Frank Trigg Biography

Dewey Franklin "Frank" Trigg III (born May 7, 1972) is an American mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler and TV host . Trigg is a veteran of the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, Rumble on the Rock, Icon Sport, BAMMA, World Fighting Alliance, and has made professional wrestling appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Biography

Born in Rochester, New York, Trigg was one of seven children, Trigg's early years were not always easy. Growing up in a home with seven brothers, money was tight. That's how Trigg discovered grappling. Naturally, with so many boys in the household, sibling rivalry was rampant, particularly when it came to athletics. Excelling in sports was a highly revered goal, and Trigg's natural athleticism made people take notice.

Trigg developed an early interest in martial arts. However, the sport"s requisite discipline and sacrifices were intense on the grade schooler, and he lost interest until he discovered he had a gift for wrestling at the age of 12. It was then that he resumed his martial arts studies seriously.

It was not long before Trigg caught the eye of athletic scouts like wrestling coach Jack Spates. Recruited by Spates to wrestle at the University of Oklahoma, Trigg"s speed, agility and heart, distinguished him from teammates. Spates"s tutelage went beyond wrestling moves. He educated Trigg about the business world and the intricacies of corporate America, lessons that would serve the budding entrepreneur well.

Mixed martial arts career

In 1995, Trigg began studying judo under famed Sensei and former Olympian, Patrick Burris. It was while training with Burris that Trigg earned his first black belt and was introduced to the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

After receiving his Bachelor's Degree in Public Affairs and Administration in 1997, Trigg took a coaching position at the University of Oklahoma while continuing to compete on his own at the amateur and professional levels. In 1999, Trigg fought at Pride 8 in Japan, defeating Fabiano Iha via TKO due to strikes. Less than a year later, in early 2000, Trigg qualified as an Olympic Trials Finalist in wrestling.

Beating some of the World's best athletes convinced Trigg that a legitimate professional wrestling and mixed martial arts career was the next step. By the end of 2000, Trigg fought the Shooto world champion Hayato Sakurai for his title. While Trigg initially controlled the bout, Sakurai staged a comeback and brutally knocked Trigg out in the second round due to knees, handing Trigg his first career loss.

Trigg joined the World Fighting Alliance from 2001-2002, where he held the WFA welterweight title. Trigg was undefeated in WFA.

After several successful years with the WFA, in 2003, Trigg joined the premier organization in the world for MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Trigg earned an immediate title shot against champion Matt Hughes at UFC 45: Revolution. After a tactical grappling match-up early on, Trigg fell victim to a rear naked choke in the first round.

Trigg rebounded quickly, defeating Dennis Hallman and Renato Verissimo in UFC 48 and UFC 50 to earn another shot at Hughes' Welterweight Championship.

In their second fight at UFC 52, Trigg had Hughes at the brink of defeat after an unintentional knee to the groin went unnoticed by the referee. Hughes went on to reverse position and submit Trigg by rear naked choke later in the first round in what is considered one of the great comebacks in UFC history. After this loss, fans of Frank Trigg affectionately termed the choke the "rear naked Trigg."

Trigg returned at UFC 54 to take on future welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre where he lost by a rear naked choke in the opening round. The loss would be Trigg's final appearance in the UFC until UFC 103, almost 50 events later.

Trigg participated in Rumble on the Rock's 2006 welterweight tournament, winning his first round fight against Ronald Jhun. He was upset in the second round by Carlos Condit.

Trigg remained inactive after that loss, focusing on his broadcasting job with Pride FC.

He won the Icon Sport Middleweight title on December 6, 2006, TKO-ing Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

His next fight was on at Pride 33, on February 24, 2007, against Middleweight Grand Prix champion Kazuo Misaki. Trigg out wrestled Misaki and maintained control on the ground, winning by a 30-27 unanimous decision.

A month later, on March 31, 2007, Trigg unsuccessfully defended his Icon Sport middleweight title against Robbie Lawler, losing in the fourth round via KO.

On December 17, 2007, Trigg beat Edwin Dewees in the first round by submission at HDNet Fights- Reckless Abandon.[2] On August 24, 2008, Trigg traveled to Japan to compete at Sengoku 4 where he bested 2000 Judo Olympic Gold Medalist Makoto Takimoto via a unanimous decision. On October 3, 2008, Trigg won a unanimous decision over Falaniko Vitale at Strikeforce: Payback in Denver, Colorado. On February 14, 2009, Trigg won a unanimous decision over Danny Babcock (5-2) at XCF: Rumble in Racetown in Daytona, FL.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2008)

In addition to MMA, Frank Trigg was also an analyst and on-screen character in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2008, aligning himself with Kurt Angle, who used his passing resemblance to Trigg as part of a storyline. At No Surrender (2008) he faced A.J. Styles in an MMA style match, the match going to a draw due to an "unintentional" low blow on Trigg. The crowd was hostile to both combatants, chanting "This is bullshit", "We want wrestling", and "Fire Russo". After the match, Styles beat down Trigg using a kendo stick and declared that "I'm a wrestler, I don't do this crap!". Trigg has not appeared since the match.

