Keith Jardine
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Name | Keith Jardine |
| Nickname | The Dean of Mean | |
| Association | Greg Jackson's MMA | |
| Weight Class | Light Heavyweight / Middleweight | |
| Height | 6' 2" (188 cm) | |
| Style | Gaidojutsu, Kickboxing | |
| Birth Date | October 31, 1975 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Albuquerque, New Mexico | |
| Country | USA | |
| Keith Jardine's Pictures | Jardine's Official Website |
Keith Hector Jardine is an American mixed martial artist, and a former bounty hunter, fighting at Light Heavyweight. He competed most of his career for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), until losing four fights in a row. He made his debut with the organization on The Ultimate Fighter 2: Team Hughes vs. Team Franklin, where he was cast as a Heavyweight under coach Rich Franklin. He currently trains with Jackson's Submission Fighting, alongside Rashad Evans and Georges St. Pierre. Jardine is a rising star in MMA, having secured victories over former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, as well as a victory over Brandon Vera.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 17 - 11 - 2 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 8 (T)KOs 2 Submissions 7 Decisions |
| Losses | 6 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 5 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Roger Gracie | Decision (Unanimous) | Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy | 7/14/2012 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Luke Rockhold | TKO (Punches) | Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine | 1/7/2012 | 1 | 4:26 | For Strikeforce Middleweight Championship |
| Draw | Gegard Mousasi | Draw (Majority) | Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley | 4/09/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Mousasi deducted one point in first round for illegal upkick |
| Win | Aron Lofton | TKO (Punches) | Fresquez Productions: Double Threat | 3/04/2011 | 1 | 3:30 | |
| Win | Francisco France | Decision (Unanimous) | Nemesis Fighting: MMA Global Invasion | 12/11/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Trevor Prangley | Decision (Split) | SF 13: Jardine vs. Prangley | 9/11/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Non-title bout (Prangley was current SF LHW title holder) |
| Loss | Matt Hamill | Decision (Majority) | The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale | 6/19/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Fight of the Night Honors; Jardine had one point deducted for an accidental eye poke; Released from UFC post-fight |
| Loss | Ryan Bader | KO (Punch) | UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez | 2/21/2010 | 3 | 2:10 | |
| Loss | Thiago Silva | TKO (Punches) | UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira | 8/29/2009 | 1 | 1:35 | |
| Loss | Quinton Jackson | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine | 3/07/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | Brandon Vera | Decision (Split) | UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben | 10/18/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Wanderlei Silva | KO (Punches) | UFC 84: Ill Will | 5/24/2008 | 1 | 0:36 | |
| Win | Chuck Liddell | Decision (Split) | UFC 76: Knockout | 9/22/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Houston Alexander | TKO (Punches) | UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson | 5/26/2007 | 1 | 0:48 | |
| Win | Forrest Griffin | TKO (Punches) | UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II | 12/30/2006 | 1 | 4:41 | |
| Win | Wilson Gouveia | Decision (Unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale | 6/24/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Stephan Bonnar | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 4: Bonnar vs. Jardine | 4/06/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Mike Whitehead | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 | 2/04/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kerry Schall | TKO (Leg Kicks) | The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale | 11/05/2005 | 2 | 3:28 | UFC debut |
| Win | Arman Gambaryan | Submission (Armbar) | M-1 MFC: Heavyweight GP | 12/04/2004 | 1 | 2:37 | |
| Win | Tom Elrite | KO | IE: Independent Event | 11/13/2004 | 1 | 2:50 | |
| Win | Brian Bair | TKO (Punches) | Venom: First Strike | 9/18/2004 | 1 | 2:02 | |
| Draw | Keiichiro Yamamiya | Draw | Pancrase: Hybrid 8 | 10/04/2003 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | George Allen | Decision (Unanimous) | KOTC 24: Mayhem | 6/14/2003 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Allan Sullivan | TKO (Strikes) | KOTC 21: Invasion | 2/21/2003 | 2 | 1:56 | |
| Win | Bryan Pardoe | KO | KOTC 20: Crossroads | 12/15/2002 | 1 | 1:09 | |
| Win | Philip Preece | Decision | KOTC 14: New Mexico | 6/19/2002 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Travis Wiuff | KO | EC 46: Extreme Challenge 46 | 2/16/2002 | 1 | 0:06 | Extreme Challenge Eight-Man Tournament Opening Round |
| Win | Abe Andujo | TKO | RITC 31: Rage in the Cage 31 | 11/07/2001 | 1 | 1:20 | |
| Win | Amir Rahnavardi | Submission (Armbar) | GC 5: Rumble in the Rockies | 8/19/2001 | N/A | N/A | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Jardine made his professional mixed martial Arts debut in 2001, defeating Amir Rahnavardi by armbar submission. He would win five out of his next six bouts, suffering one knockout loss to Travis Wiuff, before debuting in the Japanese Pancrase organization in 2003. Jardine's bout in Pancrase, with Keiichiro Yamamiya, ended in a draw. Jardine defeated his next two opponents, including a submission win over Red Devil Sport Club fighter Arman Gambaryan, before appearing on The Ultimate Fighter 2.
