Sean O'Connell (fighter)
| Sean O'Connell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sean O'Connell September 2, 1983 Cottage Grove, Minnesota, United States |
| Other names | The Real OC |
| Residence | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
| Division |
Light heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Fighting out of | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Team | Jeremy Horn's Elite Performance |
| Trainer | Jeremy Horn |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 24 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Sean O'Connell (born September 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, O'Connell has formerly competed for the Maximum Fighting Championship.
Background
Originally from Cottage Grove, Minnesota, O'Connell competed in football and wrestling at Jordan High School in Utah before continuing his football career collegiately. While in high school O'Connell was a member of the coveted football group Pain Train, which was reserved for only the toughest members of the offensive line. However, O'Connell would transfer to three different schools including Southern Utah University and The University of Utah where he made the team as a walk-on, while looking to get more playing time. O'Connell eventually lost interest and turned his attention to mixed martial arts. O'Connell graduated from The University of Utah, with a degree in psychology.[1][2][3]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
O'Connell made his professional MMA debut in 2007 with no previous training other than cardio kickboxing which he would do to help stay in shape. Despite having limited training, O'Connell was successful early on in his career and held an overall record of 6-2, which earned him an invitation to compete on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. O'Connell, however, was eliminated in the opening round to make it to the final cast. O'Connell, who also ran a talk show for a radio station in San Francisco at the time, was on a five-fight winning streak and held an overall professional record of 14-4, before inviting UFC president Dana White to come onto his show. O'Connell asked White for a contract and was signed a year later.[2] O'Connell is currently the co-host of a popular sports talk radio show on ESPN700 in Utah called The Bill and OC Show.[4]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
O'Connell made his promotional debut as a short notice injury replacement at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale on April 16, 2014 against Ryan Jimmo.[5] O'Connell was defeated via knockout in the first round.[6]
His next appearance was also a short notice fight against Gian Villante on June 28, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 43, where he replaced an injured Anthony Perosh.[7] O'Connell lost the fight via split decision.[8] Their performance earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.[9]
On January 18, 2015, O'Connell then faced Matt Van Buren at UFC Fight Night 59.;[10] he won via third-round TKO.[11] Both participants earned Fight of the Night honors.[12] He then faced Anthony Perosh on May 10, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65.[13] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[14]
O'Connell has been known to goof around during weigh-ins before the fight, such as booping Van Buren on the nose or playing an improvised game of rock-paper-scissors with Perosh.[15] He claims he does his jokes to add levity to an otherwise tense situation.[16]
O'Connell faced Ilir Latifi on January 17, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 81.[17] He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.[18]
O'Connell next faced Steve Bossé on June 18, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 89.[19] Bossé was awarded a unanimous decision victory.[20] The back and forth action earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.[21]
O'Connell is expected to face Corey Anderson on December 9, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 102.[22]
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (Three times)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 25 matches | 17 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 4 |
| By submission | 3 | 2 |
| By decision | 5 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Anderson | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov | December 9, 2016 | Albany, New York, United States | ||||||
| Loss | 17–8 | Steve Bossé | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson | June 18, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 17–7 | Ilir Latifi | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz | January 17, 2016 | 1 | 0:30 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 17–6 | Anthony Perosh | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt | May 10, 2015 | 1 | 0:56 | Adelaide, Australia | |
| Win | 16–6 | Matt Van Buren | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver | January 18, 2015 | 3 | 2:11 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 15–6 | Gian Villante | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Te-Huna vs. Marquardt | June 28, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 15–5 | Ryan Jimmo | KO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy | April 16, 2014 | 1 | 4:27 | Quebec City, Quebec, Canada | |
