Bryce Meredith

Bryce Robert Meredith (born April 29, 1995) is an American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. In college, where he competed at 141 pounds, he was a three–time NCAA Division I All–American and the 2018 Big 12 Conference champion out of the University of Wyoming.^[2]

Bryce Meredith
Meredith in 2018
Born	Bryce Robert Meredith (1995-04-29) April 29, 1995 (age 28) Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Other names	Misfit
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
Division	Bantamweight (2021–present)
Fighting out of	Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Team	MMA Lab
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling^[1]
Years active	2021–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	5
Wins	5
By knockout	2
By submission	2
By decision	1
Losses	0
University	University of Wyoming
Notable school(s)	Cheyenne Central High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Wyoming Cowboys NCAA Division I National Championships 2018 Cleveland 141 lb 2016 New York 141 lb Big 12 Championships 2018 Tulsa 141 lb 2017 Tulsa 141 lb 2016 Kansas City 141 lb

Wrestling career

High school

Meredith attended Cheyenne Central High School in the state of Wyoming. He went on to become a four–time state (WHSAA) champion with a record of 123 wins and 8 defeats. He was also a four–time NHSCA All–American and was ranked amongst the top–100 recruits in the country.^[3][2]

University

NC State

Meredith then committed to North Carolina State University as a class of 2014 recruit.^[4] He competed for just one season as a Wolfpack at 133 pounds ('14-'15) and compiled 15 wins and 6 losses during regular season, but was not on the starting lineup for the NCAA championships.^[3]

University of Wyoming

After just one year attending NCSU, he transferred to his home state, Wyoming. His coaches from both universities explain that Meredith was feeling homesick and it was affecting him and his performance.^[5]

As a sophomore ('15-'16), he quickly made a difference from last year, going up in the rankings from #31 to #5, finishing the season with 29 wins and 5 losses and winning a bronze medal at the Big 12 Conference. Despite his accomplishments during regular season, Meredith was an underdog at the NCAA tournament. As the fourteenth seed, he went on to defeat the second, third and sixth seeds to make it to the finals, where he faced the top–seed and eventual two–time NCAA champion Dean Heil and lost by points.^[6] This marked Meredith in the history of the program as the first finalist since 1996.^[2]

As a junior ('16-'17), he opened up the season with a Northern Colorado Open title and compiled a dual-meet record of 11–3. In the post-season, he made the finals of the Big 12s where he faced Dean Heil, whom he had lost to at last year's NCAA finals. He was once again defeated on points, earning runner–up honors and an automatic qualification ticket for the NCAAs. At the tournament, he was the number ten seed and as such, he defeated three opponents including the second seed before falling to the sixth seeded wrestler in the semifinals. Due to his last match's result, he was thrown to the semifinals of the consolation bracket, where he defeated Jaydin Eierman to make it to the bronze medal match, where he was pinned by the second seed, whom he had beaten before, placing fourth.^[7][2]

Meredith had his most successful season as a senior ('17–'18). He opened up with a victory over ninth–ranked Chad Red from Nebraska^[8] and then went on to compete at the Cliff Keen Invitational, where he lost to two–time Cadet World Champion and fifth seed Yianni Diakomihalis in the semifinals and placed third.^[9] He then dominated the rest of the regular season, claiming an RTOC title (named Outstanding Wrestler)^[10] and posting a 16–0 record at duals, with notable wins over top–ranked Seth Gross, second–ranked Jaydin Eierman and two–time defending NCAA champion Dean Heil.^[11] In the post–season, he once again defeated Heil in the Big 12 finals to claim his first title of the tournament.^[12] He entered the NCAA championships as the top–seed and defeated three unseeded opponents until the semifinals, where he defeated Joey McKenna to reach the finale. He lost his final match against Yianni Diakomihalis, the only man to beat Meredith as a senior.^[13] Overall, Meredith became a two–time NCAA finalist, three–time All-American and a Big 12 champion with a record of 108 wins and 21 losses.^[2]

