Igor Pokrajac
Born (1979-01-02) 2 January 1979
Zagreb, Croatia
Other namesThe Duke
ResidenceZagreb, Croatia
NationalityCroatian
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach74 in (188 cm)
Fighting out ofZagreb, Croatia
TeamAmerican Top Team, Team CroCop
RankPurple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Bojan Mirkovic[1]
Years active2003–2020 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total45
Wins29
By knockout16
By submission9
By decision4
Losses15
By knockout8
By submission2
By decision5
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Igor Pokrajac (born 2 January 1979) is a Croatian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, Pokrajac has also formerly competed for K-1, KSW, It's Showtime, and Jungle Fight promotions.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Pokrajac started his professional MMA career in 2003, primarily competing in his native Croatia. Over the next six years, he compiled an impressive record of 21–5.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In August 2009, it was announced he had signed with the UFC, with his first fight taking place against Vladimir Matyushenko on September 19, 2009 at UFC 103.[2] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Pokrajac next faced James Te-Huna on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110.[3] Pokrajac lost again, this time via third-round TKO, due to strikes. This loss was somewhat controversial, as Te Huna had Pokrajac in a modified crucifix position on the mat and landed five to six clean shots to Pokrajac's face and although Pokrajac was not able to defend himself from this position, he was signalling to the referee that he was okay, although the ref did not acknowledge this, and stopped the fight after the unanswered shots from Te Huna. Although visibly dazed, Pokrajac disputed the stoppage directly after the fight to no avail.

Pokrajac then faced James Irvin on August 1, 2010 at UFC on Versus 2.[4] Midway through the first round, Pokrajac took Irvin down and immediately got side control on the floor. After taking multiple strikes, Irvin rolled over and was submitted by a rear naked choke, handing Pokrajac his first UFC victory.

Pokrajac fought Stephan Bonnar on December 4, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.[5] Pokrajac lost a unanimous decision.

Pokrajac defeated Todd Brown on March 3, 2011 at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann by TKO at the conclusion of the first round. Brown was dropped by a knee in the final minute and hit with several clean follow up shots, being saved by the end of the round. When the fighters went back to their corners, Brown was unable to stand on his own power and the fight was stopped.[6]

Pokrajac was expected to face Krzysztof Soszynski on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131, replacing an injured Anthony Perosh.[7] However, Pokrajac was himself forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by returning UFC veteran Mike Massenzio.[8]

Pokrajac/Soszynski ultimately took place on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140.[9] Pokrajac defeated Soszynski via first-round KO.

Pokrajac was expected to face Thiago Silva on May 15, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier, replacing an injured Brandon Vera.[10] However, Silva was pulled from the bout to face Alexander Gustafsson on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 2 after Gustafsson's original opponent Antônio Rogério Nogueira pulled out of the bout citing an injury.[11] Pokrajac instead faced Fábio Maldonado at the event.[12] He won the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, and 29–28).

Pokrajac was defeated by Vinny Magalhães via second round armbar on September 22, 2012 at UFC 152.[13]

Pokrajac next faced Joey Beltran on December 15, 2012 at UFC on FX 6, replacing an injured Anthony Perosh.[14] Pokrajac lost the fight via unanimous decision. However, on January 10, 2013, it was announced that Beltran had failed his post fight drug test, testing positive for nandrolone and the result of the bout was changed to No Contest.[15]

Pokrajac faced Ryan Jimmo at UFC 161 in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 15, 2013.[16] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Pokrajac faced Rafael Cavalcante on November 9, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 32.[17] He lost via submission due to strikes in the first round.[18]

Pokrajac faced Marcos Rogério de Lima on December 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 58.[19] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round, and was subsequently released from the promotion shortly after.[20]

Post UFC

After being released from Ultimate Fighting Championship Pokrajac signed for Croatia's Final Fight Championship promotion. His debut was expected to be against Maciej Browarski, but he was replaced and he will now make his debout in heavyweight division against Archontis Taxiarchis at FFC 18 - Ljubljana on 17 April 2015.[21] He weighted 102 kg at official weight ins.[22]

Second UFC stint

After recording three first round stoppage victories on the regional circuit across the Balkans, Pokrajac was re-signed for a second stint in the UFC. He faced Jan Błachowicz on April 10, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 86.[23] Pokrajac lost the fight via unanimous decision.[24]

Pokrajac was expected to face Ed Herman on March 4, 2017 at UFC 209.[25] However, Pokrajac pulled out of the fight in early February citing an injury, and was replaced by Gadzhimurad Antigulov.[26]

On May 4, 2019, it was reported that Pokrajac was released by UFC.[27]

