Pat Miletich
Pat Miletich | |
---|---|
Born |
Patrick Jay Miletich March 9, 1966 Davenport, Iowa, United States |
Other names | The Croatian Sensation |
Nationality | American |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
Division | Welterweight |
Fighting out of | Bettendorf, Iowa, U.S. |
Team | Miletich Martial Arts |
Rank |
Black Belt in Shuri-ryū Karate 3rd Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
Years active | 1995-2002, 2006-2008 |
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 "Pat" Miletich (/ˈmɪlᵻtitʃ/; born March 9, 1966) 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 Welterweight Tournament Winner. Miletich is also known as a highly successful trainer and coach, having founded Miletich Fighting Systems. This camp is considered one of the most successful in MMA history and has produced several world champions.[1] On July 6, 2014, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.[2]
Early life
Miletich, the youngest of five children, was born in Davenport, Iowa, to Croatian immigrant parents. Two of his brothers are deceased. Miletich wrestled and played football at Bettendorf High School. As a senior in 1983-84, 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.[3][4]
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 great-uncle, Johnny "Miler" Miletich. (Johnny Miletich was a member of the U.S. boxing squad at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and also fought professionally.) [5] 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.
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 Welterweight tournament. At UFC 17.5: Ultimate Brazil, Miletich defeated Mikey Burnett to become the first UFC Welterweight Champion. In his fifth title defense 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 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 Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt by Oswaldo Alves.
Fighter Coaching
Miletich founded Miletich Fighting Systems, a mixed martial arts academy in his hometown of Bettendorf, Iowa. MFS has trained over 90 televised fighters and no fewer than 11 MMA world champions, including former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia, former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, and former EliteXC Middleweight Champion and former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler.
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-operations groups attached to those branches. He has also written and designed defensive tactics and combatives courses for other combatives companies.
Miletich is also the co-founder of Fire Horse combatives which trains LEO and military personnel.
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).
Commentary
Miletich began providing color commentary for Strikeforce on April 11, 2009, for its debut on Showtime and did so regularly until that promotion's demise in 2012.
Miletich is also providing color commentary for AXS TV Fights (formerly HDNet Fights) and ESPN's MMA Live.
Personal life
Miletich is married and has three daughters.[6] He is a Freemason.[7][8]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Welterweight Championship (One time, first)
- Four successful title defenses
- UFC 16 Welterweight Tournament Winner
- UFC Viewer's Choice Award[9]
- UFC Hall of Fame
- Sherdog
- Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame[10]
- National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum
- George Tragos Award
- Resurrection Fighting Alliance & AXS TV
- Lifetime Achievement Award[11]
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 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 29–7–2 | Thomas Denny | KO (punches) | IFL 11 | December 11, 2008 | 2 | 0:50 | Illinois, United States | |
Loss | 28–7–2 | Renzo Gracie | Submission (guillotine choke) | IFL 9 | September 23, 2006 | 1 | 3:37 | Illinois, United States | |
Loss | 28–6–2 | Matt Lindland | TKO (punches) | UFC 36 | March 22, 2002 | 1 | 3:09 | Nevada, United States | Middleweight bout. |
Win | 28–5–2 | Shonie Carter | KO (head kick) | UFC 32 | June 29, 2001 | 2 | 2:42 | New Jersey, United States | |
Loss | 27–5–2 | Carlos Newton | Submission (bulldog choke) | UFC 31 | May 4, 2001 | 3 | 2:50 | New Jersey, United States | Lost the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
Win | 27–4–2 | Kenichi Yamamoto | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 29 | December 16, 2000 | 2 | 1:58 | Tokyo, Japan | Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
Loss | 26–4–2 | Kiyoshi Tamura | Decision (majority) | Rings: Millennium Combine 3 | August 23, 2000 | 2 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
Win | 26–3–2 | John Alessio | Submission (armbar) | UFC 26 | June 9, 2000 | 2 | 1:43 | Iowa, United States | Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
Loss | 25–3–2 | Jose Landi-Jons | TKO (corner stoppage) | WEF 8 - Goin' Platinum | January 15, 2000 | 1 | 8:00 | Georgia, United States | |
Win | 25–2–2 | Shonie Carter | Decision (unanimous) | Extreme Challenge 27 | August 21, 1999 | 1 | 20:00 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 24–2–2 | André Pederneiras | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 21 | July 16, 1999 | 2 | 2:20 | Iowa, United States | Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
