Matt Ghaffari
Matt Ghaffari | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Siamak Ghaffari 11 November 1961 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Cleveland State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years active | 1984–2000 2002–2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sports career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Amateur wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Greco-Roman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University team | Cleveland State Vikings (1981–84) Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (1979–80) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Sunkist Kids | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Division | Heavyweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By knockout | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Siamak "Matt" Ghaffari (/ɡəˈfɑːri/ gə-FAR-ee;[1] Persian: سیامک غفاری, Persian pronunciation: [siːɒːmæk-e ɢæˈffɒːɾiː]; born November 11, 1961, in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran) is an Iran-born American amateur wrestler, MMA Fighter and professional wrestler. Matt Ghaffari was a two-time USA Olympic team member, obtaining a silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Ghaffari is the most accomplished Greco-Roman wrestler in U.S.A. history with three American records.
Early life[]
Born in Tehran, Iran, Ghaffari came to the United States of America at a young age, he attended Paramus High School in Paramus, New Jersey.[2]
Amateur wrestling career[]
Representing the United States at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games and 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, Ghaffari reached the final of the heavyweight Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg division, where he lost 0–1 to Russian Aleksandr Karelin in overtime.[2] Ghaffari was a seven-time United States wrestling champion and a two-time USA Olympic Committee Greco-Roman Athlete of the Year.[3]
Mixed martial arts career[]
In 2002, Ghaffari fought in the Tokyo Dome in front of 28,000 spectators at a mixed martial arts bout in UFO- Universal Fighting-Arts Organization against judo Olympic Silver Medalist Naoya Ogawa. Ghaffari managed to take Ogawa down and attack him with a brief ground and pound, but back to standing, Ogawa landed a punch which shifted Matt's left eye contact lens and forced him to quit.[4]
Mixed martial arts record[]
Professional record breakdown | ||
1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
By knockout | 0 | 0 |
By submission | 0 | 0 |
By decision | 0 | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | ![]() |
TKO (punch) | UFO Legend | August 8, 2002 | 1 | 0:56 | Tokyo, Japan |
Professional wrestling career[]
Matt Ghaffari | |
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Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Matt Ghaffari[5] |
Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[5] |
Billed weight | 280 lb (130 kg)[5] |
Debut | 8 December 2002[5] |
In 1996, Ghaffari was scouted by professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling and was featured in several vignettes, but did not sign up with the company.[6]
After his stint in MMA, Ghaffari started to work in the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, where he won the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship with Tom Howard on December 15, 2002, by defeating Shinya Hashimoto and old opponent Naoya Ogawa.[7] They held the championship until April 29, 2003, when they lost it to Hashimoto and Ogawa.[7]
In 2004, Ghaffari made an apparition for HUSTLE, pinning Ogawa after a beatdown from the heel faction Monster Army (Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Dusty Rhodes Jr., Giant Silva and Dan Bobish).[8]
Championships and accomplishments[]
- Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tom Howard[7]
- ZERO-ONE O-300 Super Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[9]
References[]
- ^ "Matt Ghaffari". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ^ a b Robbins, Liz. "OLYMPICS; Wrestler Two Victories From Dream", The New York Times, June 24, 2000. Accessed October 17, 2007. "To advance, Ghaffari had to pull out a trick he first used two decades ago at Paramus High School in New Jersey.... At 38, and a loss away from retirement, Ghaffari is still crafty and accomplished, compiling more Olympic and world championship medals than any other Greco-Roman wrestler with four."
- ^ "Honoree: Matt Ghaffari". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ Hawaii Martial Arts News & Rumors – August News Part 2
- ^ a b c d "Matt Ghaffari". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ^ Dimitri Groell, Jan Niedbala, La face cachée du catch: Ring, Coulisses & Business
- ^ a b c "NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champions". Pro Wrestling ZERO-1. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "HUSTLE Results: 2004" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
- ^ "NWA ZERO-ONE O-300 Super Heavyweight Champions". cagematch.net. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
External links[]
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Olympic competitors from Iran who represented other countries
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States in wrestling
- Paramus High School alumni
- People from Paramus, New Jersey
- Wrestlers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Wrestlers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- American male sport wrestlers
- Iranian emigrants to the United States
- Iranian male mixed martial artists
- American male mixed martial artists
- Mixed martial artists utilizing Greco-Roman wrestling
- American male professional wrestlers
- Iranian professional wrestlers
- World Wrestling Championships medalists
- Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
- Pan American Games medalists in wrestling
- Sportspeople of Iranian descent
- Wrestlers at the 1991 Pan American Games
- Wrestlers at the 1995 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games