The Ultimate Fighter
In 2005, Jardine was cast on The Ultimate Fighter 2: Team Franklin vs. Team Shamrock, a team-based reality television show created by the UFC, as a heavyweight competitor, and was the first heavyweight to be recruited to the team of then UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. Jardine was one of the favorites to proceed to the heavyweight division's finals, but was not selected to fight until the semi-finals, where he was defeated by eventual season two heavyweight winner, and his future teammate at Greg Jackson's camp, Rashad Evans.
UFC Career
Although Jardine was eliminated from The Ultimate Fighter, his tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship continued. Jardine made his first appearance on an official UFC fight card at the The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale, defeating fellow season two heavyweight Kerry Schall by TKO due to leg kicks. Jardine subsequently dropped down a weight class to the light heavyweight division, and defeated Mike Whitehead, another TUF 2 competitor, by unanimous decision at UFC 57.
In April, 2006, Jardine fought The Ultimate Fighter 1 Light Heavyweight finalist Stephan Bonnar at Ultimate Fight Night 4. In a closely contested bout, Jardine lost a unanimous decision, but gained a great deal of fan and media support after the bout. Quoting Jardine, "Everyone knows that that Bonnar fight should have been my fight[...] I still get approached everyday about that. I am 3-1, but I don't necessarily look at it that way."
His next fight in the UFC was against American Top Team's Wilson Gouveia at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale. Although Jardine appeared to lose the first round according to color commentator Joe Rogan, he defeated Gouveia by unanimous decision after three rounds. Jardine was then scheduled to fight Mike Nickels, a light heavyweight competitor from the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, but Nickels was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.
At UFC 66, Jardine scored a TKO victory in the first round over winner of The Ultimate Fighter 1, Forrest Griffin, who would later go on to be the Light Heavyweight Champion. Jardine's next fight was against UFC newcomer Houston Alexander at UFC 71. After having complained about having to face an unknown fighter when he felt he deserved a more high profile match, Jardine was brutally knocked out 48 seconds into the first round by Alexander.
At the fight against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Chuck Liddell at UFC 76, Jardine defeated Liddell by split decision and was considered one of the competitive candidates challenging the UFC light heavyweight championship. However, at the fight against the former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva at UFC 84, Jardine lost by knockout due punches at 36 seconds in round one. Jardine had to be helped up after the fight and was sent to the local hospital for observation.
Jardine next won a split decision victory over Heavyweight contender, turned Light Heavyweight, Brandon Vera at UFC 89. It appeared in the midst of the second round Jardine had damaged his knee from a front kick from Vera. However in the post fight interview it was confirmed that the injury was minor.
Jardine next headlined UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. It was his third fight against a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He had previously defeated Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, yet he would not add Jackson's name to his list. The fight went the distance, but it was Jackson who got the unanimous decision victory.
