Johnny Bedford, aka Brutal, is 40 years old professional mixed martial artist. Bedford started to fight professionally in 2003.
Since then, he has competed in UFC, Bellator, Legacy Fighting Alliance, The Ultimate Fighter.
At present, Bedford competes in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship under light division. Bedford is a one-time BKFC lightweight champion. Bedford recently lost his first-ever fight in BKFC and has a 5-1 record.
The fighting journey of Bedford was not easy. Bedford was a wrestler and competed in college D1 level as a child. But because of his own mistake, he dropped out of college and lost his scholarship.
Later Bedford pursued his career in MMA to be involved in combat sports. But after his six amateur fights, he took a break from fighting.
However, after moving to Texas, his fighting career started to take off.
To find out more about Bedford’s fighting journey, stay with us till the end.
Quicks Facts
| Name | John Charles “Johnny” Bedford |
| Date of Birth | January 6, 1983 |
| Birth Place | Woodville, Ohio |
| Nick Name | Brutal |
| Age | 40 Years Old |
| Gender | Male |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Education | Woodmore High School, Cleveland State University |
| Body Measurement | Unknown |
| Height | 5’10” (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 140.1 lb (63.5 kg) |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) | 20.1 |
| Build | Athletic |
| Reach | 71 inches (180 cm) |
| Shoe size | Unavailable |
| Hair Colour | Light brown |
| Eye Colour | Gray |
| Tattoo | Yes |
| Father Name | Unknown |
| Mother Name | Unknown |
| Siblings | Unknown |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Melody Bedford |
| Children | Jayden (son), Delilah (daughter) |
| Profession | Mixed martial artist (MMA) |
| Category | Featherweight, Bantamweight |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division 1 Wrestling |
| Awards and achievement | WXC Bantamweight Championship (1 time)
BKFC Lightweight World Champion (1 time) |
| Team | Fitness Fight Factory Team Takedown |
| Rank | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Black Belt) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Professional debut | 2003 |
| Social media | Instagram, Twitter |
| MMA record | 23-14-1-1 (Wins- Loss- Draw- No Contest) |
| Association | Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship |
| Merch | MMA Gloves, MMA Shorts |
| Net worth | $100k – $1 million |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Johnny Bedford | Early Life and Family
Jhonny Bedford was born on 6th January 1983 in Woodville, Ohio, United States. The name of his father and mother is unknown. He is currently living in Texas.
Likewise, Bedford is of American nationality and Capricorn as per the horoscope chart.
Bedford started wrestling when he was 5 years old. During his childhood, Bedford and his family traveled to compete in different wrestling tournaments all over the Midwest. His family member sacrificed a lot for Bedford.
Bedford attended Woodmore High school. His father was their wrestling coach. Bedford qualified for state three times.
Bedford became third in the state tournament in his senior year with a 51-1 record.
However, Bedford won seven AAU national wrestling championships over his high school career.
After graduating from high school, Bedford joined Cleveland State University. In Cleveland State, Bedford wrestled in Division I for 1 and half years but later was removed from college.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get a degree. Bedford still wanted to compete. So, later he made his transition to mixed martial arts.
Jhonny Bedford married Melody in 2006. They have a son and daughter together named Jayden and Delilah. Jayden is also a high school wrestler like his father.
Similarly, Melody has a huge role in the success of Bedford’s fighting career. To pursue his fighting career, Bedford’s wife and children moved to Texas.
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Johnny Bedford | Body measurement
As of now, Bedford competes in the lightweight division and has an athletic body. He trains hard for every fight.
Not to mention, he is a trainer himself and shows an amazing work ethic. Bedford stands 5 ft 1o inches (1.78 m) tall and weighs 140.1 lb (63.5 kg).
After calculating his height and weight data, Bedford’s BMI is 20.1. He has a reach of 71 inches (180 cm).
MMA Career: Tough Time
Bedford began fighting in 2003. At that time, he just wanted to prove his toughness to his audience. So he just proclaimed himself as a tough guy.
Moreover, he fought all of his amateur fights in a barn. Finally, after seeing no future in fights, Bedford took a break of one and half years.
Later, the promoter who had seen Bedford called him and offered him his first professional fight. He was offered $200 for his first fight. Johnny fought on short notice due to a lack of income.
Bedford made his professional debut on 23rd September 2006 against Chino Duran. He lost the fight in the first round by submission.
However, in the next fight, Bedford got his first professional win defeating Roc Castorine by TKO on 20th October 2006. Before making his Bellator debut, Bedford posted 13-8-1 by 2009.
Bellator MMA
In 2010 Bellator invited Bedford for a fight. On 20th May 2010, Bedford fought for his first fight in Bellator. He defeated Jared Lopez in the third round by TKO.
Later on 20th August 2010, Bedford fought Edwin Figueroa at King of Kombat 9: Resurrection. Unfortunately, the 40-year-old lost the fight by TKO in the second round.
Later after 4 months, he fought WEC veteran Frank Gomez and defeated him by submission.
The Ultimate Fighter
In 2011, Bedford signed a deal to fight on ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping’ vs. ‘Team Miller’ at Las Vegas.
