Evan Dunham

Background

Dunham, born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, began wrestling in middle school and continued at Winston Churchill High School. Dunham later attended the University of Oregon, and in 2000 he began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He graduated with a degree in sociology, and worked in various jobs before becoming a fighter full-time.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In an amateur bout in 2006 (a year before his professional debut), Dunham fought fellow future UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard. Dunham lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Dunham made his professional debut in 2007; he had five fights total that year. After winning six straight, Dunham was invited to fight for Palace Fighting Championship, a mid-size organization. He won his fight over Team Alpha Male's Dustin Akbari via rear-naked choke submission and remained undefeated.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dunham made his UFC debut on February 21, 2009, against Per Eklund at UFC 95. He showed an aggressive style, knocking the more experienced Eklund out with a straight left at 2:14 of round one.

Dunham had his second fight in the UFC when he defeated returning veteran Marcus Aurélio via split decision at UFC 102. He showed quick and accurate striking skills and displayed some excellent submission defense against the seasoned grappler.

Dunham's third fight was against The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner, Efrain Escudero on January 11, 2010, at UFC Fight Night 20 where the fight was the co-main event. Dunham rallied from a rough first round, taking the second and finally finishing with an armbar in the third round, nearly breaking Escudero's arm. The submission earned him an extra $30,000 for winning Submission of the Night honors.

Dunham faced Xtreme Couture standout and ex-training partner Tyson Griffin, on June 12, 2010, at UFC 115. Dunham was dominant in all three rounds, taking Griffin's back on numerous occasions and effectively countering strikes. He won the fight via split decision.

Dunham faced former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk on September 25, 2010, at UFC 119. He received the first loss of his MMA career via controversial split decision. Sherk utilized his wrestling during round 1, opening up a large cut above Dunham's right eye and boxing well in the early part of round 2, while Dunham utilized submissions and effective striking throughout the latter parts of rounds 2 and 3. UFC president Dana White later said that he felt Dunham was 'robbed'. The bout was awarded Fight of the Night honors.

Dunham was expected to face Kenny Florian at UFC 126, but the bout instead was moved to headline UFC Fight Night 23 on January 22, 2011. Dunham confirmed the fight on his personal Facebook page. However, on December 6, Florian pulled out of the bout due to injury. Instead, Melvin Guillard, who had been set to fight Yves Edwards on the preliminary card, took on Dunham in the main event. Dunham lost via TKO in the first round after getting continuously hit by combinations from the much faster Guillard.

Dunham was expected to face George Sotiropoulos on July 2, 2011, at UFC 132. However, he was forced out of the bout due to an injury and replaced by Rafael dos Anjos.

Dunham faced Shamar Bailey on September 17, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 25. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Dunham was expected to face Paul Sass on January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox 2. However, Sass was dropped from the bout because of an injury and replaced by Nik Lentz. Dunham defeated Lentz via TKO (doctor stoppage) at the conclusion of the second round. The back and forth action earned both fighters $65,000 Fight of the Night honors for their performance.

Dunham was expected to face Edson Barboza on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146, but was forced from the event with another injury and replaced by returning veteran Jamie Varner.

Dunham lost to T. J. Grant via unanimous decision on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152. Both fighters were awarded $65,000 Fight of the Night honors.

Dunham faced Gleison Tibau on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156. He won the fight via split decision.

Dunham next fought Rafael dos Anjos on May 18, 2013, at UFC on FX 8. Dunham lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.

Dunham next opponent was Donald Cerrone at UFC 167. Dunham lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Dunham was expected to face Mark Bocek on April 16, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale. However, Dunham pulled out of the bout in the week leading up to the event with an undisclosed injury.

Dunham fought Edson Barboza on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45. Dunham lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Dunham faced Rodrigo Damm on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Dunham defeated Ross Pearson on July 18, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 72. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Dunham faced Joe Lauzon on December 11, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Dunham was expected to face Leonardo Santos on June 4, 2016, at UFC 199. However, Santos pulled out on April 29 due to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by James Vick. In turn, Dunham pulled out of that pairing on May 5 for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Beneil Dariush.

