0) for the KOTC Bantamweight Championship at KOTC: No Retreat in May 2018. Gravely was submitted by the first round, falling to Mix's dangerous guillotine. Gravely defeated his next three foes via TKO that saw wins over Drako Rodriguez, earning him the KOTC Bantamweight Championship and James Quigg. In the main event of CES MMA 53, he knocked out Kody Nordby in the first round for the CES MMA Bantamweight Championship. Gravely would defend his CES MMA title twice with back to back stoppages at CES MMA 54 where he knocked out Kris Moutinho in the fourth round and CES MMA 55 where Gravely submitted Darren Mima in round two via rear-naked choke. ^{[12] [13]}

Gravely got his break in UFC when he was selected to be a part of Dana White's Contender Series 24 in 2019. He earned the formal invite to join the UFC after recording a knockout of Ray Rodriguez in the third round of his Contender Series fight. ^[14]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Gravely made his UFC debut against Brett Johns on January 25, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos. ^[15] He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke in round three. ^[16] This bout earned him the Fight of the Night award. ^[17] Brett Johns in Raleigh, North Carolina. After his debut, Gravely announced he would be moving to Florida to train with American Top Team. ^[18]

Gravely faced Geraldo de Freitas on November 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. ^[19] He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[20]

Gravely was scheduled to face Nate Maness at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum on April 17, 2021. ^[21] However, Maness was removed from the bout for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Anthony Birchak. ^[22] Gravely won the fight via technical knockout in round two. ^[23] This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award. ^[24]

The bout with Maness was rescheduled for September 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann. ^[25] Gravely lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. ^[26]

Gravely faced promotional newcomer Saimon Oliveira on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. ^[27] He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[28]

Gravely faced Johnny Muñoz Jr. on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207. ^[29] He won the bout in the first round after knocking down Muñoz after the latter ran into an uppercut on a takedown attempt. ^[30]

Gravely faced Javid Basharat on September 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 210. ^[31] He lost the bout via unanimous decision. ^[32]

Gravely faced Victor Henry on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. ^[33] He lost the fight via split decision. ^[34]

On June 5, 2023, news surfaced that Gravely had fought out his contract and the organization opted not to renew it. ^[35]

Championships and accomplishments

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Brett Johns ^[17]
  • Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Anthony Birchak ^[24]
• CES MMA
  • CES MMA Bantamweight Championship (One time)
    • Two successful defenses
• King of the Cage
  • King of the Cage Bantamweight Championship (One time)
• Fight Lab
  • Fight Lab Bantamweight Championship (One time)
• PA Cage Fight
  • PACF Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

