Shawn Bunch (born March 19, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's bantamweight division.

Shawn Bunch
Born (1983-03-19) March 19, 1983 (age 41)
Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Other namesBunch The Great
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight (135 lb)
Reach66 in (168 cm)[1]
StyleFreestyle wrestling
Fighting out ofSan Jose, California, U.S.
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling
Olympic Alternate (freestyle wrestling)
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins11
By knockout3
By decision8
Losses6
By knockout1
By submission2
By decision3
UniversityEdinboro University of Pennsylvania
Notable school(s)Leavenworth High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  United States
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 San Salvador 60 kg
Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane
Gold medal – first place 2011 Nice 60 kg
Alexander Medved Prizes
Gold medal – first place 2011 Minsk 60 kg
Golden Grand Prix
Silver medal – second place 2010 Baku 60 kg
US Open National Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Cleveland 60 kg
Silver medal – second place 2011 Cleveland 60 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Edinboro Fighting Scots
NCAA Division I Championships
Silver medal – second place 2005 St. Louis 133 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Oklahoma City 133 lb

Wrestling career

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Bunch competed in high school for Leavenworth High School in Leavenworth, Kansas and in college for Edinboro University, where he was a four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American.[2] He was also a U.S. national and Pan American champion, and two-time Olympic alternate at 133 lb (60 kg). In June 2012, he lost to Coleman Scott at a wrestle-off, which decided the final Olympic roster spot.[3][4][5]

Mixed martial arts career

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Bellator MMA

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Bunch made his professional and promotional debut on November 30, 2012 at Bellator 82 against Chad Coon. He won via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).[6]

Bunch was expected to face Steve Garcia on July 31, 2013 at Bellator 97. However, Garcia was replaced by Russell Wilson due to injury.[7] Bunch defeated Wilson via split decision (29-28 Bunch, 29-28 Wilson, 29-28 Bunch).[8]

Bunch/Garcia eventually took place on October 25, 2013 at Bellator 105. He had his first mixed martial arts defeat via TKO in the third round.[9]

After a long layoff, Bunch faced David Duran at Bellator 127 on October 3, 2014.[10] He won the fight via KO in the first round.

Bunch faced Rolando Perez at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015.[11] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Bunch next faced Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 143 on September 25, 2015. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Bellator MMA announced on October 27, 2020, that Bunch had been released from the promotion.[12]

Post-Bellator career

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After the release, Bunch signed with UAE Warriors and faced Rany Saadeh at UAE Warriors 22 on September 4, 2021.[13] Bunch won the bout via split decision.[14]

Bunch faced Firdavs Khasanov on January 28, 2022 at Eagle FC 44.[15] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[16]

Bunch faced Adi Alić on May 20, 2022 at Eagle FC 47.[17] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[18]

Championships and accomplishments

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  • Conquer Fighting Championships
    • Fight of the Night (1 Time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
17 matches 11 wins 6 losses
By knockout 3 1
By submission 0 2
By decision 8 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 11–6 Adi Alić Decision (unanimous) Eagle FC 47 May 20, 2022 3 5:00 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 11–5 Firdavs Khasanov Decision (unanimous) Eagle FC 44 January 28, 2022 3 5:00 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 10–5 Rany Saadeh Decision (split) UAE Warriors 22 September 4, 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 9–5 Keith Lee Decision (unanimous) Bellator 239 February 21, 2020 3 5:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Loss 9–4 Leandro Higo Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 228 September 28, 2019 2 4:34 Inglewood, California, United States
Win 9–3 Dominic Mazzotta Decision (unanimous) Bellator 219 March 29, 2019 3 5:00 Temecula, California, United States
Win 8–3 Joe Warren TKO (submission to punches) Bellator 210 November 30, 2018 1 1:42 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 7–3 Rodrigo Lima Decision (unanimous) Conquer Fighting Championships 4 June 24, 2017 3 5:00 Richmond, California United States
Win 6–3 Josh San Diego Decision (unanimous) Dragon House 24 November 12, 2016 3 5:00 San Francisco, California United States
Win 5–3 Khomkrit Niimi TKO (punches) Conquer Fighting Championships 2 April 30, 2016 1 3:37 Richmond, California United States
Loss 4–3 Stephan Cervantes Decision (split) Conquer Fighting Championships 1 November 21, 2015 3 5:00 Richmond, California United States Fight of the Night
Loss 4–2 Darrion Caldwell Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 143 September 25, 2015 1 2:35 Hidalgo, Texas, United States
Win 4–1 Rolando Perez Decision (unanimous) Bellator 137 May 15, 2015 3 5:00 Temecula, California, United States
Win 3–1 David Duran TKO (punches) Bellator 127 October 3, 2014 1 3:11 Temecula, California, United States
Loss 2–1 Steve Garcia TKO (punches) Bellator 105 October 25, 2013 3 3:29 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States
Win 2–0 Russell Wilson Decision (split) Bellator 97 July 31, 2013 3 5:00 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States
Win 1–0 Chad Coon Decision (unanimous) Bellator 82 November 30, 2012 3 5:00 Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States

References

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  1. ^ "Shawn Bunch's profile". Tapology.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Biography: Shawn Bunch". TheMat.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  3. ^ Ariel Helwani (June 17, 2012). "Former Olympic hopeful Shawn Bunch signs with Bellator". MMAfighting.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  4. ^ Luke Thomas (November 29, 2012). "For Bellator's Shawn Bunch, MMA was always part of the plan". MMAfighting.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  5. ^ Tim Rohan (June 8, 2012). "Wrestle-off in Times Square decides final Olympic roster spot". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  6. ^ Brian Knapp (November 30, 2012). "Undefeated Andrey Koreshkov dismisses Lyman Good in welterweight final at Bellator 82". Sherdog.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  7. ^ Phillip Lujan (July 23, 2013). "Bellator 97: Russell Wilson steps in on short notice, replaces Steve Garcia against Shawn Bunch". Swfight.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  8. ^ Luke Thomas (July 31, 2013). "Bellator 97 results: Chandler vs. Rickels". MMAfighting.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  9. ^ Brian Knapp (October 25, 2012). "Will Brooks, Alexander Sarnavskiy punch tickets to lightweight final at Bellator 105". Sherdog.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  10. ^ "Bellator 127 lineup again complete as Gonzalez replaces Zaromskis, Duran meets Bunch". mmajunkie.com. September 24, 2014.
  11. ^ Guilherme Cruz (April 16, 2015). "Bellator 137 card complete with addition of six new fights, including Darrion Caldwell vs. Rafael Silva". mmafighting.com.
  12. ^ Damon Martin, Mike Heck (October 27, 2020). "Former two-division champion Joe Warren, Ricky Bandejas, Roy Nelson among slew of Bellator fighters no longer under contract". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  13. ^ Farah Hannoun (August 11, 2021). "Shawn Bunch meets Rany Saadeh at UAE Warriors 22 on Sept. 4". MMAjunkie.com.
  14. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (2022-01-28). "LIVE! Eagle FC 44 Results & Streaming Updates". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  15. ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-12-26). "Yorgan De Castro Signs With Eagle FC, Fight With Shaun Asher In The Works For January". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  16. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (2022-01-28). "LIVE! Eagle FC 44 Results & Streaming Updates". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  17. ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2022-05-16). "Eagle FC 47 finalized with 11 bouts, Junior Dos Santos vs. Yorgan De Castro headlines". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  18. ^ Al-Shatti, Shaun (2022-05-20). "Eagle FC 47 results: Junior dos Santos injures shoulder, Hector Lombard vs. Thiago Silva ends in no contest". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-05-22.