- Manvel Gamburyan
-
Manvel Gamburyan
Մանվել ԳամբուրյանBorn May 8, 1981
Gyumri, Armenian SSR, USSROther names The Pitbull
The AnvilNationality Armenian
AmericanHeight 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) Weight 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) Division Featherweight
LightweightReach 67 in (170 cm) Style Judo, Wrestling Fighting out of North Hollywood, California, U.S. Team Hayastan MMA Glendale Fighting Club SK Golden Boys Rank 3rd dan black belt in Judo
2nd dan black belt in KyokushinYears active 1999–present Mixed martial arts record Total 17 Wins 11 By knockout 2 By submission 6 By decision 3 Losses 6 By knockout 2 By submission 1 By decision 3 Notable relatives Karo Parisyan, cousin Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog Manvel "Manny" Gamburyan (Armenian: Մանվել Գամբուրյան; born May 8, 1981) is an Armenian American mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter 5. Besides The Ultimate Fighter, Gamburyan has fought for notable promotions such as King of the Cage and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Gamburyan is fighting in the featherweight division of the UFC and is currently ranked as the #10 Featherweight mixed martial artist in the world by Sherdog.com, #9 by MMAFighting.com.[1]
Contents
Early life
In May 1991, Gamburyan's family relocated from Armenia to the United States. Shortly after his arrival, he began training in judo at Gokor Chivichyan's and Gene LeBell's Hayastan MMA Academy and quickly became one of the top judoka in the country, winning junior nationals less than two years later. He went on to win junior nationals eight times, the junior Olympics once, and was a member of the 2000 judo junior world team.
Mixed martial arts career
Gamburyan began his career in 1999 at the age of 17. He won his first four fights, then lost a decision to future UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk in 2001. His cousin Karo Parisyan nicknamed him "Pitbull" for the tenacity he displayed in the fight.
The Ultimate Fighter
In 2007, Gamburyan appeared on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter 5, fighting on Jens Pulver's team. His nickname was changed to "Anvil" for his UFC career because "Pitbull" was already taken by other UFC fighters such as Andrei Arlovski and Thiago Alves.[2]
Gamburyan defeated Noah Thomas by kimura lock in the preliminary round. In his next matchup, Gamburyan defeated Matt Wiman to advance to the semifinal round.
In the semifinal round, Gamburyan beat Joe Lauzon in a unanimous decision and advanced to the finale with Nathan Diaz. He was considered an underdog in each of his fights, in part due to his short stature. After the Lauzon fight, UFC president Dana White personally apologized to Gamburyan for doubting him.[3] In the finale, Gamburyan controlled Diaz for the majority of the fight, but tapped out in the second round after dislocating his right shoulder on an unsuccessful takedown attempt.[4]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Despite losing the show, Gamburyan secured a UFC contract with his performance. He won his next two UFC fights, defeating Nate Mohr by ankle lock at UFC 79 and Jeff Cox by guillotine choke at UFC Fight Night 13. Gamburyan raised some controversy in the Cox fight by delivering a spinning leg kick after feigning the mutual tap of gloves that is often seen at the beginning of the match. The crowd in attendance reacted with heavy booing.
He was knocked out by Rob Emerson at UFC 87 in 12 seconds, one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history.
At UFC 94, Gamburyan lost to Brazilian contender, Thiago Tavares.
World Extreme Cagefighting
After his defeat to Thiago Tavares at UFC 94, Gamburyan decided to drop down to the Zuffa-owned WEC's featherweight division (145 pounds). His first featherweight fight was a win over John Franchi at WEC 41.
Gamburyan defeated Leonard Garcia on November 18, 2009 at WEC 44 via unanimous decision.[5]
Gamburyan fought former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown at WEC 48.[6] He won by knockout in the first round as well as getting the Knockout of the night bonus of $65,000.[7][8]
Gamburyan lost by knockout to José Aldo in the second round of the WEC Featherweight Championship bout on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51.[9]
UFC Return
On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[10]
Gamburyan was expected to face Raphael Assunção on March 19, 2011 at UFC 128,[11] but was forced out of the bout with a back injury[12] and replaced by Erik Koch.[13]
Gamburyan next faced Tyson Griffin on June 26, 2011 at UFC on Versus 4.[14] He lost the fight via majority decision.
Gamburyan was expected to face Diego Nunes on September 24, 2011 at UFC 135,[15] but but was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering a shoulder injury.[16]
Gamburyan/Nunes is expected to take place on December 30, 2011 at UFC 141.[17]
Personal life
He is the older cousin of UFC veteran Karo Parisyan.
