Brennan Ward

Brennan Ward
Born (1988-06-28) June 28, 1988[1]
New London, Connecticut, United States
Other names The Irish Bad Boy
Nationality American
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Division Welterweight (170 lb)
Middleweight (formerly)
Reach 75.0 in (191 cm)
Fighting out of Waterford, Connecticut, United States
Team Whaling City Boxing
Rivera Athletic Center
Wrestling NCAA Division III Wrestling
Years active 2008, 2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 18
Wins 14
By knockout 9
By submission 4
By decision 1
Losses 4
By knockout 1
By submission 3
University Johnson & Wales University
Colby Community College
Notable school(s) Waterford High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Brennan Ward (born June 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Welterweight division. Ward was the Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament Winner.

Background

Ward was born in New London, Connecticut and raised in Waterford, Connecticut. Ward's father, Kent, owns a boxing gym, Whaling City Boxing, where Ward began training from a young age.[2] He competed in wrestling at Waterford High School, graduating in 2006, before continuing his career at Colby Community College.[3] Ward later transferred to Johnson & Wales University, which has a Division III program. At Johnson & Wales, Ward demonstrated his talents, earning All-American honors and was also the runner-up in the nation for his weight class, after winning the New England title.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ward started his professional career in 2008, but only became active in 2012. He fought mainly for Rhode Island's promotion Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES MMA).

With a record of 5 and 1, Ward signed with Bellator.

Bellator MMA

Ward was expected to make his debut against Valter Roberto on November 16, 2012 at Bellator 81. However, Roberto was replaced by Sam McCoy due to undisclosed reasons.[5] Ward won via KO in the very first round.[6]

Ward faced Aaron Johnson on February 14, 2013 at Bellator 89. He had his first career's defeat via submission at 15 seconds of round one.[7]

Ward was expected to face Vadiano La Luz on February 28, 2013 at Bellator 91. However, La Luz was replaced by Yair Moguel due to undisclosed reasons.[8] Ward won via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round.[9]

Ward was expected to face Dave Vitkay on September 7, 2013 at Bellator 98. However, he was called to replace Andreas Spång against Justin Torrey in the quarterfinal match of Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament at the same event.[10] Ward won via TKO in the second round and advanced to the semifinal.[11]

Ward was expected to face Perry Filkins in the semifinal on October 4, 2013 at Bellator 102. Filkins, however, was injured and replaced by Joe Pacheco.[12] Ward won the fight via submission in the second round.[13]

Ward faced Mikkel Parlo in the finals on November 8, 2013 at Bellator 107. He won the fight via TKO due to punches in the second round.[14]

Ward faced Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 114 on March 28, 2014.[15] Despite doing well in the first round, Ward lost the bout due to a submission early in the second round.

Ward was expected to face James Irvin at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014, however, the bout was cancelled for unknown reasons. Ward instead faced Tamdan McCrory on the same card.[16] Ward lost the bout via knockout in the first round.

Ward was expected to make his Welterweight debut against Jesse Juarez on February 27, 2015 at Bellator 134.[17] However, Ward has been moved up to the main card to face Curtis Millender after Millender's opponent, Michael Page, pulled out of the fight due to a cut over his left eye.[18][19] Ward defeated Millender via submission in the first round.

Ward was expected to face English fighter Gavin Sterritt at Bellator 140 on July 17, 2015.[20] However, a week before the fight, his opponent was changed to Roger Carroll. Ward won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Ward next faced Dennis Olson at Bellator 144 on October 23, 2015. He won the fight via KO in the first round.

Ward made his international MMA debut on December 31, 2015 as a Bellator MMA representative at Rizin Fighting Federation 2. He faced Ken Hasegawa in a 179-pound catchweight bout and won the fight via submission in the second round.

On March 1, 2016, it was announced that Ward would face Strikeforce vet Evangelista Santos on April 22, 2016 at Bellator 153.[21] He lost the fight via heel hook submission in the first round.

Ward next faced Saad Awad at Bellator 163 on November 4, 2016. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Personal life

On October 24, 2016 at approximately 7:00pm, Ward rescued a baby trapped in a stroller abandoned along a busy New London road. The baby was subsequently taken to a nearby fire department – and later hospital – where she was determined to be without injury.[22]

Controversies

On July 4, 2016 at approximately 12:10pm, Ward was arrested by the Waterford Police Department on the charges of breach of peace, interfering with a police officer, threatening a public safety officer, and assault on a public safety officer.[23] According to the police report, an inebriated Ward got into an altercation with his female companion (who was also arrested for breach of peace) and subsequently resisted arrest by physically and verbally assaulting the officers present. Officers were also unable to process Ward at the time of his arrest due to his continued belligerence as he repeatedly banged his head on the Plexiglas divider of the squad car and “continued extreme aggression” in his jail cell. Ward proceeded to call three of the four policemen by their first names as well as threatened them and their families. Police also noted that Ward urinated all over the floor and door of his jail cell. He was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 16, 2016.[24]

Ward also has a pending case from a January 3, 2014 incident, where he is charged with disobeying the signal of a police officer, reckless driving, and interfering with a police officer.[24]

