Matt Mitrione

Matt Mitrione was born on July 15th, 1978 in Springfield, Illinois. He attended Purdue University, earning a football scholarship and later receiving an offer with the New York Giants in 2002. After repeated injuries to his foot over multiple years, Mitrione turned his focus to mixed martial arts, moving to Indianapolis, Indiana in 2005 to train with professional fighters.

Since turning to MMA, his most significant fights have occurred in the UFC, highlighted by his 2009 pro exhibition win against Scott Junk, his TKO of Tim Hague in 2011, his KO against Phillip De Fries in 2013, his TKO against Gabriel Gonzaga in 2014, and his recent 2017 win by TKO against the well-known Fedor Emelianenko, who is arguably one of the greatest fighters of all time.