Mike Pierce
Introduction '''Michael Pierce''' (born September 1, 1980) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed as a Welterweight in the UFC and WEC.
Background Pierce was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, on September 1, 1980.Pierce competed in wrestling at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, Oregon and then continued his career at Portland State University where he was a two-time All-American. Pierce is married and has two children and three stepchildren.
Mixed martial arts career ===Ultimate Fighting Championship===Pierce defeated former WEC contender Brock Larson via unanimous decision in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 19.Pierce was expected to fight Josh Koscheck on January 11, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 20.However, Koscheck instead fought Anthony Johnson at UFC 106 and Pierce went on to face Jon Fitch on December 12, 2009, at UFC 107.After losing the first two rounds, Pierce dominated the end of the third round, nearly finishing Fitch. He lost to Fitch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29–28, 29–28).Pierce was scheduled to face Rob Kimmons on March 21, 2010, at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones, but Kimmons was forced off the card with an injury. Pierce instead faced UFC newcomer Julio Paulino. Pierce won the fight via unanimous decision (30-27, 30–27, 30–27).Pierce again fought another UFC newcomer in Amilcar Alves on August 28, 2010, at UFC 118.He won the fight via submission (straight armbar) in the third round.For the third consecutive time Pierce fought a UFC newcomer in Kenny Robertson on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126.He won the fight via TKO due to punches early into the second round.Pierce faced Johny Hendricks on August 6, 2011, at UFC 133.Pierce lost the fight against Hendricks by split decision.At UFC on Fox 1, on November 12, 2011, Pierce fought Paul Bradley in a rematch from their time on the regional circuit. He won the fight via split decision.Pierce next faced Josh Koscheck on February 4, 2012, at UFC 143.He lost the fight via split decision.Pierce defeated Carlos Eduardo Rocha on June 8, 2012, at UFC on FX 3 by unanimous decision. After a dominant performance by Pierce, initially 2 judges scored the fight 30-27 for Pierce, while the 3rd judge inexplicably scored it 30-27 for Rocha. However, it was later announced that the judge, Ric Bays, had scored the fight for the wrong corner and he had actually won unanimously.Pierce fought Aaron Simpson on October 5, 2012, at UFC on FX 5.After a dominant first round put in by Simpson, nearly finishing Pierce on two occasions, Pierce came back, and 29 seconds into the second round, finished Simpson via one punch KO.Pierce faced Seth Baczynski on December 15, 2012, at UFC on FX 6, replacing an injured Kyle Noke. He won the fight via unanimous decision.Pierce fought David Mitchell on July 6, 2013, at UFC 162.After a close first round, Pierce won via TKO in the second round after landing a short left hook to the jaw and following up with ground and pound.Pierce next faced Rousimar Palhares on October 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 29.He lost the fight via heel hook submission just 31 seconds into the first round. However, Palhares continued cranking the heel hook even after Pierce tapped out and the referee stepped in, leading the UFC to cut ties with Palhares the next day. Pierce suffered a sprained MCL and a torn ankle ligament.Pierce was expected to face Demian Maia on May 31, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale. However, Pierce had to pull out of the fight due to a broken hand.After over two years away from the sport, Pierce returned from extended hiatus to face Ryan LaFlare on December 11, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. He lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision.On January 29, 2016, Pierce was released from the UFC.
Mixed martial arts record Loss17–7Ryan LaFlareDecision (unanimous)The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale35:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss 17–6 Rousimar Palhares Submission (heel hook) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields  1 0:31Barueri, Brazil  Win 17–5 David Mitchell TKO (punches) UFC 162  2 2:55Las Vegas, Nevada, United States  Win 16–5 Seth Baczynski Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson  3 5:00Gold Coast, Australia  Win 15–5 Aaron Simpson KO (punch) UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot  2 0:29Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States  Win 14–5 Carlos Eduardo Rocha Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall  3 5:00Sunrise, Florida, United States  Loss 13–5 Josh Koscheck Decision (split) UFC 143  3 5:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United States  Win 13–4 Paul Bradley Decision (split) UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos  3 5:00Anaheim, California, United States  Loss 12–4 Johny Hendricks Decision (split) UFC 133  3 5:00Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States  Win 12–3 Kenny Robertson TKO (punches) UFC 126  2 0:29Las Vegas, Nevada, United States  Win 11–3 Amilcar Alves Submission (straight armbar) UFC 118  3 3:11Boston, Massachusetts, United States  Win 10–3 Julio Paulino Decision (unanimous) UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones  3 5:00Broomfield, Colorado, United States  Loss 9–3 Jon Fitch Decision (unanimous) UFC 107  3 5:00Memphis, Tennessee, United States  Win 9–2 Brock Larson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard  3 5:00Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States  Win 8–2 Paul Bradley Decision (unanimous) RIE 2: Brotherly Love Brawl  3 5:00Oaks, Pennsylvania, United States  Win 7–2 Justin Haskins TKO (punches) WEC 39  3 3:39Corpus Christi, Texas, United States  Win 6–2 Sean Huffman TKO (punches) Carnage at the Creek 4  2 4:40Shelton, Washington, United States  Win 5–2 Mark Miller TKO (doctor stoppage) SF 24: Domination  2 1:38Portland, Oregon, United States  Win 4–2 Jake Paul Decision (unanimous) EWC: Summer Slaughter  3 5:00Salem, Oregon, United States  Loss 3–2 Nathan Coy Decision (unanimous) SF 23: Heated Rivals  5 5:00Portland, Oregon, United StatesLost the SF Welterweight Championship. Win 3–1 Ed Nuno Decision (unanimous) SF 21: Seasons Beatings  3 5:00Portland, Oregon, United StatesWon the SF Welterweight Championship. Win 2–1 Mike Dolce KO (slam) SF 20: Homecoming  1 0:05Portland, Oregon, United StatesReturn to Welterweight. Loss 1–1 Mark Muñoz Decision (unanimous) GC 69: Bad Intentions  3 5:00Sacramento, California, United States  Win 1–0 Nick Gilardi TKO (doctor stoppage) Elite Warriors Championship  2 4:54Portland, Oregon, United States
See also * List of current UFC fighters* List of male mixed martial artists
References
External links * Official UFC Profile**