Tom Breese


Tom Breese is an English mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, he formerly competed for BAMMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Breese began training MMA at the age of 16 and skipped college to train full-time. A successful wrestler and jiu-jitsu competitor, he won a junior national freestyle wrestling championship, as well as a second-place finish at the IBJJF world championships when he was a purple belt. Breese compiled an amateur record of 3-0-1 before successfully making his professional debut for BAMMA in 2010.
Breese fought exclusively in his native England and amassed an undefeated record of 7–0 with all but one win coming by way of submission before joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2015.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Breese made his promotional debut against Luiz Dutra Jr. on 30 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 67. Breese won the fight via TKO in the first round after dropping his opponent with a straight left and following up with ground and pound.
Breese faced Cathal Pendred on 24 October 2015 at UFC Fight Night 76. Breese dominated the fight with striking exchanges en route to another TKO victory in the first round. In similar fashion to his UFC debut, Breese dropped his opponent with a straight left and followed up with ground and pound to earn the TKO victory. The win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Breese faced Keita Nakamura on 27 February 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Breese faced Sean Strickland on 4 June 2016 at UFC 199. He lost the fight by split decision, marking the first loss in Breese's career.
Breese was expected to face Oluwale Bamgbose on 18 March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107. However, the day of the event Breese was deemed unfit to compete and the bout was cancelled.
Breese faced Dan Kelly on 27 May 2018 at UFC Fight Night 130. He won the fight via technical knock out in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Breese was expected to face Cezar Ferreira on 17 November 2018 at UFC Fight Night 140. However, it was reported on 9 November 2018 that Breese pulled out of the event due to injury, and he was replaced by Ian Heinisch.
Breese was expected to face Alessio Di Chirico on 16 March 2019 at UFC Fight Night 147. However Di Chirico pulled out of the fight in early January citing an undisclosed injury and subsequent surgery. He was replaced by Cezar Ferreira. However, on 1 February 2019, Ferreira withdrew from the fight on 1 February, citing a knee injury. Breese withdrew from his fight against Ian Heinisch due to health concerns as he had an anxiety attack.
Breese faced Brendan Allen on 29 February 2020 at UFC Fight Night 169. He lost the fight by TKO in the first round.

Championships and achievements