Marcin Held

Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial artist and currently competes in Professional Fighters League. He formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut and Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Held has competed frequently in his home country of Poland and is highly touted by the media, often being regarded as "the prodigy of Polish MMA".[2] He fought in Bellator MMA from 2010 to 2016, challenging for the Bellator Lightweight Championship in 2015.

Marcin Held
BornMarcin Held
(1992-01-18) January 18, 1992
Tychy, Poland
Other namesThe Polish Prodigy
NationalityPolish
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
DivisionLightweight
Reach71 in (180 cm)
StyleSubmission wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Fighting out ofTychy, Poland
TeamGracie Barra Bastion Tychy
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active2008-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total33
Wins26
By knockout4
By submission14
By decision8
Losses7
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Marcin Held
Medal record
Representing  Poland
Men's Submission grappling
FILA Grappling World Championships
2010 Kraków-70 kg (Gi)
FILA Grappling European Championships
2011 Yuzhny-75 kg (No-Gi)
ADCC Submission Wrestling European Championships
2010 Zagreb-76.9 kg
Men's Submission wrestling
IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu European Championships
2010 Lisbon-70 kg (purple belt)
FIJJA World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup
2012 WarsawAbsolute (black/brown belt)
Men's Pankration
World Championships
2010 Kraków-75 kg

Background

Held began training in Submission grappling at the age of nine, with emphasis on submission wrestling controls and Sambo style leglock system. He also received a jiu-jitsu black belt at the age 21, becoming the youngest black belt in Poland.[2] Held is well known for winning multiple submission grappling competitions in his home country. Though he fights at lightweight, he has expressed a desire to compete at featherweight, should the right fight become available.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Held began his professional mixed martial arts career and compiled a 3–0 record before joining Shooto. His debut fight for the organisation was at Shooto Poland, where he headlined and defeated Rafal Lasota via TKO (leg injury). Just prior to the Shooto fight, Held was named as one of the top ten unsigned prospects to watch for 2009.[2]

In December 2009, Held competed in an eight-man tournament, defeating all three opponents; the latter two by submission. Following this, Held defeated Przemyslaw Zbiciak via submission (rear naked choke) midway through the first round.[3]

Held's first professional loss came at the hands of Lukasz Sajewski, a fellow highly rated prospect from Poland. Sajewski was able to neutralise the submission game of Held, before gaining top position and riding out a unanimous decision victory.[4]

Held rebounded to defeat the former Cage Rage Lightweight Champion Jean Silva. Held weakened his opponent with leg locks, before landing a knee from the clinch. Held won the fight via TKO caused by a knee injury.[5]

Held was scheduled to participate in the inaugural event of a new Polish promotion - Infinite Fighting Federation - in October in Dąbrowa Górnicza, against German fighter Franco de Leonardis. However, due to an accident involving de Leonardis,[6] he faced Bojan Kosednar.[7] Held won the fight with a kneebar submission in the second round.

According to mmarocks, Held signed a contract to compete against Juha-Pekka Vainikainen in November at Iron Fist 3.[8] However, for unknown reasons, Held was forced to pull out of the fight and was replaced by Anthony Durnell.

Bellator MMA

On October 14, Held signed with Bellator MMA to compete in their Season Four Lightweight Tournament.[9] He faced wrestler Michael Chandler in the opening quarterfinal round at Bellator 36. He lost via arm-triangle choke submission in the first round.

Held faced Phillipe Nover at Bellator 59. He won the fight via split decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28). Sherdog.com scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Nover.[10]

Held faced Murad Machaev in the opening round of the Bellator Season 7 Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal on October 19, 2012 at Bellator 77.[11] He won the fight via unanimous decision. He faced Rich Clementi in the semifinals on November 16, 2012 at Bellator 81 and won via submission in the second round.

Held was expected to face Dave Jansen for the Season Seven Tournament Final at Bellator 84 but Held was not allowed in the Horseshoe casino, in Hammond, Indiana where the event was being held since he was only 20 years old, and therefore the fight has been pushed to sometime during Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight.[12]

The bout with Jansen was rescheduled for March 21, 2013 at Bellator 93.[13] Held lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Held rebounded with a first-round KO win over Ryan Healy at Bellator 101.

