Nik Lentz

Nik Lentz
Born (1984-08-13) August 13, 1984
El Paso, Texas, United States
Other names The Carny
Residence Minnesota
Nationality American
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Division Featherweight (145 lbs) (2012-2015)
Lightweight (155 lbs) (2005-2012) (2015-present)
Reach 68.0 in (173 cm)[1]
Style Wrestling
Fighting out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Team Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, American Top Team
Rank Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2]
Wrestling NCAA Division I Wrestling[3]
Years active 2005–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 37
Wins 27
By knockout 7
By submission 10
By decision 10
Losses 7
By knockout 2
By submission 2
By decision 3
Draws 2
No contests 1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Nik Lentz (born August 13, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the Lightweight division.

Background

Lentz was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, attending Bloomington Jefferson High School. After graduating in 2003, he attended the University of Minnesota.

Mixed martial arts career

Training background

Lentz wrestled throughout high school and after graduating in 2003 was awarded a scholarship to wrestle for the University of Minnesota. In 2005, he started training in MMA. He trained in Chinese martial arts with Luis Quiroz, switched to Team Bison, and then switched to Minnesota Martial Arts Academy alongside former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk and former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight Paul Bradley.

Early career

Lentz made his professional debut in 2005 against Anthony White. The fight ended after Lentz knocked out White sometime during the first round. His next fight ended in the same way as the first with Lentz earning himself his second consecutive KO win. His third fight showed off Lentz's power in his hands after he forced his opponent to submit to punches.

Lentz went 4–0 after securing a rear naked choke submission win over Kenneth Allen. His first loss came out the hands of Sherron Leggett from a razor thin split decision. Lentz bounced back with a knock out win over Chris Powers. On a card held by Ultimate Combat Sports, Lentz submitted Jake Hoyer using a rear naked choke.

On August 2006, Lentz took his second loss from Brian Green who submitted him using an armbar in the first round. Lentz won his next three fights, all with first round knockouts; one of the three was against Bellator lightweight, Carey Vanier.

Lentz had a grueling back-and-forth battle with Mark Moreno before the fight ended in disappointment when the cage-side doctors ruled Lentz unable to continue. After the loss to Moreno, Lentz went on to compile a 7–0–1 record in his next 8 fights including a victory over UFC veteran, Drew Fickett. He was then signed by the UFC and entered with a 16–3–1 record.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In August 2009, it was announced Lentz had been signed with the UFC, and he would make his debut at UFC 103. He replaced an injured Dan Lauzon and upset Rafaello Oliveira, winning via unanimous decision with scores of 29–28, 29–28, and 30–27.

Again being the underdog, Lentz faced Thiago Tavares on January 11, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 20, with the fight ending in a rare majority draw.[4]

Lentz moved his UFC record to 2–0–1 by defeating TUF 5 alummus, Rob Emerson on March 21, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 21, via unanimous decision.

In his fourth UFC appearance, Lentz defeated Andre Winner on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118 via unanimous decision (30–27 (twice) and 29–28). The match was shown on Spike TV before the Pay-Per-View event. Lentz scored multiple take-downs throughout the fight but was not able to capitalize on them. The fight was criticized for lack of action.[5][6]

Lentz got a huge victory over Tyson Griffin on November 20, 2010, at UFC 123 via split decision.[7]

At UFC Fight Night 24, Lentz fought and defeated division II national wrestling champion, Waylon Lowe.[8] After Lowe won the first and second rounds convincingly, Lentz came back in the third and scored an impressive come from behind submission win.[9]

Lentz faced Charles Oliveira on June 26, 2011 at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry.[10] The fight ended in the second round after Oliveira hit Lentz with an illegal knee which went unnoticed by the referee and submitted the dazed Lentz via rear naked choke. However, after reviewing the incident, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission overturned the result and declared it a no contest.[11] The back and forth action earned both fighters Fight of the Night honors.[12]

Lentz was defeated by Mark Bocek on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140 via unanimous decision.[13] Lentz was taken down all three rounds and controlled despite threatening Bocek twice with a guillotine choke in rounds 1 and 2.

