Brad Imes

Brad Imes
Imes in 2007
BornBradley Imes Smith
(1977-03-13) March 13, 1977 (age 47)
Maryville, Missouri, United States
Other namesThe Hillbilly Heartthrob
Height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight260 lb (120 kg; 19 st)
DivisionHeavyweight
Fighting out ofBettendorf, Iowa
TeamSacramento BJJ[1]
Miletich Fighting Systems[2]
Years active2004–2009
Mixed martial arts record
Total20
Wins13
By knockout3
By submission8
By decision2
Losses7
By knockout3
By submission1
By decision3
UniversityUniversity of Missouri
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Bradley Imes "Brad" Smith (born on March 13, 1977), better known as Brad Imes, is a retired American mixed martial artist. He appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 2, and has competed as a Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), International Fight League (IFL), Palace Fighting Championship (PFC), Titan Fighting Championships (Titan FC), and King of the Cage (KOTC).

Background

Imes was born and raised in Maryville, Missouri. He began wrestling when he was five years old.[3] He also played high school football in Columbia, Missouri,[4] but did not start at a position on the team.[3] Imes was 5'9" and weighed 165 lbs when he graduated before attending the University of Missouri.[3] Within the next two years, Imes stood at 6'7", weighed 290 lbs, and walked on to the school's football team as a sophomore before earning a scholarship as an offensive tackle and lettering in his senior season.[3] After college, Imes played for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League for two seasons and was a strength coach for TCU.[3] Imes later moved to Sacramento, California, where he worked as the general manager of a landscaping supply store before being laid off, and then began pursuing mixed martial arts.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Imes made his professional debut in 2004 for the WEC and won his first three fights before being invited to compete on The Ultimate Fighter 2.

The Ultimate Fighter 2

Imes was the last pick for his division, and was coached by his training partner and then-UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin. In his first fight in the house, Imes defeated Rob MacDonald via triangle choke submission in the first round. In the semi-finals, Imes faced Seth Petruzelli and won via split decision. At The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale on November 5, 2005, Imes faced future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, and lost via split decision, the first loss of his career.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

At UFC Ultimate Fight Night 4 on April 6, 2006, Imes faced Dan Christison and lost via armbar submission in the third round, but won "Fight of the Night" honors. He then won two fights for independent promotions before returning to the UFC at UFC 69 on April 7, 2007, and lost via unanimous decision.

Post-UFC

After his last appearance in the UFC, Imes went 7–1, fighting in promotions such as the Palace Fighting Championship and King of the Cage before being signed by the International Fight League.

International Fight League

Imes made his IFL debut on May 16, 2008 at IFL: Connecticut, facing then-champion Roy Nelson for the IFL Heavyweight Championship. He was knocked out with a punch in the first round.

Post-IFL

Imes went 1–2 in his last three professional fights before retiring. According to Imes, he retired from the sport due to concerns over his brain health after accumulating trauma from football and mixed martial arts.[4][1]

Post-retirement

Imes works as a project manager for a construction company in San Antonio, TX.[citation needed] Imes worked as a full-time firefighter in Jefferson City, Missouri.[4]

Imes was featured in a small role in the 2007 action film Missionary Man.[7]

Personal life

Imes and his wife had their first child together in March 2011.[1]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
20 matches 13 wins 7 losses
By knockout 2 3
By submission 9 1
By decision 2 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–7 Josh Queen KO (punches) Arena Rumble September 12, 2009 1 0:36 Spokane, Washington, United States
Loss 13–6 Patrick Smith KO (punches) Titan FC 13 March 13, 2009 1 0:28 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win 13–5 Chris Guillen Submission (punches) EC 109: Extreme Challenge 109 October 18, 2008 2 3:14 Moline, Illinois, United States
Loss 12–5 Roy Nelson KO (punches) IFL: Connecticut May 16, 2008 1 2:55 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States For the IFL Heavyweight Championship.
Win 12–4 James Jack Decision (unanimous) TFF: True Fight Fans March 7, 2008 3 5:00 Missouri, United States
Loss 11–4 Anthony Ruiz Decision (split) PFC 6: No Retreat, No Surrender January 17, 2008 3 5:00 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 11–3 Chris Blaire TKO (punches) PFC 5: Beatdown at 4 Bears November 10, 2007 1 4:13 New Town, North Dakota, United States
Win 10–3 Bo Cantrell Submission (gogoplata) KOTC: Arch Rivals October 27, 2007 1 0:55 Reno, Nevada, United States
Win 9–3 Zak Jensen Submission (gogoplata) WFC: Downtown Throwdown September 15, 2007 1 1:31 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Win 8–3 Tony Mendoza Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring Wars 15 August 7, 2007 1 2:50 South Dakota, United States
Win 7–3 Vince Lucero Submission (rear-naked choke) Tuff N-Uff 3 June 22, 2007 1 2:26 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 6–3 Heath Herring Decision (unanimous) UFC 69 April 7, 2007 3 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States
Win 6–2 Chris Adams KO (punch) Combat FC 3 February 17, 2007 1 0:18 Orlando, Florida, United States
Win 5–2 Greg Hammer Submission (triangle choke) Winter War February 4, 2007 2 1:44 Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States
Win 4–2 Cody Monroe Submission (punches) Ring Style - Bad Blood[8] April 22, 2006 1 N/A Moline, Illinois, United States
Loss 3–2 Dan Christison Submission (armbar) UFC Fight Night 4 April 6, 2006 3 3:37 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 3–1 Rashad Evans Decision (split) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Franklin Finale November 5, 2005 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Heavyweight tournament final.
Win 3–0 Mike Dexter Submission (triangle choke) WEC 14: Vengeance March 17, 2005 1 3:44 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 2–0 Lace Pele Submission (punches) WEC 13: Heavyweight Explosion January 22, 2005 1 2:04 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 1–0 Jeremy Freitag Decision (split) WEC 12 October 21, 2004 3 5:00 Lemoore, California, United States

References

  1. ^ a b c Trent Reinsmith (January 20, 2016). "Brad Imes on retirement: They told me I was going to die or become a vegetable". MMAjunkie.com.
  2. ^ Percy Crawford (October 2, 2007). "Brad Imes: "Apparently, I'm only the third person to pull off a gogoplata!". fighthype.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e Cindy Ortiz (November 1, 2005). "– One-on-One with TUF 2´s Brad Imes". mmaweekly.com.
  4. ^ a b c "TUF 2 Finalist Imes Settling into Retirement". sherdog.com. February 2, 2011.
  5. ^ "The Gogoplata Guy: Even if retirement sticks, Brad Imes left his mark on MMA". Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  6. ^ "History in the making: Rashad Evans beats Brad Imes, wins The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 2 as a heavyweight". mmamania.com. June 9, 2013.
  7. ^ "411mania MMA Interview: The "Hillbilly Heartthrob" Brad Imes". 411mania.com. April 25, 2008. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
  8. ^ "Ring Style - Bad Blood Results". Sherdog. April 22, 2006.
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