Freestyle

2018–2019

Meredith made his senior level debut in Russia in December 2018 at the prestigious Alans International, where he lost his only match.^[14] A month later (January 2019), he competed at the Dave Schultz Memorial International and claimed a bronze medal, after losing his semifinal match and defeating two other wrestlers in the consolation bracket.^[15] He then made an appearance at the US Open in April, where he went 2–2 and did not place. After his performance at the US Open, he attended the Last Chance Qualifier for the World Team Trials In an attempt to make the team, but was stopped by Dean Heil.^[16] Seven months later, he competed at the Bill Farrell International, failing to place.^[17]

In his last tournament of the year, Meredith went on to compete at the US Nationals of December, where he performed outstandingly in comparison to his last appearances.^[18] He opened up by tech'ing multiple–time age–group national champion Josh Saunders and once again two–time NCAA champion Dean Heil before being stopped himself by eventual winner of the tournament Jordan Oliver. He then continued to tech his competition in the consolation bracket, once again defeating Saunders and also three–time All-American Ethan Lizak before being defeated himself by two–time Cadet World Champion and reigning NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis. He was defeated again by Olympian Frank Molinaro in a close 6–7 decision to place sixth, failing to qualify for the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials.^[19][20]

2020

Meredith travelled to Cuba to attend the Granma y Cerro Pelado International in February. He started up with a win but went on to lose his next two matches before winning the bronze–medal match.^[21]

After being unable to compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic until October, Meredith downed recently graduated high schooler Beau Bartlett on October 20 at the NLWC II on points in a high–pace and close match (8–6)^[22] and Iowa standout Austin DeSanto on November 1 at the HWC Showdown Open, by points (11–3).^[23] On November 24 at the WRTC Underground I, Meredith was defeated in a frenetic and close match by NCAA champion Seth Gross, seven points to ten.^[24] He then competed at the Flo 8-Man Challenge: 150 lbs on December 18, where he was eliminated in the first round by World Championship runner–up (70kg) James Green.^[25]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After graduating from the University of Wyoming, Meredith announced his intentions of competing in mixed martial arts.^[26][27] Meredith made his professional debut on May 21, 2021, at LFA 108, in a bantamweight bout against Steven Merrill, where despite facing early adversity by being dropped, he was able to pound his way into a technical knockout victory in the first round.^[28]

In his sophomore performance on April 8, 2022, at LFA 128, Meredith defeated Jay Viola via technical knockout in the third round.^[29]

Meredith faced Nathan Fought on September 9, 2022, at LFA 141, defeating him via rear-naked choke in the first round.^[30]

Bellator MMA

On February 14, 2023, it was announced that Meredith had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA and would make his debut on March 31, 2023, at Bellator 293 against Brandon Carrillo.^[31] He won the fight by a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.^[32]

Meredith faced Miguel Peimbert on October 7, 2023 at Bellator 300.^[33] He won the fight via unanimous decision.^[34]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

5 matches	5 wins	0 losses
By knockout	2	0
By submission	2	0
By decision	1	0

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	5–0	Miguel Peimbert	Decision (unanimous)	Bellator 300	October 7, 2023	3	5:00	San Diego, California, United States
Win	4–0	Brandon Carrillo	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Bellator 293	March 31, 2023	2	3:11	Temecula, California, United States
Win	3–0	Nathan Fought	Submission (rear-naked choke)	LFA 141	September 9, 2022	1	4:36	Vail, Colorado, United States	Catchweight (139.8 lb) bout; Fought missed weight.
Win	2–0	Jay Viola	TKO (punches)	LFA 128	April 8, 2022	3	1:04	Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States	Catchweight (140 lb) bout.
Win	1–0	Steven Merrill	TKO (punches)	LFA 108	May 21, 2021	1	3:55	Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States	Bantamweight debut.

