Zak Cummings

Zak Cummings
BornZacharry Michael Cummings
(1984-08-02) August 2, 1984 (age 40)[1]
Irving, Texas, United States
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
DivisionWelterweight
Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach74+1⁄2 in (189 cm)
Fighting out ofKansas City, Missouri, United States
TeamGlory MMA and Fitness
Rank2nd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Leonardo "Léo" Peçanha[3]
Years active2007–2023
Mixed martial arts record
Total32
Wins25
By knockout6
By submission12
By decision7
Losses7
By submission2
By decision5
UniversityMissouri State University
Notable school(s)Glendale High School[4]
Meramec Community College
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Zacharry "Zak" Michael Cummings (born August 2, 1984)[5] is an American former professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also formerly competed for Strikeforce, MFC, Titan FC, and Bellator.

Background

Born in Irving, Texas, Cummings moved to Springfield, Missouri, at the age of three. After beginning wrestling in the sixth grade, he attended Glendale High School where he competed in wrestling, as well as football, baseball, and basketball. A state qualifier, he later attended Meramec Community College where he was a two-time NJCAA national qualifier his freshman and sophomore seasons. Due to an injury, Cummings transferred to Missouri State University to finish his degree, majoring in exercise and movement science. It was around this time that he began to training in mixed martial arts, and was 6–0 as an amateur before turning professional.[6][7]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Cummings made his professional MMA debut in November 2007. He was undefeated for the first year and a half of his career, going 10–0 during that time period with a majority of his wins by TKO or submission.

This impressive streak earned him a shot in Strikeforce. He faced Tim Kennedy in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 3, but lost via submission in the second round.[8]

Post-Strikeforce, Cummings fought for various independent organizations and had one appearance for Bellator Fighting Championships. He added five more wins and two losses to his record during this time.

The Ultimate Fighter

In January 2013, it was revealed that Cummings was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen.[9] He won his preliminary bout over Nik Fekete quickly by TKO with the first punch he threw. Cummings was selected by Sonnen as his third pick (fifth overall).[10]

Cummings faced Dylan Andrews in the elimination round. He lost via majority decision.[11]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Cummings made his debut against Ben Alloway on August 28, 2013, at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2.[12] He won the fight via submission in the first round. The win also earned him his first Submission of the Night bonus award.[13]

Cummings was expected to face Sérgio Moraes on November 30, 2013, at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale. However, Cummings and Moraes had to pull out of the event due to injury and were replaced by Sean Spencer and Drew Dober respectively.[14][15]

Cummings was expected to face promotional newcomer Alberto Mina on March 1, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter China Finale.[16] However, at the weigh-ins for the event, Cummings came in eight pounds over the welterweight limit. On the advice of his coaches, Mina would not agree to compete at a catch weight, so the bout was scratched from the event.[17]

Cummings faced Yan Cabral on May 10, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 40.[18] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Cummings was briefly linked to a bout with Kenny Robertson on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45.[19] However, Cummings was pulled from that fight in favor of a matchup with Gunnar Nelson on July 19, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 46 after his opponent Ryan LaFlare was removed from the card.[20] He lost the fight via rear-naked choke.

Cummings was expected to face Antônio Braga Neto on July 25, 2015, at UFC on Fox 16.[21] However, Braga Neto pulled out of the fight in early July and was replaced by promotional newcomer Dominique Steele.[22] Cummings won the fight by TKO in the first round.[23]

Cummings faced Nicolas Dalby on April 10, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 86, filling in for Bartosz Fabiński.[24] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[25]

Cummings next faced Santiago Ponzinibbio on August 6, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 92.[26] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[27]

Cummings faced Alexander Yakovlev at UFC Fight Night 99 on November 19, 2016. He won the bout by submission in the second round.[28]

Cummings faced Nathan Coy on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24.[29] He won the fight via technical submission due to a guillotine choke in the first round.[30]

Cummings was scheduled to face Thiago Alves on January 14, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi.[31] On January 13, 2018, it was announced that Cummings injured his skull after a bathroom slip and the bout against Alves was cancelled as no replacement would be sought.[32]

Cummings faced Michel Prazeres on May 19, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129.[33] He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.[34]

Cummings faced Trevor Smith on December 15, 2018, at UFC on Fox 31.[35] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[36]

