James Adam McSweeney[1] (born 24 October 1980) is a retired British kickboxer and retired mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, McSweeney is well known for being a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights and competing in the UFC, but he has also competed in major European promotions such as KSW, Cage Rage and BAMMA.
| James McSweeney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | James Adam McSweeney[1] 24 October 1980 London, England |
| Other names | The Hammer |
| Nationality | British |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 251 lb (114 kg; 17 st 13 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight |
| Reach | 77.0 in (196 cm) |
| Style | Kickboxing |
| Fighting out of | Plano, Texas, United States |
| Team | McSweeney Martial Arts |
| Trainer | Valentijn Overeem |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu[2] |
| Years active | 2005–2008, 2018–present (kickboxing) 2008–2021 (MMA) |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 55 |
| Wins | 47 |
| By knockout | 31 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 33 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 6 |
| Losses | 18 |
| By knockout | 11 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Last updated on: 12 December 2022 | |
Background
Born in London to an Irish father and a Northern Irish mother, McSweeney started kickboxing in England when he was six years old. At 18, he finished school and moved to Amsterdam to train full-time in Dutch kickboxing. He joined Lucien Carbin's gym, and still trains with the team today. Team mates and sparring partners have included Alistair Overeem, Valentijn Overeem, and Tyrone Spong. An accomplished kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, McSweeney has won numerous British, Dutch, European and World titles.[3]
Mixed martial arts career
In 2006, McSweeney transitioned to mixed martial arts and moved in with The Ultimate Fighter coach Rashad Evans. The two quickly struck up a bond after McSweeney helped prepare Evans for his bout against Forrest Griffin in December 2008. While training for his fight against Travis Browne, McSweeney switched his camp from Jackson's Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, New Mexico to the Grudge Training Centre in Denver, Colorado to train full-time along with fellow UFC competitors Shane Carwin, Brendan Schaub and Nate Marquardt. McSweeney recently moved out of the Grudge Training Centre to return to the tutelage of European Muay Thai legend Lucien Carbin and to open up his own gym Sledgehammer MMA in Kent, England.
The Ultimate Fighter
McSweeney was on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights fighting alongside Team Rashad. McSweeney was the first overall pick and fought on the second episode of the show against Wes Shivers defeating him via majority decision. McSweeney moved on to the next round of the tournament, fighting teammate, Matt Mitrione. McSweeney won via guillotine choke in the first round. In the semi-finals, McSweeney lost against former IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson via TKO after getting caught in the crucifix position.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
McSweeney was given another chance by the UFC despite losing on The Ultimate Fighter. He fought Darrill Schoonover on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale card in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 5 December, winning by TKO in the third round.
McSweeney made his second appearance for the UFC on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale preliminary card, fighting against undefeated newcomer Travis Browne. The fight ended in a TKO victory for Browne due to punches at 4:32 of the first round. McSweeney claims he was hit with illegal elbows and briefly tried to appeal the loss.[4] McSweeney later decided against the appeal to focus on his next fight instead.[5]
McSweeney was to drop to the Light Heavyweight division at UFC 120 to fight Tom Blackledge.[6] However, McSweeney would instead face Fábio Maldonado after Blackledge was forced to pull out of the bout.[7] McSweeney lost the bout in the third round via TKO due to punches.
As of 20 January 2011, conversations over McSweeney's Twitter account were strongly indicative that he is no longer a part of the UFC.[8]
Independent Promotions
McSweeney lost a unanimous decision to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez at BAMMA 5: Daley vs Shirai on 26 February 2011. He then had a further loss to submissions ace Francisco France in April 2011 at a Crowbar MMA event.[9] Fighting on 22 July 2011, Mcsweeney defeated Lee Mein by TKO (Punches) in the 1st round.[10] On 20 August 2011, McSweeney defeated Sam Brown by Submission (armbar) in the 1st round.
McSweeney faced former MFC Light Heavyweight Champion Emanuel Newton at Superior Cage Combat 3.[11] He lost by submission in the first round.
McSweeney faced fellow UFC veteran Paul Buentello in a Light Heavyweight bout on 23 August 2013 at Legacy Fighting Championship 22.[12] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
ONE Fighting Championship
In 2014, McSweeney signed with the Asian promotion ONE Championship. He faced Chris Lokteff in his debut at ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Heroes in May and won via KO due to a flying knee in round 1.
In his second fight for the promotion, McSweeney faced Cristiano Kaminishi at ONE FC: Reign of Champions in August. He again won the fight via KO in the first round.
For his third fight with the promotion, McSweeney faced Roger Gracie at ONE FC 23: Warrior's Way in December.[13] He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.
