- Mark Holst
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Mark Holst Born August 14, 1985
Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaOther names Boots Nationality Canadian Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight 153 lb (69 kg; 10.9 st) Division Lightweight, Welterweight Reach 74 in (190 cm) Style Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, Shotokan Karate Stance Orthodox Fighting out of Ottawa, Ontario Team Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts, Team Renzo Gracie Rank black belt in Shotokan
purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-JitsuYears active 2006–2011 Mixed martial arts record Total 12 Wins 9 By knockout 4 By submission 5 Losses 3 By knockout 1 By submission 1 By decision 1 Other information Website http://markholst.com/ Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog last updated on: February 4, 2011 Mark Holst (born August 14, 1984) is a Canadian martial artist from Ottawa, Ontario, who has fought in the UFC. He is currently training and teaching Muay Thai and MMA at the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts (OAMA) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
He holds a purple belt in Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Pat Cooligan.
Contents
Mixed martial arts career
Background
At only seventeen years old, Mark started training for kickboxing matches. He began in MMA with Karate, Boxing and Kickboxing with 23-time world champion Jean-Yves Theriault.
When he received his black belt in shotokan karate, he decided it was time to move on to different martial arts, and began training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai at Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts.
Mark has made several trips to traveled Thailand for Muay Thai and to Brazil for BJJ. He has spent time with Greg Jackson's, Renzo Gracie in New York and with the Ricardo Almeida New Jersey team. He also trains at the well-known Montreal Wrestling Club, which is where UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre also trains.
Early career
In January 2006, Mark turned pro in MMA, earning himself a reputation for his strong striking skills. He would also continue to compete in Muay Thai/kickboxing and BJJ as well. His first MMA fight was against Shane Savage, where Mark won via TKO in the first round.
He has since became known for finishing many of his opponents quickly in his MMA fights, all in the first or second round. His nickname, "Boots" was given to him by his head coach Pat Cooligan because of his tendency to use kicks and his overall striking ability.
After obtaining a 5–0 record, Mark lost his first fight against Martin Grandmont via knockout, a fight he was dominating until getting caught by a crushing right hand from Grandmont. In addition to his striking background, he has also garnered many submission wins; Mark's most notable submission is over The Ultimate Fighter 5 veteran, Corey Hill. Mark won via second round submission, winning him the XKL Lightweight Championship. After the win, he was signed to the UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Holst made his UFC debut against John Gunderson on June 19, 2010, at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale, replacing Paul Taylor.[1] In what became a grappling contest, Gunderson controlled Holst for the majority of the fight, and Holst consequently lost the fight via unanimous decision. Despite losing, Holst demonstrated very good submission defense, and he was soon awarded his purple belt in BJJ.
Holst's next bout was against UFC newcomer Paul Sass at UFC 120 in London, England.[2] He lost the fight via submission due to a triangle choke in the first round, and was subsequently released by the UFC.[3]
Post-UFC and retirement/hiatus from MMA
Holst's next MMA fight was planned as welterweight bout against fellow Canadian Thaiboxer Markhaile ‘Showtime’ Wedderburn in Gatineau, QC at the Casino de Hull for Wreck MMA. The fight became a catch-weight bout as Wedderburn failed make 170 pounds (as he often does). Holst won the fight via Rear Naked Choke with only seconds remaining in the second round. He suffered a boxer's fracture during the fight.
Holst revealed on January 15, 2011 that after the fight with Wedderburn he would "retire from MMA" to open a martial arts school with his coach and mentor Pat Cooligan. His rationale is that he wants to spend more time managing and coaching his students, and he also plans to return to BJJ and Muay Thai/Kickboxing competition as he originally did, to "take a step back and work on [his] weaknesses." However, he does not rule out returning to MMA in the later future, and even expressed interest in a rematch with Nabil Khatib if the fight is offered to him.
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown 12 matches 9 wins 3 losses By knockout 4 1 By submission 5 1 By decision 0 1 Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes Win 9-3 
Markhaile WedderburnSubmission (rear-naked choke) Wreck MMA: Strong and Proud January 28, 2011 2 4:56 Gatineau, Quebec Competed at 170 lb. Wedderburn failed to make weight. Loss 8–3 
Paul SassSubmission (triangle choke) UFC 120 October 16, 2010 1 4:45 London, England Loss 8–2 
John GundersonDecision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale June 19, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win 8–1 Corey HillSubmission (kimura) XKL: Evolution 1 March 20, 2010 2 4:06 Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States Won Lightweight Championship Win 7–1 Nabil KhatibSubmission (rear-naked choke) Wreck MMA: Fight for the Troops December 12, 2009 1 4:21 Gatineau, Quebec Competed at 170 lb. Khatib failed to make weight. Win 6–1 Chris VoranoSubmission (triangle choke) W-1 MMA 2: Unplugged June 13, 2009 2 1:42 Gatineau, Quebec Loss 5–1 Martin GrandmontKO (punch) W-1 MMA 1: Inception March 28, 2009 1 4:13 Gatineau, Quebec Win 5–0 Antoine CoutuTKO (punches) XMMA 6: House of Pain November 8, 2008 1 2:22 Montreal, Quebec Win 4–0 Kris DonaldsonTKO Freedom Fight: Title Quest July 26, 2008 2 0:30 Hull, Quebec Won Lightweight Championship Win 3–0 Justin DoyonTKO (doctor stoppage) Freedom Fight January 26, 2008 1 N/A Hull, Quebec Win 2–0 
Alex CastroSubmission (triangle choke) Geran Haga: Blood Wars 1 February 9, 2007 2 1:51 Agana, Guam Win 1–0 Shane SavageTKO Freedom Fight: Canada vs. USA January 14, 2006 1 4:55 Hull, Quebec Titles and accomplishments
- 2× Grapplers Quest Champion
- 1× Arnolds Schwarzenegger Classic Champion
- 1× Copa Atlantica Champion
- World Muay Thai Federation Middle Weight Champion[citation needed]
- Freedom Fight MMA Lightweight Champion
- Xtreme Kombat League Lightweight Champion
References
- ^ "Sources: Paul Taylor out, Mark Holst in to face John Gunderson at TUF 11 Finale". mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/19033/sources-paul-taylor-out-mark-holst-in-to-face-john-gunderson-at-tuf-11-finale.mma. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ "Mark Holst vs Paul Sass set for UFC 120". TopMMAnews.com. August 2, 2010. http://topmmanews.com/2010/08/01/mark-holst-vs-paul-sass-set-for-ufc-120/.
- ^ "Ottawa's Holst released by UFC". sportsnet.ca. 2010-10-25. http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2010/10/25/ufc_holst/. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
Categories:- Living people
- Canadian mixed martial artists
- Lightweight mixed martial artists
- Canadian practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Canadian karateka
- 1985 births
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