Michael Timothy Swick (born June 19, 1979) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist, who spent most of his career competing for the UFC's middleweight division. Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow welterweight standout Jon Fitch, entered the UFC after appearing on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. Background Swick was born in Houston, Texas, on June 19, 1979. Swick attended Katy High School. Aspiring to become a Navy Seal and inspired by The Karate Kid, Swick started training taekwondo in his youth as his first combat sport. He then participated in amateur fights in Texas before sanctioning was formed. Mixed martial arts career Early career Swick began his professional career in smaller shows, including early events of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). He amassed a record of 5–0 before challenging Chris Leben for the WEC Middleweight Championship. He lost the fight by knockout at 45 seconds of the second round. The Ultimate Fighter After his first professional loss, Swick entered the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television series produced by the UFC. Swick participated as a light heavyweight on Randy Couture's team. Chris Leben also participated as Swick's teammate. Leben insisted on talking about his victory over Swick, which irritated him. Swick's first fight in the show came during the semi-finals. He faced Stephan Bonnar, but was defeated by triangle armbar at 4:55 of the first round, eliminating him from the show. At UFC Ultimate Fight Night, Swick defeated Gideon Ray by KO just 22 seconds into the first round, earning the nickname "Quick" from UFC announcer Mike Goldberg. Ultimate Fighting Championship Swick lived up to his nickname with several quick stoppages in his subsequent fights. At UFC Ultimate Fight Night, Swick stopped Gideon Ray by technical knockout in just 22 seconds. He followed up with two first-round guillotine choke submissions over Steve Vigneault and Joe Riggs at UFC 58 and UFC 60, respectively. Swick jokingly called the move his "Swick-otine". At UFC 63, Swick faced former title challenger David Loiseau and earned a unanimous decision victory. He suffered ligament damage to his hand during the fight. Swick's first UFC defeat came at UFC 69, losing by unanimous decision to Japanese middleweight Yushin Okami. He had Okami noticeably rattled toward the end of the second round with a flurry of punches, but ultimately succumbed to Okami's superior wrestling and physical presence, as