Mostapha al-Turk

Mostapha al-Turk
مصطفى الترك
Born (1973-07-14) 14 July 1973
Beirut, Lebanon[1]
Native name مصطفى الترك
Nationality Lebanese
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 235 lb (107 kg; 16 st 11 lb)
Division Heavyweight (265)
Reach 77.5 in (197 cm)
Fighting out of London, England
Team London Shootfighters
Years active 2002-2010
Mixed martial arts record
Total 12
Wins 6
By knockout 4
By submission 2
Losses 6
By knockout 3
By submission 1
By decision 2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mostapha al-Turk (Arabic: مصطفى الترك, born 14 July 1973) is a retired Lebanese mixed martial artist. al-Turk was the ADCC European Champion in 2005 and was the British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion before relinquishing his title to sign a four-fight deal with the UFC.

Background

al-Turk came from a middle-class family in Beirut, Lebanon and had become interested in the UFC and mixed martial arts after watching a few events. His father was a doctor and al-Turk himself worked in the pharmaceutical industry, before deciding to make mixed martial arts his career. al-Turk has a very accomplished grappling career as well, with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu background. al-Turk was the ADCC European Champion and made it to the final of the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, losing to future UFC fighter Gabriel Gonzaga by only three points, further motivating al-Turk to transition to mixed martial arts. [2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before going professional, al-Turk had 2 amateur fights, going 1-1 with both of the fights ending in injuries. He also competed in amateur boxing matches and submission wrestling matches as a way to prepare himself for MMA.

However, al-Turk had a rough start to his professional MMA career, losing his first two fights by TKO and submission, respectively. He attributes his poor beginning to not being mentally ready and not having the support of his family to compete in the sport. [2]

Cage Rage

Al-Turk fought in the up-and-coming British organization, Cage Rage, around a year after losing his second professional bout. The young al-Turk would turn his career around, winning three straight fights in the organization, all by TKO due to punches, including a win over former sumo and PRIDE veteran, Sentoryu Henri.

Al-Turk then faced former two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion and longtime PRIDE veteran Mark Kerr. al-Turk again won by punches after the former collegiate wrestling star tapped out. Al-Turk then fought against former British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion Tengiz Tedoradze. al-Turk lost the fight by unanimous decision to the Georgian.

Al-Turk rebounded with a win over K-1 kickboxer Gary Turner, who submitted due to punches landed by the Lebanese fighter. al-Turk then fought for the British Cage Rage Heavyweight Championship against future Ultimate Fighter contestant, James McSweeney. al-Turk won the fight by TKO due to punches and became the last British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion, before the organization saw its demise. al-Turk was then offered a four-fight contract in the UFC, which he accepted.

UFC

At UFC 92, on 27 December 2008, Turk lost at his UFC debut to French kickboxer Cheick Kongo by TKO. Kongo dropped Turk with two right hands and then pounced on Turk, using the ground and pound technique that Kongo has become known for, opening up a big cut above al-Turk's eye.[3] Referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight after 4:37 of the first round, in what some viewed as a late stoppage, as al-Turk was bleeding heavily and had not been defending himself for a significant amount of time.

Al-Turk next lost to Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 99 by TKO after al-Turk received repeated strikes from Filipovic. There was some controversy surrounding the end of this fight as al-Turk claimed Filipovic had poked him in the eye right before he succumbed to the strikes. Neither the referee Dan Mirgliotta or Filipovic noticed any eye pokes. al-Turk stated that he would petition the loss, but the petition was declined.[4]

Al-Turk was expected to face UFC newcomer Rolles Gracie on 6 February 2010 at UFC 109, but pulled out due to visa issues.[5][6]

al-Turk instead faced The Ultimate Fighter 10 alumni, Jon Madsen, at UFC 112. Turk lost the bout via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) and was released by the UFC.[7]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 6–6 Jon Madsen Decision (unanimous) UFC 112 10 April 2010 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 6–5 Mirko Filipovic TKO (punches) UFC 99 13 June 2009 1 3:06 Cologne, Germany
Loss 6–4 Cheick Kongo TKO (punches) UFC 92 27 December 2008 1 4:37 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–3 James McSweeney TKO (punches) Cage Rage 27 12 July 2008 1 2:06 London, England
Win 5–3 Gary Turner Submission (punches) Cage Rage 25 8 March 2008 1 3:19 London, England
Loss 4–3 Tengiz Tedoradze Decision (unanimous) Cage Rage 23 22 September 2007 3 5:00 London, England
Win 4–2 Mark Kerr Submission (punches) Cage Rage 20 10 February 2007 1 2:29 London, England
Win 3–2 Sentoryu Henri TKO (punches) Cage Rage 18 30 September 2006 1 0:56 London, England
Win 2–2 Martin Thompson TKO (punches) Cage Rage 16 22 April 2006 1 3:02 London, England
Win 1–2 Fereidoun Naghizadeh TKO (punches) Cage Rage 9 - No Mercy 27 November 2004 1 2:25 London, England
Loss 0–2 Kassim Annan Submission (armbar) XFC 2 - The Perfect Storm 9 November 2003 1 N/A Cornwall, England
Loss 0–1 Mike Ward TKO (punches) XFC 1 - Xtreme Fighting Championship 1 3 March 2002 1 1:00 Cornwall, England

References

  1. ↑ "Other sports: athletics, motorsport, superbikes, snooker...and more - Mirror Online". Blogs.mirror.co.uk. 2015-04-13. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  2. 1 2 "Mostapha Al Turk - Official UFC® Profile". Ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  3. ↑ "UFC 92 Play-by-Play". Sherdog.com. 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  4. ↑ Rossen, Jake (2009-06-15). "Al Turk Wants to Appeal 'Cro Cop' Loss". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  5. ↑ "Jon Madsen steps up to face Rolles Gracie at UFC 109". Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  6. ↑ "Rolles Gracie headed to UFC, meets Mostapha al-Turk at UFC 109". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  7. ↑ "Mostapha Al-Turk becomes the latest fighter to be cut from the UFC roster | UFC/MMA News In One Place | MMABay: Powered by TapouT". MMABay.co.uk. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
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