Heath began training in mixed martial arts in 2002 and made his professional debut in 2003. Heath compiled a record of 7-0, which included a win over Sean Salmon, while mostly fighting in his home-state of Oklahoma before being signed by the UFC.
UFC
Heath made his debut for the organization at UFC 62 on August 26, 2006, against Cory Walmsley won the bout via rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Heath next fought at UFC Fight Night 7 against Canadian Victor Valimiki and won via split decision. Heath then fought against future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion against then-undefeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 70 in England. Heath was a replacement for Machida's original opponent, Forrest Griffin, who withdrew from the bout due to a naggingstaph infection. Heath was handed his first professional loss via unanimous decision and the fight was pulled off the air, being replaced for more entertaining fights. Heath apologized in post-fight interview for a "boring" and "frustrating" performance, and also said that Machida has an "ultra-boring style" of fighting. Heath then fought longtime veteran Renato Sobral at UFC 74. Prior to the fight, Heath taunted Sobral over his recent legal difficulties and then wore a shirt displaying Sobral's police mugshot to the Octagon. While angered by the display, Sobral defeated Heath by anaconda choke in the second round after horrifically beating and bloodying his opponent to the point of grotesquerie. Sobral continued to hold the choke for four seconds after Heath tapped out, which is illegal, and ignored the commands of referee Steve Mazzagatti, who tried to physically break the hold. Renato stated during the post-fight interview that "He has to learn respect. He deserved that. He called me 'motherfucker'." Sobral also disregarded the boos from the over 11,000 fans, saying "The crowd didn't like it? Who cares! At least they had a reaction." Sobral was released from the UFC for his actions. In a later interview, Heath has stated that he does not hold a "grudge" against Sobral but is disappointed about the "black eye" that the sport of mixed martial arts suffered after the incident. In his next bout for the UFC a year later, Heath fought Tim Boetsch at UFC 84 and was defeated in the first round after he was thrown against the cage and hit with numerous punches. Heath, having lost three consecutive fights, was released by the UFC.
