Quick Facts
Biography
Cal Worsham (born June 11, 1963) is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter and former corrections officer. He is an early pioneer of mixed martial arts having competed in one of the earliest modern events in the UFC. Worsham has competed against notable fighters such as Tank Abbott, Travis Fulton, Gary Goodridge, Bo Cantrell, Paul Varelans, Zane Frazier and Dan Severn.
Mixed martial arts career
1995–1996
Worsham would have his first three professional fights in the UFC and despite going 1-2, his bouts would prove quite notable. He first competed in mixed martial arts in UFC 6. His opponent was the much larger, Paul "The Polar Bear" Varelans. The fight was stopped after 1:02 after Varelans landed a devastating elbow to the spine and neck of Worsham. Worsham was winning the fight before the elbow. Worsham would return to action 10 months later at UFC 9, defeating journeyman Zane Frazier by TKO. His last foray in the UFC would occur at Ultimate Ultimate 1996 where Worsham would make UFC history by being the fighter who was closest to being thrown out of the cage. Ultimately this may have been a blessing in disguise for Worsham as by not having been extricated from the cage, he suffered another devastating TKO loss at the hands of Tank Abbott.
1997-2001
Worsham would lose 4 out of his next 5 bouts resulting in an abysmal 2-6 record having been finished quickly in all his losses. Worsham would participate in smaller shows during these 4 years in fringe promotions such as IFC, IVC-Brazil, and AFC-Russia.
2001-present
In 2001, Worsham began competing in Gladiator Challenge. This would prove to be a resounding success for the pioneer mixed martial artist. Despite two losses to legend Dan Severn, Worsham would go 9-4 during the next 10 years in MMA and ascend to become the Gladiator Challenge Heavyweight champion. At Gladiator Challenge 67, Cal and his son Hunter would both fight on the same card. Both Worshams annihilated their opponents via 1st-round TKO finishes. Cal recently fought against XPlode HeavyWeight Champion Matt Anderson, winning the bout by third-round TKO. In his latest fight, Worsham defeated Chris Wood by devastating strikes in less than 90 seconds.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Gladiator Challenge SuperFight Heavyweight World Champion (8 time)
- Gladiator Challenge Hall of Fame Induction June 1st, 2006
- MMA-KO Hall of Fame Induction May 2010
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 23 matches | 13 wins | 10 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 6 |
| By submission | 2 | 3 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 13–10 | Chris Wood | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge: Ringside | March 30, 2012 | 1 | 1:25 | Lincoln, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Win | 12–10 | Matt Anderson | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge: Mega Stars | December 11, 2011 | 3 | 2:22 | Lincoln, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Loss | 11–10 | Dan Severn | Decision (unanimous) | Gladiator Challenge: Legends Collide | February 20, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jacinto, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Win | 11–9 | Adam MacKay | TKO (strikes) | Gladiator Challenge 67: Vendetta | August 4, 2007 | 1 | 1:16 | Lakeport, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Loss | 10–9 | Bo Cantrell | KO (punch) | Gladiator Challenge 57: Holiday Beatings | December 16, 2006 | 1 | 0:17 | Sacramento, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight World Title |
| Win | 10–8 | Harry Avis | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Gladiator Challenge 51: Madness at the Memorial | July 1, 2006 | 1 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Win | 9–8 | Carlos Cantu | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge 44: Redemption | November 10, 2005 | 1 | 1:55 | Colusa, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Loss | 8–8 | Dan Severn | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Gladiator Challenge 34:Legends Collide | January 27, 2005 | 3 | 3:29 | Colusa, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Win | 8–7 | Will Scott | TKO (punches) | KOTC 44: Revenge | November 14, 2004 | 1 | 0:52 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 7–7 | Adrian Perez | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge 30 | August 19, 2004 | 1 | 0:48 | Colusa, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Win | 6–7 | Harry Avis | TKO (knees and punch) | Gladiator Challenge 27: Fight-Fest 2 | June 3, 2004 | 1 | 2:35 | Colusa, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Win | 5–7 | Carlos Garcia | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge 13 | February 9, 2003 | 1 | 4:39 | Colusa, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Loss | 4–7 | Carlos Garcia | TKO (corner stoppage) | Gladiator Challenge 12 | September 8, 2002 | 1 | 5:00 | Colusa, California, United States | For the Gladiator Challenge HeavyWeight Superfight World Title |
| Win | 4–6 | Rick Collup | Submission (punches) | KOTC 13 - Revolution | May 17, 2002 | 1 | 1:37 | Reno, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 3–6 | David Fox | KO (punch) | Gladiator Challenge 9 | February 10, 2002 | 1 | 4:02 | Colusa Casino, California, United States | |
| Loss | 2–6 | Travis Fulton | TKO (corner stoppage) | IFC Warriors Challenge 13 | June 15, 2001 | 2 | 5:00 | California, United States | |
| Loss | 2–5 | Griffen Reynaud | TKO (injury) | Extreme Challenge 22 | November 21, 1998 | 1 | 4:38 | West Valley City, Utah, United States | |
| Loss | 2–4 | Gary Goodridge | Submission (keylock) | IVC 1 | July 6, 1997 | 1 | 0:43 | Brazil | |
| Win | 2–3 | Aloisio Freitas Neta | Submission (guillotine choke) | IVC 1 | July 6, 1997 | 1 | 0:25 | Brazil | |
| Loss | 1–3 | Leonid Efremov | Submission (choke) | Absolute Fighting Championship 2 | April 30, 1997 | 1 | 2:49 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Loss | 1-2 | Tank Abbott | Submission (punches) | Ultimate Ultimate 1996 | December 7, 1996 | 1 | 2:51 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 1–1 | Zane Frazier | TKO (punches) | UFC 9 | December 16, 1995 | 1 | 3:14 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Paul Varelans | KO (elbow) | UFC 6 | July 14, 1995 | 1 | 1:02 | Casper, Wyoming, United States |