Anton Zafir
Anton Zafir (born 10 May 1987) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2012, Zafir was also the Nitro MMA Welterweight Champion.
| Anton Zafir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 May 1987 Cairns, Queensland, Australia |
| Other names | The Professor |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Cannonvale, Queensland, Australia |
| Team | Whitsunday Martial Arts |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 10 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Born and raised in Cairns, Zafir is a teacher at Proserpine State High School. He began training in martial arts in 2009 and made his professional debut in mixed martial arts in 2012. He currently runs his camp from his gym at Whitsunday Martial Arts (WMA) with longtime friend and trainer Dan Zealand in Cannonvale, Queensland.
Zafir juggles teaching full time with fighting and also travels to train at Townsville and the Sunshine Coast, Queensland where he works closely with coaches Ian Bone and Rob Giuffrida.[1]
Competing primarily for regional promotions in Queensland, he compiled a record of 7 - 1 Becoming the Nitro MMA Welterweight Champion (1) in 2014.[2]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Zafir made his promotional debut when he was tapped as a short notice replacement and faced James Moontasri on 15 November 2015 at UFC 193, where he filled in for Brendan O'Reilly[3] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[4]
Zafir next faced Li Jingliang on 8 July 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale.[5] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[6]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 10 matches | 7 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 3 |
| By submission | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 7–3 | Li Jingliang | KO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale | 8 July 2016 | 1 | 2:46 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 7–2 | James Moontasri | TKO (spinning back kick and spinning back fist) | UFC 193 | 15 November 2015 | 1 | 4:36 | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |
| Win | 7–1 | Ryan Heketa | TKO (punches) | Nitro MMA 13 | 21 March 2015 | 1 | 4:12 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Defended the Nitro MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–1 | Corey Nelson | Decision (unanimous) | Nitro MMA 11 | 8 March 2014 | 5 | 5:00 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Won the Nitro MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–1 | Tristan Murphy | TKO (punches) | Airlie Fight Night 2 | 30 November 2013 | 2 | 0:00 | Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia | |
| Win | 4–1 | Shane Gregory | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Carnage In The Cage 1 | 7 September 2013 | 2 | 0:49 | Mackay, Queensland, Australia | |
| Win | 3–1 | Rod Staader | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UCU 1 | 10 August 2013 | 1 | 2:24 | Emerald, Queensland, Australia | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Alexander Volkanovski | TKO (punches) | Roshambo MMA 1 | 6 April 2013 | 4 | 2:19 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Paul Cavacus | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WR 15 | 18 August 2012 | 2 | 1:48 | Gladstone, Queensland, Australia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jake Taylor | TKO (punches) | Manowar MMA | 1 June 2012 | 1 | 2:18 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
References
- Nick Walshaw (1 July 2016). "Aussie UFC fighter Anton Zafir takes long road to the big time in while holding down teaching job". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- Staff (19 March 2014). "Anton Zafir takes out Nitro Welterweight Title". whitsundaytimes. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- Alex Oates (6 November 2015). "UFC 193: Zafir gets his chance after O'Reilly forced out". heraldsun.au. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- Brent Brookhouse (14 November 2015). "UFC 193 results: James Moontasri doubles up on spinning stuff to stop Anton Zafir in first". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- Staff (6 April 2016). "3 fights added to TUF 23 Finale in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- Ben Fowlkes (8 July 2016). "TUF 23 Finale results: Li Jingliang turns Anton Zafir's lights out with first-round ground-and-pound". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
External links
- Official WMA Team website | http://whitsundaymartialarts.com/
- Anton Zafir at UFC
- Professional MMA record for Anton Zafir from Sherdog
