Haim Gozali

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Haim Gozali
Born (1973-05-06) 6 May 1973 (age 50)[1]
Bat Yam, Israel
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionLight Heavyweight
Middleweight
Welterweight
Reach72 in (183 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofBat Yam, Israel
TeamRenzo Gracie Israel[2]
Rank3rd degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie[3]
Years active1998–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins15
By knockout1
By submission14
Losses6
By knockout1
By submission2
By decision3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Haim Gozali (Hebrew: חיים גוזלי; born May 6, 1973) is an Israeli mixed martial artist. He is best known for his tenure in Bellator. Gozali is a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie.[3]

Background[edit]

Gozali served in the Israel Defense Forces.

In 2005, Gozali was stabbed while working as a bouncer in an Israeli night club.[4][5]

Gozali's nickname, "The Israeli Batman", is related to his obsession with the superhero. He has "collected enough Batman comics and paraphernalia to fill up most of a room in his house in Bat Yam" and he "has enough Batman tattoos to cover a good part of his skin, with the bat-sign prominently carried across his chest."[4]

Gozali's son, Aviv Gozali, is also a mixed martial artist.[6][7]

Gozali is the president of ADCC Israel and the first Israeli to compete in an ADCC event.[8]

Professional career[edit]

Gozali began his mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 1998, losing to Carlos Newton via armbar. He compiled a 6-3 record before debuting for Bellator MMA in 2016.[9]

In 2010, Gozali produced the MMA event Israel FC: Genesis in Israel, featuring multiple UFC veterans.[10] He later signed with Bellator to work as a promoter[4] and produced 4 events in Israel with the promotion - Bellator 164, Bellator 188, Bellator 209, and Bellator 234, which took place at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv.

Bellator MMA[edit]

On June 24, 2017, Gozali faced Ryan Couture in a welterweight bout on the Bellator 180 preliminary card, becoming the first Israeli MMA fighter to compete in Madison Square Garden.[11][12] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[13]

At Bellator 188 on November 16, 2017, Gozali fought Mykyta Mikhno, winning via submission. Gozali then fought Jose Campos at Bellator 192, losing via unanimous decision. Gozali fought Ryan Couture in a rematch at Bellator 209, losing again via unanimous decision.[9]

Last fight[edit]

After three straight victories, Gozali competed at Bellator 234 on November 15, 2019, with his son Aviv, in their native Israel. Gozali faced Artur Pronin, winning the fight via first-round submission. Gozali retired after the fight.[14] Gozali and Pronin's performances led to accusations of the bout being fixed. Criticism included no serious head strikes and light striking that resembled a sparring session, Pronin putting himself in inferior positions despite his experience, and the end of the fight where Gozali transitioned from an armbar to a heel hook without proper control of Pronin's leg, with Pronin tapping out immediately instead of trying to defend the submission. It was noted that Pronin was on a seven-win streak at the time with several submission victories, while this was a "hometown" bout for Gozali and his last fight.[15]

Return[edit]

Gozali returned to MMA and began bare-knuckle boxing in 2020 after his security company faced financial hardship due to COVID-19.[6] He made his bare-knuckle boxing debut on February 5, 2021 at BKFC: KnuckleMania. Gozali faced John McAllister, who had a win/loss record of 0–4. McAllister controlled the first round, out-striking Gozali. Gozali made a comeback in the second round, knocking McAllister down twice for the ref to stop the bout.[16]

Championships and accomplishments[edit]

Mixed martial arts[edit]

  • Real Fight Promotion
    • RFP Middleweight Championship (One time)
  • The Dice Team
    • TDT Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record[edit]

