Waachiim Spiritwolf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Waachiim Spiritwolf |
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|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1976 Pala Indian Reservation, California, United States |
| Other names | The Native Warrior |
| Residence | Fresno, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 170.6 lb (77.4 kg; 12.19 st) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 69.0 in (175 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | San Diego, California, United States |
| Team | Spiritwolf MMA |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 12 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 13 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 8 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 2 |
Waachiim Spiritwolf is a Native American athlete who used to compete in a sport called mixed martial arts (MMA). He was a professional fighter from 2006 to 2015. He fought in the Welterweight division. Spiritwolf competed for big organizations like King of the Cage, Tachi Palace Fights, Bellator, and Strikeforce.
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Waachiim Spiritwolf's Early Life and Training
Waachiim Spiritwolf grew up on the Pala Indian Reservation. He represents the Navajo and Yaqui tribes. In high school, he was a very good wrestler. He was also the captain of his football team. He played as an inside linebacker.
Spiritwolf discovered mixed martial arts through his friend, Dean Lister. Lister is also a professional MMA fighter. They had known each other since middle school. Both of them loved watching UFC fights together. Lister is even the godfather to Spiritwolf's son. Today, Spiritwolf helps coach wrestling at Scripps Ranch High School.
Spiritwolf's Mixed Martial Arts Journey
Waachiim Spiritwolf had an exciting career in mixed martial arts. He fought in many different promotions.
Starting His MMA Career
After fighting in smaller local events, Spiritwolf got a chance to fight on a big pay-per-view show called Ultimate Chaos. He was set to fight Brett Cooper, who was expected to win easily. Spiritwolf believed Cooper was not focused on their fight. Spiritwolf surprised everyone by knocking out Cooper in the first round. This was a big upset win for him. He also earned another important victory against UFC veteran Crafton Wallace. After these wins, he signed with Strikeforce in late 2010.
Fighting in King of the Cage
In December 2008, Spiritwolf joined King of the Cage, a fighting promotion based in California. His first fight for them was on December 11, 2008, against Ricky Legere. Spiritwolf won this fight by TKO in the second round.
He faced Ricky Legere again on October 1, 2009, for the KOTC Welterweight Championship. This time, Spiritwolf lost the fight by TKO. Later, he fought Ismael Gonzalez on February 25, 2010. That fight ended in a technical draw. This happened after Spiritwolf accidentally hit Gonzalez in the back of the head. Gonzalez then said he couldn't see clearly.
Competing in Strikeforce
Spiritwolf signed with Strikeforce to fight Billy Evangelista. Evangelista was undefeated at the time. In their fight, Spiritwolf knocked Evangelista down in the first round. He also used a technique called ground and pound. Spiritwolf took Evangelista down three more times in the second round. However, Evangelista fought back with punches and knees. Spiritwolf seemed tired in the third round, but he kept fighting hard. He even slammed Evangelista in the last ten seconds. Despite his efforts, the judges decided Evangelista won the fight.
After the fight, Spiritwolf felt he should have won. He said, "I come to fight and that's what I did tonight. It is bad enough I thought I deserved the decision, but to not get a round on those scorecards is ridiculous. Honestly, I feel I got ripped off."
Spiritwolf then fought Marius Zaromskis, who was a champion from another promotion called DREAM. Their fight was declared a "no contest" just six seconds in. This was because Spiritwolf was accidentally poked in the eye.
Battles in Bellator MMA
Spiritwolf made his debut for Bellator in March 2011. He fought Jaime Jara and won a close fight by split decision. Even though this fight was not originally shown on TV, many fans wanted to see it. Because of this, Bellator's CEO decided to air it the following week.
In his next Bellator fight, Spiritwolf had a rematch with Marius Žaromskis. Spiritwolf weighed in a little over the limit for this fight. The fight ended in a controversial way. The doctor stopped the fight between rounds two and three because Spiritwolf had a cut. This gave Žaromskis the win by TKO.
Because of how that fight ended, Spiritwolf and Žaromskis had a third fight. This rematch happened at Bellator 72. Spiritwolf lost this fight by split decision.
Spiritwolf returned to Bellator on March 21, 2013. He was set to fight former UFC veteran Marcus Davis. However, this fight also ended in a "no contest." In the first round, Davis accidentally hit Spiritwolf with a knee to the groin. Spiritwolf could not continue the fight.
Fighting in Other Promotions
After his time in Bellator, Spiritwolf continued to fight. He faced Morten Djursaa at EUMMA 5 on April 19, 2013. He lost this fight by knockout in less than a minute. He then got his first win since his Bellator debut. He defeated James Chaney at Shinzo Fight Sport on August 16, 2013, by TKO in the second round.
He later fought Max Griffin at TWC 19 on January 15, 2014. Spiritwolf lost this fight by split decision. He was supposed to fight Angel Deanda at Tachi Palace Fights 20, but that fight was canceled.