Dunham was scheduled to face Abel Trujillo on September 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 94. However, Trujillo pulled out of the fight on September 5, citing an undisclosed injury and was replaced by former WSOF Featherweight Champion and promotional newcomer Ricky Glenn. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded a $50,000 Fight of the Night award for their performance.

The bout with Trujillo was rescheduled and was expected to take place on February 4, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 104. However, on January 19, Dunham pulled out of the fight with an injury and was replaced by James Vick.

Dunham fought Beneil Dariush on October 7, 2017, at UFC 216. The fight ended in a majority draw.

Dunham was expected to face Mairbek Taisumov on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223. However, Taisumov was removed from the fight on March 9 for alleged visa issues, restricting his travel. Dunham instead faced Olivier Aubin-Mercier at the event. He lost the fight by TKO in the first round.

Dunham faced Francisco Trinaldo on September 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 137. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round due to a knee to the body. He announced his retirement after the fight.

Dunham returned from retirement and was scheduled to face Michael Johnson on April 25, 2020. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that the event was postponed to a future date and the matchup was later scrapped.

Dunham faced Herbert Burns on June 6, 2020, at UFC 250 in a 150 lb catchweight bout. He lost the bout via first round submission and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Personal life

He currently owns and operates Resolution Jiu Jitsu in Oregon and works as a police officer.

Resolution closed down November 2024

Championships and accomplishments

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Sean Sherk, Nik Lentz, T. J. Grant and Ricky Glenn
  • Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Efrain Escudero
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2010: Ranked #10 Fighter of the Year (Tied with Rick Story & Chris Leben) & Ranked #5 Fight of the Year vs. Sean Sherk

Mixed martial arts record

| ko-wins= 3 | sub-wins= 6 | dec-wins= 9 | ko-losses= 4 | sub-losses= 2 | dec-losses= 3 | dq-wins= | dq-losses= | other-wins=

| |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| |São Paulo, Brazil | |- |Loss |Olivier Aubin-Mercier |TKO (knee and punches) |UFC 223 | |Brooklyn, New York, United States | |- |Draw |Beneil Dariush |Draw (majority) |UFC 216 | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |Ricky Glenn |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson | |Hidalgo, Texas, United States

| |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |Ross Pearson |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites | |Glasgow, Scotland | |- | Win | Rodrigo Damm | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 182 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | Edson Barboza | TKO (kick to the body and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller | | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- | Loss | Donald Cerrone | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 167 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | Rafael dos Anjos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold | | Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil | |- | Win | Gleison Tibau | Decision (split) | UFC 156 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | T. J. Grant | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 152 | | Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| | Chicago, Illinois, United States

| | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |- | Loss | Melvin Guillard | TKO (knees) | UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 | | Fort Hood, Texas, United States | |- | Loss | Sean Sherk | Decision (split) | UFC 119 | | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

| | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |- | Win | Efrain Escudero | Submission (armbar) | UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz | | Fairfax, Virginia, United States

| | Portland, Oregon, United States | |- | Win | Per Eklund | TKO (punches) | UFC 95 | | London, England | |- | Win | Dustin Akbari | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PFC 12: High Stakes | | Lemoore, California, United States | |- | Win | Eben Kaneshiro | TKO (punches) | RFC: Bragging Rights II | | Eugene, Oregon, United States | |- | Win | Cleber Luciano | Submission (guillotine choke) | PFP: Ring of Fire | | Quezon City, Philippines | |- | Win | Talon Hoffman | Submission (guillotine choke) | DesertBrawl | | Bend, Oregon, United States | |- | Win | Mark Daoust | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Elite Warriors Championship | | Portland, Oregon, United States | |- | Win | Nassor Lewis | Submission (armbar) | Rise FC 2: Hawaii vs. Mainland | | Eugene, Oregon, United States | |- | Win | Gabriel Martinez | Decision (unanimous) | GC 62: Sprawl or Brawl | | Lakeport, California, United States |

