Pat Miletich
| Pat Miletich | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Patrick Jay Miletich March 9, 1968 Davenport, Iowa, U.S. |
| Other names | The Croatian Sensation |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Freestyle Fighting |
| Fighting out of | Bettendorf, Iowa, U.S. |
| Team | Miletich Martial Arts |
| Rank | black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 3rd degree black belt in Shuri-ryū |
| Years active | 1995-2008 |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 1 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 38 |
| Wins | 29 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 18 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Website | http://www.mfselite.com/ |
| Boxing record from Boxrec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Patrick Jay Miletich (English pronunciation: /ˈmɪlɨtitʃ/; born March 9, 1968) is a retired American mixed martial artist and a current sports commentator. He is known for his fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he became the first UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC 16 tournament champion.
He founded Miletich Fighting Systems, which has trained over 90 televised fighters and no fewer than 11 MMA world champions, including former UFC Welterweight Champion and Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia, former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, and former Elite XC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Miletich, the youngest of five children, was born in Davenport, Iowa, to Croatian parents. Two of his brothers are deceased. Miletich wrestled and played football at Bettendorf High School. As a senior in 1986, Miletich shared the Bettendorf High School wrestling room with future MMA champion Mark Kerr, who was a freshman just beginning his wrestling career. Miletich is believed to have begun wrestling at age six. He said he wanted to be a world champion in something and wrestling was something he was good at. Although Miletich originally planned to pursue football after graduating high school, he eventually chose to wrestle in junior college. When his mother developed heart problems, he left school to care for her. Miletich has stated in past interviews that he actually began fighting to help pay her bills.[1][2]
[edit] Mixed martial arts career
Miletich started his MMA training at 26. Before this, Miletich trained in a Davenport karate school where he learned much of what he knows about karate. Miletich was largely influenced in his boxing aspirations by his uncle, Johnny "Miller" Miletich. (Johnny Miletich was a member of the U.S. boxing squad at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and also fought professionally.)[3]
Miletich trained with coach Alvino Peña at the Davenport Boxing Club. A friend from Chicago got him into a Renzo Gracie seminar. After training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) for a year, the same friend then got him into the Battle of the Masters, a MMA tournament held in Chicago in 1995.[citation needed]
Miletich continued fighting at smaller events and enjoyed success. He was undefeated through 15 fights before losing to Matt Hume. Three fights later Miletich fought in UFC 16 and won the first UFC lightweight tournament. At UFC 17.5: Ultimate Brazil, Miletich defeated Mikey Burnett to become the first UFC lightweight (under 200 lbs) champion. The UFC changed the weight class limits again in 2001, and Miletich became the champion of the new welterweight division.
In his fifth title defense (and first as a welterweight) at UFC 31 he lost to Carlos Newton by submission. This was his first UFC defeat. His next fight was a KO win over Shonie Carter at UFC 32. After this fight, Miletich moved up to the middleweight division. This was partly due to encouragement by UFC management and because his teammate, Matt Hughes, defeated Carlos Newton to win the UFC welterweight championship. Miletich returned to fight at his new weight at UFC 36, but quickly lost to Matt Lindland. Miletich decided to take some time away from professional fighting and recover from numerous chronic injuries. Miletich was scheduled to fight Frank Trigg at WFA 3 but pulled out due to injury. He returned in September 2006 to fight Renzo Gracie in an International Fight League (IFL) superfight, and submitted to a guillotine choke in the first round. Miletich spoke briefly after the fight about re-aggravating his old neck injury before the Gracie fight. Miletich's last fight was in December 2008 where he scored a second-round KO over Thomas Denny that was televised on the HDNet network.
Miletich holds a third-degree black belt in Shuri-ryu karate. He has also trained with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Sergio Monteiro and was awarded his BJJ black belt by Oswaldo Alves.