Championships and Achievements
Waachiim Spiritwolf achieved one championship during his career:
- World Fighting Championships
- WFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 28 matches | 12 wins | 13 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 4 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 8 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 2 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 12–13–1 (2) | J.C. Llamas | Decision (unanimous) | TWC 22: The Warriors Cage | June 26, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Porterville, California, United States | Catchweight (175 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 11–13–1 (2) | Edward Darby | TKO (punches) | XPS: Wasteland | November 8, 2014 | 1 | 1:51 | Valley Center, California, United States | |
| Loss | 10–13–1 (2) | Max Griffin | Decision (split) | TWC 1: Blackout | January 25, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 10–12–1 (2) | James Chaney | TKO (punches) | Shinzo Fight Sport | August 16, 2013 | 2 | 4:07 | Guatemala City, Guatemala | |
| Loss | 9–12–1 (2) | Morten Djursaa | KO (head kick and punches) | EUMMA 5 | April 19, 2013 | 1 | 0:40 | Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark | For the EUMMA Welterweight Championship. |
| NC | 9–11–1 (2) | Marcus Davis | NC (knee to the groin) | Bellator 93 | March 21, 2013 | 1 | 3:05 | Lewiston, Maine, United States | Spiritwolf could not continue after an illegal knee to the groin by Davis. |
| Loss | 9–11–1 (1) | Marius Žaromskis | Decision (split) | Bellator 72 | July 20, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 9–10–1 (1) | Marius Žaromskis | TKO (cut) | Bellator 68 | May 11, 2012 | 2 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Catchweight (172 lbs) bout. |
| Loss | 9–9–1 (1) | Michael Madrid | Decision (unanimous) | Samurai MMA Pro 2011 | October 21, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Culver City, California, United States | |
| Loss | 9–8–1 (1) | Jorge Lopez | Decision (unanimous) | TPF 9: The Contenders | May 5, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Lemoore, California, United States | Catchweight (172 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 9–7–1 (1) | Jaime Jara | Decision (split) | Bellator 35 | March 5, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Lemoore, California, United States | Catchweight (175 lbs) bout. |
| NC | 8–7–1 (1) | Marius Žaromskis | NC (eye poke) | Strikeforce Challengers: Wilcox vs. Ribeiro | November 19, 2010 | 1 | 0:06 | Jackson, Mississippi, United States | Accidental eye poke by Žaromskis. |
| Loss | 8–7–1 | Billy Evangelista | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker | October 22, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Fresno, California, United States | Catchweight (165 lbs) bout. |
| Loss | 8–6–1 | Delson Heleno | Decision (unanimous) | AOF 9: Apocalypse | September 4, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | For the AOF Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–5–1 | Crafton Wallace | TKO (doctor stoppage) | AOF 8: Fury | May 22, 2010 | 1 | 5:00 | Estero, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 7–5–1 | Fernando Bettega | Decision (unanimous) | Collision in the Cage | March 20, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Irvine, California, United States | |
| Draw | 6–5–1 | Ismael Gonzalez | Technical draw | KOTC: Arrival | February 25, 2010 | 1 | 4:00 | Highland, California, United States | |
| Loss | 6–5 | Ricky Legere | TKO (punches) | KOTC: Distorted | October 1, 2009 | 2 | 2:25 | Highland, California, United States | For the vacant KOTC Light Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–4 | Brett Cooper | TKO (punches) | FFI: Ultimate Chaos | June 27, 2009 | 1 | 3:41 | Biloxi, Mississippi, United States | |
| Win | 5–4 | Ricky Legere | KO (punch) | KOTC: Prowler | December 11, 2008 | 2 | 0:16 | Highland, California, United States | |
| Loss | 4–4 | Ross Ebañez | TKO (cut) | ROTR: Beatdown 9 | October 18, 2008 | 1 | 2:53 | Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 4–3 | Danny Ruiz | KO (punches) | WFC 6: Battle in the Bay | March 22, 2008 | 1 | 4:31 | Tampa, Florida, United States | Won the WFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Loss | 3–3 | Shamar Bailey | Decision (unanimous) | Revolution Fight League 1 | December 1, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | |
| Win | 3–2 | Roger Krahl | Submission (guillotine choke) | World Fighting Championships 5 | October 26, 2007 | 1 | 4:14 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 2–2 | Kenneth Alexander | Submission (injury) | Tuff-N-Uff 3 | June 22, 2007 | 1 | 4:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Enrique Luna | TKO (strikes) | Clash of the Titans 4 | December 4, 2006 | 2 | 1:11 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Kyle Brees | Decision (split) | RITC 83: Rampage | June 10, 2006 | 3 | 3:00 | Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Anthony Soto | TKO (punches) | Cage of Fire 1 | April 22, 2006 | 1 | 3:42 | Tijuana, Mexico |
