Anthony James Fryklund (born March 26, 1971) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor from 1997 until 2013, he competed for the UFC, the WEC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Cage Rage, and Titan FC.

Background

Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Fryklund was adopted when he was three months old. He began boxing and kickboxing when he was 13, and was often drawn into fights that arose when he tried to defend victims of bullying. He attended Winchester High School and also began judo, wrestling, and karate in his late teens. He later attended Northeastern University and spent two years in the United States Coast Guard, but did not finish his education as he was focused on his job, which was working as a safety manager for a construction company.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Fryklund made his professional MMA debut in 1997, fighting twice at UFC 14. During the first five years of his career, he built up a record of 8 wins and 1 loss. In Starting 2003, Fryklund fought a who's who of MMA fighters including David Loiseau, Brian Ebersole, Eugene Jackson, Matt Lindland, Ivan Salaverry, and Anderson Silva. His loss to Silva was one of the highlight reel KOs from the British Cage Rage promotion as Fryklund fell to an unconventional reverse elbow.

Strikeforce

In 2006, Fryklund joined the Strikeforce promotion. He lost both fights there against Duane Ludwig in December 2006 and against Cung Le in June 2007.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Fryklund returned to fighting after a nearly six-year hiatus as he faced Patrick Cenoble at Bellator 94 on March 28, 2013. The bout was ruled a draw after Cenoble was docked one point in round two.

Mixed martial arts record