32 matches	23 wins	9 losses
By knockout	10	1
By submission	3	5
By decision	10	3

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	23–9	Victor Henry	Decision (split)	UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili	March 11, 2023	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	23–8	Javid Basharat	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song	September 17, 2022	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	23–7	Johnny Muñoz Jr.	KO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik	June 4, 2022	1	1:08	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	22–7	Saimon Oliveira	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 270	January 22, 2022	3	5:00	Anaheim, California, United States
Loss	21–7	Nate Maness	TKO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann	September 18, 2021	2	2:10	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	21–6	Anthony Birchak	TKO (punches)	UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum	April 17, 2021	2	1:31	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Performance of the Night.
Win	20–6	Geraldo de Freitas	Decision (split)	UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos	November 15, 2020	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	19–6	Brett Johns	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos	January 25, 2020	3	2:53	Raleigh, North Carolina, United States	Fight of the Night.
Win	19–5	Ray Rodriguez	TKO (punches)	Dana White's Contender Series 24	August 13, 2019	3	2:16	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	18–5	Darren Mima	Submission (rear-naked choke)	CES 55: Wells vs. de Jesus	March 29, 2019	2	4:54	Hartford, Connecticut, United States	Defended the CES Bantamweight Championship.
Win	17–5	Kris Moutinho	KO (punches)	CES 54: Andrews vs. Logan	January 19, 2019	4	4:02	Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States	Defended the CES Bantamweight Championship.
Win	16–5	Kody Nordby	KO (slam)	CES 53: Gravely vs. Nordby	November 2, 2018	1	0:36	Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States	Won the vacant CES Bantamweight Championship.
Win	15–5	Drako Rodriguez	TKO (punches)	KOTC: Territorial Conflict	September 15, 2018	5	3:49	Niagara Falls, New York, United States	Won the vacant KOTC Bantamweight Championship.
Win	14–5	Bruno Ferreira	TKO (punches)	Road to M-1 USA	August 11, 2018	1	N/A	Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Win	13–5	James Quigg	TKO	Fight Lab 59	June 22, 2018	3	1:08	Charlotte, North Carolina, United States	Won the Fight Lab Bantamweight Championship.
Loss	12–5	Patchy Mix	Submission (guillotine choke)	King of the Cage: No Retreat	May 12, 2018	1	1:44	Salamanca, New York, United States	For the KOTC Bantamweight Championship.
Win	12–4	Jerrell Hodge	Decision (unanimous)	CFFC 68	October 21, 2017	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	11–4	Jordan Morales	Decision (unanimous)	PA Cage Fight 29	September 22, 2017	3	5:00	Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, United States	Won the PACF Bantamweight Championship.
Win	10–4	Keith Richardson	Decision (unanimous)	LFA 17	July 21, 2017	3	5:00	Charlotte, North Carolina, United States	Catchweight (140 lb) bout.
Win	9–4	Francis Healy	Decision (unanimous)	KOTC: Heavy Hands	May 13, 2017	3	5:00	Washington, Pennsylvania, United States	Featherweight bout.
Loss	8–4	Manny Bermudez	Submission (armbar)	Cage Titans 33	April 8, 2017	1	N/A	Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Loss	8–3	Merab Dvalishvili	Decision (unanimous)	Ring of Combat 57	November 18, 2016	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	8–2	Tim Sosa	Decision (unanimous)	KOTC: Harm's Way	September 17, 2016	3	5:00	Washington, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss	7–2	Ricky Bandejas	Submission (rear-naked choke)	CFFC 60	August 6, 2016	2	2:32	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	7–1	Dave Roberts	TKO (punches)	CFFC 58	May 21, 2016	3	2:37	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	6–1	Dylan Cala	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Cage Rage 4	April 16, 2016	1	3:01	Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Win	5–1	Paul Grant	TKO (punches)	Ring of Combat 54	March 4, 2016	3	1:02	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	4–1	Reginald Barnett Jr.	Decision (unanimous)	Elite Warrior Challenge 9	February 6, 2016	3	5:00	Salem, Virginia, United States
Win	3–1	Dwayne Holman Jr.	Decision (unanimous)	CFFC 55: Chookagian vs. Varela	January 9, 2016	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Return to Bantamweight.
Win	2–1	Vladimir Kazbekov	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Global Proving Ground 22	November 21, 2015	2	4:20	Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, United States	Catchweight (130 lb) bout.
Loss	1–1	Pat Sabatini	Submission (rear-naked choke)	CFFC 52: Horcher vs. Regman	October 31, 2015	1	2:47	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Featherweight debut.
Win	1–0	Chad Wiggington	Decision (unanimous)	Elite Warrior Challenge 8	October 10, 2015	3	5:00	Salem, Virginia, United States	Bantamweight debut.

^[36]

