Matt Ghaffari | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Siamak Ghaffari November 11, 1961 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Cleveland State University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years active | 1984–2000 2002–2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sports career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Amateur wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Greco-Roman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University team |
Cleveland State Vikings (1981–84) Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (1979–80) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Sunkist Kids | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Division | Heavyweight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Losses | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By knockout | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Siamak "Matt" Ghaffari ( /ɡəˈfɑːri/ gə-FAR-ee; [1] Persian: سیامک غفاری, Persian pronunciation: [siːɒːmæk-e ɢæˈffɒːɾiː]; born November 11, 1961, in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran) is an Iranian-born American Greco-Roman wrestler, MMA Fighter and professional wrestler. Ghaffari was a two-time USA Olympic team member, obtaining a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Ghaffari finished his career with the most Greco-Roman World and Olympic medals by a United States wrestler. Also, Ghaffari holds 3 American Records the Most World and Olympic total medals, plus he was 4-time World Cup Champion, also 9-time Pan-American Champion. Ghaffari is the 2-time US Olympian and 2-time US Olympic team alternate. 1996 - Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation Inspiration Award Winner, with Muhammad Ali 1996 – Colorado Sports Hall of Fame’s Amateur Athlete of the Year 2003 - Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame 2006 - Cleveland State Athletics Hall of Fame 2013 - National Wrestling Hall of Fame 2014 - Eastern Wrestling League Hall of Fame
In all, Ghaffari won Seven National Championships, four World Cups, two Pan-American Games, seven Pan-American championships (including double titles in 1989-90), and 13 Grand Prix tournament titles. He represented his adopted country six times in World Championships and was twice named the United States Olympic Committee Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year.
Born in Tehran, Iran, Ghaffari came to the United States at a young age, he attended Paramus High School in Paramus, New Jersey. [2]
He was runner-up to Aleksandr Karelin at the 1995 Karelin Cup. [3] While representing the United States at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games and 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, Ghaffari reached the final of the heavyweight Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg division, where he lost 0–1 to Russian overwhelming favorite Aleksandr Karelin in overtime. [2] Ghaffari was a seven-time United States wrestling champion and a two-time USA Olympic Committee Greco-Roman Athlete of the Year. [4]
Ghaffari is currently the only American to win a combined four World and Olympic medals in Greco-Roman. Also, he holds 3 American Records the Most World and Olympic total medals, plus he was 4-time World Cup Champion, also 9-time Pan-American Champion. Ghaffari is the 2-time US Olympian and 2-time US Olympic team alternate.
In 2013, Ghaffari was inducted in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member. [5]
In 2002, Ghaffari fought in the Tokyo Dome in front of 28,000 spectators at a mixed martial arts bout in UFO- Universal Fighting-Arts Organization against judo Olympic Silver Medalist Naoya Ogawa. Ghaffari managed to take Ogawa down and attack him with a brief ground and pound, but back to standing, Ogawa landed a punch which shifted Matt's left eye contact lens and forced him to quit. [6]
1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
By knockout | 0 | 0 |
By submission | 0 | 0 |
By decision | 0 | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Naoya Ogawa | TKO ( punch) | UFO Legend | August 8, 2002 | 1 | 0:56 | Tokyo, Japan |
Matt Ghaffari | |
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Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Matt Ghaffari [7] |
Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) [7] |
Billed weight | 280 lb (130 kg) [7] |
Debut | 8 December 2002 [7] |
In 1996, Ghaffari was scouted by professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling and was featured in several vignettes, but did not sign up with the company. [8]
After his stint in MMA, Ghaffari started to work in the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, where he won the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship with Tom Howard on December 15, 2002, by defeating Shinya Hashimoto and old opponent Naoya Ogawa. [9] They held the championship until April 29, 2003, when they lost it to Hashimoto and Ogawa. [9]
In 2004, Ghaffari made an appearance for HUSTLE, pinning Ogawa after a beatdown from the heel faction Monster Army ( Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Dusty Rhodes Jr., Giant Silva and Dan Bobish). [10]