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event	Location
Flo 8-Man Challenge DNP at 150 lbs
Loss	18–14	James Green	TF 0–10	December 18, 2020	Flo 8-Man Challenge: 150 lbs	Austin, Texas
Loss	18–13	Seth Gross	7–10	November 24, 2020	WRTC Underground I	Madison, Wisconsin
Win	18–12	Austin DeSanto	11–3	November 1, 2020	HWC Showdown Open	Iowa City, Iowa
Win	17–12	Beau Bartlett	8–6	October 20, 2020	NLWC II	State College, Pennsylvania
2020 Granma y Cerro Pelado   at 65 kg
Win	16–12			February 9–17, 2020	2020 Granma y Cerro Pelado	Havana, Cuba
Loss	15–12	Cristian Solenzal	TF 0–11
Loss	15–11	Alejandro Valdés	TF 0–10
Win	15–10	Hernandez	4–0
2019 US Nationals 6th at 65 kg
Loss	14–10	Frank Molinaro	6–7	December 20–22, 2019	2019 US Senior Nationals - US Olympic Trials Qualifier	Fort Worth, Texas
Loss	14–9	Yianni Diakomihalis	TF 0–10
Win	14–8	Josh Saunders	TF 16–6
Win	13–8	Ethan Lizak	TF 10–0
Loss	12–8	Jordan Oliver	TF 0–10
Win	12–7	Dean Heil	TF 18–8
Win	11–7	Josh Saunders	TF 11–1
2019 Bill Farrell Memorial at 65 kg
Loss	10–7	Evan Henderson	TF 0–10	November 15–16, 2019	2019 Bill Farrell Memorial International Open	New York City, New York
Win	10–6	Dean Heil	TF 18–7
Loss	9–6	Jordan Oliver	TF 0–11
Win	9–5	Earl Hall	TF 13–3
Win	8–5	Rob Mathers	Fall
2019 US Last Chance WTT DNP at 65 kg
Loss	7–5	Dean Heil	TF 0–10	May 5, 2019	2019 US Last Chance World Team Trials Qualifier	East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Win	7–4	Ben Whitford	7–6
2019 US Open DNP at 65 kg
Loss	6–4	Joey McKenna	TF 0–10	April 24–27, 2019	2019 US Open National Championships	Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	6–3	Montell Marion	9–4
Loss	5–3	Jaydin Eierman	Fall
Win	5–2	Josh Finesilver	TF 10–0
2019 Dave Schultz M. International   at 65 kg
Win	4–2	Andrew Alirez	7–2	January 24–26, 2019	2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Win	3–2	Brandon Wright	6–4
Loss	2–2	Bernard Futrell	TF 1–12
Win	2–1	Andrew Alirez	8–7
Win	1–1	Joshua Dziewa	TF 13–2
2018 Alans 32nd at 65 kg
Loss	0–1	Imam Adzhiev	TF 0–10	December 7–9, 2018	2018 Alans International	Vladikavkaz, Russia

NCAA record

NCAA Championships Matches
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event
2018 NCAA Championships   at 141 lbs
Loss	12–4	Yianni Diakomihalis	4–7	March 15–17, 2018	2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	12–3	Joey McKenna	1–0
Win	11–3	Sa`Derian Perry	Fall
Win	10–3	Vincent Turk	5–2
Win	9–3	Colton Schilling	5–1
2017 NCAA Championships 4th at 141 lbs
Loss	8–3	Kevin Jack	Fall	March 16–18, 2017	2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	8–2	Jaydin Eierman	8-–
Loss	7–2	George DiCamillo	7–10
Win	7–1	Kevin Jack	6–5
Win	6–1	Johnathan Hathaway	MD 8–0
Win	5–1	Mike Longo	MD 12–4
2016 NCAA Championships   at 141 lbs
Loss	4–1	Dean Heil	2–3	March 17–19, 2016	2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	4–0	Joey McKenna	5–3
Win	3–0	Micah Jordan	5–2
Win	2–0	Kevin Jack	5–4
Win	1–0	Robert Mathers	MD 16–3

