| Anthony Perosh | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1972-10-05)5 October 1972 (age 53) Sydney, Australia |
| Other names | The Hippo Don Flamingo |
| Residence | Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian Croatian |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb) |
| Division | Light heavyweight (205 lb) (2003–2006, 2007–2010, 2011–2016) Heavyweight (265 lb) (2006, 2010) |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Sydney |
| Team | Sinosic/Perosh Martial Arts |
| Rank | 5th Degree Black Belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]underCarlos Machado[2] Black belt inKempo Karate[citation needed] Black prajied inMuay Thai[3] |
| Years active | 2003–2016 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 25 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 10 |
| Losses | 10 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Anthony Perosh (born 5 October 1972[4]) is a retired Australian professionalmixed martial artist who competed in theLight Heavyweight division of theUltimate Fighting Championship.
Perosh was born and raised in Sydney, Australia and is ofCroatian descent, as both of his parents are Croatian immigrants. Perosh began training inmartial arts while doing security work to help pay for college tuition.
The training would help him in working security and he began his training in 1995 withPaul Zadro, when he was 23 years old. This original training was inKempo Karate and Muay Thai, before he learned about Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 1997 Perosh moved to Dallas, Texas to train withCarlos Machado (A World BJJ Champion) for over two years.
In 2003, Machado presented Perosh with ablack belt in Machado Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Perosh is now a fifth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, still under Machado. Perosh trained to compete in mixed martial arts after he received his black belt when he was 31 years old.[5]
Perosh made his professional mixed martial arts debut on 29 November 2003 defeating Api Hemara by first-roundrear-naked chokesubmission. Perosh went on to fight two more times that night, winning both bouts by submission. He was invited to the UFC after compiling a 5–1 record with his only loss coming to 11–0 Sam Nest, by the way of decision.
His UFC debut came not only against a fellowADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship grappler, but against an ADCC ChampionJeff Monson atUFC 61. With both Monson and Perosh's Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills being cancelled out, the fight saw Monson instead win bytechnical knockout that subsequently led to a fight withTim Sylvia for theUFC Heavyweight Championship.
His next fight came againstChristian Wellisch atUFC 66 in a bloody brawl that saw both fighters knock each other down along with Perosh earning more takedowns while Wellisch landed more strikes. The win could have gone to either fighter, but the judges gave it unanimously to Wellisch. Perosh was released from the UFC following the fight.
On 22 May 2009, Perosh won the quarter-final match against Nate Carey at CFC 8. He also won the semi-final match against Dave Frendin at CFC 9 on 11 July 2009. On 21 August 2009, Perosh was defeated by future UFC veteranJames Te-Huna in the finals, at CFC 10. Te-Huna controversially stomped on Perosh when he was down at the end of the fight but was not given a punishment.
AtUFC 110, the UFC's debut event in Australia on 20 February 2010, Perosh made his return to the UFC filling in as a late replacement forBen Rothwell against legendarykickboxer and former2006 Pride World Grand Prix Openweight ChampionMirko Cro Cop on a mere two days notice. Doctors called an end to the fight with Cro Cop at the end of the second round, as Perosh was bleeding from a cut sustained midway through the 2nd round by a vicious elbow from his opponent.
Although he lost, Perosh was given a four-fight contract with the UFC for stepping in on late notice against such a great opponent. On 27 March 2010, Perosh announced he would be undergoing knee surgery in the coming weeks and that he hoped that his next fight in the UFC would take place sometime in September 2010.
In hislight heavyweight debut atUFC 127, Perosh quickly defeated English fighter Tom Blackledge to finally capture his first win in the UFC.[6] He won the fight byrear-naked choke submission at 2:45 of the first round in front of his hometown crowd in Sydney, Australia; he stated post-fight that he feels much stronger at light heavyweight and would like to see how far he can go in his new weight class.
Perosh was scheduled to faceKrzysztof Soszynski on 11 June 2011 atUFC 131.[7] However, Perosh was forced from the bout with an eye injury and was replaced byIgor Pokrajac.[8]
On 5 November 2011 atUFC 138 Perosh defeatedCyrille Diabaté via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:09 of round two to gain his secondUFC win in succession.[9]
Perosh next faced promotional newcomer Nick Penner on 3 March 2012 atUFC on FX 2.[10] He won the fight viaTKO in the first round.
Perosh facedRyan Jimmo on 21 July 2012 atUFC 149,[11] losing via KO in 7 seconds.
Perosh was expected to faceJoey Beltran on 15 December 2012 atUFC on FX 6.[12] However, Perosh was forced from the bout with a toe injury and replaced byIgor Pokrajac.[13]
In his sixth fight for the promotion since his return, Perosh facedVinny Magalhães on 3 August 2013 atUFC 163.[14] He won the fight viaknockout just 10 seconds in the first round. This earned Perosh his firstKnockout of the Night bonus award.[15]
Perosh facedRyan Bader on 7 December 2013 atUFC Fight Night 33.[16] He lost the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–26).