KSW
McSweeney was expected to face Polish prospect Michal Andryszak at KSW 45 on 6 October 2018.[14] However, Andryszak was pulled from the event due to injury and was replaced by Thiago Silva.[15] McSweeney lost the fight by unanimous decision.
McSweeney faced Hatef Moeil at Mix Fight Championship 26 on 22 June 2019, losing the bout via first-round technical knockout.[16] In September 2021, McSweeney announced that he had retired from mixed martial arts competition in order to continue his kickboxing career.[2]
Kickboxing career
Having already fought in numerous kickboxing bouts during his career, McSweeney signed with Glory in September 2021.[2] He was scheduled to face Antonio Plazibat at Glory: Collision 3 on 23 October 2021.[17] However, Plazibat was replaced by Gökhan Saki after Plazibat replaced Jamal Ben Saddik against Benjamin Adegbuyi.[18] McSweeney lost by second-round knockout via leg kicks.[19][20][21]
In December 2022, McSweeney defeated Bugra Erdogan to win the Mix Fight Heavyweight Championship. The event took place in Frankfurt, Germany.
McSweeney was going to face Badr Hari in the main event of Glory 88 on 9 September 2023.[22][23]
In 2024 McSweeny retired from kickboxing.
Personal life
McSweeney is married with one daughter. They reside in Rockwall, Texas. He is a former security guard.[24] On 15 August 2012, he stopped an attempted robbery at a convenience store in Las Vegas by subduing a man armed with a knife.[25]
Championships and accomplishments
Kickboxing
- Mix Fight Championship
- Mix Fight Heavyweight Champion (one time, current)
Kickboxing record (Incomplete)
| 47 Wins (31 (T)KO's), 8 Losses, 0 Draw, No Contest | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-12-03 | Win |  Bugra Erdogan | Mix Fight Championship | Frankfurt, Germany | Decision (Split) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2021-10-23 | Loss | Gökhan Saki | Glory: Collision 3 | Arnhem, Netherlands | KO (Leg Kicks) | 2 | 2:13 | |
| 2019-12-07 | Loss |  Ismael Londt | Mix Fight 27, Heavyweight Tournament Final | Frankfurt, Germany | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | 2 | ||
| 2019-12-07 | Win | Murat Aygün | Mix Fight 27, Heavyweight Tournament Semi Final | Frankfurt, Germany | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | 2 | ||
| 2018-12-01 | Win |  Danyo Ilunga | Mix Fight Gala 25 | Germany | KO (Spinning Backfist) | 3 | 1:10 | |
| 2018-01-27 | Win |  Firouz Fakhri | Mix Fight Gala 24 | Izmir, Turkey | KO (Knee) | 2 | 2:29 | |
| 2008-04-22 | Loss |  Brian Douwes | K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Amsterdam | Amsterdam, Netherlands | KO (Left Hook) | 1 | 1:10 | |
| 2008-03-29 | Win |  Marin Došen | WFC 4 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | TKO (Flying Knee) | 2 | ||
| 2007-04-21 | Win |  Michael McDonald | Cage Rage 21: Judgement Day | London, England | Decision (Majority) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2006-02-17 | Loss |  Roman Kupcak | K-1 European League 2006 in Bratislava | Bratislava, Slovakia | KO (Strikes) | 2 | ||
| 2005-12-10 | Loss | Koos Wessels | Fights at the Border IV | Lommel, Belgium | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | ||||||||
Mixed martial arts record
| 33 matches | 15 wins | 18 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 11 |
| By submission | 6 | 4 |
| By decision | 0 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 15–18 | Hatef Moeil | TKO (punches) | Mix Fight Championship 26 | 22 June 2019 | 1 | 4:13 | Hessen, Germany | For the MFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 15–17 | Thiago Silva | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 45: The Return to Wembley | 6 October 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Loss | 15–16 | Fernando Rodrigues Jr. | Decision (unanimous) | Superior Challenge 17 | 19 May 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | For the SC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 15–15 | Tai Tuivasa | TKO (corner stoppage) | Australian Fighting Championship 17 | 15 October 2016 | 1 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | For the AFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 15–14 | Karol Bedorf | TKO (elbows) | KSW 34: New Order | 5 March 2016 | 1 | 3:33 | Warsaw, Poland | For the KSW Heavyweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 15–13 | Marcin Różalski | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 32: Road to Wembley | 31 October 2015 | 1 | 2:13 | London, England | KSW Heavyweight title eliminator. |
| Loss | 14–13 | Denis Goltsov | TKO (head kick and punches) | Tech-Krep FC - Prime Selection 4: Grandmasters | 24 July 2015 | 2 | 0:46 | Krasnodar, Russia | |
| Loss | 14–12 | Roger Gracie | TKO (front kick to the body and punches) | ONE FC 23: Warrior's Way | 5 December 2014 | 3 | 3:15 | Pasay, Philippines | |