References

References

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4. "Evan Dunham - Official UFC Fighter Profile". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
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6. (21 August 2009). "– UFC 102: EVAN DUNHAM HELPS KEEP DAD IN BUSINESS - MMAWeekly.com". cdn.mmaweekly.com.
7. (27 August 2009). "UFC 102 Spotlight: Evan Dunham – PRO MMA exclusive interview".
8. (2009-08-24). "UFC 102: EVAN DUNHAM HELPS KEEP DAD IN BUSINESS". MMAWEEKLY.com.
9. Morgan, John. "Marcus Aurelio replaces injured Matt Veach and fights Evan Dunham on UFC 102 prelims". MMAjunkie.com.
10. "Efrain Escudero Set to Face Evan Dunham, Not Nik Lentz, at UFN 20". mma.fanhouse.com.
11. Dan Stupp. "UFC Fight Night 20, co-headliners officially announced for Jan. 11 in Fairfax, Va.". MMAJunkie.
12. Jesse Holland. (12 January 2010). "UFC Fight Night 20 bonuses and awards for 'Maynard vs Diaz' Spike TV fights". MMAMania.com.
13. "UFC 115: Tyson Griffin vs Evan Dunham on tap for June 12.". mmamania.com.
14. "Evan Dunham and Sean Sherk targeted for lightweight matchup at UFC 119". mmajunkie.com.
15. MMA Junkie Staff. (2010-11-09). "Evan Dunham welcomes Sean Sherk rematch, feels more pressure after loss". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
16. (2010-10-08}}{{Dead link). "FLORIAN VS. DUNHAM AGREED FOR SUPER BOWL CARD". mmaweekly.com.
17. (November 2, 2010). "Florian vs. Dunham To Main Event Fight For The Troops 2". heavy.com.
18. (November 3, 2010). "Evan Dunham Confirms UFC Fight For The Troops 2 Bout Against Kenny Florian". MMAWeekly.com.
19. (December 6, 2010). "Kenny Florian Injured, Melvin Guillard To Face Evan Dunham". Heavy.com.
20. (March 17, 2010). "UFC 132: Evan Dunham vs George Sotiropoulos booked for Fourth of July weekend event". MMAmania.com.
21. (May 4, 2011). "Rafael dos Anjos replaces Evan Dunham, meets George Sotiropoulos at UFC 132". mmajunkie.com.
22. (July 17, 2011). "Evan Dunham vs. Shamar Bailey set for UFC Fight Night 25". mmajunkie.com.
23. ESPN staff. (December 1, 2011). "Paul Sass gets Dunham test at UFC on Fox 2". espn.co.uk.
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25. MMA Junkie Staff. (2012-08-15). "After winning a $65K bonus, UFC 150 winner Nik Lentz made a very wise investment". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
26. (February 19, 2012). "Evan Dunham vs. Edson Barboza added to UFC 146 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
27. (May 2, 2012). "Jamie Varner Replaces Injured Evan Dunham at UFC 146". 5thround.com.
28. (July 19, 2012). "UFC 152 adds Evan Dunham vs. T.J. Grant". mmajunkie.com.
29. MMA Junkie Staff. (2012-09-23). "UFC 152 bonuses: Swanson, Jones, Grant and Dunham each earn $65K awards". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
30. (December 6, 2012). "Evan Dunham vs. Gleison Tibau Added to UFC 156". mmaweekly.com.
31. (February 26, 2013). "Evan Dunham vs. Rafael dos Anjos added to UFC on FX 8". mmajunkie.com.
32. Steven Marrocco. (2013-05-19). "UFC on FX 8 results: Rafael dos Anjos edges Evan Dunham". mmajunkie.com.
33. Steven Marrocco. (2013-11-16). "UFC 167 results: Relentless Donald Cerrone submits Evan Dunham in second". mmajunkie.com.
34. Keith Grienke. (2014-01-30). "Bocek to Face Dunham at TUF Finale in Quebec". TopMMANews.com.
35. John Morgan. (2014-04-07). "Evan Dunham out at TUF Nations Finale, promotion seeks replacement for Mark Bocek". mmajunkie.com.
