Mike van Arsdale
Michael Craig van Arsdale (born June 20, 1965, Waterloo, Iowa, United States)[1] is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 1998 until 2006, he competed for the UFC, International Vale Tudo Championship, and the World Fighting Alliance. He was the winner of the IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament.
| Mike Van Arsdale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Michael Craig Van Arsdale[1] June 20, 1965 Waterloo, Iowa, United States |
| Other names | "Superman" |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight |
| Fighting out of | San Jose, California |
| Team | American Kickboxing Academy (until 2005)[2] JacksonWink MMA (2005–2011)[2][3] Imperial Athletics/BlackZilians (2011–2012)[4][5] |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division I Wrestling |
| Years active | 1998, 2002–2006 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 8 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 4 |
| Notable students | Rashad Evans |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, van Arsdale has a very decorated background in wrestling. He attended Waterloo West High School, and compiled a record of 20–6 as a sophomore, went 28–2 while also winning a state championship as a junior, and then went 27–3 while being a state-runner up in his senior year. Van Arsdale then won a Junior National title and was a Junior World runner-up title before continuing his career in college at Iowa State University. A first-team freshman All-American, van Arsdale placed sixth in the NCAA tournament as a sophomore (1985) and placed third in his junior season (1986). As a senior, he was the 1988 NCAA Division 1 collegiate wrestling champion at 167 lb (76 kg). After college, van Arsdale won a World Cup Championship in 1991, a CISM (military) World Championship, was a two-time Olympic alternate, and a six-time member of the National Freestyle Wrestling team. van Arsdale was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.[6]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
van Arsdale's professional mixed martial arts debut came in 1998 when he traveled to Brazil to compete in the no-rules International Vale Tudo Championship, a tournament in which van Arsdale won three consecutive fights in one evening to claim the title.
His first career loss was in his fifth professional fight, when he was knocked out by Wanderlei Silva.
UFC
With a record of 7–1, van Arsdale signed with the UFC and made his debut for the organization on May 15, 1998 against Gracie Jiu-jitsu representative Joe Pardo, defeating him via submission. He would compete for the UFC next on April 16, 2005 against John Marsh at UFC 52. Van Arsdale won via unanimous decision.
His next appearance was at UFC 54 on August 20, 2005 against UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. He was defeated via submission in the third round.
van Arsdale fought again on February 4, 2006 at UFC 57 against Renato "Babalu" Sobral and lost via rear-naked choke submission at 2:21 in the first round.
Coaching
van Arsdale was the head coach for the Blackzillians when the team was initially formed in 2011. He has since moved on from the team and is currently opening a new gym in Arizona.[7]
Melvin Guillard, former UFC Lightweight and former student of van Arsdale, stirred controversy by saying that he was "glad" that van Arsdale left the Blackzilians camp.[8]
Personal life
van Arsdale has five children.[5]
Championships and accomplishments
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- George Tragos Award (2017)[9]
- International Vale Tudo Championship
- IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament Winner[10]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 13 matches | 8 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 4 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 8–5 | Matt Lindland | Submission (guillotine choke) | Raze MMA: Fight Night | April 29, 2006 | 1 | 3:38 | California, United States | |
| Loss | 8–4 | Jorge Oliveira | Submission (triangle choke) | PFA: Pride and Fury 4 | March 24, 2006 | 1 | 4:02 | Idaho, United States | |
| Loss | 8–3 | Renato Sobral | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 | February 4, 2006 | 1 | 2:21 | Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Randy Couture | Submission (anaconda choke) | UFC 54 | August 20, 2005 | 3 | 0:52 | Nevada, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 8–1 | John Marsh | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 52 | April 16, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Emanuel Newton | Submission (kimura) | MMA Mexico: Day 1 | December 17, 2004 | 1 | 1:35 | Mexico | |
| Win | 6–1 | Mario Lopez | Submission (crucifix) | EP: XXXtreme Impact | December 28, 2003 | 1 | 0:28 | Mexico | |
| Win | 5–1 | Chris Haseman | TKO (strikes) | WFA 3: Level 3 | November 23, 2002 | 2 | 3:10 | Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 4–1 | Wanderlei Silva | KO (soccer kick to the back of the head) | IVC 6: The Challenge | August 23, 1998 | 1 | 4:00 | Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Joe Pardo | Submission (armlock) | UFC 17 | May 15, 1998 | 1 | 11:01 | Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Dario Amorim | Submission (shoulder injury) | IVC 4: The Battle | February 7, 1998 | 1 | 2:42 | Brazil | Won the IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament. |
| Win | 2–0 | Marcelo Barbosa | Submission (punches) | 1 | 3:36 | IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals. | |||
| Win | 1–0 | Francisco Nonato | Submission (keylock) | 1 | 5:42 | IVC 4 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinals. |
Submission grappling record
KO PUNCHES
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
| Win |  Renato Verisimo | Decision | The Contenders | 1997 | 5 | 5:00 |
References
- Mixed martial arts show results Date: April 16, 2005
- "Van Arsdale returns to the octagon". mmaweekly.com. January 30, 2006.
- Stephie Haynes (January 17, 2017). "Chapter 11 filing could be contributing factor for Blackzilians camp issues". bloodyelbow.com.
- "Rashad and van Arsdale set up new camp at Imperial Athletics". mixedmartialarts.com.
- Mike Chiappetta (July 30, 2012). "With Mike Van Arsdale's Departure, Mario Sperry in as New Blackzilians Head Coach". mmafighting.com.
- "Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame - Cresco, Iowa". Iowawrestlinghalloffame.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
- Dane Ford. "MMAInsider.net The Insider W/ Mike Van Arsdale". MMAInsider.net. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
- "Melvin Guillard: I'm glad Mike Van Arsdale is gone from Blackzilians". Mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
- Johnson, Mike (2017-04-09). "Complete details on 2017 Thesz/Tragos Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame class of 2017". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- http://wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=shows&show=75046
