Frank Trigg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frank Trigg |
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| Born | May 7, 1972 Kendall, New York, U.S |
| Nickname(s) | Twinkle Toes |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg) |
| Division |
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| Reach | 71 in (180 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Rochester, New York, U.S |
| Team | Xtreme Couture |
| Rank | Black belt in Submission Fighting under Neil Melanson 2nd degree black belt in Judo |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division I Wrestling |
| Years active | 1997–2011 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 30 |
| Wins | 21 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 1 |
| University | University of Oklahoma |
| Notable school(s) | East Ridge JR-SR High School |
Frank Trigg (born May 7, 1972) is a retired American mixed martial artist, also known as an MMA fighter. He is also a color commentator (a sports announcer who provides expert analysis), a professional wrestler, an MMA referee, and a TV host.
Trigg is known for fighting in famous organizations like the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships. He was also the Welterweight champion in the World Fighting Alliance.
Contents
Martial Arts Journey
From Wrestling to MMA
Frank Trigg was a state champion wrestler in high school. He continued wrestling in college, first at Oklahoma State and then at the University of Oklahoma. After graduating in 1997, he became an assistant coach for the university's wrestling team.
In 1995, Trigg started learning Judo and earned a black belt. This introduced him to the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He decided to become a professional MMA fighter to earn money for his wrestling competitions.
In 1999, Trigg fought in Japan at Pride 8 and won his match. A year later, he was a finalist in the U.S. Olympic Trials for wrestling. His success in both sports convinced him to focus on his MMA career.
Famous Fights and Championships
In late 2000, Trigg fought for the Shooto world title against Hayato Sakurai. Trigg was doing well at first, but Sakurai made a comeback and won by knockout. This was Trigg's first loss.
From 2001 to 2002, Trigg fought in the World Fighting Alliance (WFA). He was undefeated in the WFA and became their welterweight champion.
In 2003, Trigg joined the UFC, the world's top MMA organization. He immediately got a chance to fight for the title against champion Matt Hughes at UFC 45. Trigg lost the fight by a submission hold called a rear naked choke.
After winning his next two fights, Trigg earned another championship match against Hughes at UFC 52. During the fight, Trigg almost won after an illegal move was missed by the referee. However, Hughes recovered, slammed Trigg to the mat, and won again with a rear naked choke. This fight is considered one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history.
Later, Trigg lost to future champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 54. This was his last fight in the UFC for several years.
Career After First UFC Run
After leaving the UFC, Trigg won the Icon Sport Middleweight title in 2006 by defeating Jason "Mayhem" Miller. He fought in other promotions like Pride and Strikeforce, winning several matches.
In 2009, Trigg returned to the UFC. He lost his next two fights against Josh Koscheck and Matt Serra. After these losses, he was released from the UFC.
Trigg had a few more fights before retiring. In 2015, his famous second fight with Matt Hughes was added to the UFC Hall of Fame. This honor recognizes it as one of the most important fights in the sport's history.
Life Outside the Octagon
Professional Wrestling
In 2008, Frank Trigg appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He was part of a storyline with wrestler Kurt Angle. Trigg had a special MMA-style match against A.J. Styles, which ended in a draw. He returned to wrestling in 2019 to help wrestler Moose prepare for a big match.
Becoming an MMA Referee
Trigg had often been critical of how MMA fights were refereed, partly because of his second fight with Matt Hughes. In 2011, famous referee "Big John" McCarthy invited Trigg to take a course to become a referee himself.
After years of training and officiating smaller fights, Trigg made his debut as a UFC referee in 2017. He is the second retired UFC fighter to become a UFC referee.
Personal Life and Other Work
Frank Trigg has four children. Outside of fighting, he has worked as an actor and stuntman. He appeared in an episode of the TV show The King of Queens and did stunt work for the series Hawaii Five-0.
Championships and Awards
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Hall of Fame (for his second fight against Matt Hughes at UFC 52)
- Fight of the Night (Two times)
- World Fighting Alliance
- WFA Welterweight Championship (One time)
- Icon Sport
- Icon Sport Middleweight Championship (One time)
See also
In Spanish: Frank Trigg para niños
- List of male mixed martial artists
- List of Phi Beta Sigma brothers
