Mostapha al-Turk

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Mostapha al-Turk
Born (1973-07-14) 14 July 1973 (age 48)
London, England[1]
Native nameمصطفى الترك
NationalityEnglish
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight235 lb (107 kg; 16 st 11 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach77.5 in (197 cm)
Fighting out ofLondon, England
TeamLondon Shootfighters
Years active2002-2010
Mixed martial arts record
Total12
Wins6
By knockout6
Losses6
By knockout4
By submission1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing Lebanon
Men's Submission Wrestling
ADCC European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Stockholm +99kg

Mostapha al-Turk (Arabic: مصطفى الترك, born 14 July 1973) is a retired English-Turkish Cypriot mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2010, he competed for the UFC and Cage Rage. He is the former Cage Rage British heavyweight champion.

Background[]

Born in London, England to Lebanese and Turkish Cypriot parents, al-Turk and his family moved back and forth between London and Beirut when he was still a toddler. al-Turk had become interested in mixed martial arts after watching a few UFC and PRIDE FC events. He briefly worked in the pharmaceutical industry, before deciding to make mixed martial arts his career. al-Turk had a very accomplished grappling career as well, with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu background. al-Turk was the ADCC European Champion in 2005 and made it to the final of the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, losing to future UFC fighter Gabriel Gonzaga by only three points, further motivating al-Turk to transition to mixed martial arts. [2]

Mixed martial arts career[]

Early career[]

Before going professional, al-Turk had 2 amateur fights. He also competed in amateur boxing matches and submission wrestling matches as a way to prepare himself for MMA.

Cage Rage[]

Al-Turk fought in the up-and-coming British organization, Cage Rage, around a year after losing his second professional bout. The young al-Turk would start with outstanding form, winning three straight fights in the organization, all by TKO due to punches, including a win over former sumo and PRIDE veteran, Sentoryu Henri.

Al-Turk then faced former two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion and longtime PRIDE veteran Mark Kerr. al-Turk again won by punches after the former collegiate wrestling star tapped out due to punches. Al-Turk then fought against former British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion Tengiz Tedoradze. Al-Turk lost the fight by knockout.

Al-Turk continued to perform with a win over K-1 kickboxer Gary Turner, who tapped due to punches landed by the Lebanese fighter. al-Turk then fought for the British Cage Rage Heavyweight Championship against future Ultimate Fighter contestant, James McSweeney. al-Turk won the fight by TKO due to punches and became the last British Cage Rage Heavyweight Champion, before the organization saw its demise. al-Turk was then offered a four-fight contract in the UFC, which he accepted.

UFC[]

At UFC 92, on 27 December 2008, Turk lost at his UFC debut to French kickboxer Cheick Kongo by TKO. Kongo dropped Turk with two right hands, using the ground and pound technique, he knocked out Al-Turk[3] Referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight after 4:37 of the first round, in what some viewed as a late stoppage, as Al-Turk was bleeding heavily and had not been defending himself for a significant amount of time.

Al-Turk next lost to Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 99 by TKO after Cro Cop hammered him with strikes. There was some controversy surrounding the end of this fight as Al-Turk claimed Cro Cop had poked him in the eye right before he succumbed to the head kick. Neither the referee Dan Mirgliotta or Cro Cop noticed any eye pokes. Al-Turk stated that he would petition the loss, but the petition was declined.[4]

Al-Turk was expected to face UFC newcomer Rolles Gracie on 6 February 2010 at UFC 109, but pulled out due to visa issues.[5][6]

al-Turk instead faced The Ultimate Fighter 10 alumni, Jon Madsen, at UFC 112. Turk lost the bout via unanimous decision and was subsequently released by the UFC.[7]

Championships and accomplishments[]

  • Cage Rage
    • Cage Rage British Heavyweight Championship (One Time, Last)

Mixed martial arts record[]

Professional record breakdown
12 matches 6 wins 6 losses
By knockout 4 4
By submission 2 1
By decision 0 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 6–6 Jon Madsen Decision (unanimous) UFC 112 10 April 2010 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 6–5 Mirko Cro Cop TKO (punches) UFC 99 13 June 2009 1 3:06 Cologne, Germany
Loss 6–4 Cheick Kongo TKO (punches) UFC 92 27 December 2008 1 4:37 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–3 James McSweeney TKO (punches) Cage Rage 27 12 July 2008 1 2:06 London, England
Win 5–3 Gary Turner Submission (punches) Cage Rage 25 8 March 2008 1 3:19 London, England
Loss 4–3 Tengiz Tedoradze TKO (punches) Cage Rage 23 22 September 2007 3 3:26 London, England
Win 4–2 Mark Kerr TKO (submission to punches) Cage Rage 20 10 February 2007 1 2:29 London, England
Win 3–2 Henry Armstrong Miller TKO (punches) Cage Rage 18 30 September 2006 1 0:56 London, England
Win 2–2 Martin Thompson TKO (punches) Cage Rage 16 22 April 2006 1 3:02 London, England
Win 1–2 Fereidoun Naghizadeh TKO (punches) Cage Rage 9 - No Mercy 27 November 2004 1 2:25 London, England
Loss 0–2 Kassim Annan TKO (punches) XFC 2 - The Perfect Storm 9 November 2003 1 N/A Cornwall, England
Loss 0–1 Mike Ward Submission (armbar) XFC 1 - Xtreme Fighting Championship 1 3 March 2002 1 1:00 Cornwall, England

References[]

  1. ^ "Other sports: athletics, motorsport, superbikes, snooker...and more - Mirror Online". Blogs.mirror.co.uk. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Mostapha Al Turk - Official UFC® Profile". Ufc.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. ^ "UFC 92 Play-by-Play". Sherdog.com. 28 December 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  4. ^ Rossen, Jake (15 June 2009). "Al Turk Wants to Appeal 'Cro Cop' Loss". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Jon Madsen steps up to face Rolles Gracie at UFC 109". Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  6. ^ "Rolles Gracie headed to UFC, meets Mostapha al-Turk at UFC 109". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  7. ^ "Mostapha Al-Turk becomes the latest fighter to be cut from the UFC roster | UFC/MMA News In One Place | MMABay: Powered by TapouT". MMABay.co.uk. 16 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

External links[]

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