Ian Freeman - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ian William Freeman, a.k.a. "The Machine," (born November 10, 1966) is a retired English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

. He used to fight as a light heavyweight

Light Heavyweight (MMA)

The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....

for Cage Rage

Cage Rage

Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went bankrupt and is now no longer trading...

. He was their final British Light Heavyweight champion.
He was the first English person to fight in the UFC and holds a UFC record of 3-2-1. He was also the first person to beat former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir

Frank Mir

Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...

. Notably, he holds wins over veterans Travis Fulton

Travis Fulton

Travis Fulton is an American mixed martial artist and a professional boxer in the heavyweight division. He has notched up over 300 vale tudo and mixed martial arts fights since 1996 and over 30 boxing matches since 1999....

and Paul Cahoon.

Martial arts background

Ian Freeman came into martial arts from boxing, in which he'd trained for around 10 years. While working as a doorman, he ended up fighting with a man who was intoxicated and a friend mentioned that rather than punch him, he should have choked the man unconscious. Curious as to what he could learn, he started training in Goshin Jujitsu for around six to eight months before competing in an amateur Vale tudo

Vale tudo

Vale tudo are full-contact unarmed combat events, with a limited number of rules, that became popular in Brazil during the 20th century. Vale tudo has been considered a combat sport by some observers...

competition. In his early days, he trained periodically with various instructors, including Marco Ruas

Marco Ruas

Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a retired mixed martial arts fighter and instructor. Most notably, he was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion and is considered one of the earliest examples of the complete mixed martial artist, highly skilled in both striking and grappling.-Biography:Ruas is famous for...

and Renzo Gracie

Renzo Gracie

Renzo Gracie is a Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. and a former mixed martial arts competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship . He is member of the Gracie family of Brazil. He is the son of Robson Gracie, grandson of Carlos Gracie, nephew of Carlos...

Mixed martial arts career

Freeman entered the professional circuit in 1999, considered an early ambassador for mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

and given the nickname, "the Iron Ambassador." In early 2000, UFC approached Ian to fight at UFC 24

UFC 24

UFC 24: First Defense was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 10, 2000 at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.-History:...

, where he lost to Scott Adams. He fought two more times in the UFC, winning both times. Later, Freeman's career hit a low point with four losses in a row, but he returned with a submission win in a rematch with Stanislav Nuschik.

Ian's greatest triumph was arguably his win on home soil over Frank Mir

Frank Mir

at UFC 38

UFC 38

UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on July 13, 2002...

. The heavy underdog, Ian Freeman lived up to his nickname as he systematically ground Mir down and broke his spirit, winning a first round stoppage in front of the English crowd. The match was bittersweet for Ian, having dedicated the match to his father who, unbeknownst to him, died of cancer the day before. Victory gave Freeman with the chance to make his mark on the UFC heavyweight division but his next round saw him stopped by Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...

. A draw with Vernon White signaled the end of Freeman's second stint in UFC and led to his return to the fledgling UK MMA

Mixed martial arts

scene.

After one successful fight for the Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship or CWFC is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. Cage Warriors was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Warrior Promotions, the organisation behind CWFC, is a UK management agency for MMA fighters...

promotion, Ian took a break from MMA, citing chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name used to designate a significantly debilitating medical disorder or group of disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue accompanied by other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months, not due to ongoing exertion, not substantially...

and an overly intense training schedule. He returned 11 months later to fight Ryan Robinson for the vacant Cage Rage Heavyweight title. Defeating Robinson within one round with his now-customary ground and pound, Freeman vacated the title and announced he was dropping to Light Heavyweight. In early 2005, Ian again appeared to ebb away from MMA, appearing as a referee in ITV's

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

ill-fated Celebrity Wrestling

Celebrity Wrestling

Celebrity Wrestling is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV in 2005. It involved two teams of celebrities, competing against each other in wrestling style events. The series was presented by Kate Thornton and Rowdy Roddy Piper...

gameshow, that was quickly relegated to Sunday mornings and subsequently cancelled.