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. Mixed martial arts show results Date: April 17, 2021
2. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
3. "On The RISE: Tony Gravely". risebrewing.co. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
4. Joe McDonagh (June 25, 2020). "UFC: Tony Gravely Ready for New Beginnings with Move to American Top Team". cagesidepress.com.
5. "Tony Gravely | UFC". UFC.com. December 26, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
6. "On The RISE: Tony Gravely". RISE Brewing Co. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
7. "Tony Gravely - Wrestling - App State Sports". appstatesports.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
8. "Tony Gravely - Wrestling - App State Sports". appstatesports.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
9. "Martinsville native Tony Gravely has wrestled to make a career as one of Virginia's few ultimate fighters". Martinsville Bulletin. August 31, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
10. "Staff - Tech MMA and Fitness" . Retrieved April 7, 2021.
11. "Tony Gravely". Tapology. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
12. Painter, Myles (August 23, 2019). "Across The Pond Profile: UFC fighter Tony Gravely | MMA UK". MMAUK. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
13. Fiedel, Michael (July 16, 2019). "FloCombat Prospect Of The Week: CES Champion Tony Gravely - FloCombat". www.flocombat.com. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
14. "UFC: Tony Gravely Ready for New Beginnings with Move to American Top Team". Cageside Press. June 25, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
15. Farah Hannoun (November 20, 2019). "Brett Johns set to return after long layoff, fight Tony Gravely at UFC Raleigh". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
16. Shillan, Keith (January 25, 2020). "UFC Raleigh Results: Brett Johns Earns Third-Round Submission in Grappling-Heavy Affair". Cageside Press. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
17. Youngs, Jose (January 25, 2020). "UFC Raleigh bonuses: Brett Johns vs. Tony Gravely earns Fight of the Night". MMAFighting.com . Retrieved January 25, 2020.
18. Erickson, Matt; Morgan, John (November 16, 2020). "Tony Gravely credits move to American Top Team for helping him back to win column". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
19. Farah Hannoun (October 21, 2020). "Tony Gravely vs. Geraldo de Freitas joins Nov. 14 UFC lineup". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
20. Doherty, Dan (November 14, 2020). "UFC Vegas 14 Results: Tony Gravely Smothers Geraldo de Freitas". Cageside Press. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
21. Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (February 18, 2019). "UFC books Tony Gravely vs. Nate Maness for April 17 event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
22. Staff (March 26, 2021). "Anthony Birchak replaces Nate Maness against Tony Gravely at UFC event on April 17th". mmadna.nl. Retrieved March 26, 2021.(in Dutch)
23. Behunin, Alex (April 17, 2021). "UFC Vegas 24 Results: Tony Gravely Scores Second-Round Knockout of Anthony Birchak". Cageside Press. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
24. John Morgan (April 18, 2021). "UFC on ESPN 22 bonuses: Robert Whittaker, Kelvin Gastelum deliver 'Fight of the Night'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
25. DNA, MMA (August 17, 2021). "Tweede poging Tony Gravely vs. Nate Maness, ditmaal op 18 september". MMA DNA. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
26. Behunin, Alex (September 18, 2021). "UFC Vegas 37 Results: Nate Maness Knocks Tony Gravely Out In Comeback Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
27. DNA, MMA (October 23, 2021). "Tony Gravely treft nieuwkomer Saimon Oliveira tijdens UFC 270 in Anaheim". MMA DNA. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
28. Anderson, Jay (January 22, 2022). "UFC 270: Tony Gravely Avoids Flying Knees, Guillotines to Win Decision Over Saimon Oliveira". Cageside Press. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
29. Anderson, Jay (May 3, 2022). "UFC: Tony Gravely vs. Johnny Munoz Added to June 4 Fight Night Card". Cageside Press. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
30. Law, Eddie (June 4, 2022). "UFC Vegas 56: Tony Gravely Ends Fight Quickly, Scores TKO Win Over Johnny Munoz". Cageside Press. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
31. "UFC books Javid Basharat vs. Tony Gravely for Sept. 17 event". MMA Junkie. August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
32. Anderson, Jay (September 17, 2022). "UFC Vegas 60: Javid Basharat Passes Test Against Tony Gravely". Cageside Press. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
33. ATSteveDuncan (January 27, 2023). "Tony Gravely vs. Victor Henry anunciado para UFC Vegas 71". MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved January 27, 2023.
34. Jamie Theodosi (March 11, 2023). "UFC Las Vegas: Victor Henry narrowly edges Tony Gravely in three-round war". Cageside Press. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
35. Damon Martin (June 5, 2023). "Makwan Amirkhani, Trevin Jones and four more fighters removed from UFC roster". mmafighting.com.
36. Sherdog.com. "Tony Gravely". Sherdog. Retrieved August 7, 2020.

External links

• Professional MMA record for Tony Gravely from Sherdog
• Tony Gravely at UFC