Quick Facts
Biography
Carey D. Vanier Sr. (born August 3, 1981) is a Guyanese-American mixed martial arts fighter. He previously fought for Bellator Fighting Championships in the lightweight division. He also took part in the season two tournament held by Bellator.
MMA career
He began wrestling at an early age and as a senior in high school, he finished sixth at the state wrestling finals. He enrolled at Ridgewater College where he was eventually named an All-American.
After obtaining an 8-2 record, Carey was signed onto the Bellator brand and will enter their second season lightweight tournament that started in April. Carey won his first fight against Joe Duarte via TKO in the third round. The win moved him onto the semi-final round where he lost to Toby Imada.
He fought and defeated UFC veteran, Rich Clementi, in a closely contested match, at Bellator 28. At one point in the second round, Vanier grabbed a hold of the fence to defend a takedown. In the third round he landed two illegal knee strikes to Clementi's face, however, the referee did not deduct a point for them. The win earned Vanier a spot in the fourth season lightweight tournament.
In October, Vanier moved to New Mexico and began training with Greg Jackson's team. His first fight as a part of his new team came at Bellator 36 against Lloyd Woodard. Vanier was defeated in the second round via TKO. The fight was a quarter-final fight in Bellator's season four lightweight tournament.
Personal life
Vanier was born in Hopetown Village, Guyana and moved to Minnesota at age 3 where he has lived ever since. After graduating from Ridgewater, he held off on fighting in order to support his young son, Carey Jr. He took a job at the local Best Buy and worked his way up the ranks until he was named store manager.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 17 matches | 11 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 3 |
| By submission | 4 | 3 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 11–6 | David Michaud | Submission (guillotine choke) | Dakota FC 17 - Winter Brawl 2014 | January 11, 2014 | 1 | 4:30 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | |
| Loss | 11–5 | Dakota Cochrane | KO (elbow) | Victory Fighting Championship 40 | July 27, 2013 | 1 | 4:23 | Ralston, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 11–4 | Jordan Larson | Submission (guillotine choke) | CFX 33 - Minnesota vs. Japan | April 28, 2012 | 3 | 2:14 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Lloyd Woodard | TKO (punches) | Bellator 36 | March 12, 2011 | 2 | 0:46 | Shreveport, Louisiana, United States | Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Win | 10–3 | Rich Clementi | Decision (split) | Bellator 28 | September 9, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | For spot in season 4 Lightweight Tournament |
| Loss | 9–3 | Toby Imada | Submission (armbar) | Bellator 17 | May 6, 2010 | 2 | 3:33 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Lightweight Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | 9–2 | Joe Duarte | TKO (punches) | Bellator 13 | April 8, 2009 | 3 | 4:14 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Win | 8–2 | Paul Mann | TKO (punches) | Shogun Fights 1 | October 24, 2009 | 2 | 2:09 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Peter Grimes | Decision (split) | Cage Conflict Championships | June 20, 2009 | 5 | 5:00 | Appleton, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Win | 6–2 | Derek Abram | Submission (armbar) | Seconds Out | February 13, 2009 | 2 | 1:26 | Maplewood, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 5–2 | Sam Keigley | Submission (punches) | Minnesota Combat Sports | January 17, 2009 | 1 | N/A | St. Paul, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 4–2 | Jesse Anderson | TKO (punches) | Brutaal - Fight Night | November 22, 2008 | 1 | 2:11 | St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 3–2 | Seko Tongiola | TKO (punches) | Brutaal - Fight Night | October 3, 2008 | 1 | 0:57 | Maplewood, Minnesota, United States | |
| Loss | 2–2 | Marshall Martin | Submission (triangle choke) | Max Fights 2 | January 26, 2008 | 1 | 0:59 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Wes Ronchi | Submission (choke) | UCS - Battle on the Bay 9 | November 30, 2007 | 2 | N/A | Superior, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Win | 1–1 | Logan Beckman | TKO (punches) | Twin Cities Throwdown 3 | October 21, 2006 | 2 | N/A | Burnsville, Minnesota, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Nik Lentz | TKO (punches) | Extreme Fighting Xtreme | September 6, 2006 | 1 | N/A | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |