Ross Pearson

Ross Pearson (born 26 September 1984) is a retired English mixed martial artist and professional boxer. A 26-fight veteran of the UFC, he was a three-time "Fight of the Night" winner and was the lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 9.

Background Pearson, born and raised in Sunderland, England, began training in Tae Kwon Do at the age of six, before adding Judo and Boxing to his repertoire in high-school. Pearson later began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 17. He also attended Carilion Craft Training in Sunderland. Pearson worked as a brick layer afterwards. Inspired by early UFC events, Pearson decided to become a professional MMA fighter.

Mixed martial arts career The Ultimate Fighter reality show

In 2009, Pearson competed on the reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom. He placed first in the lightweight division.

Ultimate Fighting Championship 2010 Pearson defeated kickboxer Dennis Siver by unanimous decision on 31 March at UFC Fight Night 21.

Pearson was submitted by Cole Miller via second-round rear-naked choke on 15 September 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22.

Pearson faced Spencer Fisher on 27 February 2011 at UFC 127. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

2011 Pearson lost to Edson Barboza via split decision at UFC 134 in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honours.

For his next fight, Pearson dropped to Featherweight and faced Junior Assunção on 30 December at UFC 141. Pearson won the fight by unanimous decision.

Pearson faced Cub Swanson on 22 June 2012 at UFC on FX 4. He lost the fight by TKO late into the second round.

2012 In July Pearson was confirmed as the Team UK coach for The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Pearson faced George Sotiropoulos in a Lightweight bout on 15 December 2012 at UFC on FX 6. He won the fight by an early third-round TKO.

2013 Pearson next faced Ryan Couture on 6 April 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 9. He won the fight by TKO in the third round.

Pearson faced Melvin Guillard on 26 October 2013 at UFC Fight Night 30. The fight ended in a no contest when Pearson was deemed unable to continue after being cut on the forehead by an accidental illegal knee.

2014 A rematch with Guillard was expected to take place on 8 March 2014 at UFC Fight Night 37. However, Pearson pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by Michael Johnson.

Pearson faced Diego Sanchez on 7 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42. Despite outstriking Sanchez in every round, and getting a knockdown in round 2, Pearson would ultimate lose the fight by highly controversial split decision. 13 of 14 media scorecards had the bout 30-27 Pearson, while the 14th had Pearson winning 29–28. As a result, Pearson filed an appeal with the New Mexico Athletic Commission, "in hopes the decision is overturned, at the very least to a no-contest." The official decision was ultimately upheld. Despite an official loss on the scorecards, UFC president Dana White indicated that the organisation had ruled out the possibility of an immediate rematch and said that they would informally treat it as a win for Pearson, and that he would be compensated that way. UFC paid Pearson $30,000 as an unofficial win bonus

Pearson was expected to face Abel Trujillo on 16 August 2014 at UFC Fight Night 47. However, on 4 August, Trujillo pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Gray Maynard. He won the fight by TKO in the second round. After a close first round, early in the second round Pearson landed a combination which knocked Maynard down, causing the referee, Keith Peterson, to step in to stop the fight as Maynard was deemed not to be intelligently defending himself.

Pearson faced Al Iaquinta on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 55. Despite being the odds-on-favorite, Pearson lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

2015 Pearson faced Sam Stout on 14 March 2015 at UFC 185. Pearson won the fight via knockout in the second round dropping Stout with a left hook and finishing him with a right hand on the ground. Subsequently, Pearson won a Performance of the Night bonus.

Pearson faced Evan Dunham on 18 July 2015 at UFC Fight Night 72. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Pearson faced Paul Felder on 5 September 2015 at UFC 191. He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.

2016 Pearson faced Francisco Trinaldo on 17 January at UFC Fight Night 81. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Pearson was expected to face Abel Trujillo on 20 March at UFC Fight Night 85. However, Trujillo was removed from the card on 12 March due to alleged visa issues which restricted his entry to Australia. As a result, Pearson faced Chad Laprise on the card. He won the fight via split decision.

Pearson was expected to face James Krause on 8 July at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. However, Krause was pulled from the fight on 13 June for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Will Brooks. Pearson lost the fight via unanimous decision.

After the loss, Ross Pearson moved to the Welterweight division. Pearson explained that cutting less weight gives him more energy and better sleep. He repeatedly had renal and digestive issues due to the weight cut.