Lentz faced Evan Dunham on January 28, 2012 at UFC on Fox 2, where he replaced an injured Paul Sass.[14] Lentz lost via TKO, due to doctor stoppage because of a large cut under his left eye. The fight earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.[15]

Lentz made his featherweight debut against Eiji Mitsuoka on August 11, 2012 at UFC 150.[16] Lentz controlled the entirety of the fight and won the fight via TKO in the first round.[17]

In his second fight at featherweight, Lentz faced Diego Nunes on January 19, 2013 at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping.[18] He won the fight via unanimous decision in what is arguably the biggest victory of his career.[19]

Lentz went back to Brazil for the second fight in a row and faced Hacran Dias on May 18, 2013 at UFC on FX 8, replacing an injured Manvel Gamburyan[20] He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.[21]

Lentz was briefly linked to a bout with Dennis Bermudez on November 6, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 31.[22] However, Lentz was pulled from the pairing with Bermudez and instead faced Chad Mendes on December 14, 2013 at UFC on Fox 9.[23] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Lentz faced Manvel Gamburyan on May 10, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 40.[24] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Lentz was expected to face Charles Oliveira in a rematch on September 5, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 50.[25] At the event weigh in, Oliveira came in over the 146 pound featherweight limit at 150 pounds. Subsequently, he was initially forced to surrender 20 percent of his purse to Lentz and the bout was changed to a catchweight affair.[26] Subsequently, Oliveira pulled out of the bout entirely after falling ill the day of the event.[27]

Lentz was expected to face Thiago Tavares in a rematch on February 14, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 60.[28] However, Tavares pulled out of the bout citing injury in late January and was replaced by promotional newcomer Levan Makashvili.[29] Subsequently, for the second fight in a row, Lentz had a fight cancelled at the weigh ins as the pairing was scrapped as Lentz was stricken with flu-like symptoms.[30]

Lentz finally faced Charles Oliveira in a rematch on May 30, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 67.[31] Following a back-and-forth first two rounds, Lentz lost the fight via guillotine submission in the third round.[32] Despite the loss, Lentz was awarded a Fight of the Night bonus award.[33]

Lentz faced Danny Castillo in a lightweight bout on December 19, 2015 at UFC on Fox 17.[34] He won the fight by split decision.[35]

