Cal Worsham Biography

Cal Worsham (born June 11, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts fighter and former corrections officer. He is an early pioneer of mixed martial arts having competed in one of the earliest modern events in the UFC. Worsham has competed against notable fighters such as Tank Abbott, Travis Fulton, Gary Goodridge, Bo Cantrell, and Dan Severn.

Mixed martial arts career

1995"1996

Worsham would have his first three professional fights in the UFC and despite going 1-2, his bouts would prove quite notable. He first competed in mixed martial arts in UFC 6. His opponent was the much larger, Paul "The Polar Bear" Varelans. The fight was stopped after only 1:02 after Varelans landed a series of devastating 12-6 elbows to the spine and neck of Worsham. Worsham collapsed and had to be taken out of the ring on a stretcher. He nearly became the only UFC fighter to have died from severe trauma suffered in a bout. Worsham would return to action 10 months later at UFC 9, defeating journeyman Zane Frazier by TKO. His last foray in the UFC would occur at Ultimate Ultimate 1996 where Worsham would again make UFC history by being the fighter who was closest to being thrown out of the cage. Ultimately this may have been a blessing in disguise for Worsham as by not having been extricated from the cage, he suffered another devastating TKO loss at the hands of Tank Abbott.

1997-2001

Worsham would lose 4 out of his next 5 bouts resulting in an abysmal 2-6 record having been finished quickly in all his losses. Worsham would participate in smaller shows during these 4 years in fringe promotions such as IFC, IVC, and IAFC.

2001-present

In 2001, Worsham began competing in Gladiator Challenge. This would prove to be a resounding success for the pioneer mixed martial artist. Despite two losses to legend Dan Severn, Worsham would go 9-4 during the next 10 years in MMA and ascend to become the Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight champion. At Gladiator Challenge 67, Cal and his son Hunter would both fight on the same card. Both Worshams annihilated their opponents via 1st round TKO finishes. Cal recently fought against 0-15 journeyman Matt Anderson, winning the bout by third-round TKO. In his latest fight, Worsham defeated the 1-5 Chris Wood by devastating strikes in less than 90 seconds.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Champion (3 time)

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Win |align=center|13-10 |Chris Wood |TKO (punches) |Gladiator Challenge: Ringside | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:25 |Lincoln, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|12-10 |Matt Anderson |TKO (punches) |Gladiator Challenge: Mega Stars | |align=center|3 |align=center|2:22 |Lincoln, California, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|11-10 |Dan Severn |Decision (unanimous) |Gladiator Challenge: Legends Collide | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |San Jacinto, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|11-9 |Adam MacKay |TKO (strikes) |Gladiator Challenge 67: Vendetta | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:16 |Lakeport, California, United States |Fought alongside son Hunter at this event |- |Loss |align=center|10-9 |Bo Cantrell |KO (punch) |Gladiator Challenge 57: Holiday Beatings | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:17 |Sacramento, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|10-8 |Harry Avis |TKO (doctor stoppage) |Gladiator Challenge 51: Madness at the Memorial | |align=center|1 |align=center|5:00 |Sacramento, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|9-8 |Carlos Cantu |TKO (punches) |Gladiator Challenge 44: Redemption | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:55 |Colusa, California, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|8-8 |Dan Severn |TKO (doctor stoppage) |Gladiator Challenge 34:Legends Collide | |align=center|3 |align=center|3:29 |Colusa, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|8"7 |Will Scott |TKO (punches) |KOTC 44: Revenge | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:52 |San Jacinto, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|7"7 |Adrian Perez |TKO (punches) |Gladiator Challenge 30 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:48 |Colusa, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|6"7 |Terry Davis |TKO (knees and punch) |Gladiator Challenge 27: Fight-Fest 2 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:35 |Colusa, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|5"7 |Carlos Garcia |TKO (punches) |Gladiator Challenge 13 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:39 |Colusa, California, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|4"7 |Carlos Garcia |TKO (corner stoppage) |Gladiator Challenge 12 | |align=center|1 |align=center|5:00 |Colusa, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|4"6 |Rick Collup |Submission (punches) |KOTC 13: Revolution | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:37 |Reno, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|3"6 |David Fox |KO (punch) |Gladiator Challenge 9 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:02 |San Jacinto |For Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight Championship. |- |Loss |align=center|2"6 |Travis Fulton |TKO (corner stoppage) |IFC Warriors Challenge 13 | |align=center|2 |align=center|5:00 |California, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|2"5 |Griffen Reynaud |TKO (injury) |Extreme Challenge 22 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:38 |West Valley City, Utah, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|2"4 |Gary Goodridge |Submission (keylock) |IVC 1 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:43 |Brazil | |- |Win |align=center|2"3 |Aloisio Freitas Neta |Submission (guillotine choke) |IVC 1 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:25 |Brazil | |- |Loss |align=center|1-3 |Leonid Efremov |Submission (rear naked choke) |Absolute Fighting Championship 2 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:49 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Loss |align=center|1-2 |Tank Abbott |Submission (Punches) |Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:51 |Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |- |Win |align=center|1-1 |Zane Frazier |TKO (punches) |UFC 9 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:14 |Detroit, Michigan, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|0"1 |Paul Varelans |KO (elbows) |UFC 6 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:02 |Casper, Wyoming, United States |

Further reading