Tim Sylvia

Tim 'The Maine-Iac' Sylvia is the retired two-time former UFC heavyweight champion. Sylvia's original nickname was “Grizzly Bear.” He is best known for his memorable five-round beatdown suffered when he lost the title for the second time, against Randy Couture. Also most might remember Sylvia as being destroyed by pound-for-pound king Fedor Emelianenko within thirty or some odd seconds.

He most recently defeated strongman superstar Mariusz Pudzianowski via submission due to strikes.

He most recently faced fellow UFC veteran Paul Buentello on a small-town card in Irvine, California. He knocked out Buentello with an uppercut in the second round of the heavyweight title fight. He next faced Vince Lucero in a non-title bout, defeating him via first-round technical knockout. He next replaced Todd Duffee against Abe Wagner, losing via first-round TKO about thirty-two seconds into the first round in what was an undeniable upset victory for Wagner.

Sylvia next heard about the UFC giving Mirko Filipovic one last retirement fight. He called out FIlipovic on Twitter trying to get that slot. " Just heard crocop has another fight in the Ufc. I think that would be a great fight for the fan. Him and I toe to toe in the center."

Sylvia instead next faced can Patrick Barrentine, winning via effortless first round TKO. Sylvia was next rumored to face rival Andrei Arlovski for the fourth time in the new Pro-Elite promotion, in their first meeting outside of the UFC's ranks. Instead Sylvia was next set to make his Pro-Elite debut in the main event against fellow UFC veteran and newcomer Pedro Rizzo. Rizzo was unfortunately injured and forced to pull out. He was replaced by German prospect and fellow Pro-Elite newcomer Andreas Kraniotakes.

The fight was in the quarterfinals of the Pro-Elite heavyweight tournament to crown the inaugaral Pro-Elite heavyweight champion. Sylvia defeated Kraniotakes via a less-than-awe-inspiring decision. After the boring victory, Sylvia called out the winner of the UFC heavyweight number-one contender fight between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar.

Sylvia next resurfaced in an Internet campaign that bore the hint of desperation, calling for his fans to support a return to the UFC's ranks. He was next rumored to make his return to the UFC against prospect Matt Mitrione.

Sylvia instead next fought Randy Smith winning via twelve-second technical knockout.

Sylvia next had a fourth fight with rival Andrei Arlovski in his OneFC debut. Sylvia was dropped and ate two soccer kicks before the ref delivered the 'open attack' signal, resulting in a no-contest... Syvlai next fought Satoshi Ishii at the Inoki BOM-BA-YE year-end event in December 2012 losing a unanimous decision.

Sylvia next returned to One FC to fight Tony Johnson. Johnson handed Sylvia his second straight (and arguably third straight) loss with a doctor stoppage due to cut in the third round.

Sylvia next fought Ruslan Magomedov at super-heavyweight, losing a unanimous decision for his third straight loss.

In June 2014 Sylvia signed for another super-heavyweight bout against Christian Morecraft. The fight never materialized.

Well over a year after the Magomedov fight, in January 2015, Sylvia was set to fight Juliano Coutinho but was denied medical clearance by the Mohegan Athletic Unit; the fight was then cancelled. Sylvia had weighed in at 371 pounds for the fight. After the fight was cancelled Sylvia quietly announced his retirement from MMA, unnoticed by most of the MMA community.

FightsEdit

• Tim Sylvia vs. Jason Lambert
• Tim Sylvia vs. Wesley Correira - The fight was the UFC debut of both men.
• Tim Sylvia vs. Ricco Rodriguez - The fight was for the UFC heavyweight championship with Ricco Rodriguez defending.
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia 1 - The fight was for the interim UFC heavyweight title.
• Tim Sylvia vs. Tra Telligman
• Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia - The fight was for the UFC heavyweight title with Sylvia defending. Randy Couture came out of retirement for the bout.
• Tim Sylvia vs. Brandon Vera - Brandon Vera came into the fight undefeated and it was his first loss. It was Tim Sylvia's last fight in the UFC so far. Vera broke his hand in the fight.
• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia - The fight was for the vacant UFC interim heavyweight championship. Nogueira managed to win it after a three-round war, becoming the first and only man to hold a title in both Pride and the UFC. The fight was Sylvia's last in the UFC.
• Tim Sylvia vs. Mariusz Pudzianowski - The fight was Mariusz Pudzianowski's first loss. Somehow, Sylvia broke his foot during the fight.
• Tim Sylvia vs. Paul Buentello - The fight was for the vacant Powerhouse heavyweight title or something like that.
• Abe Wagner vs. Tim Sylvia - The fight was a significant upset.
• Tim Sylvia vs. Andreas Kraniotakes - The fight was the Pro-Elite debut of both men and it was in the quarterfinals of the Pro-Elite heavyweight tournament. Andreas Kraniotakes was a late replacement for an injured Pedro Rizzo.
• Tony Johnson vs. Tim Sylvia