Accomplishments and championships

  • Serbian Battle Championship
    • SBC Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
46 matches 29 wins 16 losses
By knockout 16 8
By submission 9 3
By decision 4 5
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 29–15 (1) Michał Kita TKO (punches) FEN 28 - Lotos Fight Night June 13, 2020 1 0:37 Lublin, Poland Return to Heavyweight.
Win 29–14 (1) Maiquel Falcão TKO (elbows and punches) Serbian Battle Championship 25 December 7, 2019 1 3:24 Novi Sad, Serbia Won the SBC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Loss 28–14 (1) Maiquel Falcão TKO (punches) Serbian Battle Championship 21 May 4, 2019 1 4:55 Odžaci, Serbia
Loss 28–13 (1) Jan Błachowicz Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos April 10, 2016 3 5:00 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 28–12 (1) Zauri Maisuradze Submission (armbar) FFC 20: Zagreb October 23, 2015 1 1:16 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 27–12 (1) Rudolf Pavlin TKO (elbows) Montenegro Fighting Championship 3 July 27, 2015 1 2:35 Budva, Montenegro Return to Light Heavyweight.
Win 26–12 (1) Archontis Taxiarchis TKO (punches) FFC 18: Ljubljana April 17, 2015 1 3:03 Ljubljana, Slovenia Heavyweight debut.
Loss 25–12 (1) Marcos Rogério de Lima TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway December 20, 2014 1 1:59 Barueri, Brazil
Loss 25–11 (1) Rafael Cavalcante TKO (submission to knees and punches) UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson November 9, 2013 1 1:18 Goiânia, Brazil
Loss 25–10 (1) Ryan Jimmo Decision (unanimous) UFC 161 June 15, 2013 3 5:00 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
NC 25–9 (1) Joey Beltran NC (overturned) UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson December 15, 2012 3 5:00 Gold Coast, Australia Originally a unanimous decision win for Beltran; overturned after he tested positive for banned substances.
Loss 25–9 Vinny Magalhães Submission (armbar) UFC 152 September 22, 2012 2 1:14 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 25–8 Fábio Maldonado Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier May 15, 2012 3 5:00 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Win 24–8 Krzysztof Soszynski KO (punches) UFC 140 December 10, 2011 1 0:35 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 23–8 Todd Brown TKO (knee and punches) UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann March 3, 2011 1 5:00 Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Loss 22–8 Stephan Bonnar Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale December 4, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 22–7 James Irvin Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko August 1, 2010 1 2:28 San Diego, California, United States
Loss 21–7 James Te Huna TKO (punches) UFC 110 February 21, 2010 3 3:26 Sydney, Australia
Loss 21–6 Vladimir Matyushenko Decision (unanimous) UFC 103 September 19, 2009 3 5:00 Dallas, Texas, United States
Win 21–5 Kalvis Gebauers TKO (punches) WFC 8: D-Day April 18, 2009 1 1:16 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Win 20–5 Roderik Jambor TKO (punches and elbows) K-1 ColliZion 2009 Croatia March 21, 2009 1 1:09 Split, Croatia
Win 19–5 Mihajlo Fincur TKO (punches) Grand Fight December 27, 2008 1 3:59 Varaždin, Croatia
Win 18–5 Patrik Jevický Submission (rear-naked choke) Ultimate Fight: Challenge 3 December 6, 2008 1 1:42 Samobor, Croatia
Win 17–5 Jan Antoska Submission (armbar) Hell Cage 1 May 3, 2008 2 3:39 Prague, Czech Republic
Win 16–5 Martin Zawada Submission (rear-naked choke) Balans: It's Showtime 75MAX Trophy Final 2008 March 15, 2008 1 1:01 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Win 15–5 Marko Sintic TKO (punches) Ultimate Fight: Challenge 2 December 15, 2007 2 2:00 Samobor, Croatia
Win 14–5 Ladislav Zak Decision (unanimous) OB-Gula: Fight Night December 8, 2007 3 5:00 Ogulin, Croatia
Loss 13–5 Mamed Khalidov Submission (kneebar) Boxing Explosion 2 August 2, 2007 2 0:55 Pag, Croatia
Win 13–4 Bojan Spalevic TKO (elbows) Osijek Challenge 07 May 27, 2007 1 0:43 Osijek, Croatia
Win 12–4 Slaven Planinic TKO (knee and punches) Bilic Fight Night April 25, 2007 1 3:09 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 11–4 Sasa Lazic Submission (armbar) Noc Gladiatora 1 March 16, 2007 1 2:02 Karlovac, Croatia
Loss 10–4 Assuerio Silva Decision (split) Jungle Fight Europe December 17, 2006 3 5:00 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Win 10–3 Ivan Brguljan Decision (unanimous) International Fight Night August 3, 2006 1 4:01 Opatija, Croatia
Win 9–3 Lukasz Jurkowski Decision (split) Sukosan Fight Night September 9, 2006 2 1:41 Sukošan, Croatia
Win 8–3 Jure Lucic Submission (armbar) Ultimate Nokaut 4 March 17, 2006 1 3:19 Karlovac, Croatia
Win 7–3 Ivan Bacic Submission (rear-naked choke) Ultimate Nokaut 3 December 17, 2005 1 0:59 Rijeka, Croatia
Loss 6–3 Lukasz Jurkowski TKO (corner stoppage) KSW IV: Konfrontacja September 10, 2005 2 5:00 Warsaw, Poland
Win 6–2 Branislav Zeman Submission (rear-naked choke) Ultimate Nokaut 2 July 29, 2005 2 2:49 Zadar, Croatia
Loss 5–2 Miodrag Petkovic TKO (punches) Ultimate Nokaut 1 March 11, 2005 2 4:51 Karlovac, Croatia
Win 5–1 Peter Cakic TKO (punches and elbows) Trboulje 2: Croatia vs Slovenia February 12, 2005 1 2:25 Trbovlje, Slovenia
Loss 4–1 Miodrag Petkovic KO (punches) Ultimate Fight Dubravc April 4, 2004 2 3:21 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 4–0 Andre Castro KO (knee) DF: Durata World Grand Prix 1 May 3, 2003 1 2:00 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 3–0 Matthias Riccio TKO (doctor stoppage) DF: Durata World Grand Prix 1 May 3, 2003 1 4:00 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 2–0 Pavel Botka TKO (punches) DF: Durata World Grand Prix 1 May 3, 2003 1 4:00 Zagreb, Croatia
Win 1–0 Nik Peric TKO (knees) Strabag Free Fight February 9, 2003 1 1:33 Rijeka, Croatia

