Bobby Voelker

Last updated
Bobby Voelker
BornRobert James Voelker [1]
(1979-04-26) April 26, 1979 (age 44)
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Other namesVicious
Nationality American
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division Welterweight
Reach74 in (188 cm) [2]
Fighting out of Kansas City, Missouri, United States
TeamFinney's MMA
American Jujitsu
Glory MMA & Fitness [3]
Years active2006–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total48
Wins34
By knockout27
By decision7
Losses14
By knockout4
By submission1
By decision9
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Robert "Bobby" James Voelker [1] (born April 26, 1979) is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in their Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Voelker has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, and Titan FC.

Contents

Background

Voelker is from Kansas City, Missouri, and attended Shawnee Mission South High School where he competed in football as well as swimming and diving. Voelker also got into many street fights, being charged with battery when he was 18 years old and began training in boxing and kickboxing late in high school. After graduating high school, Voelker briefly attended college before dropping out and eventually transitioned into a career in professional mixed martial arts. [4]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Voelker compiled an undefeated amateur record of 10–0 before making his professional MMA debut in 2006. He competed in events primarily in Iowa and Kansas, amassing a record of 20–7 before signing with Strikeforce.

Strikeforce

Voelker's debut took place on November 20, 2009 at Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears, where he faced off against WEC veteran Erik Apple, defeating Apple via TKO (punches) in the second round.

His second appearance took place at Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey, where he faced heavy-handed up-and-coming striker "Relentless" Roger Bowling. The fight ended in a technical decision in favor of Bowling due to an unintentional eye injury to Bowling.

He was next signed to face Cory Devela, who was on a two-fight slide, on July 23, 2010, at Strikeforce Challengers: del Rosario vs. Mahe. Devela easily took round one, swarming Voelker and turning the fight into a grappling match. The second and third rounds were a lot closer to call, with Devela mostly controlling Voelker in the clinch, but the split decision was awarded to Voelker, who remained in a dominant position for much of the final frames, landing shots from top position. [5]

A rematch with Bowling took place at Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker. Voelker won a very one-sided fight via technical knockout in the second round due to punches. Voelker and Bowling fought for a third time at Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs. Bowling III to create Strikeforce's first trilogy. Once again, Voelker dominated and out struck Bowling, thus winning the fight via TKO due to a knee in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In January 2013, the Strikeforce organization was closed by its parent company Zuffa. A list of fighters scheduled to be brought over to the Ultimate Fighting Championship was released in mid-January and Voelker was included. [6]

For his debut, Voelker faced Patrick Côté, who was making his Welterweight debut, on March 16, 2013 at UFC 158. [7] Despite finishing strong and winning the third round, Voelker was unsuccessful in his debut, losing the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.

Voelker was briefly scheduled to face James Head on August 28, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 27. [8] However, on July 11, it was announced that Voelker was tabbed as a replacement for Siyar Bahadurzada and face Robbie Lawler on July 27, 2013 at UFC on Fox 8. [9] He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

Voelker faced William Macário on December 28, 2013 at UFC 168. [10] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. [11]

Voelker faced Lance Benoist on June 7, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42. [12] He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision, and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Bellator MMA

After racking a 9–1 record on the regional circuit, Voelker signed with Bellator MMA in April 2019. [13] He made his promotional debut against Sabah Homasi at Bellator 250 on October 29, 2020. He lost the fight via flying knee in the second round. [14]

On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Voelker was no longer under contract with Bellator. [15]

Return to regional circuit

After the one-off bout in Bellator, Voelker returned to Shamrock FC facing Josh Weston at Shamrock FC 332 on October 9, 2021. [16] He won the bout via first-round knockout. [17]