Cummings faced Trevin Giles on May 18, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 152.[37] He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the third round.[38]

Cummings faced Omari Akhmedov on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242.[39] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[40]

Cummings was scheduled to face Andrew Sanchez on April 25, 2020.[41] However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date[42]

Cummings faced Alessio Di Chirico on August 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 175.[43] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[44]

Cummings was scheduled to face Sam Alvey on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC 2.[45] However on March 11, Cummings withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Julian Marquez.[46]

It was later revealed that Cummings had suffered a serious back injury in camp for his last bout, resulting in him needing back surgery for herniated disc.[47]

Cummings faced Ed Herman on April 15, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 44.[48] He won the fight via TKO in the third round. In his post-fight speech, Cummings retired from mixed martials arts competition alongside Herman.[49]

Personal life

Cummings is the owner of Ignite Jiu Jitsu & MMA in Kansas City, where he also serves as a head coach.[50]

Cummings has a daughter, Kyleigh (born 2017).[51]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
32 matches 25 wins 7 losses
By knockout 6 0
By submission 12 2
By decision 7 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 25–7 Ed Herman TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen April 15, 2023 3 4:13 Kansas City, Missouri, United States Light Heavyweight bout. Herman was deducted 1 point in round 2 due to an illegal upkick.
Win 24–7 Alessio Di Chirico Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić August 29, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 23–7 Omari Akhmedov Decision (unanimous) UFC 242 September 7, 2019 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 23–6 Trevin Giles Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee May 18, 2019 3 4:01 Rochester, New York, United States
Win 22–6 Trevor Smith Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Lee vs. Iaquinta 2 December 15, 2018 3 5:00 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Return to Middleweight.
Loss 21–6 Michel Prazeres Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman May 19, 2018 3 5:00 Santiago, Chile
Win 21–5 Nathan Coy Technical Submission (guillotine choke) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis April 15, 2017 1 4:21 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win 20–5 Alexander Yakovlev Submission (straight armbar) UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 November 19, 2016 2 4:02 Belfast, Northern Ireland Catchweight (172.8 lb) bout; Cummings missed weight.
Loss 19–5 Santiago Ponzinibbio Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres August 6, 2016 3 5:00 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Win 19–4 Nicolas Dalby Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos April 10, 2016 3 5:00 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 18–4 Dominique Steele TKO (punches) UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2 July 25, 2015 1 0:43 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Loss 17–4 Gunnar Nelson Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao July 19, 2014 2 4:48 Dublin, Ireland
Win 17–3 Yan Cabral Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva May 10, 2014 3 5:00 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Win 16–3 Ben Alloway Submission (D'Arce choke) UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 August 28, 2013 1 4:19 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Welterweight debut. Submission of the Night.
Win 15–3 Brandon Newsome Submission (guillotine choke) Slay Marketing: Fight Night Returns March 24, 2012 1 2:38 Springfield, Missouri, United States
Win 14–3 Lamont Stafford Submission (rear-naked choke) Slay Marketing February 11, 2012 1 1:46 O'Reilly Family Event Center, Springfield, Missouri, United States
Loss 13–3 Ryan Jimmo Decision (unanimous) MFC 29: Conquer April 8, 2011 5 5:00 Windsor, Ontario, Canada For the MFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 13–2 Jonathan Smith TKO (punches) SMMA: The Proving Ground February 19, 2011 1 0:50 Springfield, Missouri, United States
Win 12–2 Dennis Reed Submission (armbar) XCF 13: Cummings vs. Reed September 18, 2010 1 0:58 Springfield, Missouri, United States
Win 11–2 Rudy Bears Submission (D'Arce choke) Bellator 26 August 26, 2010 1 1:27 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Loss 10–2 Elvis Mutapčić Decision (unanimous) Midwest Cage Championships 27 June 11, 2010 5 5:00 Des Moines, Iowa, United States For the MCC Middleweight Championship.
Loss 10–1 Tim Kennedy Submission (north-south choke) Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings September 25, 2009 2 2:43 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win 10–0 Dominic Brown TKO (punches) FM: Productions May 9, 2009 1 2:19 Springfield, Missouri, United States
Win 9–0 Terry Martin Decision (split) XCF: Rumble in Racetown 1 February 14, 2009 3 5:00 Daytona Beach, Florida, United States
Win 8–0 Cole Jennet Submission (neck crank) MCC 17: Thanksgiving Throwdown November 26, 2008 1 2:11 West Des Moines, Iowa, United States Won the MCC Middleweight Championship.
Win 7–0 Leo Pla TKO (punches) FM: Productions September 13, 2008 2 3:48 Springfield, Missouri, United States
Win 6–0 Danny Anderson Decision (unanimous) MCC 15: Lights Out! July 25, 2008 3 5:00 Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Win 5–0 Jason Broom TKO (punches) ISCF: Brawl at the Hall May 9, 2008 2 2:21 Joplin, Missouri, United States
Win 4–0 Victor Moreno Submission (americana) MCC 13: Contenders April 25, 2008 2 2:19 Urbandale, Iowa, United States
Win 3–0 James Bunch Submission (choke) FM: Productions April 18, 2008 2 1:34 Rolla, Missouri, United States
Win 2–0 Rudy Bears Submission (choke) FM: Productions February 1, 2008 3 2:08 Rolla, Missouri, United States
Win 1–0 Ron Jackson Decision (unanimous) Titan FC 10 November 28, 2007 3 N/A Kansas City, Kansas, United States

