Pete Spratt facts for kids

Pete Spratt (born January 9, 1971) is an American who used to be a professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight division. This means he fought against people in a certain weight class. Pete Spratt was known for his strong punches and great stand-up fighting skills. He fought for big organizations like the UFC and Strikeforce.

Early Life and Sports

Pete Spratt was born in Denison, Texas and grew up in Sherman, Texas. He was a talented athlete in high school. He ran track and was even named an All-American. He still holds school records for the 400-meter race and the Triple Jump.

Pete also played football and basketball. He was a top wide receiver in football and a good guard in basketball. He earned a full scholarship to play football at Northwestern State University. Later, he finished his college career at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. There, he became the all-time leading receiver for his team. He was also named the Offensive Player of the Year and an All-American in college football. He continued to excel in track, holding college records in the Triple Jump and Long Jump.

Pete's MMA Career

Pete Spratt started his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 1999. MMA combines different fighting styles like boxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. He won his first fight by making his opponent give up using a move called a rear-naked choke. Before joining the UFC, he won 10 out of 15 fights.

Fighting in the UFC

Pete Spratt joined the UFC in 2002. His first UFC fight was at UFC 37.5, where he won by using an armbar submission.

He then fought former UFC champion Carlos Newton and lost. But then, he had one of his most famous wins at UFC 42. He defeated Robbie Lawler, who later became a UFC champion, because Lawler got a hip injury during the fight.

After this big win, the UFC offered Pete a chance to fight for the Welterweight Championship. However, he felt he wasn't ready to fight the champion, Matt Hughes, at that time. He also wanted more money for the fight. Because they couldn't agree, Pete left the UFC.

The Ultimate Fighter Show

Pete Spratt later joined The Ultimate Fighter 4. This TV show featured past UFC fighters trying to get back into the organization. Even though he lost his practice fights on the show, he won his fight at the season finale. He defeated Jeremy Jackson when Jackson got a neck injury.

After this, Pete had two more fights in the UFC, but he lost both of them.

Fighting in Other Leagues

After leaving the UFC again, Pete Spratt fought in other regional MMA shows. He was known for his powerful punches and strong stand-up fighting. However, sometimes his opponents were able to make him give up using submission moves.

He fought several times in the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) in Canada. He had some exciting wins there, like knocking out Nathan Gunn and beating Luigi Fioravanti by TKO. He also had a rematch with Ryan Ford, but lost again.

In 2011, Pete had a quick knockout win against Antonio Flores. He won in just 18 seconds! In 2012, he won a fight against Daniel Acácio by technical decision.

Pete Spratt's last fight before retiring was in 2013 against Tim Means. He lost that fight. After the fight, he said he was retiring from MMA. However, he later thought the fight should have been stopped because of illegal punches to the back of his head. He even considered appealing the decision, but the loss remained on his record.

Coming Back to MMA

Pete Spratt decided to come out of retirement in 2014. He was supposed to fight Shane Campbell, but the fight was canceled. He had one more fight in 2017 before officially ending his career.

Personal Life

Pete Spratt is married and has a daughter born in 2008. He also has two daughters from a previous relationship.

Achievements

Pete Spratt achieved several titles during his fighting career:

• ISKA U.S. Middleweight Champion

• Ring of Fire
  • ROF Middleweight Championship (One time)
• Reality Combat Fighting
  • RCF Middleweight Championship (One time)
• Renegades Extreme Fighting
  • REF Middleweight Championship (Two times)
  • REF Middleweight Tournament Runner Up