Personal life

Aside from his career as a fighter, Voelker works in construction and is also a devout Catholic. During his UFC tenure, Voelker studied at Kansas City Kansas Community College to be a paramedic and eventually graduated. [18] [19]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
48 matches34 wins14 losses
By knockout274
By submission01
By decision79
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win34–14Josh WestonTKO (punches)Shamrock FC 332October 9, 202111:12 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss33–14 Sabah Homasi KO (flying knee and punches) Bellator 250 October 29, 202020:20 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win33–13Cameron VanCampDecision (unanimous)Shamrock FC 317April 6, 201955:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesWon the vacant Shamrock FC Welterweight Championship.
Win32–13Darrius FlowersTKO (punches)Shamrock FC 313December 8, 201822:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesCatchweight (175 lbs) bout.
Win31–13Justin DeMoneyTKO (submission to punches)Shamrock FC 306June 16, 201821:45 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win30–13Bobby EmmonsTKO (punches)Shamrock FC 302February 3, 201814:16 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss29–13 Zak Bucia Decision (unanimous)Shamrock FC 289May 20, 201735:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesFor the Shamrock FC Welterweight Championship.
Win29–12Kyle KurtzTKO (punches and elbows)Shamrock FC 276September 24, 201621:55 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win28–12Raymond GrayDecision (unanimous)Shamrock Promotions: AssaultJanuary 16, 201635:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win27–12Mike EstusTKO (punches)Shamrock Promotions: ClashSeptember 26, 201511:27 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win26–12Justin GutherieTKO (punches)Shamrock Promotions: Heavy ArtilleryMarch 7, 201533:09 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesCatchweight (174 lbs) bout.
Win25–12Cedric MarksTKO (punches)Shamrock Promotions: OnslaughtSeptember 27, 201413:32 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss24–12 Lance Benoist Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov June 7, 201435:00 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Loss24–11 William Macário Decision (unanimous) UFC 168 December 28, 201335:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss24–10 Robbie Lawler KO (head kick and punches) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga July 27, 201320:24 Seattle, Washington, United States
Loss24–9 Patrick Côté Decision (unanimous) UFC 158 March 16, 201335:00 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win24–8 Roger Bowling TKO (knee and punches) Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs. Bowling III July 22, 201122:16 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win23–8 Roger Bowling TKO (punches) Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker October 22, 201023:58 Fresno, California, United States
Win22–8 Cory Devela Decision (split) Strikeforce Challengers: del Rosario vs. Mahe July 23, 201035:00 Everett, Washington, United States
Loss21–8 Roger Bowling Technical decision (unanimous) Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey May 21, 201031:38 Portland, Oregon, United States
Win21–7 Erik Apple TKO (punches) Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears November 29, 200921:23 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Loss20–7Brendan SeguinDecision (unanimous) Titan FC 14 October 2, 200935:00 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win20–6Thomas AaronTKO (punches)Extreme Fight ProductionJune 12, 200921:47 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win19–6Dominic BrownTKO (punches) Titan FC 13 March 13, 200921:33 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win18–6CJ FernandesTKO (punches)X-Treme Fight 1January 23, 200922:41 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss17–6 Jacob Volkmann Decision (unanimous)VFC 25: PrimetimeDecember 5, 200855:00 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United StatesFor the VFC Welterweight Championship.
Win17–5Amir RahnavardiDecision (unanimous) M-1 Challenge 8: USA October 29, 200835:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win16–5Dominic BrownTKO (punches)VFC 24: RevolutionJuly 26, 20082N/A Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win15–5Ryan BraunTKO (punches)MCC 14: Pride or FateJune 14, 200823:17 Urbandale, Iowa, United States
Loss14–5 Kevin Burns KO (punch)VFC 23: ValidationMay 9, 200810:30 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win14–4Nathan LookerTKO (submission to punches)World Cage Fighting ChampionshipsApril 5, 200811:34 Independence, Missouri, United States
Loss13–4Joey GorczynskiDecision (split) Titan FC 11 March 22, 20083N/A Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win13–3Matt DelanoitTKO (submission to strikes)MCC 11: Night of ChampionsNovember 21, 200731:43 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Loss12–3Leonardo PecanhaSubmission (armbar) Titan FC 8 July 27, 200711:58 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win12–2Danny AndersonDecision (unanimous)VFC 19: InfernoMay 18, 200735:00 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win11–2Warren WalkerTKO (punches) Titan FC 7 March 23, 200711:04 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win10–2Victor MorenoTKO (punches)MCC 7: Valentine's MassacureFebruary 17, 20072N/A Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Win9–2Ken JacksonTKO (punches) Titan FC 6 January 26, 200713:08 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win8–2Ted WorthingtonDecision (unanimous)MCC 6: Hard HittersJanuary 13, 200735:00 Urbandale, Iowa, United States
Win7–2Jody LithicumTKO (submission to punches)World Series of RumbleNovember 17, 200610:43 Junction City, Kansas, United States
Win6–2Clayton MarrsDecision (unanimous)Freestyle Cage FightingNovember 10, 200633:00 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win5–2Jack HodgeTKO (submssion to punches) Titan FC 5 August 4, 200620:51 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Loss4–2 Justin Wilcox Decision (unanimous)Extreme Challenge 68July 15, 200625:00 Hayward, Wisconsin, United States
Win4–1Brian GreenTKO (punches) Titan FC 4 June 9, 200621:38 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win3–1Johnathan RichmondTKO (punches) Titan FC 2 May 12, 200611:58 Topeka, Kansas, United States
Loss2–1Victor MorenoTKO (punches)MCC 2: Midwest XplosionApril 8, 200610:08 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Win2–0Kyle BradleyKO (punch) Titan FC 1 March 11, 200614:47 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win1–0Demi DeedsTKO (punches)Midwest Cage Championships 1February 11, 200621:11 Des Moines, Iowa, United States