Perosh was expected to faceGian Villante on 28 June 2014 atUFC Fight Night 43. However, Perosh was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Sean O'Connell.[17]
Perosh facedGuto Inocente atUFC Fight Night 55 on 8 November 2014.[18] He won the fight via submission in the first round.
Perosh facedSean O'Connell on 10 May 2015 atUFC Fight Night 65.[19] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[20]
Perosh facedGian Villante on 15 November 2015 atUFC 193.[21] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[22]
Perosh announced his retirement from active competition in January 2016.[23]
Perosh previously ran Sinosic Perosh Martial Arts (SPMA), with his business and training partner, former UFC veteranElvis Sinosic in Sydney.Perosh currently runs Team Perosh Mixed Martial Arts which was established in late 2017, a martial arts school located in Sydney, Australia teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and wrestling. Both Instructors decided to open their Gyms after they agreed that one instructor should be at one location to pay closer attention to their students.
His nickname, "The Hippo," derived from his specific jiu-jitsu game; his use of pressure from the top position made his training partners frustrated and say: "Get off me you hippo!".[24]
| 25 matches | 15 wins | 10 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 7 |
| By submission | 10 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 15–10 | Gian Villante | KO (punch) | UFC 193 | 15 November 2015 | 1 | 2:56 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Loss | 15–9 | Sean O'Connell | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt | 10 May 2015 | 1 | 0:56 | Adelaide, Australia | |
| Win | 15–8 | Guto Inocente | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping | 8 November 2014 | 1 | 3:46 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Loss | 14–8 | Ryan Bader | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot | 7 December 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Brisbane, Australia | |
| Win | 14–7 | Vinny Magalhães | KO (punches) | UFC 163 | 3 August 2013 | 1 | 0:14 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Knockout of the Night. |
| Loss | 13–7 | Ryan Jimmo | KO (punch) | UFC 149 | 21 July 2012 | 1 | 0:07 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |
| Win | 13–6 | Nick Penner | TKO (punches) | UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann | 3 March 2012 | 1 | 4:59 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 12–6 | Cyrille Diabaté | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 138 | 5 November 2011 | 2 | 3:09 | Birmingham, England | |
| Win | 11–6 | Tom Blackledge | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 127 | 27 February 2011 | 1 | 2:45 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Loss | 10–6 | Mirko Cro Cop | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 110 | 21 February 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Sydney, Australia | Heavyweight bout. |
| Win | 10–5 | Kym Robinson | TKO (punches) | Rize 3: Ascension | 8 November 2009 | 1 | N/A | Brisbane, Australia | |
| Loss | 9–5 | James Te Huna | KO (punches) | CFC 10: Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Finals | 21 August 2009 | 1 | 2:21 | Sydney, Australia | CFC Light Heavyweight Tournament Final. |
| Win | 9–4 | David Frendin | Submission (knees) | CFC 9: Fighters Paradise | 11 July 2009 | 1 | 2:45 | Carrara, Australia | CFC Light Heavyweight Tournament Semi-final. |
| Win | 8–4 | Nate Carey | TKO (punches) | CFC 8: Light Heavyweight Grand Prix | 22 May 2009 | 1 | 4:16 | Sydney, Australia | CFC Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 7–4 | Bryan Harper | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CFC 6: Eliminator | 8 November 2008 | 2 | 4:04 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Loss | 6–4 | Moise Rimbon | KO (flying knee) | Cage Fighting Championships 3 | 15 February 2008 | 1 | 4:11 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 6–3 | Carlo Lattore | TKO (punches) | Cage Fighting Championships 2 | 23 November 2007 | 1 | 4:31 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Loss | 5–3 | Christian Wellisch | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 66 | 30 December 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Heavyweight bout. |
| Loss | 5–2 | Jeff Monson | TKO (punches) | UFC 61 | 8 July 2006 | 1 | 2:42 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Heavyweight bout. |
| Win | 5–1 | Ross Dallow | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Warriors Realm 5 | 25 February 2006 | 1 | 2:25 | Bokarina, Australia | |
| Win | 4–1 | Matt Foki | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Spartan Reality Fight 10 | 31 July 2004 | 1 | 3:43 | Gold Coast, Australia | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Sam Nest | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto Australia: NHB | 20 May 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Win | 3–0 | David Frendin | Submission (choke) | Spartan Reality Fight 8 | 29 November 2003 | 1 | 2:26 | Gold Coast, Australia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Mal Foki | Submission (punches) | Spartan Reality Fight 8 | 29 November 2003 | 1 | 3:31 | Gold Coast, Australia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Api Hemara | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Spartan Reality Fight 8 | 29 November 2003 | 1 | 1:13 | Gold Coast, Australia |