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 14–4 Saad Awad KO (punches) Bellator 163 November 4, 2016 1 1:26 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Loss 13–4 Evangelista Santos Submission (heel hook) Bellator 153 April 22, 2016 1 0:30 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 13–3 Ken Hasegawa Submission (rear-naked choke) Rizin Fighting Federation 2 December 31, 2015 2 1:52 Saitama, Saitama, Japan 179lb catchweight bout.
Win 12–3 Dennis Olson KO (punches) Bellator 144 October 23, 2015 1 4:37 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 11–3 Roger Carroll KO (punch) Bellator 140 July 17, 2015 1 2:06 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 10–3 Curtis Millender Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 134 February 27, 2015 1 1:39 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Welterweight debut.
Loss 9–3 Tamdan McCrory KO (punches) Bellator 123 September 5, 2014 1 0:21 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Loss 9–2 Alexander Shlemenko Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 114 March 28, 2014 2 1:22 West Valley City, Utah, United States For the Bellator Middleweight Championship.
Win 9–1 Mikkel Parlo TKO (punches) Bellator 107 November 8, 2013 2 1:39 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament Final.
Win 8–1 Joe Pacheco Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 102 October 4, 2013 2 2:41 Visalia, California, United States Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 7–1 Justin Torrey TKO (punches) Bellator 98 September 7, 2013 2 3:28 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal.
Win 6–1 Yair Moguel Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 91 February 28, 2013 1 0:57 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States 187 lb Catchweight bout; Moguel missed weight.[28]
Loss 5–1 Aaron Johnson Submission (armbar) Bellator 89 February 14, 2013 1 0:15 Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Win 5–0 Sam McCoy KO (punches) Bellator 81 November 16, 2012 1 2:49 Kingston, Rhode Island, United States
Win 4–0 Shedrick Goodridge TKO (punches) CES MMA: Real Pain October 6, 2012 1 2:36 Providence, Rhode Island, United States 188 lb Catchweight bout.[29]
Win 3–0 Harley Beekman Decision (unanimous) CES MMA: Never Surrender April 13, 2012 3 5:00 Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States
Win 2–0 Josh Mellen TKO (punches) CES MMA: Extreme Measures February 3, 2012 1 1:32 Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States 190 lb Catchweight bout.[30]
Win 1–0 Mike Manna TKO (punches) USFL: War in the Woods 2 February 23, 2008 1 2:15 Ledyard, Connecticut, United States

References

  1. ↑ "Brennan Ward's profile". Bellator.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ http://www.mass-mma.com/2015/02/03/josh-diekmann-in-for-a-penny-in-for-a-pound/
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  4. 1 2 "Brennan Ward & William Mulligan earn NCAA bids at NEWA championship". Providence.JWUathletics.com. February 27, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Valter Roberto vs. Brennan Ward: Bellator 81". Tapology.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ Brian Knapp (November 16, 2012). "Marcin Held, Dave Jansen punch tickets to lightweight final at Bellator 81". Sherdog.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  7. ↑ Tristen Critchfield (November 16, 2012). "Eduardo Dantas starches teammate Marcos Galvão, defends 135-pound title at Bellator 89". Sherdog.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Brennan Ward vs. Vadiano La Luz: Bellator 91". Tapology.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ Brian Knapp (February 28, 2013). "Attila Vegh dethrones Christian M'Pumbu, takes light heavyweight title at Bellator 91". Sherdog.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  10. ↑ MMAjunkie.com staff (September 6, 2013). "Andreas Spang ruled out of Bellator 98, Justin Torrey meets Brennan Ward". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  11. ↑ MMAjunkie.com staff (September 7, 2013). "Bellator 98 results: Shlemenko retains title in slugfest with Cooper". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  12. ↑ Nick Mahmood (September 25, 2013). "Perry Filkins suffers injury, out of Bellator tournament". Mass-MMA.com. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  13. ↑ MMAjunkie.com staff (October 4, 2013). "Bellator 102 results: Kongo flattens Godbeer, Queiroz whacks Johnson". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  14. ↑ MMAjunkie.com staff (November 8, 2013). "Bellator 107 results: Kongo, Warren, Ward post tourney wins". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ Staff (January 15, 2014). "Middleweight champ Alexander Shlemenko faces Brennan Ward at Bellator 114". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Bellator 123 Fight Card Finalized With Fourteen Bouts". mmaweekly.com. July 22, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Bellator 134 prelims: 'The Silencer,' 'The Freight Train,' 'The Irish Bad Boy,' 'The Barn Cat'". mmajunkie.com. February 5, 2015.
  18. ↑ Marc Raimondi (February 23, 2015). "Michael Page out of Bellator 134, Brennan Ward fills in to face Curtis Millender". mmafighting.com.
  19. ↑ "MICHAEL PAGE INJURED; BRENNAN WARD REPLACES 'MVP' AT FRIDAY'S BELLATOR 134". sherdog.com. February 23, 2015.
  20. ↑ Staff (May 27, 2015). "Gavin Sterritt vs. Brennan Ward added to July's Bellator 140 in Connecticut". mmajunkie.com.
  21. ↑ "Cyborg' Santos-Brennan Ward, Patricio Freire-John Teixeira Booked for Bellator 153".
  22. ↑ "Father arrested after toddler found abandoned on New London street". wtnh.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Police logs - July 5". TheDay.com. July 4, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  24. 1 2 "MMA fighter tussles with Waterford cops". TheDay.com. July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  25. ↑ "JWU's Brennan Ward takes second at NCAA division III championship". Providence.JWUathletics.com. March 6, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  26. ↑ "JWU wrestling takes third at Ithaca Bombers Invitational". Providence.JWUathletics.com. November 8, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  27. ↑ "2010 Ithaca invitational results" (PDF). Centenarycollege.edu. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  28. ↑ Press release (February 27, 2013). "Bellator 91 weigh-in results: Christian M'Pumbu vs. Attila Vegh title fight set". MMAweekly.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Brennan Ward vs. Shedrick Goodridge: CES 13: Real Pain". Tapology.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Brennan Ward vs. Josh Mellen: CES 9: Extreme Measures". Tapology.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
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