Michael Craig van Arsdale (born June 20, 1965)[1] is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 1998 until 2006, he competed for the UFC, International Vale Tudo Championship, and the World Fighting Alliance. He was the winner of the IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament.

Mike Van Arsdale
BornMichael Craig Van Arsdale[1]
(1965-06-20) June 20, 1965 (age 59)
Waterloo, Iowa, U.S.
Other names"Superman"
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
DivisionHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Fighting out ofSan Jose, California
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy (until 2005)[2]
JacksonWink MMA (2005–2011)[2][3]
Imperial Athletics/BlackZilians (2011–2012)[4][5]
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active1998, 2002–2006
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins8
By knockout1
By submission6
By decision1
Losses5
By knockout1
By submission4
Notable studentsRashad Evans
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Iowa State Cyclones
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 1988 Ames 167 lb
Bronze medal – third place 1986 Iowa City 167 lb

Background

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Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, van Arsdale has a very decorated background in wrestling. He attended Waterloo West High School, and compiled a record of 20–6 as a sophomore, went 28–2 while also winning a state championship as a junior, and then went 27–3 while being a state-runner up in his senior year. Van Arsdale then won a Junior National title and was a Junior World runner-up title before continuing his career in college at Iowa State University. A first-team freshman All-American, van Arsdale placed sixth in the NCAA tournament as a sophomore (1985) and placed third in his junior season (1986). As a senior, he was the 1988 NCAA Division 1 collegiate wrestling champion at 167 lb (76 kg). After college, van Arsdale won a World Cup Championship in 1991, a CISM (military) World Championship, was a two-time Olympic alternate, and a six-time member of the National Freestyle Wrestling team. van Arsdale was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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van Arsdale's professional mixed martial arts debut came in 1998 when he traveled to Brazil to compete in the no-rules International Vale Tudo Championship, a tournament in which van Arsdale won three consecutive fights in one evening to claim the title.

His first career loss was in his fifth professional fight, when he was knocked out by Wanderlei Silva.

With a record of 7–1, van Arsdale signed with the UFC and made his debut for the organization on May 15, 1998 against Gracie Jiu-jitsu representative Joe Pardo, defeating him via submission. He would compete for the UFC next on April 16, 2005 against John Marsh at UFC 52. Van Arsdale won via unanimous decision.

His next appearance was at UFC 54 on August 20, 2005 against UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. He was defeated via submission in the third round.

van Arsdale fought again on February 4, 2006 at UFC 57 against Renato "Babalu" Sobral and lost via rear-naked choke submission at 2:21 in the first round.

Coaching

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van Arsdale was the head coach for the Blackzillians when the team was initially formed in 2011. He has since moved on from the team and is currently opening a new gym in Arizona.[7]

Melvin Guillard, former UFC Lightweight and former student of van Arsdale, stirred controversy by saying that he was "glad" that van Arsdale left the Blackzilians camp.[8]

Personal life

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van Arsdale has five children.[5]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
13 matches 8 wins 5 losses
By knockout 1 1
By submission 6 4
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 8–5 Matt Lindland Submission (guillotine choke) Raze MMA: Fight Night April 29, 2006 1 3:38 California, United States
Loss 8–4 Jorge Oliveira Submission (triangle choke) PFA: Pride and Fury 4 March 24, 2006 1 4:02 Idaho, United States
Loss 8–3 Renato Sobral Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 February 4, 2006 1 2:21 Nevada, United States
Loss 8–2 Randy Couture Submission (anaconda choke) UFC 54 August 20, 2005 3 0:52 Nevada, United States Light Heavyweight debut.
Win 8–1 John Marsh Decision (unanimous) UFC 52 April 16, 2005 3 5:00 Nevada, United States
Win 7–1 Emanuel Newton Submission (kimura) MMA Mexico: Day 1 December 17, 2004 1 1:35 Mexico
Win 6–1 Mario Lopez Submission (crucifix) EP: XXXtreme Impact December 28, 2003 1 0:28 Mexico
Win 5–1 Chris Haseman TKO (strikes) WFA 3: Level 3 November 23, 2002 2 3:10 Nevada, United States
Loss 4–1 Wanderlei Silva KO (punch and kick) IVC 6: The Challenge August 23, 1998 1 4:00 Brazil
Win 4–0 Joe Pardo Submission (armlock) UFC 17 May 15, 1998 1 11:01 Alabama, United States
Win 3–0 Dario Amorim Submission (shoulder injury) IVC 4: The Battle February 7, 1998 1 2:42 Brazil Won the IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament.
Win 2–0 Marcelo Barbosa Submission (punches) 1 3:36 IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals.
Win 1–0 Francisco Nonato Submission (keylock) 1 5:42 IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinals.

Submission grappling record

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Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Notes
Loss   Fabricio Werdum ADCC-2003 2003 99 kg
Win   Roy nelson ADCC-2003 2003 99 kg
Win   Mark Robinson ADCC-2003 2003 99 kg
Loss   Marcelo Garcia Submission (rear naked choke) ADCC-2003 2003 ABSOLUTE
Loss   Ricardo Almeida ADCC-2001 2001 ABSOLUTE
Win   Sean Alvarez ADCC-2001 2001 ABSOLUTE
Loss   Tito Ortiz Submission (Heel Hook) ADCC-2000 2000 99 kg
Win   Murilo Bustamante Decision ADCC-2000 2000 99 kg
Loss   Mark Kerr Decision ADCC-2000 2000 5 5:00 ABSOLUTE
Win   Antonio Schembri Decision ADCC-2000 2000 5 5:00 ABSOLUTE
Win   Renato Verisimo Decision The Contenders 1997 5 5:00

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mixed martial arts show results Date: April 16, 2005" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "Van Arsdale returns to the octagon". Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. mmaweekly.com. January 30, 2006.
  3. ^ Stephie Haynes (January 17, 2017). "Chapter 11 filing could be contributing factor for Blackzilians camp issues". bloodyelbow.com.
  4. ^ "Rashad and van Arsdale set up new camp at Imperial Athletics". mixedmartialarts.com.
  5. ^ a b Mike Chiappetta (July 30, 2012). "With Mike Van Arsdale's Departure, Mario Sperry in as New Blackzilians Head Coach". mmafighting.com.
  6. ^ "Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame - Cresco, Iowa". Iowawrestlinghalloffame.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  7. ^ Dane Ford. "MMAInsider.net The Insider W/ Mike Van Arsdale". MMAInsider.net. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  8. ^ "Melvin Guillard: I'm glad Mike Van Arsdale is gone from Blackzilians". Mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  9. ^ Johnson, Mike (April 9, 2017). "Complete details on 2017 Thesz/Tragos Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame class of 2017". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  10. ^ Saalbach, Axel. "IVC 4: The Battle (1998-02-07) - Results @ Wrestlingdata.com". wrestlingdata.com.
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