Lentz was expected to face Mairbek Taisumov on September 10, 2016 at UFC 203.[36] However, Taisumov was removed from the event during the week before the event for alleged visa issues and was replaced by promotional newcomer Michael McBride.[37] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[38]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 27–7–2 (1) Michael McBride TKO (punches) UFC 203 September 10, 2016 2 4:17 Cleveland, Ohio, United States Catchweight (158 lbs) bout; McBride missed weight.
Win 26–7–2 (1) Danny Castillo Decision (split) UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 December 19, 2015 3 5:00 Orlando, Florida, United States Return to Lightweight.
Loss 25–7–2 (1) Charles Oliveira Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves May 30, 2015 3 1:10 Goiânia, Brazil Fight of the Night.
Win 25–6–2 (1) Manvel Gamburyan Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva May 10, 2014 3 5:00 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Loss 24–6–2 (1) Chad Mendes Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 December 14, 2013 3 5:00 Sacramento, California, United States
Win 24–5–2 (1) Hacran Dias Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold May 18, 2013 3 5:00 Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil
Win 23–5–2 (1) Diego Nunes Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping January 19, 2013 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 22–5–2 (1) Eiji Mitsuoka TKO (punches) UFC 150 August 11, 2012 1 3:45 Denver, Colorado, United States Featherweight debut.
Loss 21–5–2 (1) Evan Dunham TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis January 28, 2012 2 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 21–4–2 (1) Mark Bocek Decision (unanimous) UFC 140 December 10, 2011 3 5:00 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NC 21–3–2 (1) Charles Oliveira NC (illegal knee) UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry June 26, 2011 2 1:48 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Fight of the Night. Originally a submission (rear-naked choke) win for Oliveira; overturned due to an illegal knee.
Win 21–3–2 Waylon Lowe Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis March 26, 2011 3 2:24 Seattle, Washington, United States
Win 20–3–2 Tyson Griffin Decision (split) UFC 123 November 20, 2010 3 5:00 Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Win 19–3–2 Andre Winner Decision (unanimous) UFC 118 August 28, 2010 3 5:00 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win 18–3–2 Rob Emerson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi March 31, 2010 3 5:00 Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Draw 17–3–2 Thiago Tavares Draw (majority) UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz January 11, 2010 3 5:00 Fairfax, Virginia, United States Tavares was deducted 1 point due to a groin kick.
Win 17–3–1 Rafaello Oliveira Decision (unanimous) UFC 103 September 19, 2009 3 5:00 Dallas, Texas, United States
Win 16–3–1 Nick Walker TKO (punches) EC 127 – Extreme Challenge 127 May 30, 2009 1 2:15 Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Win 15–3–1 Drew Fickett Decision (unanimous) EB: Beatdown at 4 Bears March 21, 2009 3 5:00 New Town, North Dakota, United States
Win 14–3–1 Sam Rouch Decision (unanimous) SNMMA: Beatdown 4 at Bears October 11, 2008 3 5:00 New Town, North Dakota, United States
Win 13–3–1 Dan Loman Submission (guillotine choke) Brutaal Fight Night September 5, 2008 1 4:13 Maplewood, Minnesota, United States
Win 12–3–1 Travis Pierzinski Submission (rear-naked choke) Brutaal Fight Night May 21, 2008 2 3:45 Maplewood, Minnesota, United States
Win 11–3–1 Scott Bickerstaff TKO (punches) Xtreme Fighting Organization 22 February 23, 2008 1 3:49 Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States
Draw 10–3–1 Kyle Jensen Draw CFX 7: Brutal November 29, 2007 3 5:00 St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States
Win 10–3 Gabe Wallbridge Submission (rear-naked choke) EFX: Myth in Maplewood September 19, 2007 1 N/A Maplewood, Minnesota, United States
Loss 9–3 Mark Moreno TKO (doctor stoppage) X-1: Extreme Fighting 2 March 17, 2007 1 5:00 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 9–2 Duran Barlow Submission (punches) EFX: Fury December 7, 2006 1 N/A Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win 8–2 Vern Jefferson TKO (punches) EFX September 6, 2006 1 N/A Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win 7–2 Carey Vanier TKO (punches) EFX September 6, 2006 1 N/A Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Loss 6–2 Brian Green Submission (armbar) EFX August 2, 2006 1 N/A Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win 6–1 Chris Powers Submission (rear-naked choke) EFX: Fury July 24, 2006 1 1:44 Andover, Minnesota, United States
Loss 5–1 Sherron Leggett Decision (split) Twin Cities Throwdown April 8, 2006 3 5:00 Burnsville, Minnesota, United States
Win 5–0 Kenneth Allen Submission (rear-naked choke) EFX: Fury February 1, 2006 2 N/A Burnsville, Minnesota, United States
Win 4–0 Derek Abram Submission (punches) EFX December 5, 2005 1 N/A Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win 3–0 Nick Melton TKO (punches) XKK: Lamar October 10, 2005 1 N/A Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States
Win 2–0 Anthony White Submission (punches) XKK: Trials August 27, 2005 1 N/A Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Win 1–0 Jake Hoyer Submission (rear-naked choke) UCS - Throwdown at the T-Bar July 30, 2005 1 N/A Ellsworth, Minnesota, United States

