Daniel Sarafian

Daniel Sarafian Gantman (born August 21, 1982, in Sao Paulo, Brazil) is an Armenian-Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of Absolute Championship Berkut. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Sarafian has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, and was a competitor on Globo's The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

Daniel Sarafian
BornDaniel Sarafian Gantman
(1982-08-21) August 21, 1982
Sao Paulo, Brazil
NationalityBrazilian
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)[1]
DivisionLight Heavyweight
Middleweight
Welterweight
Reach69.7 in (177 cm)[2]
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofSao Paulo, Brazil
TeamPower MMA And Fitness
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3]
Years active2006–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins11
By knockout1
By submission7
By decision3
Losses6
By knockout2
By submission1
By decision3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Sarafian started training in the martial arts at the age of five years under his grandfather who was a black belt in judo. Sarafian took solely judo classes until he was ten years old when he began training karate. At sixteen he began taking lessons in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. After entering high school and getting constantly picked on for being overweight, Sarafian began working out and training MMA. Only a couple classes into MMA, Sarafian "fell in love with fighting".

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Sarafian made his professional debut at Predator FC 2 against Jorge Luis Bezerra, winning the fight via submission in round three. In his next bout, he agreed to fight UFC and Strikeforce veteran Mike Whitehead. Sarafian lost the fight via unanimous decision. After his bout with Whitehead Sarafian was asked to take a fight for District Combat Promotions, a small promotion based in the United States. Sarafian took the fight and won via submission (armbar) in the third round.

Sarafian stayed in the United States and fought on the Texas' promotion, Xtreme Fight Championship. He fought Cedric Marks and won the fight via submission in the first round. Sarafian then signed a one-fight deal with Bellator Fighting Championships to compete on their first fight card of their inaugural season. Sarafian fought Gary Padilla, losing in the second round via referee stoppage. Sarafian racked up four straight wins before signing on to take part on The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter

In March 2012, it was revealed that Sarafian was selected to be a participant on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. Sarafian defeated Richardson Moreira via decision to move into the Ultimate Fighter house, and become an official cast member.

Sarafian was selected as the third pick (sixth overall) by Vitor Belfort to be a part of Team Belfort. In the first Middleweight fight of the season, Sarafian was selected to fight Renee Forte. Sarafian dominated the fight and won via rear naked choke in the second round.[4]

In the semi-finals Sarafian was selected to fight Sérgio Moraes. Sarafian won the fight in the first round via KO after hitting Moraes with a flying knee as he dropped for a take down. The win moved Sarafian into the finals of the middleweight tournament, set to take place at the UFC 147.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sarafian was scheduled to officially make his UFC debut at UFC 147 on June 23, 2012, to determine the middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. However, due to an injury, Sarafian was replaced by Sérgio Moraes and did not compete at the event.[5]

In his debut, Sarafian faced C.B. Dollaway on January 19, 2013, at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping.[6] He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Despite the loss, it was awarded the Fight of the Night honors.

Sarafian faced promotional newcomer Eddie Mendez on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10.[7] He won the fight via arm triangle submission in the first round.

In what was originally set to be The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil middleweight final, Sarafian faced Cezar Ferreira on November 9, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 32.[8] He lost the fight via split decision.

Sarafian faced Kiichi Kunimoto in a welterweight bout on June 14, 2014, at UFC 174.[9] He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Sarafian was expected to return to middleweight and face Dan Miller on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58.[10] However, Miller pulled out of the bout on December 11 and was replaced by promotional newcomer Antônio dos Santos.[11] Sarafian won the fight via second round TKO as dos Santos dislocated a finger and was unable to continue.[12]

Sarafian was expected to face Ricardo Abreu on June 6, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 68.[13] However on May 4, Sarafian was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury and was replaced by Jake Collier.[14]