Bedford defeated Beebe in the first round by submission to get an entry into the fighter house. Later, he was picked as 2nd pick by Miller.
Later Bedford defeated Josh Ferguson by unanimous decision. However, Bedford suffered a loss against John Dodson in the second round by KO in the semis.
UFC Debut
Although Bedford didn’t win the show, both parties agreed on an exclusive contract. So, on 3rd December 2011, Bedford made his official UFC debut against Louis Gaudinot at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale.
He won the fight in the third round by TKO. After that fight, Bedford nearly took one year off due to several injuries.
On 15th December 2012, Bedford returned to the ring and faced Marcos Vinicius. He defeated Marcos in the second round by KO.
Later in the next fight, on 4th September 2013, Bedford faced Bryan Caraway, who replaced Erik Perez.
Likewise, he lost the fight in the third round by submission. In the next fight, Bedford was injured, so he could not compete at UFC Fight Night 28.
Controversial Fight
On 11th April 2014, at UFC Fight Night 39, Bedford faced Rani Yahya. The fight ended in NO Contest as an accidental head clash. But Bedford argued he must have been declared the winner as a TKO victory.
On 13th September 2014, a rematch between Yahya and Bedford took place at UFC Fight Night 51. Unfortunately, the Ameican-born lost the fight in the second round by submission.
Shortly later, UFC released Bedford due to a poor run-in fight.
Champion
In 2018 Bedford signed with Bare Knuckle FC. Later on 2nd June 2018, Bedford faced Nick Mamalis and won by TKO in the second round.
In 2019 Bedford entered the BKFC Lightweight tournament. Bedford defeated Abdiel Velazquez by knockout in the fourth round in his first match.
Later in the finals, Bedford faced Reggie Barnett Jr on 22nd June 2019. Johnny won the fight by unanimous decision to win the BKFC Lightweight title.
On 5th February 2021, Bedford made his first title defense against Dat Nguyen. Unfortunately, he lost the fight by unanimous decision. It was Bedford’s first loss in BKFC.
Likewise, he won the match via unanimous decision after playing against Reggie Barnett, Jr at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021.
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Johnny Bedford | Career Highlights and Championships
Bedford has been honored with various awards and championships throughout his MMA career. A few of the major achievements of Bedford is listed below;
- WXC Bantamweight Championship
- BKFC Lightweight World Champion
- Police Gazette Lightweight Bare Knuckle title
More information regarding the MMA fighter career stats, MMA Record, Regional Rankings can be found on Tapology sites.
Johnny Bedford | Popular Quotes
- I’m here to be the greatest bare-knuckle boxer of all time; I’m gonna win both belts.
- I think I am made for Bare Knuckle Boxing.
Social Media Presence
Bedford currently has Twitter, and Instagram handles. On Twitter, he has around 6.3k followers and 10.6k followers on Instagram.
Similarly, he usually posts his lifestyle, training, family photos, and videos on social media handles.
Bedford also had his own personal website known as BRUTAL Johnny Bedford which is not active for now. Additionally, he has blogs, photos, videos, and fixtures of his fighting career.
Johnny Bedford | Salary & Net worth
Bedford’s main source of income is MMA. Bedford’s salary in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is not disclosed yet.
The 40-year-old fought his first professional fight for $200. Bedford was paid $500 per week in The Ultimate Fighter show.
At Ultimate Fighter Finale, Bedford made $16,000, including a bonus, after winning the fight against Louis Gaudinot.
Although the bout was canceled in one Bedford UFC fight, he still received his show money of $8,000.
In his UFC career, Bedford made a total earning of $64,000.
Apart from Fighting, Bedford also owns a gym called Fitness Fight Factory in Northern Texas.
It has martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing, and strength/conditioning programs. Bedford is also an MMA head coach there. Likewise, in BKFC, he represents his own gym.
As a top fighter in BKFC, Bedford also has endorsement and sponsor deals with many brands. Some of his sponsors are Coastal Development Group, and Botanix.
Bedford also has released clothing gears after collaborating with contenders clothing.
Johnny is definitely making money from his fighting career and business. But unfortunately, the exact net worth of Johnny Bedford is still not published.
But according to various online sources, the estimated net worth of Bedford is between $100k to $1 million.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the MMA record of Johnny Bedford?
In his career, Bedford competed in 39 fights. He has won 23, lost 14, and drew 1; likewise, one fight ended no contests.
When did Johnny Bedford make his UFC debut?
After competing in The Ultimate Fighter, Bedford signed with UFC. Later on 3rd December 2011, Bedford made his UFC against Louis Gaudinot. He won the fight in the third round by TKO.
Where is Johnny Bedford now?
At present, Bedford fights in the lightweight division of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He is a former BKFC Lightweight World Champion. Likewise, Bedford in BKFC has a 5-1 record.
Why did Johnny Bedford start MMA?
Bedford was Division I wrestler in college. But after one and half years, Bedford was removed from college. So, he migrated into the MMA world to be still involved in combat sports.
When is Johnny Bedford’s next fight?
Bedford’s next fight is not decided yet. However, he recently fought against Reggie Barnett Jr. on 20th August 2021 and lost his first-ever fight.