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown 17 matches 11 wins 6 losses By knockout 2 2 By submission 6 1 By decision 3 3 Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes Loss 11-6 
Tyson GriffinDecision (majority) UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry June 26, 2011 3 5:00 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Loss 11-5 
José AldoKO (punches) WEC 51 September 30, 2010 2 1:32 Broomfield, Colorado, United States For WEC Featherweight Championship Win 11-4 Mike BrownKO (punches) WEC 48 April 24, 2010 1 2:22 Sacramento, California, United States Won Knockout of the Night Win 10-4 Leonard GarciaDecision (unanimous) WEC 44 November 18, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win 9-4 John FranchiDecision (unanimous) WEC 41 June 7, 2009 3 5:00 Sacramento, California, United States Debut at Featherweight Loss 8-4 Thiago TavaresDecision (unanimous) UFC 94 January 31, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss 8-3 Rob EmersonKO (punches) UFC 87 August 9, 2008 1 0:12 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Win 8-2 Jeff CoxSubmission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon April 2, 2008 1 1:41 Broomfield, Colorado, United States Win 7-2 Nate MohrSubmission (achilles lock) UFC 79 December 29, 2007 1 1:31 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss 6-2 Nate DiazSubmission (injury) The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale June 23, 2007 2 0:20 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Lost The Ultimate Fighter 5 Win 6-1 Sam MorganDecision (unanimous) RSF – Shooto Challenge 2 January 2, 2004 3 5:00 Belleville, Illinois, United States Win 5-1 Jorge SantiagoKO (punch) KOTC 27 – Aftermath August 10, 2003 1 0:21 San Jacinto, California, United States Loss 4-1 Sean SherkDecision (unanimous) Reality Submission Fighting 3 March 30, 2001 1 18:00 Belleville, Illinois, United States Win 4-0 Pat BensonSubmission (guillotine choke) Reality Submission Fighting 2 January 2, 2001 1 2:01 Belleville, Illinois, United States Win 3-0 Darren BryantSubmission (heel hook) Kage Kombat 14 April 5, 1999 1 0:35 Los Angeles, California, United States Win 2-0 Timothy MorrisTechnical Submission (choke) Kage Kombat 12 February 1, 1999 1 0:16 Los Angeles, California, United States Win 1-0 Danny HendersonSubmission (armbar) Kage Kombat 12 February 1, 1999 1 0:17 Los Angeles, California, United States References
- ^ "Featherweight MMA Top 10". MMAWeekly.com. July 06, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/featherweight-division-145-pound-limit-mma-top-10. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ Gamburyan, Manvel. Interview with Manvel Gamburyan. Kevin and Bean. KROQ-FM, Los Angeles. 18 June 2007.
- ^ Five Ounces of Pain - Interview with Manny Gamburyan
- ^ ResuMMA.com - Manvel "The Anvil" Gamburyan Interview
- ^ "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo results". www.wec.tv/index.cfmom. 2009-11-19. http://www.wec.tv/index.cfm?fa=eventdetail.fightCard&eid=2395.
- ^ "Mike Brown vs Manny Gamburyan on tap for WEC 48 on April 24". mmamania.com. February 3, 2010. http://www.mmamania.com/2010/2/3/1291104/mike-brown-on-tap-for-wec-48-on.
- ^ "Aldo vs Faber Post-Fight Press Conference News and Notes". BLOODYELBOW.com. 2010-04-25. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/4/25/1443060/aldo-vs-faber-post-fight-press. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- ^ "WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber - Live Results and Commentary". BLOODYELBOW.com. 2010-04-24. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/4/24/1441784/wec-48-aldo-vs-faber-live-results. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- ^ "ALDO VS. GAMBURYAN SET FOR WEC 51 MAIN EVENT". MMAWeekly.com. 07-12-2010. http://mmaweekly.com/aldo-vs-gamburyan-set-for-wec-51-main-event-3.
- ^ "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/21189/ufc-and-wec-set-to-merge-in-2011-events-to-air-on-versus-and-spike-tv.mma.
- ^ "Gamburyan vs. Assuncao Official For UFC 128". MMAWeekly.com. 01-13-2011. http://mmaweekly.com/marquardt-vs-akiyama-and-gamburyan-vs-assuncao-official-for-ufc-128.
- ^ "Manny Gamburyan Pulls Out Of UFC 128". mmafighting.com. February 25, 2011. http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/02/25/manny-gamburyan-pulls-out-of-ufc-128/.
- ^ "Erik Koch vs. Raphael Assuncao In The Works for UFC 128 in New Jersey". mmaweekly.com. February 26, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/erik-koch-vs-raphael-assuncao-in-the-works-for-ufc-128-in-new-jersey.
- ^ "Tyson Griffin meets featherweight Manny Gamburyan at UFC on Versus 4". mmajunkie.com. April 5, 2011. http://mmajunkie.com/news/23123/tyson-griffin-meets-featherweight-manny-gamburyan-at-ufc-on-versus-4.mma.
- ^ "Diego Nunes vs Manny Gamburyan fight announced for Sept. 24 in Denver". mmamania.com. July 22, 2011. http://www.mmamania.com/2011/7/22/2289307/ufc-135-diego-nunes-vs-manny-gamburyan-fight-announced-for-sept-24-in.
- ^ "Injured Manny Gamburyan out of UFC 135 fight with Diego Nunes". mmajunkie.com. August 15, 2011. http://mmajunkie.com/news/24830/injured-manny-gamburyan-out-of-ufc-135-fight-with-diego-nunes.mma.
- ^ "Manny Gamburyan vs Diego Nunes Back On for UFC 141". mmaweekly.com. October 31, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/manny-gamburyan-vs-diego-nunes-back-on-for-ufc-141.
External links
- See him in The HyeFighters Show
- Official UFC Profile
- Anvil Official website
- HyeFighters - Armenian Combat Sports Athletes
- [1] – Ultimate Fighter 5 Show on Spike TV
- Professional MMA record for Manvel Gamburyan from Sherdog
- The Ultimate Fighter 5 Bio
Allen Berube · Nathan Diaz · Rob Emerson · Manvel Gamburyan · Brian Geraghty · Corey Hill · Joe Lauzon · Gray Maynard · Brandon Melendez · Cole Miller · Gabe Ruediger · Marlon Sims · Noah Thomas · Andy Wang · Wayne Weems · Matt WimanCategories:- 1981 births
- Living people
- Armenian mixed martial artists
- American mixed martial artists
- Featherweight mixed martial artists
- Lightweight mixed martial artists
- Armenian practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Armenian judoka
- American judoka
- Armenian karateka
- American karateka
- Armenian sambo practitioners
- American sambo practitioners
- People from Gyumri
- People from Hollywood
- Mixed martial artists from California
- American people of Armenian descent
- Armenian emigrants to the United States
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