Sarafian was expected to face Sam Alvey on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83.[15] However, Alvey pulled out of the bout in late December after sustaining a broken jaw and was replaced by Oluwale Bamgbose[16][17] Sarafian lost the fight via knockout in the first round. After his loss to Bamgbose, Sarafian was subsequently released from the promotion[18]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
17 matches 11 wins 6 losses
By knockout 1 2
By submission 7 1
By decision 3 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 11–6 Carlos Eduardo Decision (unanimous) ACB 82: Silva vs. Kolobegov March 9, 2018 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 10–6 James Austen Heidlage Decision (unanimous) LFA: Sioux Falls Fight Night 1 April 29, 2017 3 5:00 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States Return to Light Heavyweight.
Loss 9–6 Oluwale Bamgbose KO (head kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy February 21, 2016 1 1:00 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 9–5 Antônio dos Santos TKO (finger injury) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway December 20, 2014 2 1:01 Barueri, Brazil Return to Middleweight.
Loss 8–5 Kiichi Kunimoto Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 174 June 14, 2014 1 2:52 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Welterweight debut.
Loss 8–4 Cezar Ferreira Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson November 9, 2013 3 5:00 Goiânia, Brazil
Win 8–3 Eddie Mendez Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum June 8, 2013 1 2:20 Fortaleza, Brazil
Loss 7–3 C.B. Dollaway Decision (split) UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping January 19, 2013 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil Fight of the Night.
Win 7–2 Ricardo Silva Submission (rear-naked choke) Pretorian 1 July 5, 2011 1 4:01 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 6–2 Gilklei Antonio Silva Submission (punches) Blaze FC 1 February 26, 2011 1 1:44 Curitiba, Brazil
Win 5–2 Mauricio Alonso Decision (unanimous) First Class Fight 5 October 23, 2010 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 4–2 Yuri Villas Boas Submission (arm-triangle choke) Hero Kombat 1 April 24, 2010 1 2:14 São Paulo, Brazil
Loss 3–2 Gary Padilla TKO (punches) Bellator 1 April 3, 2009 2 3:04 Hollywood, Florida, United States Middleweight debut.
Win 3–1 Cedric Marks Submission (triangle choke) Xtreme Fight Championship February 27, 2009 1 2:06 Austin, Texas, United States
Win 2–1 Lamont Lister Submission (armbar) District Combat Promotions 1 December 13, 2008 3 1:32 Washington, D.C., United States
Loss 1–1 Mike Whitehead Decision (unanimous) Platinum Fighting Productions 1 December 9, 2007 3 5:00 Quezon City, Philippines
Win 1–0 Jorge Luis Bezerra Submission (guillotine choke) Predador FC 2 August 11, 2006 3 0:43 São Paulo, Brazil

Mixed martial arts exhibition record
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 3-0 Sérgio Moraes KO (flying knee) The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil June 17, 2012 (airdate) 1 4:07 São Paulo, Brazil The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil semifinal round.
Win 2-0 Renee Forte Submission (rear-naked choke) The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil May 8, 2012 (airdate) 2 0:00 São Paulo, Brazil The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil preliminary round.
Win 1-0 Richardson Moreira Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil March 25, 2012 (airdate) 2 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil elimination round.

See also

References
  1. Gerbasi, Thomas (2014-12-19). "Official Fight Night Barueri 2014 Weigh In Results". ufc.com. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  2. "Fight Card - UFC 174 Johnson vs. Bagautinov". UFC.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  3. "Daniel Sarafian - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  4. "Episode No. 3 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil'". Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  5. Staff (2012-06-18). "Sergio Moraes replaces injured Daniel Sarafian in 'TUF: Brazil' middleweight final". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  6. "UFC makes official Jan. 19 card in Brazil". MMAjunkie.com. November 3, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06.
  7. Dana Becker (2013-03-18). "Daniel Sarafian-Eddie Mendez Added To UFC On FUEL TV 10". fightline.com. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  8. Christoffer Esping. "Cezar Mutante möter Daniel Sarafian på UFC Fight Night 32". mmanytt.se. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
  9. Matt Erickson (2014-03-18). "Daniel Sarafian meets Kiichi Kunimoto at UFC 174 in Vancouver". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  10. Jacob Cooper (2014-10-16). "Daniel Sarafian vs. Dan Miller Added To UFC Fight Night 58". fansided.com. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
  11. Staff (2014-12-11). "Antonio dos Santos Jr. replaces Dan Miller at UFC Fight Night 58". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  12. Ben Fowlkes (2014-12-20). "UFC Fight Night 58 results: Daniel Sarafian gets odd injury TKO vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  13. Jason Floyd (2015-03-10). "Daniel Sarafian vs. Ricardo Abreu booked for UFC Fight Night 68 in New Orleans". themmareport.com. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  14. Staff (2015-05-04). "Daniel Sarafian out of UFC Fight Night bout; Ricardo Abreu meets Jake Collier on June 6". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  15. Staff (2015-12-16). "Sam Alvey vs. Daniel Sarafian joins UFC Fight Night 82 lineup in Pittsburgh". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  16. Staff (2015-12-29). "Sam Alvey suffers broken jaw, out of UFC Fight Night 82 vs. Daniel Sarafian". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  17. Tristen Critchfield (2016-01-05). "Oluwale Bamgbose replaces injured Sam Alvey, meets Daniel Sarafian at UFC Fight Night Pittsburgh". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-01-05.
  18. Ben Fowlkes (2016-02-21). "UFC Fight Night 83 results: Oluwale Bamgbose flattens Daniel Sarafian for 1st UFC win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
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