Josh Copeland
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| Josh Copeland | |
|---|---|
| Born | Josh Copeland 20 October 1982 (age 40) Mountain Home, Arkansas, United States |
| Nickname(s) | Cuddly Bear |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (184.4 cm) |
| Weight | 111.13kg (245lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Years active | 2010-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 26 |
| Wins | 18 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Search Josh Copeland on Amazon.
Josh Copeland (born 20 October 1982) is an American bare knuckle boxer and former mixed martial arts fighter. He currently competes in the heavyweight division of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship,[1] and has formerly competed as a heavyweight in a number of organisations, including the UFC and PFL.
Mixed martial arts career[edit]
Early career[edit]
After moving to Colorado, Copeland joined the Grudge Training Center, and began training under Trevor Wittman. Copeland began his professional MMA career in 2012[2] as he started fighting with Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz and Sparta Combat League (SCL), two regional promotions. He attained a record of 8-0 before fighting in the Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) for their vacant heavyweight title. Copeland fought as the main event of this card, and defeated his opponent, Jan Jorgensen, by TKO in the first round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship[edit]
Less than four months after his RFA victory, Copeland moved to Englewood, Colorado in preparation for his UFC debut.[2] He fought on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 57, losing to the favorite Ruslan Magomedov. A high kick to the head during the fight left Copeland unable to see out of his left eye, but he lied to the doctor in order to continue the bout.[3] He fought once more in the UFC, losing to Jared Rosholt at UFC 185. After two straight defeats, he was cut by the promotion and returned to fighting in local promotions in Colorado.[4]
World Series of Fighting and Professional Fighters League[edit]
After two wins and a loss outside of the UFC, Copeland was signed by the World Series of Fighting. Here he defeated Mike Hayes before losing to Blagoy Ivanov in a heavyweight championship bout.[5] Copeland had a two-inch cut under his right eye during the fight, and his cutman received heavy criticism from cornerman Justin Wren for not giving the fighter enough attention. The cut needed nine stitches after the fight concluded.[6] He was also booked to fight Smealinho Rama, but this fight was cancelled as Copeland left the promotion due to injury,[7] later returning to the SCL.
After two victories in the SCL, he began fighting in the Professional Fighters League, a restructured and rebranded WSOF. Copeland would get a record of 2-2-1 in the PFL, before being cut from the promotion after being arrested and charged with assault in relation to a domestic violence case.[8][9]
Later career[edit]
Copeland's final fight in mixed martial arts was a unanimous decision loss in the Russian Cagefighting Championship. After this, Copeland would be signed by the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.[10]
Bare-knuckle boxing career[edit]
Copeland's first bare-knuckle fight was against Levi da Costa at BKFC 31: Richman vs Doolittle in Denver, Colorado. The fight ended in a victory for Copeland.
He then was arranged to fight former professional boxer Steve Herelius at BKFC 41, but this bout was cancelled so that Copeland would be able to fight former UFC fighter Ben Rothwell, whose original opponent was unable to compete due to injury.[11] Copeland lost this fight, as his corner threw in the towel after the third round.[12]
Steve Herelius was successfully booked again for BKFC 50: Hunt vs. Camozzi. The fight came to fruition this time, and Copeland won the fight by TKO due to punches, at 1:43 into the third round.
Copeland wishes to continue fighting in the organisation, and has ambitions to win the heavyweight championship.[13]
Personal life[edit]
Copeland was raised in Mountain Home, Arkansas. He spent two years at Boyce College and subsequently spent two years at Dallas Baptist University, a Christian liberal arts school, before moving to Georgia with the intention of becoming a youth pastor.[14] As a youth, he played basketball, football, and threw the discus and shot put.[2] After meeting Justin Wren, the two would move to Colorado together to join the Grudge Training Center and train for mixed martial arts.