[52]

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–1 Dylan Andrews Decision (majority) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen March 12, 2013 (airdate) 2 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Preliminary bout.
Win 1–0 Nik Fekete KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen January 22, 2013 (airdate) 1 N/A Las Vegas, Nevada, United States TUF 17 house entry bout.

[52]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Zak Cummings' profile". MMA-Core.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  2. ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Dillashaw vs. Barao 2". UFC.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  3. ^ James Krause [@thejameskrause] (February 9, 2022). "✌🏻 degree black belt in the books. Much thanks to my professor @leopecanhabjj and congrats to my brother @zakcummings for his 2nd degree too!" – via Instagram.
  4. ^ "Zak Cummings from The Ultimate Fighter". Zakcummings.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Mixed martial arts show results Date: August 29, 2020
  6. ^ "About Zak". Zak Cummings from The Ultimate Fighter.
  7. ^ "Zak Cummings | UFC". www.ufc.com. September 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Brent Brookhouse (September 25, 2009). "Strikeforce Challengers: Tim Kennedy vs. Zak Cummings - live results and commentary". Bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  9. ^ John Morgan (January 9, 2013). "UFC unveils starting cast for 'The Ultimate Fighter 17'". USAtoday.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  10. ^ MMAjunkie.com staff (January 22, 2013). "Episode No. 1 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 17: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen'". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  11. ^ Jesse Holland (March 12, 2013). "UFC Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Episode 8 results recap for 'Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen' on FX". MMAmania.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  12. ^ MMAjunkie.com staff (July 18, 2013). "'TUF' vets Ben Alloway, Zak Cummings meet at UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 in Indy". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  13. ^ Staff (August 28, 2013). "UFC Fight Night 27 bonuses: Thatch, Cummings, Condit, Kampmann earn $50K". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  14. ^ Staff (October 30, 2013). "Sean Spencer replaces injured Zak Cummings, meets Sergio Moraes at TUF 18 Finale". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  15. ^ Jason Floyd (November 19, 2013). "Sean Spencer receives a new opponent for The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale". TheMMAreport.com. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  16. ^ Staff (February 7, 2014). "UFC Macao – Alberto Mina Vs. Zak Cummings". epicmma.com. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  17. ^ MMAjunkie Staff (February 28, 2014). "Zak Cummings vs. Alberto Mina pulled from Saturday's TUF China Finale". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  18. ^ "Zak Cummings meets Yan Cabral at UFC Fight Night 40 in Cincinnati". MMAjunkie.com. April 10, 2014.
  19. ^ Matt Erickson (May 23, 2014). "Zak Cummings meets Kenny Robertson at UFC Fight Night 45". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  20. ^ @YourMMA. "LaFlare Injured, Nelson Gets New Opponent For UFC Dublin". YourMMA.tv. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ Tristen Critchfield (April 24, 2015). "UFC on Fox 16 Update: Zak Cummings agrees to bout with Antonio Braga Neto". sherdog.com. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  22. ^ Staff (July 9, 2015). "Antonio Braga Neto out, Dominique Steele in against Zak Cummings at UFC on FOX 16". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  23. ^ Brent Brookhouse (July 25, 2015). "UFC on FOX 16 results: Zak Cummings blasts through Dominique Steele". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  24. ^ Staff (March 2, 2016). "Zak Cummings replaces Bartosz Fabinski at UFC Fight Night 86 in Croatia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  25. ^ Steven Marrocco (April 10, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 86 results: Zak Cummings hands Nicolas Dalby first loss with sweep". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  26. ^ Staff (June 15, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 92 gets five new fights". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  27. ^ Ben Fowlkes (August 6, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 92 results: Santiago Ponzinibbio outworks Zak Cummings for third straight win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  28. ^ Ben Fowlkes (November 19, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 99 results: Zak Cummings armbars Alexander Yakovlev in second". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  29. ^ Staff (February 17, 2017). "Nathan Coy vs. Zak Cummings added to UFC on FOX 24 in Kansas City". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  30. ^ Ben Fowlkes (April 15, 2017). "UFC on FOX 24 results: Zak Cummings chokes out Nathan Coy in front of home K.C. crowd". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  31. ^ Staff (November 9, 2017). "Trio of fights added to UFC Fight Night 124 in St. Louis". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  32. ^ "Zak Cummings injured, out of Sunday's UFC St. Louis bout vs. Thiago Alves". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  33. ^ "UFC encaminha duelo entre Michel Trator e Zak Cummings no Chile, no meio-médio". Sportv (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  34. ^ "UFC Fight Night 129 results: Michel Prazeres moves up in weight, takes split over Zak Cummings". MMAjunkie. May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  35. ^ DNA, MMA (November 9, 2018). "Zak Cummings vs. Trevor Smith toegevoegd aan UFC Milwaukee card". mmadna.nl. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  36. ^ Anderson, Jay (December 15, 2018). "UFC Milwaukee Results: Zak Cummings Wins Split Decision Over Trevor Smith". Cageside Press. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  37. ^ DNA, MMA (March 11, 2019). "Ongeslagen Trevin Giles maakt comeback tijdens UFC Rochester tegen Zak Cummings". Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  38. ^ Harshman, Heath (May 18, 2019). "UFC Rochester Results: Zak Cummings Submits Trevin Giles in Back-and-Forth Battle". Cageside Press. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  39. ^ Farah Hannoun (June 27, 2019). "Omari Akhmedov vs. Zak Cummings added to UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  40. ^ Fortune, Ryan (September 7, 2019). "UFC 242 Results: Omari Akhmedov Survives Knockdown, Uses Takedowns to Defeat Zak Cummings". Cageside Press. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  41. ^ Alexander K. Lee (January 24, 2020). "Anthony Smith to fight Glover Teixeira in UFC Lincoln main event, four other fights added". mmafighting. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  42. ^ Brett Okamoto (April 9, 2020). "Dana White says UFC 249 will not happen April 18". espn.com. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  43. ^ Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (June 24, 2020). "UFC adds Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico to Aug. 29 event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  44. ^ Jon Realejo (August 30, 2020). "UFC on ESPN+ 33 results: Zak Cummings defeats Alessio Di Chirico via unanimous decision". bloodycanvas.net. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  45. ^ Anderson, Jay (January 22, 2021). "UFC: Zak Cummings vs. Sam Alvey Set for April 10". Cageside Press. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  46. ^ Farah Hannoun (March 11, 2021). "With Zak Cummings out, Julian Marquez steps in to face Sam Alvey at UFC on ABC 2 on April 10". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  47. ^ Shelton, Cole (September 23, 2022). "After being "bedridden" for months and in a dark place due to a back injury, Zak Cummings is finally ready to return". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  48. ^ Nolan King (February 15, 2023). "Ed Herman books 25th UFC fight, faces Zak Cummings in Kansas City". MMA Junkie. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  49. ^ Dewar, Val (April 15, 2023). "UFC Kansas City: Zak Cummings TKOs Ed Herman Late; Both Men Retire". Cageside Press. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  50. ^ "Zak Cummings". glorykc.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  51. ^ Thomas Gerbasi (May 15, 2019). "Zak Cummings Eyes Another Good Run". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  52. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Zak Cummings MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved September 7, 2019.