Quitting

Ian Freeman originally signed on to fight Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC light heavyweight champion....

at UFC 55 - Fury

UFC 55

UFC 55: Fury was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 7, 2005 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on DVD....

but suffered a horse-riding accident and was unable to compete. As he had not competed in nearly 9 months, this confirmed his retirement

Retirement

Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...

from competitive MMA. He later cited the return of chronic fatigue as a factor in his layoff and subsequent retirement. After a year-long layoff, he returned to training. He approached Cage Rage and was soon offered a match against the Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight champion Melvin Manhoef

Melvin Manhoef

Melvin Manhoef is a Dutch-Surinamese Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist, trained by Mike Passenier and fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In kickboxing, he is the current It's Showtime 85MAX World Champion, and in MMA he was the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight World champion...

at Cage Rage 17. Originally slated as a "superbout" at a catchweight of 96 kg (211 lbs), Manhoef asked for the fight to take place at the light heavyweight limit of 93 kg (205 lbs), which placed his World Light Heavyweight title on the line. After a career of being a small heavyweight, this would be Freeman's first match at light heavyweight.

Comeback

Freeman's return to MMA ended in a quick, first-round K.O. loss, being knocked out by Melvin Manhoef in just 17 seconds. However, as one of the best known mixed martial artists in Britain, he was granted a shot at British Light Heavyweight champion Mark Epstein at Cage Rage 18 on September 30, 2006. Freeman overpowered Epstein with his ground-and-pound tactic, winning his second Cage Rage title.

Ian trained at the TSG MMA (Team Sure Grip Mixed Martial Arts) School under Head Instructor Daniel Burzotta

Daniel Burzotta

Dan Burzotta; Born on 28 December 1974 in Mazara Del Vallo, Italy is a Mixed Martial Artist. He is the Founder and Head Instructor of the TSG MMA Schools...

to fight Paul Cahoon for the British Cage Rage Light Heavyweight title on May 10, 2008. He won unanimously after three rounds.

Freeman has not fought since Cage Rage ceased operations in late 2008.

Non-fighting career

Ian is a spokesperson for the MMA magazine "Fighters Only" as well as a part time plumber.

His autobiography, "Cage Fighter: The True Story of Ian 'The Machine' Freeman", was published in 2004 by Blake Publishing.

On November 1, 2006, it was announced that Ian was due to coach a British-based team that would have participated in the International Fight League from 2008, had promotion not shut down due to financial difficulties.

He owns Northern Inuit dogs.

In 2005, Ian was the referee on ITV's ill-fated Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV in 2005. It involved two teams of celebrities, competing against each other in wrestling style events. The series was presented by Kate Thornton and Rowdy Roddy Piper...

gameshow. Freeman also starred in the 2008 British action-comedy film Sucker Punch
Sucker Punch (film)
Sucker Punch is a 2011 action-fantasy thriller film, directed by Zack Snyder and co-written by him and Steve Shibuya. It is Snyder's first film based on an original script. The film stars Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, and Oscar Isaac...

.

Ian was the ring announcer for M-1 Global: Breakthrough, which took place August 28, 2009 at Memorial Hall, in Kansas City, Kansas.

Ian has recently agreed to be ring announcer for Clan Wars - Ireland's first Pro ISKA governed MMA competition.

In 2010, Ian worked as spokesman for the now defunct Kudegra Fighting Championship, shortly after he parted company with the promotion.

On 26th Feb 2011, Ian was MC for On Top 1, a Mixed martial arts event held in the Kerrydale Suite (Celtic Park, Glasgow).

On 19th July 2011, Ian formed an affiliation with Battlefield gym/Gracie barra Scotland to form Team Machine MMA Scotland.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Win
|align=center| 19–7–1
| Paul Cahoon
| Decision (unanimous)
| Cage Rage 26

Cage Rage 26

Cage Rage 26: Extreme was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on May 10, 2008 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England...