36. Tom Ngo. (2014-05-06). "Edson Barboza Battles Evan Dunham at UFC Fight Night Atlantic City". 5thround.com.
37. Steven Marrocco. (2014-07-16). "UFC Fight Night 45 results: Edson Barboza crumples Evan Dunham with body kick". mmajunkie.com.
38. Tristen Critchfield. (2014-10-11). "Lightweights Evan Dunham, Rodrigo Damm booked for UFC 182 in Las Vegas". sherdog.com.
39. Lee Williams. (2015-05-25). "Pearson vs Dunham booked for UFC Fight Night Glasgow". mmacrazytv.com.
40. Brent Brookhouse. (18 July 2015). "UFC Fight Night 72 results: Ross Pearson survives armbar, but falls to Evan Dunham". mmajunkie.com.
41. Damon Martin. (2015-08-19). "Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale confirmed, two fights added to Dec 11 card in Las Vegas". foxsports.com.
42. Ben Fowlkes. (2015-12-11). "TUF 22 Finale results: Evan Dunham busts up Joe Lauzon over three rounds". mmajunkie.com.
43. Guilherme Cruz. (2016-03-15). "Evan Dunham suffers 'small injury', fight with Leonardo Santos moved to UFC 199". mmafighting.com.
44. Dave Meltzer. (2016-04-29). "James Vick steps in to face Evan Dunham in lightweight duel at UFC 199". mmafighting.com.
45. Ariel Helwani. (2016-05-05). "James Vick vs. Beneil Dariush targeted for UFC 199". mmafighting.com.
46. Staff. (2016-07-18). "UFC Fight Night 94 adds four bouts". mmajunkie.com.
47. Matt Erickson. (2016-09-08). "With Trujillo out vs. Evan Dunham next week in Texas, UFC turning to a former WSOF champion". mmajunkie.com.
48. Steven Marrocco. (2016-09-17). "UFC Fight Night 94 results: Evan Dunham tops Rick Glenn by decision in entertaining brawl". mmajunkie.com.
49. Matt Erickson. (2016-09-18). "UUFC Fight Night 94 bonuses: Chas Skelly was a no-brainer for $50,000 in Texas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
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51. MMA Fighting Newswire. (2017-01-19). "After injuries to original opponents, James Vick and Abel Trujillo fight in Houston". mmafighting.com.
52. Mike Sloan. (2017-08-02). "UFC 216 bolstered with several bouts". sherdog.com.
53. (2017-10-08). "UFC 216 results: Beneil Dariush strong early, but Evan Dunham rallies to force majority draw". MMAjunkie.
54. Tristem Critchfield. (2018-02-27). "UFC 223 update: Mairbek Taisumov vs. Evan Dunham official for Brooklyn on April 7".
55. Peter Carroll. (2018-03-09). "Mairbek Taisumov withdraws from UFC 223 due to visa delay". mmafighting.com.
56. Alexander K. Lee. (2018-03-11). "Olivier Aubin-Mercier to fight Evan Dunham at UFC 223".
57. (2018-04-08). "UFC 223 results: Olivier Aubin-Mercier takes out Evan Dunham in 53 seconds". MMAjunkie.
58. Guilherme Cruz and Shaun Al-Shatti. (2018-07-23). "Evan Dunham vs. Francisco Trinaldo verbally agreed for UFC Sao Paulo".
59. (2018-09-23). "UFC Sao Paulo results: Francisco Trinaldo knee to the body flattens Evan Dunham". MMAjunkie.
60. Mike Bohn. (August 20, 2018). "Evan Dunham says he's retiring with 'head held high' after UFC Fight Night 137". mmajunkie.com.
61. Alexander K. Lee. (2020-01-24). "Anthony Smith to fight Glover Teixeira in UFC Lincoln main event, four other fights added". mmafighting.
62. Brett Okamoto. (2020-04-09). "Dana White says UFC 249 will not happen April 18". espn.com.
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64. Bryan Tucker. (June 6, 2020). "UFC 250 Results: Nunes vs. Spencer". MMAFighting.com.
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