Carmelo Marrero
 |
Name | Carmelo Marrero |
| Nickname | The Fury | |
| Association | American Top Team | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight / Light Heavyweight | |
| Height | 6' 0" (183 cm.) | |
| Style | Greco-Roman Wrestling | |
| Birth Date | January 26, 1981 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Coconut Creek, Florida | |
| Nationality | American |
Carmelo "The Fury" Marrero is an American mixed martial artist who competes at Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight. He has competed in both the UFC and the WEC.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 14 - 6 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) (1 NC) |
| Wins | 2 (T)KOs 6 Submissions 6 Decisions |
| Losses | 0 (T)KOs 2 Submissions 4 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Lew Polley | Decision (Unanimous) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 77 | 10/19/2012 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Scott Barrett | Decision (Unanimous) | XFC 14: Resurrection | 10/21/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Mark Holata | Decision (Unanimous) | C3 Fights: SlamFest | 1/29/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Steven Banks | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | WCC 3: Brawl at the Hall | 10/9/2010 | 2 | 2:33 | |
| Win | Brian Heden | Decision (Unanimous) | C3 Fights: Knockout-Rockout Weekend 4 | 7/17/2010 | 3 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Wayne Cole | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | C3: Slammin Jammin Weekend 4 | 2/13/2010 | 2 | 2:37 | |
| Loss | Antwain Britt | Decision (Unanimous) | VFC: A Night of Vengeance | 9/05/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | VFC Light Heavyweight Tournament Opening Round |
| Loss | Ryan Bader | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 18: Condit vs. Kampmann | 4/01/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Steve Steinbeiss | Decision (Split) | WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown | 11/05/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Chuck Huus | Submission (Ankle Lock) | C3 Fights: Clash in Concho | 9/19/2008 | N/A | N/A | |
| Win | Rader McHugh | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | C3 Fights: Showdown 2 | 8/16/2008 | 2 | 2:48 | |
| NC | Mike Ciesnolevicz | No Contest (Accidental Headbutt) | IFL: New Jersey | 4/04/2008 | 1 | 1:37 | |
| Win | Rafael del Real | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | WCO: Kerr vs. Gavin | 11/07/2007 | 1 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Wilson Gouveia | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson | 5/26/2007 | 1 | 3:06 | Light Heavyweight debut |
| Loss | Gabriel Gonzaga | Submission (Armbar) | UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2 | 12/30/2006 | 1 | 3:22 | |
| Win | Cheick Kongo | Decision (Split) | UFC 64: Unstoppable | 10/14/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Petrus Walker | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | CFFC 1: Cage Fury Fighting Championships 1 | 6/30/2006 | 1 | 2:43 | Won Cage Fury Fighting Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Dale Carson | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | MFC: Boardwalk Blitz | 3/04/2006 | 2 | 0:48 | |
| Win | Sherman Pendergarst | Decision (Unanimous) | RF 9: Reality Fighting 9 | 8/06/2005 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Chris Volo | Decision (Unanimous) | RF 8: Reality Fighting 8 | 4/02/2005 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Chris Dippolito | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | RF 7: Reality Fighting 7 | 10/16/2004 | 1 | 1:02 | |
Early Life and Amateur Career
Carmelo is of Spanish descent. As a young child, he was diagnosed with cancer, however he eventually battled through and survived the illness. Carmelo began Wrestling in high school where he competed for Daniel Boone High School in Berks County, Pennsylvania. He would go on to place 6th in the state tournament at heavyweight. He then furthered his Wrestling career at Rider University after he spent a few years wrestling at the junior college level. Carmelo would go on to become the team captain as well as a two time national tournament qualifier at heavyweight.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Upon finishing his final Wrestling season at Rider University, Carmelo still had a drive to compete so he moved into MMA. His first five professional bouts were against meager opponents in small fight promotions along the New Jersey shore. Carmelo would go on to win and dominate all five bouts. Carmelo even overcame a horrific broken jaw in one of his early MMA fights and still went on to win. In only his sixth fight he got a chance to fight in the UFC against a much larger and more experienced opponent in Cheick Kongo who already had two wins inside the octagon. Carmelo would use his superior grappling skills to control Kongo the entire bout and go on to win by Decision (Split). In his next fight he would go against Gabriel Gonzaga with the winner to get a shot to fight Mirko Filipovic for the #1 contender spot. Carmelo would lose this fight in the first round due to an Armbar.
For Carmelo's next bout he dropped down to the light heavyweight division to face Wilson Gouveia at UFC 71. He was defeated at 3:06 into the first round by Submission (Guillotine Choke). The second consecutive loss in the UFC placed Marrero in a bad situation, as his contract was terminated. Also, after the loss, Marrero decided to join Gouveia at American Top Team.
Once leaving the UFC, Marrero faced Rafael del Real, a veteran of the WEC. He defeated Real by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at the end of the first round. From there he made his one and only appearance for the International Fight League (IFL), where he faced longtime IFL veteran Mike Ciesnolevicz. The fight was stopped at 1:37 of the first round due to an accidental head-butt. The unintentional foul caused the fight to be declared a No Contest.
Carmelo next won two consecutive fights, submitting his opponents at C3 events.
With three wins and one No Contest, Marrero returned to the big leagues, but this time with Zuffa owned World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). In his first fight he faced Steve Steinbeiss, who he went on to defeat by Decision (Split). With the WEC getting rid of their heavier weight classes, Marrero was moved back to the UFC, where he had not competed since 2007, when he lost to Wilson Gouveia. His return bout was against The Ultimate Fighter 8 light heavyweight winner Ryan Bader. He went on to be defeated by Decision (Unanimous), and was once again dropped by the UFC.
Marrero returned to action as a participant in the VFC light heavyweight tournament, where his first round bout was against Antwain Britt. Britt defeated Marrero by Decision (Unanimous), and actually went on to make it to the finals.
After the two consecutive losses, Marrero finally returned to the win column early 2010, defeating Wayne Cole in a C3 event, submitting Cole with a Guillotine Choke.
Personal Facts
Carmelo or "Carmy" as his friends call him is known for his laid back demeanor and excellent interpersonal skills. Carmy is an amateur linguist as well and is currently studying several different languages including French, German, and the slavic languages of the east. He lists his favorite movie of all time as the 1999 box office hit Arrmageddon. His favorite author is none other than R.L. Stine whose claim to fame was penning the Goosebumps series of children's novels. Carmelo notes that his defeat at the hands of the Iranian Olympic bronze medalist was his most inspiring performance he had ever put on.
Ranks and Titles
- Cage Fury Fighting Heavyweight Champion