| Win | 14–11 | Cristiano Kaminishi | KO (punch and soccer kick) | ONE FC: Reign of Champions | 29 August 2014 | 1 | 1:17 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 13–11 | Chris Lokteff | KO (flying knee) | ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Heroes | 2 May 2014 | 1 | 3:04 | Pasay, Philippines | |
| Win | 12–11 | Stefan Traunmuller | Submission (armbar) | FFC09: McSweeney vs. Traunmuller | 15 November 2013 | 1 | 0:35 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 11–11 | Paul Buentello | TKO (body punch) | Legacy FC 22 | 23 August 2013 | 2 | 2:44 | Lubbock, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 11–10 | Dion Staring | TKO (head kick and punches) | CFA 10: McSweeney vs. Staring | 2 March 2013 | 1 | 0:38 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 10–10 | Matti Mäkelä | TKO (punches) | Superior Challenge 8 | 6 October 2012 | 2 | 0:00 | Malmö, Sweden | |
| Win | 10–9 | Jeff King | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 7 | 23 June 2012 | 1 | 2:30 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Win | 9–9 | Kym Robinson | TKO (punches and elbows) | Shamrock Events Night of Mayhem 4 | 14 April 2012 | 1 | 3:03 | Dandenong, Victoria, Australia | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
| Win | 8–9 | Felis Leniu | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 6 | 17 March 2012 | 1 | 0:00 | Keysborough, Victoria, Australia | Heavyweight bout. |
| Win | 7–9 | Doug Viney | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 5 | 10 December 2011 | 1 | 2:30 | Keysborough, Victoria, Australia | |
| Loss | 6–9 | Emanuel Newton | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Superior Cage Combat 3 | 4 November 2011 | 1 | 1:45 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 6–8 | Sam Brown | Submission (armbar) | Shamrock Events Kings of Kombat 4 | 20 August 2011 | 1 | 2:25 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Win | 5–8 | Lee Mein | TKO (punches) | Bully's Fight Night 2 | 22 July 2011 | 1 | 2:01 | Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | |
| Loss | 4–8 | Francisco France | Submission (kimura) | Crowbar MMA Spring Brawl 2011 | 29 April 2011 | 1 | 1:35 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | |
| Loss | 4–7 | Ricco Rodriguez | Decision (unanimous) | BAMMA 5: Daley vs. Shirai | 26 February 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Manchester, England | 215 pound catchweight bout. |
| Loss | 4–6 | Fábio Maldonado | TKO (punches) | UFC 120 | 16 October 2010 | 3 | 0:48 | London, England | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Loss | 4–5 | Travis Browne | TKO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale | 19 June 2010 | 1 | 4:32 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 4–4 | Darrill Schoonover | TKO (punches and knees) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale | 5 December 2009 | 3 | 3:20 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 3–4 | Ricardo Romero | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Ring of Combat 24 | 17 April 2009 | 1 | 2:27 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 3–3 | Neil Grove | KO (punches) | UCMMA 1: Bad Breed | 6 December 2008 | 2 | 1:38 | London, England | |
| Win | 3–2 | Roman Webber | KO (knee) | Cage Rage 28 | 20 September 2008 | 1 | 0:10 | London, England | |
| Win | 2–2 | Chris Cooper | TKO (punches) | FX3: Fight Night 9 | 13 September 2008 | 1 | 3:09 | Reading, Berkshire, England | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Mostapha al-Turk | TKO (punches) | Cage Rage 27 | 12 July 2008 | 1 | 2:06 | London, England | For Cage Rage British Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 1–1 | Robert Paczków | Submission (smother choke) | Cage Rage 24 | 1 December 2007 | 1 | 2:09 | London, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Mark Buchanan | TKO (punches) | Cage Rage 22 | 14 July 2007 | 1 | 1:30 | London, England |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 2 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2–1 | Roy Nelson | TKO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights | 1 | 4:13 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Semi-finals. | |
| Win | 2–0 | Matt Mitrione | Submission (guillotine choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights | 1 | 3:38 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Quarter-finals. | |
| Win | 1–0 | Wes Shivers | Decision (majority) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights | 2 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Preliminary bout. |
Bare-knuckle boxing
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 0 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Lavar Johnson | KO (punch) | Valor Bare Knuckle 1 | September 21, 2019 | 1 | 0:27 | New Town, North Dakota, USA |