[edit] Personal life
Miletich is married and has two daughters.[4] He also operated a Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Bettendorf, Iowa, his hometown.[citation needed]
[edit] Law enforcement/Military training
For over 15 years Miletich has trained local, state, and federal law-enforcement officers and military groups from all service branches, including special-forces groups attached to those branches. He has also written and designed defensive tactics and combatives courses for other combatives companies.
Miletich was the primary subject matter of L. Jon Wertheim's "Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC", which detailed Miletich's biography and his fighting camp (Miletich Fighting Systems).
[edit] Commentary
Miletich began providing color commentary for Strikeforce on April 11, 2009, for its debut on Showtime. He has provided commentary since. He has also been a guest commentator on the ESPN 2 program MMA Live[5]
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
-
- National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum
- George Tragos Award[7]
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 38 matches | 29 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 3 |
| By submission | 18 | 3 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 29-7-2 |  Thomas Denny |
KO (Punches) | Adrenaline MMA 2: Miletich vs. Denny | December 11, 2008 | 2 | 0:50 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 28-7-2 |  Renzo Gracie |
Submission (guillotine choke) | International Fight League: Gracie vs. Miletich | September 23, 2006 | 1 | 3:37 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 28-6-2 | Matt Lindland |
TKO (punches) | UFC 36 | March 22, 2002 | 1 | 3:09 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Middleweight bout |
| Win | 28-5-2 | Shonie Carter |
KO (head kick) | UFC 32 | June 29, 2001 | 2 | 2:42 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 27-5-2 |  Carlos Newton |
Submission (bulldog choke) | UFC 31 | May 4, 2001 | 3 | 2:50 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Lost UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Win | 27-4-2 |  Kenichi Yamamoto |
Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 29 | December 16, 2000 | 2 | 1:58 | Tokyo, Japan | Defended UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Loss | 26-4-2 | Kiyoshi Tamura |
Decision (majority) | RINGS - Millenium Combine 3 | August 23, 2000 | 2 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Win | 26-3-2 | John Alessio |
Submission (armbar) | UFC 26 | June 9, 2000 | 2 | 1:43 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | Defended UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Loss | 25-3-2 | Jose Landi-Jons |
TKO (corner stoppage) | WEF 8: Goin' Platinum | January 15, 2000 | 1 | 8:00 | Rome, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 25-2-2 | Shonie Carter |
Decision (unanimous) | Extreme Challenge 27 | August 21, 1999 | 1 | 20:00 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 24-2-2 | Andre Pederneiras |
TKO (cut) | UFC 21 | July 16, 1999 | 2 | 2:20 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | Defended UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Win | 23-2-2 | Clayton Miller |
Submission (triangle choke) | Cage Combat 2 | May 30, 1999 | 1 | 0:40 | Ottumwa, Iowa, United States | |
| Loss | 22-2-2 | Jutaro Nakao |
Technical Submission (triangle choke) | SuperBrawl 11 | February 2, 1999 | 1 | 9:22 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 22-1-2 | Jorge Patino |
Decision (unanimous) | UFC 18 | January 8, 1999 | 1 | 21:00 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Defended UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Win | 21-1-2 | Mikey Burnett |
Decision (split) | UFC Brazil | October 16, 1998 | 1 | 21:00 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | Won UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Draw | 20-1-2 | Dan Severn |
Draw | Extreme Challenge 20 | August 22, 1998 | 1 | 20:00 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 20-1-1 | Al Buck Jr |
Submission (choke) | Midwest Shootfighting 1 | June 27, 1998 | 2 | 2:49 | Clinton, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 19-1-1 | Chris Brennan |
Submission (choke) | UFC 16 | March 13, 1998 | 1 | 9:02 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Won UFC Lightweight Tournament |
| Win | 18-1-1 | Townsend Saunders |
Decision (split) | UFC 16 | March 13, 1998 | 1 | 15:00 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 17-1-1 | Chris Brennan |