| Win | 15–4 | Markhaile Wedderburn | Submission (rear-naked choke) | MFC 39 | January 17, 2014 | 1 | 1:48 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| Win | 14–4 | Marvin Eastman | Decision (unanimous) | Showdown Fights 12 | September 28, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Orem, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 13–4 | Chris Guillen | TKO (punches) | Showdown Fights 9 | November 16, 2012 | 3 | 0:21 | Orem, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 12–4 | Kip Ramos | TKO (punches) | Showdown Fights 7 | May 4, 2012 | 1 | 0:33 | Orem, Utah, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 11–4 | Trevor Carlson | Decision (unanimous) | Showdown Fights 6 | February 24, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Orem, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 10–4 | Ben Fuimaono | TKO (punches) | Fight Night: Explosion | June 10, 2011 | 1 | 4:34 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 9–4 | Joseph Henle | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ZarMMA: Fight Night | November 12, 2010 | 2 | 1:15 | Layton, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 9–3 | Tony King | Decision (unanimous) | UFO: Rumble at the Races | July 24, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Kennewick, Washington, United States | |
| Win | 8–3 | Dwight Parker | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WCFC: World Championship Full Contact | April 3, 2010 | 2 | 1:49 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 7–3 | Jordan Smith | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Throwdown Showdown 3 | February 20, 2009 | 1 | 2:30 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Hank Weiss | Decision | Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night 5 | November 14, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Layton, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Hank Weiss | KO (punches) | Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night 1 | April 5, 2008 | 2 | 0:08 | Layton, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Lima Pule | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UCE: Worlds Collide | December 1, 2007 | 2 | 3:28 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Lima Pule | Decision (majority) | UCE: Episode 6 | November 10, 2007 | 3 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | ||
| Win | 4–1 | David Thomas | TKO (punches) | UCE: Episode 6 | August 18, 2007 | 2 | 2:44 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Kevin Hill | TKO (punches) | UCE: Episode 1 | July 14, 2007 | 1 | 0:47 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Eric Wenzel | TKO (punches) | UCE: Finals | June 16, 2007 | 1 | 1:24 | Salt Lake City, Utah United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Kenneth Wirfs | KO (punches) | UCE: Episode 7 | May 19, 2007 | 1 | 0:37 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jason Delrio | KO (punches) | UCE: Episode 2 | April 13, 2007 | 1 | 0:36 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
See also
References
- ↑ "Sean O'Connell". UFC.
- 1 2 "Before eventual UFC deal, Sean O'Connell used his radio show to pitch Dana White - MMAjunkie". MMAjunkie.
- ↑ "Sean O'Connell Bio - The Official Athletic Site of the University of Utah". utahutes.com.
- ↑ Broadway Media. "On Air". ESPN700.
- ↑ Zane Simon (2014-03-06). "Report: UFC targeting Sean O'Connell to replace Steve Bosse at TUF Nations Finale". bloodyelbow. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
- ↑ Steven Marrocco (2014-04-16). "TUF Nations Finale results, photos: Ryan Jimmo KOs Sean O'Connell in first". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ Staff (2014-05-13). "Anthony Perosh out at UFC Fight Night 43, Gian Villante now meets Sean O'Connell". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
- ↑ Matt Erickson (2014-06-28). "UFC Fight Night 43 results: Gian Villante takes split call from Sean O'Connell". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
- ↑ Matt Erickson (2014-06-28). "UFC Fight Night 43 bonuses: Marquardt, Oliveira, Villante, O'Connell nab $50,000". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
- ↑ Staff (2014-11-03). "UFC Fight Night Boston Update: Sean O'Connell, Matt Van Buren Set to Meet". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
- ↑ Steven Marrocco (2015-01-18). "UFC Fight Night 59 results: Sean O'Connell survives beating, finishes Matt Van Buren". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
- ↑ Thomas Myers (2015-01-19). "UFC Fight Night 59 bonuses: Conor McGregor, Lorenz Larkin bank an extra $50,000 each". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
- ↑ Staff (2012-02-17). "UFC Fight Night 65 official for Australia with Hunt-Miocic, Tavares-Whittaker, more". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ↑ Brent Brookhouse (2015-05-09). "UFC Fight Night 65 results: James Sean O'Connell quickly devastates Anthony Perosh". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
- ↑ "UFC fighter pranks opponent at weigh-in with game of rock-paper-scissors". USA Today.
- ↑ Sean O'Connell explains weigh-ins prank, slow start in victory over Matt Van Buren. 18 January 2015 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Staff (2015-10-29). "Boston's UFC Fight Night 81 adds Ilir Latifi vs. Sean O'Connell light heavyweight scrap". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
- ↑ Ben Fowlkes (2016-01-17). "UFC Fight Night 81 results: Ilir Latifi stuns Sean O'Connell with quick knockout". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- ↑ Staff (2016-03-29). "Multiple fight bookings made official for UFC Fight Night 89". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
- ↑ Steven Marrocco (2016-06-18). "UFC Fight Night 89 results: Steve Bosse outbrawls Sean O'Connell in wild fight". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ↑ Tristen Critchfield (2016-06-19). "UFC Fight Night Ottawa bonuses: Cerrone, Bosse, O'Connell, Jotko pocket $50K". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
- ↑ Staff (2016-10-14). "UFC Fight Night 102 gets eight new fights". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
