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).
| Brad Imes | |
|---|---|
 Imes in 2007 | |
| Born | Bradley Imes Smith March 13, 1977 Maryville, Missouri, United States |
| Other names | The Hillbilly Heartthrob |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight | 260 lb (120 kg; 19 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Fighting out of | Bettendorf, Iowa |
| Team | Sacramento BJJ[1] Miletich Fighting Systems[2] |
| Years active | 2004–2009 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 13 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| University | University of Missouri |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background edit
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 edit
Early career edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
Imes and his wife had their first child together in March 2011.[1]
Championships and accomplishments edit
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (one time) vs. Dan Christison
Mixed martial arts record edit
| 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 | IFL Heavyweight Championship Fight. |
| 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 edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ Percy Crawford (October 2, 2007). "Brad Imes: "Apparently, I'm only the third person to pull off a gogoplata!". fighthype.com.
- ^ a b c d e Cindy Ortiz (November 1, 2005). "– One-on-One with TUF 2´s Brad Imes". mmaweekly.com.
- ^ a b c "TUF 2 Finalist Imes Settling into Retirement". sherdog.com. February 2, 2011.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "History in the making: Rashad Evans beats Brad Imes, wins The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 2 as a heavyweight". mmamania.com. June 9, 2013.
- ^ "411mania MMA Interview: The "Hillbilly Heartthrob" Brad Imes". 411mania.com. April 25, 2008. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
- ^ "Ring Style - Bad Blood Results". Sherdog. April 22, 2006.