Win | 23–2–2 | Clayton Miller | Submission (triangle choke) | Cage Combat 2 | May 30, 1999 | 1 | 0:40 | Iowa, United States | |
Loss | 22–2–2 | Jutaro Nakao | Submission (triangle choke) | SuperBrawl 11 | February 2, 1999 | 1 | 9:22 | Hawaii, United States | |
Win | 22–1–2 | Jorge Patino | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 18 | January 8, 1999 | 1 | 21:00 | Louisiana, United States | Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
Win | 21–1–2 | Mikey Burnett | Decision (split) | UFC 17.5 | October 16, 1998 | 1 | 21:00 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | Won the UFC Welterweight Championship. |
Draw | 20–1–2 | Dan Severn | Draw | Extreme Challenge 20 | August 22, 1998 | 1 | 20:00 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 20–1–1 | Al Buck Jr. | Submission (choke) | Midwest Shootfighting 1 | June 27, 1998 | 2 | 2:49 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 19–1–1 | Chris Brennan | Submission (shoulder choke) | UFC 16 | March 13, 1998 | 1 | 9:02 | Louisiana, United States | UFC 16 Welterweight Tournament Winner. |
Win | 18–1–1 | Townsend Saunders | Decision (split) | UFC 16 | March 13, 1998 | 1 | 15:00 | Louisiana, United States | |
Win | 17–1–1 | Chris Brennan | Decision (unanimous) | EC - Extreme Challenge Trials | November 15, 1997 | 1 | 10:00 | Iowa, United States | |
Draw | 16–1–1 | Chris Brennan | Draw (majority) | Extreme Challenge 9 | August 30, 1997 | 1 | 20:00 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 16–1 | Chuck Kim | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Extreme Challenge 7 | June 25, 1997 | 1 | 10:46 | Iowa, United States | |
Loss | 15–1 | Matt Hume | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Extreme Fighting 4 | March 28, 1997 | 1 | 5:00 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 15–0 | Chad Cox | Submission (punch) | Extreme Challenge 3 | February 15, 1997 | 1 | 1:84 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 14–0 | Paul Kimbrel | Submission (armbar) | Extreme Challenge 2 | February 1, 1997 | 1 | 5:13 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 13–0 | Jason Nicholson | Decision (unanimous) | SuperBrawl 3 | January 17, 1997 | 1 | 15:00 | Hawaii, United States | |
Win | 12–0 | Earl Loucks | Submission (americana) | Extreme Challenge 1 | November 23, 1996 | 1 | 7:00 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 11–0 | Pat Assalone | Submission (armbar) | Brawl at the Ballpark 1 | September 1, 1996 | 1 | 4:01 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 10–0 | Matt Andersen | Submission (punches) | Gladiators 1 | July 26, 1996 | 1 | 5:21 | Iowa, United States | |
Win | 9–0 | Yasunori Matsumoto | TKO (doctor stoppage) | QCU 2 | May 11, 1996 | 1 | 15:53 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 8–0 | Andrey Dudko | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BOTM 2 | February 10, 1996 | 1 | 2:49 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 7–0 | Bob Gholson | KO (punches) | BOTM 2 | February 10, 1996 | 1 | 2:20 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 6–0 | Rick Graveson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BOTM 2 | February 10, 1996 | 1 | 0:46 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 5–0 | Rick Graveson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | QCU 1 | January 20, 1996 | 1 | 1:53 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 4–0 | Ed McLennan | Submission (armbar) | QCU 1 | January 20, 1996 | 1 | 1:28 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 3–0 | Kevin Marino | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BOTM 1 | October 28, 1995 | 1 | 3:49 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 2–0 | Angelo Rivera | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BOTM 1 | October 28, 1995 | 1 | 1:40 | Illinois, United States | |
Win | 1–0 | Yasunori Matsumoto | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BOTM 1 | October 28, 1995 | 1 | 7:40 | Illinois, United States |
References
- ↑ "What It Was Like to Spar At Miletich Fighting Systems Back in the Glory Days - Part 1". Fightland. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ↑ "Pat Miletich Inducted Into the UFC Hall of Fame". Cage Pages. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ↑ Sariahmed, Lotfi (2007-07-17). "411Mania Exclusive Interview with Pat Miletich". 411mania.com. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ↑ Fowlkes, Ben (2011-01-16). "My First Fight: Pat Miletich". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
- ↑ "A Name to Remember: Miletichs among Fighting's Great Even in 1930s". Quad Cities Dispatch-Argus. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ↑ Ariel Helwani. "The MMA Hour with Rousimar Palhares, Mark Munoz, Pat Miletich, Jon Fitch, Javier Mendez, Garry Cook, Dave Meltzer". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ↑ Steph Daniels. "Pat Miletich on GSP/Diaz, politics, Fallon Fox and more". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ↑ "Freemasons Victoria". freemasonsvic.net.au.
- ↑ "UFC 45: Revolution". Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ↑ "Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: Best of the Rest". Sherdog. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ↑
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 |