Forrest Griffin and Thiago Silva were expected to fight at UFC 101: Declaration, but when the UFC decided that Griffin would compete against Anderson Silva instead, Keith Jardine stepped in to fight Thiago. The fight would not take place at UFC 101, but at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira. Both fighters were coming off high-profile losses; Silva losing to Lyoto Machida and Jardine to Quinton Jackson. Silva handed Jardine a second consecutive loss at 1:35 of the first round via TKO (Punches).
Then on a two fight slide, Jardine hoped to bounce back against undefeated prospect, and The Ultimate Fighter 8 Light Heavyweight winner Ryan Bader on the main card of UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez on February 20, 2010 in Australia. Since winning The Ultimate Fighter 8, Bader had been on a two fight win streak, making his record in the UFC a solid 3-0, but the bout with Jardine would be a major step up in competition for the young prospect. Jardine showed ample takedown defense, and "The Dean of Mean" began to find his striking range with greater frequency as Bader began to tire. Then, in a flash, Bader showed once again that he's not simply a wrestling ace, for at the halfway point of the third round in a fight that appeared painfully difficult to score, Bader tagged Jardine with a quick right hand. Jardine stumbled briefly, and Bader attacked with a flying knee that missed the mark for Bader, as did a right hand. But a left hook scored directly to Jardine's chin, and the Greg Jackson product went down in a heap. Referee Josh Rosenthal stopped the fight immediately 2:10 into the final frame. The win was Jardine's third consecutive loss, placing his contract with the UFC in jeopardy.
It would not be the last fight for Jardine in the UFC, as he was scheduled to face off against Matt Hamill on June 19, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale. Jardine jumped out to an early lead with his unorthodox but effective striking, but he soon found obstacles around every corner. A deep but accidental eyepoke resulted in a point deduction in the second round, a gash between his eyes continually tricked blood and affected his vision in the second half of the fight, and Hamill's few but effective takedowns promptly halted any of Jardine's extended attacks. The combination of factors led to a majority-decision loss (29-27, 29-27, 28-28) and Jardine's fourth consecutive defeat in the UFC.
Jardine was released from the UFC shortly after his fourth consecutive fight, though Dana White made it clear that if he were to pick up a few wins outside of the promotion he'd be happy welcome him back into the octagon. After the loss he had this to say, via his website:
- “Last week I was let go by the UFC. I was sad to get the news but it was expected. I’ve always been proud to be a UFC fighter and they have been real good to me. I can’t help but to feel a bit like I’m losing a family."
- "As for now, I’m more motivated than ever. I’m going to take a vacation for a week then get back to work. Already, there are a lot of offers for fights coming I’m. Some are exciting. Starting over doesn’t sound so bad to me. Although my career is at a crossroads my story is only half written. I have a lot of fight left in me and I continue to improve with every fight. Anyway, I’m best when the chips are stacked against me and I will make it to the top. Thanks to all of my fans.”
Post-UFC Career
Shortly after his release from the UFC, it was announced the Jardine would return to action, competing under the Shark Fights banner, where he will face off against Shark Fights Light Heavyweight Champion Trevor Prangley in a non-title affair.
- “I’ve known Brent Medley (President of Shark Fights) for several years," Jardine had to say, "and in my opinion, he is one of the top matchmakers in the industry. When Brent approached me about fighting for Shark Fights and facing Trevor Prangley, I jumped at the opportunity. Prangley has an impressive list of notable wins and has only lost twice over the past three years.”
Prangley effectively attacked the awkward style of Jardine both on the feet and the floor for two solid rounds and then absorbed everything "The Dean of Mean" could throw during a rousing final stanza en route to a split-decision result. The win put Prangley back in the win column, while handing Jardine his fifth straight loss.
Boxing
Jardine has fought four bouts as a professional boxer. His professional boxing record is three wins with one draw. His last boxing bout was against Jason Cordova and took place on August 20, 2004. The bout was ruled a draw.
Acting Career
Jardine appeared briefly in Crank: High Voltage, starring Jason Statham, and Gamer, starring Gerard Butler. He was also featured in the Breaking Bad Season 3 episode "I.F.T", where he played a criminal who gets into a bar fight.