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References

  1. 1 2 Mixed martial arts show results Date: July 22, 2011
  2. ↑ https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/bobby-voelker-vicious
  3. ↑ Brett Auten. "Voelker To Press Benoist". knucklejunkies.com.
  4. ↑ Vahe Gregorian (July 25, 2013). "KC's Voelker excited about UFC showdown Saturday night in Seattle". The Kansas City Star .
  5. ↑ "Voelker in Strikeforce".
  6. ↑ "UFC Reveals List of Strikeforce Fighters Making Jump to Octagon". sherdog.com. January 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ Erickson, Matt (2012-12-21). "Bobby Voelker moves over from Strikeforce, meets Patrick Cote at UFC 158". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  8. ↑ Whitman, Mike (2013-06-04). "Head-Voelker to Aug. 28 UFC Card". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  9. ↑ Staff (2013-07-11). "Siyar Bahardurzada out at UFC on FOX 8, Bobby Voelker faces Robbie Lawler". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
  10. ↑ Stupp, Dann (2013-10-03). "Bobby Voelker vs. William 'Patolino' Macario added to UFC 168 in Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  11. ↑ "UFC 168 results: William Macario takes unanimous decision over bloodied Bobby Voelker". bloodyelbow.com. 2013-12-28.
  12. ↑ Burke, Tim (2014-03-18). "Lance Benoist vs. Bobby Voelker added to June UFC event in Albuquerque". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  13. ↑ Dave Doyle (April 17, 2019). "UFC, Strikeforce vet Bobby Voelker signs with Bellator". mmajunkie.com.
  14. ↑ Mike Bohn (October 29, 2020). "Bellator 250 video: Sabah Homasi flattens Bobby Voelker with nasty flying knee". mmajunkie.com.
  15. ↑ "Bellator parts ways with 15 fighters including A.J. Matthews, Mandy Bohm, Will Fleury, more". MMA Junkie. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  16. ↑ "Voelker, Weston Clash In Shamrock FC 332 Main Event". shamrockfightingchampionshps.com.
  17. ↑ "MMA-veteraan Bobby Voelker sloopt tegenstander met daverende knockout". sportnieuws.nl (in Dutch). October 11, 2021.
  18. ↑ Zack Zeigler (July 24, 2013). "Making Weight (Quickly) with Bobby Voelker". Ultimate Fighting Championship .
  19. ↑ James Lynch (December 29, 2015). SFC Assault's Bobby Voelker "I see me knocking Kyle Kurtz down & the ref stopping it" – via YouTube.
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