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

Cage Rage 18

Cage Rage 18: Battleground was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on September 30, 2006 at the Wembley Arena in London, England. The event was televised on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom....

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

Melvin Manhoef

| KO
| Cage Rage 17

Cage Rage 17

Cage Rage 17: Ultimate Challenge was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on July 1, 2006 at the Wembley Arena in London, England....

London

| For the Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Title
|-
| Win
|align=center| 17–6–1
| Will Elworthy
| TKO
| House of Pain: Fight Night
|
|align=center| 1
|
|Wales, UK
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 16–6–1
| Ryan Robinson
| TKO
| Cage Rage

Cage Rage

9: No Mercy
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:21
|London, England
| Wins Cage Rage Heavyweight Title but vacates title shortly afterwards, signalling his intention to drop to light heavyweight.
|-
| Win
|align=center| 15–6–1
| Keith Dace
| TKO
| Cage Warriors FC: Cage Warriors 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:47
|South Shields, England
|
|-
| Draw
|align=center| 14–6–1
| Vernon White

Vernon White

Vernon Verdell White is a professional mixed martial arts fighter who has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship , Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Pancrase, and the International Fight League . He lives in California, and belongs to the fighting team The Lion's...

| Draw (split)
| UFC 43

UFC 43

UFC 43: Meltdown was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 6, 2003, at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas...

Paradise, Nevada

Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...

, USA
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 14–6
| Gerhard Ettl
| Submission (armbar)
| Free Fight Association Austria: Fight Night Championships 4
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 1:40
|
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 13–6
| Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...

| TKO (strikes)
| UFC 40

UFC 40

UFC 40: Vendetta was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 22, 2002, at the MGM Grand Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:25
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 13–5
| Frank Mir

Frank Mir

| TKO (punches)
| UFC 38

UFC 38

UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on July 13, 2002...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:35
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–5
| Carlos Barreto
| Decision (unanimous)
| Hook N Shoot: Kings 1
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|
| Won Hook N Shoot Title

|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–5
| Stanislav Nuschik
| Submission (front choke)
| Free Fight Association Austria: Fight Night Championship 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:57
|
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–5
| Stanislav Nuschik
| KO
| MFC: Russia vs the World 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:20
|
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–4
| Valentijn Overeem

Valentijn Overeem

Valentijn Overeem is a Dutch mixed martial artist who competes as a heavyweight. He has previously competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, RINGS and Strikeforce...

Pancrase

Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...

: Proof 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:51
|
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–2
| Bob Schrijber
| TKO (doctor stoppage)
| It's Showtime - Christmas Edition
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:28
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–1
| Tedd Williams
| Decision
| UFC 27

UFC 27

UFC 27: Ultimate Bad Boyz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 22, 2000 at Lake Front Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...

|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–1
| Bob Stines
| KO (punch)
| Pancrase

Pancrase

: 2000 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:38
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–1
| Nate Schroeder
| Submission (strikes)
| UFC 26

UFC 26

UFC 26: Ultimate Field Of Dreams was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 9, 2000 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.-History:...

|
|align=center| 2
|
|
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 7–1
| Scott Adams
| Submission (achilles leg lock)
| UFC 24

UFC 24

UFC 24: First Defense was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 10, 2000 at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.-History:...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:09
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–0
| Travis Fulton

Travis Fulton

| TKO (didn't answer the bell)
| Millennium Brawl 1: The Beginning
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 0:00
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–0
| Dave Shortby
| TKO
| Total Fight KRG 5
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:02
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–0
| Mark Lamborn
| Submission (rear naked choke)
| British Vale Tudo
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:55
|
| Won British Vale Tudo Title

|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–0
| Keith Dace
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| British Vale Tudo
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:46
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–0
| Kemal Lock
| Submission (ankle lock)
| British Grand Prix '99
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:55
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–0
| Scotty Smith
| TKO
| British Grand Prix '99
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:09
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
| Tony Bailey
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| British Grand Prix '99
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:32
|
|

External links

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