Held next faced Rodrigo Cavalheiro in the Bellator Season 10 Lightweight Tournament quarterfinals at Bellator 113. He won the fight via submission in the first round. He faced Derek Anderson in the semifinals at Bellator 117 and won via submission in the second round. He faced Patricky Freire in the finals at Bellator 126 on September 26, 2014.[14] Held dominated the fight and won via unanimous decision.

Held faced Alexander Sarnavskiy at Bellator 136 on April 10, 2015.[15] He won the fight via verbal submission in the third round.

Held faced Will Brooks for the Bellator Lightweight Championship on November 6, 2015 at Bellator 145.[16] Despite popping Brooks' knee in the opening round, Held lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Held had a rematch with Dave Jansen on May 20, 2016 at Bellator 155.[17] He won the fight via unanimous decision. Despite getting the win, Bellator MMA announced they had released Held from his contract.[18] Held, however, wrote a Facebook post citing that he terminated his own contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On August 30, Held officially signed with the UFC.[19]

Held made his promotional debut against UFC veteran Diego Sanchez on November 5, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale.[20] Despite having some success with his boxing and remaining active off his back looking for submissions, Held lost the bout by unanimous decision.[21]

Held next faced Joe Lauzon on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103.[22] He lost the fight via a controversial split decision, with even his opponent Lauzon saying he felt he lost the bout post-fight.[23] Likewise, 16 out of 17 media pundits scored the bout for Held; the lone holdout scored the fight a draw.[24]

Held faced Damir Hadžović on May 28, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 109.[25] After handily winning the first two rounds, he lost the fight via knockout in the opening seconds of the third round.[26]

Held was expected to face Teemu Packalen on October 21, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 118.[27] Teemu injured his knee and was replaced by Nasrat Haqparast.[28] Held won the fight via unanimous decision to earn his first UFC win.[29]

Absolute Championship Berkut

After being released from the UFC, Held signed a contract with Absolute Championship Berkut and he faced Callan Potter in his debut at ACB 88.[30] Held won the bout via submission in the first round.

Professional Fighters League

In March 2020, Held signed with Professional Fighters League.[31]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Submission grappling
  • ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
    • 2011 ADCC Submission Wrestling Polish Championships Gold Medalist
    • 2010 ADCC Submission Wrestling European Championships Bronze Medalist
  • International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
    • 2011 FILA Grappling European Championships Senior No-Gi Gold Medalist
    • 2010 FILA Grappling World Championships Senior Gi Silver Medalist
  • Polaris
    • 2018 Polaris 6 - Defeated Chris Fishgold by Armbar

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
  • International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation
    • 2010 IBJJF European Open Jiu-Jitsu Championships Purple Belt Gold Medalist
  • Federation International of Jiu-Jitsu Association
    • 2012 FIJJA World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Warsaw Trials Absolute Brown/Black Belt Runner-up
    • 2012 FIJJA World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup Warsaw Trials Brown/Black Belt 3rd Place