Stats

Season	Year	School	Rank	Weigh Class	Record	Win	Bonus
2018	Senior	University of Wyoming	#1 (2nd)	141	33–2	94.29%	51.43%
2017	Junior		#10 (4th)		31–8	79.49%	58.97%
2016	Sophomore		#14 (2nd)		29–5	85.29%	47.06%
2015	Freshman	North Carolina State University	#31 (DNQ)	133	15–6	71.43%	38-10%
Career					108–21	83.72%	50.39%

^[11]

See also

• List of current Bellator MMA fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Bryce Meredith - Wrestling". University of Wyoming Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
2. "Bryce Meredith - Wrestling". University of Wyoming Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
3. "Bryce Meredith - 2014-15 - Wrestling". NC State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
4. "Fi - The Best Recruiting Classes in the Country". flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
5. [e-mail], Ryan Holmgren. "Bryce Meredith rediscovers love for Wyoming during breakout sophomore year". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
6. Spey, Mister (2016-03-30). "The 2016 NCAA Wrestling championships complete recap". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
7. grappleCy (2017-03-20). "2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships Recap & Final Results/Brackets". Wide Right & Natty Lite. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
8. "Photos: Nebraska defeats Wyoming in opening dual". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
9. staff, Star-Tribune. "Wyoming's Bryce Meredith places third at Cliff Keen Invitational". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
10. "2017 RTOC Final Brackets and Team Scores – Reno Tournament of Champions". Retrieved 2020-06-30.
11. LLC, ACS. "Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) Profile". wrestlestat.com. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
12. staff, Star-Tribune. "Wyoming's Meredith, Colgan win Big 12 wrestling championships". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
13. [e-mail], Brandon Foster. "Wyoming's Bryce Meredith loses national championship match". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
14. [e-mail], Davis Potter. "Bryce Meredith was an All-American at Wyoming. Now he hopes to eventually be an Olympian". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
15. [e-mail], WyoSports. "Bryce Meredith third at Dave Schultz tourney". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
16. . teamusa.org. August 5, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-08-06.
17. Cain, Brandon M. (2019-11-16). "OSU wrestling: Alex Dieringer, Jordan Oliver win Bill Farrell to qualify for 2020 Olympic Trials". Cowboys Ride For Free. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
18. "2019 Senior Nationals: Lightweight Preview – Home Mat Advantage Wrestling". Retrieved 2021-05-19.
19. "2019 Senior Nationals Men's Freestyle – Final Results". iawrestle.com. 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
20. WyoSports, Jeremiah Johnke. "Dream delayed: Meredith eyes 2021 Olympics". WyoSports.net. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
21. . Team USA. February 16, 2020. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
22. . Team USA. October 20, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-10-23.
23. Goodwin, Cody. "Wrestling: At HWC's Showdown Open, Jaydin Eierman adds signature win ahead of Iowa career". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
24. "Gross, Meredith set to meet at WRTC Underground 1 Open". InterMat. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
25. "Bajrang tops Green to win Flo 8-Man Challenge at 150 pounds". InterMat. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
26. WyoSports, Jeremiah Johnke. "MMA career awaits Meredith after wrestling". WyoSports.net. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
27. "Meredith looking beyond Olympics to MMA". InterMat. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
28. Sherdog.com. "LFA 108 Highlight Video: Bryce Meredith Pounds Out Steven Merrill". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
29. Sherdog.com. "Aaron McKenzie Edges Lucas Clay, Captures Vacant Lightweight Title at LFA 128". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
30. Staff; Staff (2022-09-09). "LFA 141: Talundzic vs. Brown Full Results". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
31. "Bryce Meredith Signs With Bellator, Set To Fight At Bellator 293". Heavyweight Nation. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
32. Tyler Treese (2023-03-31). "Bellator 293 'Golm vs. James' Play-by-Play, results & round scoring". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
33. "Historic Bellator 300 gets eight new prelim fights". MMA Junkie. 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
34. Staff (2023-10-07). "Bellator 300: Nurmagomedov vs. Primus Full Results". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-08.

External links

• Bryce Meredith at Sherdog 
• Bryce Meredith at the International Wrestling Database