Pearson came in as a short notice replacement to face Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight bout on 30 July at UFC 201, filling in for an ill Siyar Bahadurzada. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

A rescheduled bout with James Krause was scheduled for 19 November at UFC Fight Night 99. Subsequently, on 26 October, Krause pulled out of the fight citing a torn hamstring. He was replaced by Stevie Ray. Pearson lost the fight via split decision.

Despite the three-fight losing streak, Pearson did not want to retire. He wanted the UFC to host an event at Newcastle before retirement.

2017

Pearson faced Dan Hooker on 11 June 2017 at UFC Fight Night 110. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

2018 Pearson faced Mizuto Hirota on 11 February 2018 at UFC 221. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Pearson faced John Makdessi on 28 July 2018 at UFC on Fox 30. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Pearson was expected to face Joseph Duffy on 2 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142. However, Pearson announced on 7 November that he was out of the bout due to a broken nose and subsequent surgery to correct the injury.

2019 Pearson faced Desmond Green on 30 March 2019 at UFC on ESPN 2. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Pearson announced his retirement on 8 April 2019.

Pearson returned to MMA on 16 November to fight Davy Gallon at Probellum 1, losing the fight via KO.

Fighting style Pearson is known for his powerful punches. His favourite grappling technique is the armbar.

In his free time, Pearson does motocross.

Filmography TV series

Video games

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighter 9 Tournament Winner (Lightweight) Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Dennis Siver, Edson Barboza and John Makdessi Ultimate Force UF Lightweight Champion (One time) One successful title defense Total Combat Lightweight Champion Strike and Submit Lightweight Champion

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Davy Gallon KO (rolling thunder kick) Probellum 1

Brentwood, Essex, England Loss

Desmond Green TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Loss

John Makdessi Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2

Calgary, Alberta, Canada Win

Mizuto Hirota Decision (unanimous) UFC 221

Perth, Australia Loss

Dan Hooker KO (knee) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt

Auckland, New Zealand Loss

Stevie Ray Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2

Belfast, Northern Ireland Loss

Jorge Masvidal Decision (unanimous) UFC 201

Atlanta, Georgia, United States Loss

Will Brooks Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Chad Laprise Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir

Brisbane, Australia Loss

Francisco Trinaldo Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz

Boston, Massachusetts, United States Win

Paul Felder Decision (split) UFC 191

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Evan Dunham Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites

Glasgow, Scotland, Scotland Win

Sam Stout KO (punch) UFC 185

Dallas, Texas, United States Loss

Al Iaquinta TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping

Sydney, Australia Win

Gray Maynard TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St. Preux

Bangor, Maine, United States Loss

Diego Sanchez Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States NC

Melvin Guillard NC (illegal knee) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz

Manchester, England Win

Ryan Couture TKO (punches) UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi

Stockholm, Sweden Win

George Sotiropoulos TKO (punches) UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson

Gold Coast, Australia Loss

Cub Swanson TKO (punches) UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Junior Assunção Decision (unanimous) UFC 141

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Edson Barboza Decision (split) UFC 134

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Spencer Fisher Decision (unanimous) UFC 127

Sydney, Australia Loss

Cole Miller Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares

Austin, Texas, United States Win

Dennis Siver Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Win

Aaron Riley TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 105

Manchester, England Win

Andre Winner Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Ian Jones Submission (rear-naked choke) Ultimate Force: Nemesis

Doncaster, England Loss

Abdul Mohamed Decision (unanimous) Cage Gladiators 9: Beatdown

Liverpool, England Win

Cedric Celerier TKO (submission to punches) MMA Total Combat 24

London, England Win

Aidan Marron Submission (armbar) Ultimate Force: Punishment

Doncaster, England Win

Sami Berik Submission (triangle choke) Strike and Submit 6

Gateshead, England Win

Mark Spencer TKO (punches) MMA Total Combat 23

Cornwall, England Win

Steve Tetley Submission (armbar) CWFC: Enter The Rough House 5

Nottingham, England Win

Gavin Bradley KO (punch) MMA Total Combat 22

Cornwall, England Loss

Curt Warburton TKO (doctor stoppage) MMA Total Combat 21

Cornwall, England Win

Will Burke Decision MMA Total Combat 21

Cornwall, England Loss

Chris Hughes Submission (rear-naked choke) HOP 1: Fight Night 1

Swansea, Wales Mixed martial arts exhibition record Win

Jason Dent Decision (unanimous)

(airdate)

Win

Richie Whitson Submission (armbar) (airdate)

Win

A.J. Wenn TKO (punches) (airdate)

Professional boxing record