Alright so last week I was scrolling through Twitter when someone asked, “Who’s the best UFC fighter ever from Arizona?” Got me thinking. I mean, I live in Phoenix and train BJJ on weekends, but honestly? Had no clue. Decided to dig into this myself.
My Research Roadmap
First thing: dragged out my laptop and cleared the kitchen table. Started simple – just googled “UFC fighters born Arizona.” Mostly got tourist ads for Sedona though. Useless. Then switched to checking UFC stats pages fighter by fighter like some caveman scrolling. Took forever.
My criteria were stupid basic:
- Must’ve actually lived/trained in AZ for real fights (not just born there)
- UFC fights counted more than other leagues
- Title shots = bonus points
Opened like twelve browser tabs – *, Sherdog, even Wikipedia (fight me). Cross-referenced everything because those forums lie more than my ex about gluten allergies.
The Down n’ Dirty Process
Drank three energy drinks tracing timelines. Found dudes I knew – Dominick Cruz trains here sometimes, but he’s Cali born. Ryan Bader popped up immediately. Tempe guy, fought for belts. Added him to my Notes app list. Then C.B. Dollaway – ASU wrestling team, legit Arizona roots. Surprised how many lesser-known guys came up too. Remembered seeing Chris Cariaso fight live back in 2014… dude’s from Tucson!
Hardest part? Comparing eras. Like 2005 beasts vs 2020 technicians. Watched old fight highlights till 3am – spilled coffee all over my keyboard rewatching Cain Velasquez body shots (RIP my spacebar).
The Final Tally
After days of this madness, here’s where I landed:
- Ryan Bader: Heavyweight champ in other leagues but solid UFC resume
- C.B. Dollaway: Ultimate Fighter finals, fought top 10 guys
- Efrain Escudero: Won TUF, rep’d AZ hard in early UFC
- Seth Baczynski: Tucson’s own, ten UFC fights
Real talk? No Arizona fighter has held a UFC belt. Bader came closest. Ended up ranking him #1 based on longevity and big fights, though Dollaway fans probably wanna fight me over this.
Whole process took longer than assembling IKEA furniture – and was almost as frustrating. But hey, next time someone asks about Arizona MMA? I got receipts.