Ian Freeman
| Ian Freeman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
11 October 1966 Sunderland, England |
| Other names | The Machine |
| Nationality | English |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st) |
| Division |
Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Fighting out of | Stanley, County Durham, England |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 20 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 7 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Ian William Freeman (born 11 October 1966) is a retired English mixed martial artist and was the Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion and the final Cage Rage British Light Heavyweight Champion. He was the first British person to fight in the UFC as well as the first person to beat Frank Mir. Although Mir was only 23 years old and inexperienced when he fought Freeman, he later went on to become UFC Heavyweight Champion
Freeman came into martial arts from boxing, in which he'd trained for around 10 years, after being taught by his father, who was an ABA Boxing Champion at 18 years of age. While working as a doorman, Freeman ended up fighting with a man who was intoxicated and a friend mentioned that rather than punch him, he should have choked the man unconscious. Curious as to what he could learn, he started training in Goshin jiu-jitsu for around six to eight months before competing in an amateur Vale Tudo competition. In his early days, he trained periodically with various instructors, including Marco Ruas and Renzo Gracie.
Freeman entered the professional circuit in 1999, considered an early ambassador for mixed martial arts and given the nickname, "The Iron Ambassador." In early 2000, the UFC approached Ian to fight at UFC 24, where he lost to Scott Adams. He fought two more times in the UFC, winning both times. Later, Freeman's career hit a low point with four losses in a row, but he returned with a submission win in a rematch with Stanislav Nuschik.
His greatest triumph was arguably his win on home soil over Frank Mir at UFC 38. The heavy underdog, Freeman lived up to his nickname as he systematically ground Mir down and broke his spirit, winning a first round stoppage in front of the English crowd. The match was bittersweet for Freeman, having dedicated the match to his father who, unbeknownst to him, died of cancer the day before. Victory gave Freeman with the chance to make his mark on the UFC Heavyweight division but his next fight saw him stopped by Andrei Arlovski. Shortly after a draw against Vernon White signaled the end of Freeman's second stint in UFC and led to his return to the British MMA scene.
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