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Condit vs. Alves". UFC.com. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ John Heinis (September 13, 2013). "Nik Lentz to Conor McGregor: 'You're as Fragile as an Overdone Egg'". Bleacher Report.
  3. ↑ "Nik Lentz - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  4. ↑ "UFC Fight Night 20 recap". mmajunkie. January 12, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Dan Hardy criticizes Nik Lentz for his win at all cost style against Andre Winner, accuses him of cheating". MMABay.
  6. ↑ Steve Cofield. "Lentz takes slow-paced fight against Winner at UFC 118". Yahoo!.
  7. ↑ "Nik Lentz vs. Tyson Griffin targeted for UFC 123". mmajunkie.com. September 9, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Lightweights Nik Lentz and Waylon Lowe meet at UFN 24". mmadiehards.com. 2011-02-17.
  9. ↑ "UFC Fight Night 24 play by play and live results". MMAjunkie.
  10. ↑ "Oliveira vs. Lentz on June 26th". ufc.com. 2011-04-27.
  11. ↑ "PSAC: UFC on Versus 4's Oliveira vs. Lentz overturned, declared a no-contest". mmajunkie.com. June 29, 2011.
  12. ↑ Morgan, John; Stupp, Dann (June 26, 2011). "UFC on Versus 4 bonuses: Kongo, Lauzon, Oliveira and Lentz earn $50K awards". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Nik Lentz vs Mark Bocek fight slated for Dec. 10 in Toronto". mmamania.com. 2011-09-12.
  14. ↑ "Evan Dunham vs Nik Lentz announced for UFC on Fox 2 with Paul Sass scratched". mmamania.com. December 26, 2011.
  15. ↑ "UFC on FOX 2 bonuses: Johnson, Oliveira, Dunham, Lentz earn $65K awards". mmajunkie.com. January 28, 2012.
  16. ↑ "UFC 150 in Denver adds Lentz-Mitsuoka". mmajunkie.com. June 4, 2012.
  17. ↑ "UFC 150 results: Nik Lentz dominates Eiji Mitsuoka in featherweight debut". June 12, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Diego Nunes meets Nik Lentz when UFC returns to Brazil on Jan. 19". mmajunkie.com. November 2, 2012.
  19. ↑ Mike Chiapetta (2013-01-19). "UFC on FX 7 results: Nik Lentz grinds out win over Diego Nunes". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
  20. ↑ Staff (2013-03-25). "Nik Lentz replaces Manny Gamburyan, meets Hacran Dias at UFC on FX 8". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  21. ↑ Steven Marrocco (2013-05-19). "UFC on FX 8 results/photos: Nik Lentz grinds out win over Hacran Dias". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  22. ↑ John Petit (2013-08-23). "Nik Lentz Vs Dennis Bermudez Signed For UFN 31". fighters.com. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  23. ↑ Ariel Helwani (2013-09-17). "Chad Mendes vs. Nik Lentz booked for UFC on FOX 9". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  24. ↑ Staff (February 20, 2014). "Manny Gamburyan vs. Nik Lentz added to UFC Fight Night in Cincinnati". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  25. ↑ Jacob Cooper (July 10, 2014). "Charles Oliveira vs Nik Lentz 2 heading to UFC Fight Night 50". cagepages.com. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  26. ↑ Staff (2014-09-04). "UFC Fight Night 44 weigh-in results: Headliners good, Oliveira four pounds heavy". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
  27. ↑ Matt Erickson (2014-09-05). "Charles Oliveira pulled from Nik Lentz bout at UFC Fight Night 50". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  28. ↑ Staff (2014-11-25). "Nik Lentz vs. Thiago Tavares rematch set for UFC Fight Night 60 in Colorado". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
  29. ↑ Staff (2015-02-03). "Nik Lentz faces newcomer Levan Makashvili at next week's UFC Fight Night 60". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  30. ↑ Mike Bohn (2015-02-13). "Nik Lentz vs Levan Makashvili scratched from UFC Fight Night 60 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-13.
  31. ↑ Staff (2015-05-14). "UFC Fight Night 67: Condit vs. Alves fight card lineup finalized". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
  32. ↑ Thomas Myers (2015-05-31). "UFC Fight Night 67 results: Charles Oliveira submits Nik Lentz late in action-packed rematch". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  33. ↑ Jason Henderson (2015-05-31). "UFC Fight Night 67 Bonus Awards". fightofthenight.com. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  34. ↑ Staff (2015-08-25). "Nik Lentz moving back to lightweight, meets Danny Castillo at UFC on FOX 17". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  35. ↑ John Morgan (2015-12-19). "UFC on FOX 17 results: Nik Lentz outworks Danny Castillo for split-decision win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  36. ↑ Tristen Critchfield (2016-06-15). "UFC 203 update: Mairbek Taisumov to face Nik Lentz on Sept. 10 in Cleveland". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  37. ↑ Danny Segura (2016-09-01). "Nik Lentz gets late replacement Michael McBride at UFC 203". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  38. ↑ Ben Fowlkes (2016-09-10). "UFC 203 results: Nik Lentz stops gritty and awkward Michael McBride with second-round TKO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
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