Pankration

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
33 matches 26 wins 7 losses
By knockout 4 1
By submission 14 1
By decision 8 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 26–7 Diego Brandão Decision (unanimous) ACA 96: Goncharov vs. Johnson June 8, 2019 3 5:00 Lodz, Poland
Win 25–7 Musa Khamanaev Submission (heel hook) ACB 90 Moscow November 10, 2018 1 2:09 Moscow, Russia
Win 24–7 Callan Potter Submission (heel hook) ACB 88 June 16, 2018 1 1:09 Brisbane, Australia
Win 23–7 Nasrat Haqparast Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Till October 21, 2017 3 5:00 Gdańsk, Poland
Loss 22–7 Damir Hadžović KO (knee) UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira May 28, 2017 3 0:07 Stockholm, Sweden
Loss 22–6 Joe Lauzon Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn January 15, 2017 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Loss 22–5 Diego Sanchez Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson November 5, 2016 3 5:00 Mexico City, Mexico
Win 22–4 Dave Jansen Decision (unanimous) Bellator 155 May 20, 2016 3 5:00 Boise, Idaho, United States
Loss 21–4 Will Brooks Decision (unanimous) Bellator 145 November 6, 2015 5 5:00 St. Louis, Missouri, United States For the Bellator Lightweight Championship.
Win 21–3 Alexander Sarnavskiy Submission (kneebar) Bellator 136 April 10, 2015 3 1:11 Irvine, California, United States
Win 20–3 Patricky Freire Decision (unanimous) Bellator 126 September 26, 2014 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Bellator Season 10 Lightweight tournament final.
Win 19–3 Nate Jolly Submission (armbar) Bellator 120 May 17, 2014 1 4:20 Southaven, Mississippi, United States
Win 18–3 Derek Anderson Submission (triangle choke) Bellator 117 April 18, 2014 2 3:07 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States Bellator Season 10 Lightweight tournament semifinal.
Win 17–3 Rodrigo Cavalheiro Submission (toe hold) Bellator 113 March 21, 2014 1 1:56 Mulvane, Kansas, United States Bellator Season 10 Lightweight tournament quarterfinal.
Win 16–3 Ryan Healy KO (punches) Bellator 101 September 27, 2013 1 1:12 Portland, Oregon, United States
Loss 15–3 Dave Jansen Decision (unanimous) Bellator 93 March 21, 2013 3 5:00 Lewiston, Maine, United States Bellator Season 7 Lightweight tournament final.
Win 15–2 Rich Clementi Submission (toe hold) Bellator 81 November 16, 2012 2 3:04 Kingston, Rhode Island, United States Bellator Season 7 Lightweight tournament semifinal.
Win 14–2 Murad Machaev Decision (unanimous) Bellator 77 October 19, 2012 3 5:00 Reading, Pennsylvania, United States Bellator Season 7 Lightweight tournament quarterfinal.
Win 13–2 Derrick Kennington Submission (heel hook) Bellator 68 May 11, 2012 1 2:08 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 12–2 Phillipe Nover Decision (split) Bellator 59 November 26, 2011 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 11–2 Kaleo Kwan Submission (inverted heel hook) AFC 2: Lombard vs. Taylor September 3, 2011 1 0:55 Melbourne, Australia
Loss 10–2 Michael Chandler Technical Submission (arm triangle choke) Bellator 36 March 12, 2011 1 3:56 Shreveport, Louisiana, United States Bellator Season 4 Lightweight tournament quarterfinal.
Win 10–1 Bojan Kosednar Submission (kneebar) Infinite Fighting Federation October 8, 2010 2 3:24 Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland
Win 9–1 Jean Silva TKO (knee injury) Pro Fight 5 June 18, 2010 2 2:30 Wrocław, Poland
Loss 8–1 Łukasz Sajewski Decision (unanimous) AOF 7: Support for Haiti May 29, 2010 2 5:00 Płock, Poland
Win 8–0 Przemysław Zbiciak Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring XF 1: First Battle March 13, 2010 1 3:11 Zgierz, Poland
Win 7–0 Borys Mańkowski Submission (armbar) MMA Challengers 2 December 6, 2009 1 2:10 Bytom, Poland Won the MMA Challengers 2 Lightweight Tournament.
Win 6–0 Mariusz Abramiak Submission (rear-naked choke) MMA Challengers 2 December 6, 2009 1 3:23 Bytom, Poland
Win 5–0 Ireneusz Mila Decision (unanimous) MMA Challengers 2 December 6, 2009 2 4:00 Bytom, Poland
Win 4–0 Rafał Lasota TKO (leg injury) Shooto Poland: Held vs. Lasota November 21, 2009 3 N/A Kielce, Poland
Win 3–0 Mariusz Pioskowik TKO (punches) Bytomska: Gala MMA 2 May 23, 2009 2 2:49 Bytom, Poland
Win 2–0 Artur Sowiński Decision (majority) MMA Challengers 1 May 3, 2009 2 5:00 Mysłowice, Poland
Win 1–0 Mateusz Piórkowski Submission (armbar) Abak Moto September 28, 2008 1 4:01 Muchowiec, Poland

Submission grappling record

KO PUNCHES

Result Marcin Najman Method Event Date Round Time Notes
Draw Marius ŽaromskisDrawQuintetApril 11, 2018110:00
Win Teodoras AukstuolisSubmission (kneebar)QuintetApril 11, 20181
Win Viktor TomasevicSubmission (kneebar)QuintetApril 11, 20181
Marcin Najman

