Matt Ghaffari
Siamak "Matt" Ghaffari (/ɡəˈfɑːri/ gə-FAR-ee;[1] Persian: سیامک غفاری, Persian pronunciation: [siːɒːmæk-e ɢæˈffɒːɾiː]; born November 11, 1961 in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran) is an Iran-born American amateur wrestler, MMA Fighter and professional wrestler. Matt Ghaffari was a two-time USA Olympic team member, obtaining a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Ghaffari is the most accomplished Greco-Roman wrestler in U.S.A. history with three American records.
Matt Ghaffari | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Siamak Ghaffari 11 November 1961 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Cleveland State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1984–2000 2002–2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Amateur wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Greco-Roman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Cleveland State Vikings (1981–84) Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (1979–80) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Sunkist Kids | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | Heavyweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
Born in Tehran, Iran, Ghaffari came to the United States of America at a young age, he attended Paramus High School in Paramus, New Jersey.[2]
Amateur wrestling career
Representing the United States at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games and 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, Ghaffari reached the final of the heavyweight Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg division, where he lost a very close match 0-1 to Russia's 2-time Olympic champion Aleksandr Karelin in overtime. [2] Ghaffari is holder of 3 American Records; the only USA Greco-Roman wrestler with a total of four World and Olympic Medals, plus 4-time World Cup Champion, also 9-time Pan-American Champion! All 3 are USA Wrestling Records. Matt was 7-time USA National Wrestling Champion and 2-time USA Olympic Committee Greco-Roman Athlete of the Year.[3]
Mixed martial arts career
In 2002, Ghaffari fought in the Tokyo Dome in front of 28,000 spectators at a mixed martial arts bout in UFO- Universal Fighting-Arts Organization against judo Olympic Silver Medalist Naoya Ogawa. Ghaffari managed to take Ogawa down and attack him with a brief ground and pound, but back to standing, Ogawa landed a punch which shifted Matt's left eye contact lens and forced him to quit.[4]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0-1 |  Naoya Ogawa |
TKO (punch) | UFO Legend | August 8, 2002 | 1 | 0:56 | Tokyo, Japan |
Professional wrestling career
| Matt Ghaffari | |
|---|---|
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Matt Ghaffari[5] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[5] |
| Billed weight | 280 lb (130 kg)[5] |
| Debut | 8 December 2002[5] |
In 1996, Ghaffari was scouted by professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling and was featured in several vignettes, but did not sign up with the company.[6]
After his stint in MMA, Ghaffari started to work in the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, where he won the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship with Tom Howard on December 15, 2002 by defeating Shinya Hashimoto and old opponent Naoya Ogawa.[7] They held the championship until April 29, 2003, when they lost it to Hashimoto and Ogawa.[7]
In 2004, Ghaffari made an apparition for HUSTLE, pinning Ogawa after a beatdown from the heel faction Monster Army (Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Dusty Rhodes Jr., Giant Silva and Dan Bobish).[8]
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tom Howard[7]
- ZERO-ONE O-300 Super Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[9]
References
- "Matt Ghaffari". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- Robbins, Liz. "OLYMPICS; Wrestler Two Victories From Dream", The New York Times, June 24, 2000. Accessed October 17, 2007. "To advance, Ghaffari had to pull out a trick he first used two decades ago at Paramus High School in New Jersey.... At 38, and a loss away from retirement, Ghaffari is still crafty and accomplished, compiling more Olympic and world championship medals than any other Greco-Roman wrestler with four."
- "Honoree: Matt Ghaffari". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- Hawaii Martial Arts News & Rumors – August News Part 2
- "Matt Ghaffari". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- Dimitri Groell, Jan Niedbala, La face cachée du catch: Ring, Coulisses & Business
- "NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champions". Pro Wrestling ZERO-1. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- "HUSTLE Results: 2004" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
- "NWA ZERO-ONE O-300 Super Heavyweight Champions". cagematch.net. Retrieved July 6, 2016.