Decision | Extreme Challenge Trials | November 15, 1997 | 1 | 10:00 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Draw | 16-1-1 | Chris Brennan |
Draw | Extreme Challenge 9 | August 30, 1997 | 1 | 20:00 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 16-1 | Chuck Kim |
Submission (rear naked choke) | Extreme Challenge 7 | June 25, 1997 | 1 | 10:46 | Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States | |
| Loss | 15-1 | Matt Hume |
TKO (doctor stoppage) | Extreme Challenge 4 | March 28, 1997 | 1 | 5:00 | Des Moines, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 15-0 | Chad Cox |
Submission (punch) | Extreme Challenge 3 | February 15, 1997 | 1 | 1:84 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 14-0 | Paul Kimbrel |
Submission (armbar) | Extreme Challenge 2 | February 1, 1997 | 1 | 5:13 | Des Moines, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 13-0 | Jason Nicholson |
Decision (unanimous) | SuperBrawl 3 | January 17, 1997 | 1 | 15:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 12-0 | Earl Loucks |
Submission (keylock) | Extreme Challenge 1 | November 23, 1996 | 1 | 7:00 | Des Moines, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 11-0 | Pat Assalone |
Submission (armbar) | Brawl at the Ballpark 1 | September 1, 1996 | 1 | 4:01 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 10-0 | Matt Andersen |
Submission (strikes) | Gladiators 1 | July 26, 1996 | 1 | 5:21 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 9-0 | Yasunori Matsumoto |
TKO (doctor stoppage) | Quad City Ultimate 2 | May 11, 1996 | 1 | 15:53 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 8-0 |  Andrey Dudko |
Submission (rear naked choke) | Battle of the Masters 2 | February 10, 1996 | 1 | 2:49 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 7-0 | Bob Gholson |
KO | Battle of the Masters 2 | February 10, 1996 | 1 | 2:20 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 6-0 | Rick Graveson |
Submission (rear naked choke) | Battle of the Masters 2 | February 10, 1996 | 1 | 0:46 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 5-0 | Rick Graveson |
Submission (rear naked choke) | Quad City Ultimate 1 | January 20, 1996 | 1 | 1:53 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 4-0 | Ed McLennan |
Submission (armbar) | Quad City Ultimate 1 | January 20, 1996 | 1 | 1:28 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 3-0 | Kevin Marino |
Submission (rear naked choke) | Battle of the Masters 1 | October 28, 1995 | 1 | 3:49 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 2-0 | Angelo Rivera |
Submission (rear naked choke) | Battle of the Masters 1 | October 28, 1995 | 1 | 1:40 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 1-0 | Yasunori Matsumoto |
Submission (rear naked choke) | Battle of the Masters 1 | October 28, 1995 | 1 | 7:40 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | MMA Debut. |
[edit] References
- ^ Sariahmed, Lotfi (2007-07-17). "411Mania Exclusive Interview with Pat Miletich". 411mania.com. http://www.411mania.com/MMA/columns/57187/411Mania-Exclusive-Interview-with-Pat-Miletich.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Fowlkes, Ben (2011-01-16). "My First Fight: Pat Miletich". mmafighting.com. http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/16/my-first-fight-pat-miletich. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Sam Caplan. "Pat Miletich added to Showtime’s MMA announce team". http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/03/13/pat-miletich-added-to-showtimes-mma-announce-team.
- ^ http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=856
- ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/23821/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-honors-pat-miletich-with-first-mma-award.mma
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Guy Mezger |
UFC 16 Lightweight Tournament winner March 13, 1998 |
Succeeded by Dan Henderson |
| New championship | 1st UFC Welterweight Champion October 16, 1998 - May 4, 2001 |
Succeeded by Carlos Newton |
- 1968 births
- Living people
- People from Davenport, Iowa
- American people of Croatian descent
- American mixed martial artists
- Mixed martial artists from Iowa
- Welterweight mixed martial artists
- Boxers from Iowa
- Cruiserweight boxers
- American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- American karateka
- Ultimate Fighting Championship champions
- Mixed martial arts broadcasters
- Strikeforce
