This Day in MMA History: Josh Samman’s UFC debut

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Today we look back on the UFC debut of our friend Josh Samman.

April 13th is a special date for Bloody Elbow, it’s then that our former colleague Josh ‘Anqa’ Samman made his professional UFC debut.

April 13, 2013: Josh Samman debuts on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Finale

The 17th season of The Ultimate Fighter was an entertaining edition of the long running reality show, taking place at a time when the show was still relevant and still producing UFC stars of the future.

Part of what made the season so watchable was the intriguing coaches match-up between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and championship caliber trash talker Chael Sonnen. Even though it seemed absurd, at the time, that this meant Sonnen would get a crack at Jones’ belt, few would argue against the UFC putting Sonnen in a slot that utilizes what he does best.

Another (major) part of what made the season so enjoyable was the cast and the fights they produced. Notable names featured on TUF 17 included Zak Cummings, Clint Hester, Bubba McDaniel, Kelvin Gastelum and Uriah Hall.

Most importantly for us, though, the season also included Josh Samman, a 9-2 pro fighter out of south Florida. During his fledgling MMA career Samman was a regular commenter and fan-poster here on Bloody Elbow.

Samman was Jon Jones’ second pick and, throughout the season, he would prove to be one of the most promising fighters on the show. He was also a go-to talking head for the production, providing interesting analysis throughout the series.

In the first round of the competition Samman KO’d Tor Troeng. He followed that up by submitting Jimmy Quinlan. He bowed out of the competition in the semi-final after losing via submission to eventual winner Kelvin Gastelum.

The show finale took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Headlining the event was a bantamweight showdown between WEC vets Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgenson. The California Kid won that bout via fourth round rear naked choke.

The co-main event was the TUF final match up between hot favourite Uriah Hall and Gastelum. After displaying spectacular (and frightening) finishes from Hall on the show, the New York based fighter was already being hyped as a future UFC champion. However, against Gastelum, the hype train was derailed. Gastelum surprised Hall, and everyone else, with a highly strategic performance that succeeded in taking Hall out of his comfort zone and stifling any of the vaunted offense he showed inside the TUF gym. Gastelum would take the split decision win, the glass plaque and then develop into an upper echelon fighter across multiple divisions.

Headlining the prelim card, on Fuel TV, was Samman versus Team Sonnen member Kevin Casey. Casey had bowed out of the series after failing to answer the bell in his tournament match with Bubba McDaniel.

Check out Brent Brookhouse’s live commentary to see how Samman vs. Casey went down:

Josh Samman vs. Kevin Casey - Round 1 - Samman with a takedown and Casey locks up a triangle right away and it’s very deep. Casey switches to an armbar and Samman slams him on his head and gets out of it. Casey reverses to end up on top now. Casey is grinding into him against the cage. Casey with some ground and pound now. Samman gets to his feet and lands some hard knees to the body and now a jumping knee to the head. Samman really wearing him out to the body. 10-9 Casey.

Round 2 - Samman throws a head kick, and gets the Thai clinch again. More of the same kneeing to the body and head. Big knee to the head and back to the body and Casey is hurting badly as he goes to a knee. Samman is just wearing him out now and Casey is bleeding badly. Another knee and Casey goes down and this one is over. Josh Samman wins by TKO (knees), round 2.

After that win Samman’s next opportunity in the Octagon came at UFC 181, in December 2014. There he was matched against Eddie Gordon, whom he defeated via highlight reel knockout. He won a Performance of the Night bonus for that. He won another bonus in his next fight, a submission victory over Caio Magalhaes in 2015. Samman then dropped his next two bouts, versus Tamdan McCrory and Tim Boetsch.

In 2016 Samman joined Bloody Elbow as a feature writer and a guest on podcasts like the MMA Vivisection and Cross Promotion. That year Samman also released a memoir titled The Housekeeper: Love, Death, and Prizefighting. The book discussed Samman’s struggles with addiction, injuries and the death of his girlfriend Hailey, who died in a car accident in 2013. Around this time Samman also began writing for UFC.com.

While fighting and writing Samman somehow found the time to promote his own MMA promotion, too. By 2016 Samman’s Combat Night had produced 50 amatuer MMA shows.

On October 5, 2016 Samman passed away after an accidental drug overdose. He was 28-years-old. Samman had been found unresponsive inside an apartment alongside his friend Troy Kirkingburg. Kirkingburg, who was Combat Night’s announcer, also died of an accidental overdose. He was 28-years-old.

Shortly after his death Samman’s family set up the Josh Samman MMA Foundation. The organization provides scholarships to young people hoping to turn their MMA dreams into reality.

On the same night that Samman beat Casey, MMA history was made when Cat Zingano defeated Miesha Tate by TKO. Zingano and Tate were awarded Fight of the Night bonuses. This was the first time female fighters had ever scooped that award. The bout was to determine who would next face UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and coach against her on TUF. Injury would force Zingano out of both of those opportunities, setting up another chapter in the historic Rousey-Tate rivalry.

Zingano vs. Tate was captured by Bloody Elbow’s resident cartoonist Chris Rini (then of Vice’s Fightland).