References
  1. "Marcin Held - Official UFC Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  2. "Top Ten Euro Prospects". sherdog.com. June 25, 2009.
  3. "Weekend Rundown: Lombard's Unbeaten Streak Reaches 18". sherdog.com. March 15, 2010.
  4. "Top 10 Undefeated European Prospects". sherdog.com. July 31, 2010.
  5. "Weekend Rundown: Lambert, Rivera, Held Victorious". sherdog.com. June 21, 2010.
  6. "Official announcement from the manager of de Leonardis". iffederation.com. September 21, 2010. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. (in Polish)
  7. "Battle of Nations - Poland vs. Germany". groundandpound.de. October 5, 2010. (in German)
  8. "Marcin Held vs. Juha Pekka Vainikainen". mmarocks.pl. September 22, 2010. (in Polish)
  9. "Polish MMA prodigy Marcin Held joins Bellators season four lightweight tourney". mmajunkie.com. October 14, 2010. Archived from the original on October 17, 2010.
  10. "Bellator 59 Results and Play-by-Play". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
  11. "Season 7 lightweight tourney kicks off at Bellator 77 with Clementi vs. Sarnavskiy". mmajunkie.com. August 27, 2012. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012.
  12. "Marcin Held vs Dave Jansen off Bellator 84". mmafrenzy.com. December 14, 2012.
  13. "Marcin Held-Dave Jansen on March 7". espn.go.com.com. 2013-01-18.
  14. "Marcin Held vs. Patricky Pitbull targeted for Bellator 126 on September 26th in Phoenix". themmareport.com. August 1, 2014.
  15. Staff (March 5, 2015). "Bellator 136 gets five new fights, including Held vs. Sarnavskiy, Beltran vs. Rogers". mmajunkie.com.
  16. "Bellator 145 Fight Card". bellator.com. 2015-11-06.
  17. Danny Segura (2016-03-23). "Marcin Held vs. Dave Jansen added to Bellator 155 main card". mmafighting.com..
  18. Matt Erickson (2016-08-17). "Ex-Bellator title challenger Marcin Held released, says he hopes to sign with UFC". mmajunkie.com.
  19. MMAjunkie Staff (2016-08-30). "Bellator vet and submission specialist Marcin Held announces UFC deal". mmajunkie.com.
  20. Danny Sedura (2016-08-31). "Marcin Held vs. Diego Sanchez added to TUF: Latin America 3 Finale". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  21. Ben Fowlkes (2016-11-06). "UFC Fight Night 98 results: Marcin Held can't get submission game going, falls to Diego Sanchez". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  22. Staff (2016-12-02). "Lauzon-Held, Caraway-Rivera, Formiga-Pettis official for UFC Fight Night 103". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  23. Andrew Pearson (2017-01-15). "UFC Fight Night 103 results: Joe Lauzon decisions Marcin Held, claims he lost '100 percent'". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  24. "Joe Lauzon def. Marcin Held". mmadecisions.com. 2017-01-15. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  25. Tristen Crichfield (2017-04-01). "Lightweights Marcin Held, Damir Hadzovic to clash at UFC Fight Night 109 in Stockholm". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  26. Ben Fowlkes (2017-05-28). "UFC Fight Night 109 results: Damir Hadzovic surprises with brutal 3rd-round KO of Marcin Held". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  27. DNA, MMA (2017-08-23). "Marcin Held krijgt gevecht in eigen land tegen Teemu Packalén tijdens UFC Gdansk". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  28. "Knee injury, surgery forces Teemu Packalen from UFC Fight night 118 vs. Marcin Held". mmajunkie.com. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  29. "UFC Fight Night 118 results: Marcin Held tops Nasrat Haqparast for 1st UFC win". MMAjunkie. 2017-10-21. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
  30. Peter Carroll (May 11, 2018). "Marcin Held meets Callan Potter in promotional debut at ACB 88". mmafighting.com.
  31. Marrocco, Steven (2020-03-12). "UFC vet Cezar Ferreira signs with PFL". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  32. Mike Bohn (September 9, 2019). "Bellator 226 post-event facts: Even without win, Ryan Bader makes history". mmajunkie.com.
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