Charlie Brenneman | |
---|---|
Born | Charles Brenneman February 9, 1981 Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Other names | The Spaniard |
Residence | East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania |
Nationality | American |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
Division |
Lightweight (current) Welterweight |
Reach | 72.0 in (183 cm) |
Style | Freestyle |
Fighting out of | Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Team | AMA Fight Club |
Trainer | Mike Constantino |
Rank | Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
Wrestling | NCAA Div I wrestler |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 27 |
Wins | 19 |
By knockout | 5 |
By submission | 5 |
By decision | 9 |
Losses | 8 |
By knockout | 4 |
By submission | 3 |
By decision | 1 |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Charles "Charlie" Brenneman (born February 9, 1981) is a former American mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in their Lightweight division. He was also the winner of the first season of the television show Pros vs Joes.
Brenneman was born to Charles and Marie Brenneman in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the youngest of the four Brenneman children. He wrestled throughout his elementary and high school career. Upon graduating from Hollidaysburg Area High School in 1999, Brenneman attended Lock Haven University, where he continued wrestling and finished his collegiate wrestling career with a Top-12 finish at Nationals.
Brenneman earned his Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education/Spanish from Lock Haven University, and returned to his hometown to teach Spanish at his former high school for three years, which is where his nickname 'the Spaniard' came from. He continued his education, earning his Master of Arts from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania in Sports Management. It was during the first season of the Pros vs Joes game show when he first received national public attention. He was unexpectedly cast after submitting his application to participate in the reality game show, but he won the competition alongside his older brother Ben. Following his victory on the Pros vs. Joes show, Brenneman resigned from his high school teaching job to pursue a mixed martial arts fighting career.
During his amateur career, Brenneman compiled a 5–0 undefeated record. In an attempt to maintain his momentum, he quickly turned professional, debuting on July 28, 2007, against Marcello Olivera. Brenneman also earned a 5–0 record at the professional level through early 2008, with a notable split-decision victory over Drew Puzon at the ShoXC event on January 25, 2008.