Return to UFC (2009-2010)

On May 27, 2009, Trigg re-signed with the UFC after agreeing a four-fight deal with the company, where he returned to the welterweight division against Ultimate Fighter veteran Josh Koscheck at UFC 103. Koscheck defeated Trigg via first round TKO.

After this disappointing loss, Trigg went on to face the former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra at UFC 109 and lost for a second time since his return via KO (punches) in the first round.

Trigg was released by the UFC following his loss to Serra.

Post-UFC Release

After being released by the UFC, Trigg went into a semi-retirement, but returned for the inaugural Israel Fighting Championship on Nov. 9. Trigg easily defeated Roy Neeman by strikes in the first round. After the fight, he said he didn't really know what was next for him.

BAMMA

At BAMMA 6, Trigg defeated British standout John Phillips by TKO (doctor stoppage) in round 1.

Trigg was scheduled to be the main event at BAMMA 7 against Tom Watson for the Middleweight title. However, on August 9, it was announced that Watson had to pull out due to a back injury and would be replaced by Jim Wallhead in a non-title fight. Trigg lost the fight via split decision.

Personal life

Frank Trigg has four children; Frankie, Kiara, Stone, and Lavin. Trigg welcomed his son Stone in September 2008. He welcomed his youngest, a boy named Lavin, on October 2, 2010. Trigg is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Championships and accomplishments

• World Fighting Alliance
  • WFA Welterweight Championship (One time)

• Icon Sport
  • Icon Sport Middleweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

|- | Loss | align=center| 21-9 | Jim Wallhead | Decision (split) | BAMMA 7 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Birmingham, England | |- | Win | align=center| 21-8 | John Phillips | TKO (doctor stoppage) | BAMMA 6 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:41 | London, England | |- | Win | align=center| 20-8 | Roy Neeman | TKO (punches) | Israel FC: Genesis | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:36 | Tel Aviv, Israel | |- | Loss | align=center| 19-8 | Matt Serra | KO (punches) | UFC 109 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:23 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 19-7 | Josh Koscheck | TKO (punches) | UFC 103 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:25 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 19-6 | Danny Babcock | Decision (unanimous) | XCF: Rumble in Racetown 1 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Daytona, Florida, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 18-6 | Falaniko Vitale | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Payback | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 17-6 | Makoto Takimoto | Decision (unanimous) | Sengoku 4 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |- | Win | align=center| 16-6 | Edwin Dewees | Submission (kimura) | HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:40 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 15-6 | Robbie Lawler | KO (punches) | Icon Sport: Epic | | align=center| 4 | align=center| 1:40 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Loses Icon Sport Middleweight Championship. |- | Win | align=center| 15-5 | Kazuo Misaki | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 33 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 14-5 | Jason Miller | TKO (soccer kicks) | Romans Sur Isere devant la gare | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 2:53 | United States | Wins Icon Sport Middleweight Championship |- | Loss | align=center| 13-5 | Carlos Condit | Submission (triangle armbar) | Rumble on the Rock 9 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:22 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | ROTR Welterweight Tournament Second Round |- | Win | align=center| 13-4 | Ronald Jhun | Decision (unanimous) | Rumble on the Rock 8 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | ROTR Welterweight Tournament Opening Round |- | Loss | align=center| 12-4 | Georges St-Pierre | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 54 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:09 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 12-3 | Matt Hughes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 52 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:05 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For UFC Welterweight Championship |- | Win | align=center| 12-2 | Renato Verissimo | TKO (elbows) | UFC 50 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 2:11 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 11-2 | Dennis Hallman | TKO (punches) | UFC 48 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 10-2 | Matt Hughes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 45 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:54 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | For UFC Welterweight Championship |- | Win | align=center| 10-1 | Dennis Hallman | TKO (kick to groin) | WFA 3: Level 3 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:50 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Wins WFA Welterweight Championship |- | Win | align=center| 9-1 | Jason Medina | Submission (elbows) | WFA 2: Level 2 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:43 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 8-1 | Laverne Clark | Submission (punches and elbows) | World Fighting Alliance 1 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 2:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 7-1 | Hayato Sakurai | KO (knees) | Shooto: R.E.A.D. Final | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 2:25 | Chiba, Chiba, Japan | |- | Win | align=center| 7-0 | Ray Cooper | Submission (forearm choke) | WEF: New Blood Conflict | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 3:05 | N/A | |- | Win | align=center| 6-0 | Fabiano Iha | TKO (punches) | Pride 8 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | align=center| 5-0 | Jean Jacques Machado | TKO (corner stoppage) | Vale Tudo Japan 1998 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 0:20 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | align=center| 4-0 | Marcelo Aguiar | TKO (punches) | Shooto - Las Grandes Viajes 3 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 3:08 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | align=center| 3-0 | Dan Gilbert | Submission (forearm choke) | Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:45 | Texas, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 2-0 | Javier Buentello | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:35 | Texas, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 1-0 | Ali Elias | KO (knee) | Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 7 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 10:36 | Texas, United States |

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of Phi Beta Sigma brothers