Domestic violence[edit]
In 2019, Copeland plead guilty to two charges, felony second-degree assault with serious bodily injury and misdemeanor third-degree assault. He was cut from the PFL and placed on two years probation, which included evaluation and treatment for domestic violence and substance abuse.[9]
Mixed martial arts record[edit]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 26 matches | 18 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 3 |
| By submission | 5 | 1 |
| By decision | 7 | 3 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 18-6-1 | Anton Vyazigin | Decision (unanimous) | Russian Cagefighting Championship 7 | 14 December 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Ekaterinburg, Russia | |
| Loss | 18-5-1 | Philipe Lins | TKO (knee) | PFL 2018 Championship | 31 December 2018 | 4 | 0:30 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 17-5-1 | Alex Nicholson | TKO (punch) | PFL 2018: Playoffs | 5 October 2018 | 1 | 1:27 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Draw | 17-5 | Francimar Barroso | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 2018: Playoffs | 5 October 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 16-5 | Shawn Jordan | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 4 (2018 season) | 19 July 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Long Island, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 16–4 | Jack May | TKO (body kicks & punches) | PFL 1 (2018 season) | 7 June 2018 | 1 | 4:30 | New York City, New York, United States | For the PFL Heavyweight Tournament Championship. |
| Win | 15-4 | Jared Torgeson | Decision (unanimous) | SCL: Conbat Sports Spectacular | 18 November 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States | For the SCL Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 14-4 | Mike Kyle | Decision (unanimous) | PFL Everett | 29 July 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Everett, Washington, United States | |
| Win | 13-4 | Tracey Willis | Submission | SCL: AVM 8 | 22 April 2017 | 1 | 0:49 | Loveland, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 12-4 | Heath Soderstrom | TKO (punches) | SCL: Battle of the Badges | 18 February 2017 | 1 | 1:55 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Blagoy Ivanov | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 31: Ivanov vs Copeland | 17 June 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | For the WSOF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–3 | Mike Hayes | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 29: Gaethje vs. Foster | 12 March 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Greeley, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 11–2 | Vitaly Minakov | Submission (kimura) | Fight Nights Global 43 | 11 December 2015 | 2 | 2:50 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 10–2 | DJ Linderman | Decision (split) | Prize FC 12 | 6 November 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Defended the Prize FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–2 | Jason Ackerman | TKO (punches) | Prize FC 10 | 14 August 2015 | 1 | 4:40 | Denver, Colorado, United States | For the Prize FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 9–1 | Jared Rosholt | TKO (ground punches) | UFC 185 | 14 March 2015 | 3 | 3:12 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 9–0 | Ruslan Magomedov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 57 | 11 June 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Austin, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 8-0 | Jan Jorgensen | TKO (punches) | RFA 16: Copeland vs. Jorgensen | 25 July 2014 | 1 | 4:49 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | For the RFA Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 7-0 | Jose Beltram | Win (punches) | SCL: The Undisputed | 22 March 2014 | 1 | 1:09 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Defended the SCL Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6-0 | Jesse Hernandez | Decision (unanimous) | SCL: Monarchs of Sparta | 14 December 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Defended the SCL Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 5-0 | Richard Foster | Decision (unanimous) | SCL: Havoc at the Hellespoint | 27 September 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Loveland, Colorado, United States | For the SCL Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4-0 | Anjel Osiris | Submission (armbar) | RMBB: Bad Boyz R Back | 27 September 2013 | 1 | 3:04 | Sheridan, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 3-0 | Robbie Ranning | TKO | SCL: Heavy Hitters | 30 March 2013 | 1 | 0:51 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 2-0 | Anjel Osiris | TKO | SCL: Bloodsport: The New Era | 15 December 2012 | 1 | 1:40 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 1-0 | Michael Moser | Sparta Combat League | 17 November 2012 | Denver, Colorado, United States | ||||
| Win | 0-0 | Vernon Earwood | Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz | 22 June 2012 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Professional debut |
Bare knuckle record[edit]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 2 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 2 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–1 | Steve Herelius | TKO (punches) | BKFC 50: Hunt vs. Camozzi | September 22, 2023 | 3 | 1:43 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 1–0 | Ben Rothwell | TKO (retirement) | BKFC 41: Colorado | April 29, 2023 | 3 | 2:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 0-0 | Levi da Costa | TKO (punches) | BKFC 31: Richman vs. Doolittle | October 15, 2022 | 3 | 2:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Josh Cuddly Bear Copeland | BKFC". Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Unbeaten Copeland Eager for UFC Debut | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "CityNews". ottawa.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ Schlinsky, Alex (2015-04-05). "Copeland, Potts Among Eight UFC Cuts". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "WSOF 31 results: Ivanov survives Copeland in blood-soaked classic, High stuns Ricci in thriller". MMA Junkie. 2016-06-18. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "Wren: WSoF 31 was worst cutman experience ever". MMA Underground. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ stevejuon (2016-10-11). "WSOF 34 Loses Josh Copeland, Gains Military Vets". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ Lee, Alexander K. (2019-02-11). "PFL suspends Josh Copeland indefinitely after arrest for domestic violence". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lee, Alexander K. (2019-05-21). "Josh Copeland pleads guilty to assault charges, receives two years probation". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Josh Cuddly Bear Copeland | BKFC". Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ Martin, Damon (2023-04-10). "Ben Rothwell gets new opponent in UFC veteran Josh 'Cuddly Bear' Copeland at BKFC 41". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "BKFC 41 video: Ben Rothwell forces UFC veteran Josh Copeland's corner to throw in towel after third". MMA Junkie. 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ "Josh Copeland aims to inspire, bring home the belt in 2024 | BKFC". Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ Chiappetta, Mike (2018-06-06). "PFL's 'Cuddly Bear' Josh Copeland is a lovely human, except when mauling other humans". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
- ↑ Sherdog.com. "Josh". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
External links[edit]
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