References

  1. ↑ "Igor Pokrajac - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Vladimir Matyushenko returns to UFC on 13-fight "UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort" event". MMAJunkie.com. August 12, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Pokrajac meets UFC newcomer Te Huna at UFC 110". Archived from the original on 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  4. ↑ "JAMES IRVIN VS IGOR POKRAJAC AT UFC ON VERSUS 2". mmaweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  5. ↑ "TUF 12 Finale: Stephan Bonnar vs Igor Pokrajac booked for Dec. 4 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  6. ↑ "Igor Pokrajac meets Todd Brown at UFC on Versus 3 in March". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  7. ↑ "Anthony Perosh out, Igor Pokrajac in against Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 131". mmajunkie.com. 2011-05-11. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
  8. ↑ "Pokrajac off Saturday's UFC 131; Massenzio in Against 'K-Sos'". sherdog.com. 2011-06-06.
  9. ↑ "Igor Pokrajac vs. Krzysztof Soszynski slated for UFC 140 in Toronto". mmajunkie.com. 2011-09-22. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24.
  10. ↑ "Source: Thiago Silva back in UFC in May". espn.go.com.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  11. ↑ "Silva replaces injured Nogueira, faces Gustafsson at UFC on FUEL TV 2". mmajunkie.com. March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Fabio Maldonado vs. Igor Pokrajac slated for UFC on FUEL TV 3". mmajunkie.com. March 13, 2012. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Vinny Magalhaes Draws Igor Pokrajac for Return Bout at UFC 152". mmaweekly.com. July 18, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Igor Pokrajac replaces injured Anthony Perosh, meets Joey Beltran at UFC on FX 6". MMAjunkie.com. November 13, 2012. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Rousimar Palhares and Joey Beltran fail UFC on FX 6 drug tests, each suspended nine months". mmamania.com. January 13, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Clarke, Jimmo Added to UFC Winnipeg Card". TopMMANews.com. March 12, 2013.
  17. ↑ Staff (2013-09-05). "Rafael 'Feijao' Cavalcante vs. Igor Pokrajac joins UFC Fight Night 32 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
  18. ↑ "UFC Fight Night 32: BELFORT X HENDERSON". cabmma.org.br. 2013-09-11. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  19. ↑ Staff (2014-09-24). "Igor Pokrajac vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima joins UFC Fight Night 58 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
  20. ↑ mmafighting.com (2015-01-27). "Igor Pokrajac among five fighters released from the UFC". Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  21. ↑ FFC 18 Ljubljana: Petje defends title, Igor "The Duke" Pokrajac to debut in the FFC!
  22. ↑ FFC 18 vaga: Svi uspješno stali na vagu, Brestovac 118.5 kg, Pokrajac 102kg! (FOTO) Archived 2015-04-16 at the Wayback Machine(in Croatian)
  23. ↑ Staff (2015-01-28). "Gonzaga-Magomedov, Blachowicz-Pokrajac, other bouts join UFC Fight Night 86 in Croatia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  24. ↑ Ben Fowlkes (2016-04-10). "UFC Fight Night 86 results: Jan Blachowicz outworks Igor Pokrajac for decision victory". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  25. ↑ Dave Doyle (2017-01-11). "Igor Pokrajac vs. Ed Herman set for UFC 209". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  26. ↑ Marcel Dorff (2017-02-07). "Igor Pokrajac out, Gadzimurad Antigulov against Ed Herman at UFC 209" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  27. ↑ Simon, Zane (2013-01-29). "List of current UFC fighters". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
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