Matt Ghaffari

Siamak "Matt" Ghaffari (/ɡəˈfɑːri/ gə-FAR-ee;[1] Persian: سیامک غفاری, Persian pronunciation: [siːɒːmæk-e ɢæˈffɒːɾiː]; born November 11, 1961, in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran) is an Iran-born American Greco-Roman wrestler, MMA Fighter and professional wrestler. Ghaffari was a two-time USA Olympic team member, obtaining a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Ghaffari finished his career with the most Greco-Roman World and Olympic medals by a United States wrestler.

Matt Ghaffari
Born
Siamak Ghaffari

(1961-11-11) 11 November 1961
Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
Alma materCleveland State University
Years active1984–2000
2002–2004
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Sports career
CountryUnited States
SportAmateur wrestling
Event(s)Greco-Roman
University teamCleveland State Vikings (1981–84)
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (1979–80)
ClubSunkist Kids
Martial arts career
DivisionHeavyweight
Mixed martial arts record
Total1
Wins0
Losses1
By knockout1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 130 kg
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1991 Varna 130 kg
Silver medal – second place 1998 Gävle 130 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Prague 130 kg
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg 130 kg
Gold medal – first place1991 Thessaloniki130 kg
Bronze medal – third place1993 Heinola130 kg
Gold medal – first place1994 Kecskemét130 kg
Gold medal – first place1995 Schifferstadt130 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana 130 kg
Gold medal – first place 1995 Mar del Plata 130 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place1984 Mexico City130 kg
Gold medal – first place1989 Colorado Springs130 kg
Gold medal – first place1990 Colorado Springs130 kg
Gold medal – first place1992 Albany130 kg
Gold medal – first place1994 Mexico City130 kg

Early life

Born in Tehran, Iran, Ghaffari came to the United States at a young age, he attended Paramus High School in Paramus, New Jersey.[2]

Amateur wrestling career

He was runner-up to Aleksandr Karelin at the 1995 Karelin Cup.[3] While representing the United States at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games and 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, Ghaffari reached the final of the heavyweight Men's Greco-Roman 130 kg division, where he lost 0–1 to Russian overwhelming favorite Aleksandr Karelin in overtime.[2] Ghaffari was a seven-time United States wrestling champion and a two-time USA Olympic Committee Greco-Roman Athlete of the Year.[4]

In 2013, Ghaffari was inducted in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

In 2002, Ghaffari fought in the Tokyo Dome in front of 28,000 spectators at a mixed martial arts bout in UFO- Universal Fighting-Arts Organization against judo Olympic Silver Medalist Naoya Ogawa. Ghaffari managed to take Ogawa down and attack him with a brief ground and pound, but back to standing, Ogawa landed a punch which shifted Matt's left eye contact lens and forced him to quit.[6]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
1 match 0 wins 1 loss
By knockout 0 0
By submission 0 0
By decision 0 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 0–1 Japan Naoya Ogawa TKO (punch) UFO Legend August 8, 2002 1 0:56 Tokyo, Japan

Professional wrestling career
Matt Ghaffari
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Matt Ghaffari[7]
Billed height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[7]
Billed weight280 lb (130 kg)[7]
Debut8 December 2002[7]

In 1996, Ghaffari was scouted by professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling and was featured in several vignettes, but did not sign up with the company.[8]

After his stint in MMA, Ghaffari started to work in the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, where he won the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship with Tom Howard on December 15, 2002, by defeating Shinya Hashimoto and old opponent Naoya Ogawa.[9] They held the championship until April 29, 2003, when they lost it to Hashimoto and Ogawa.[9]

In 2004, Ghaffari made an apparition for HUSTLE, pinning Ogawa after a beatdown from the heel faction Monster Army (Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Dusty Rhodes Jr., Giant Silva and Dan Bobish).[10]

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. "Matt Ghaffari". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  2. Robbins, Liz. "OLYMPICS; Wrestler Two Victories From Dream", The New York Times, June 24, 2000. Accessed October 17, 2007. "To advance, Ghaffari had to pull out a trick he first used two decades ago at Paramus High School in New Jersey.... At 38, and a loss away from retirement, Ghaffari is still crafty and accomplished, compiling more Olympic and world championship medals than any other Greco-Roman wrestler with four."
  3. "Matt Ghaffari". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  4. "Honoree: Matt Ghaffari". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  5. Matt Ghaffari. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  6. Hawaii Martial Arts News & Rumors – August News Part 2
  7. "Matt Ghaffari". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  8. Dimitri Groell, Jan Niedbala, La face cachée du catch: Ring, Coulisses & Business
  9. "NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champions". Pro Wrestling ZERO-1. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  10. "HUSTLE Results: 2004" (in German). PuroLove.com. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  11. "NWA ZERO-ONE O-300 Super Heavyweight Champions". cagematch.net. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
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