Professional record breakdown
21 matches 15 wins 6 losses
By knockout 1 1
By submission 14 2
By decision 0 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 15–6 Ilya Lupinov Submission (triangle choke) RFP 86 October 3, 2021 1 1:35 Kyiv, Ukraine Middleweight bout; won the vacant RFP Middleweight Championship.
Win 14–6 Andrey Savchuck Submission (heel hook) TDT 1 June 23, 2021 1 0:05 Dubno, Ukraine Light Heavyweight debut; won the TDT Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 13–6 Dmitriy Makhotskiy Submission (triangle choke) RFP 80 October 4, 2020 2 1:56 Kyiv, Ukraine Return to Middleweight; won the RFP Middleweight Championship.
Win 12–6 Artur Pronin Submission (heel hook) Bellator 234 November 15, 2019 1 4:12 Tel Aviv, Israel
Win 11–6 Gustavo Wurlitzer Submission (triangle choke) Bellator 222 June 14, 2019 1 4:02 New York, New York, United States Catchweight (175 lb) bout.
Win 10–6 Dmitriy Makhotskiy Submission (heel hook) RFP: International MFC 1 December 14, 2018 1 2:57 Kyiv, Ukraine
Win 9–6 Alexey Kolesnikov Submission (armbar) RFP: International MFC 1 December 14, 2018 1 2:37 Kyiv, Ukraine
Loss 8–6 Ryan Couture Decision (unanimous) Bellator 209 November 16, 2018 3 5:00 Tel Aviv, Israel
Loss 8–5 Jose Campos Decision (unanimous) Bellator 192 January 20, 2018 3 5:00 Inglewood, California, United States
Win 8–4 Mykyta Mikhno Technical Submission (triangle choke) Bellator 188 November 16, 2017 1 0:45 Tel Aviv, Israel
Loss 7–4 Ryan Couture Decision (unanimous) Bellator 180 June 24, 2017 3 5:00 New York City, New York, United States
Win 7–3 Zane Clerk Submission (heel hook) Bellator 164 November 10, 2016 1 1:41 Tel Aviv, Israel
Win 6–3 Zdravko Zdravkov Submission (armbar) AFN 1 September 15, 2012 1 0:33 Sliven, Bulgaria
Loss 5–3 Rustam Bogatyrev TKO (retirement) MFP: Mayor Cup 2012 May 26, 2012 1 5:00 Khabarovsk, Russia
Loss 5–2 Ronaldo Souza Submission (rear-naked choke) Jungle Fight 7 December 17, 2006 1 1:33 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Win 5–1 Alcs Plotkin Submission (triangle choke) WPKL 2 May 7, 2004 1 2:22 Israel
Win 4–1 Yakov Mazer KO (punch) WPKL 1 March 23, 2003 1 1:35 Israel
Win 3–1 Dan Koan Submission (punches) IVTC 2 March 11, 2002 1 4:55 Israel
Win 2–1 Guy Micali Submission (punches) IFFC 1 December 5, 2000 1 3:34 Israel
Win 1–1 Maer Cobi Coen Submission (triangle choke) IVTC 1 April 14, 2000 1 2:34 Israel
Loss 0–1 Carlos Newton Submission (armbar) IFC: Israel vs. Canada January 1, 1998 1 0:00 Israel

[9]

Bare-knuckle boxing record[edit]

Professional record breakdown
2 matches 2 wins 0 losses
By knockout 2 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 2–0 Bogdan Kotlovyanov TKO (injury) IWCC 1 March 9, 2023 2 N/A Tel Aviv, Israel
Win 1–0 John McAllister TKO (punch) BKFC: KnuckleMania February 5, 2021 2 1:08 Lakeland, Florida, United States Cruiserweight (205 lb.) bout.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Haim Gozali". Bellator.
  2. ^ "Haim Gozali". Tapology.
  3. ^ a b "Certified Black Belts". IBJJF.com. Retrieved 2023-11-24. Search "Haim Gozali"
  4. ^ a b c Gilboa, Ram (June 14, 2017). "Bellator 180: Israeli 'Batman' prepares to fight in Madison Square Garden". Bloody Elbow.
  5. ^ Zeitlin, Alan (June 22, 2017). "The 44-year-old Israeli MMA Fighter With a Magen David Tattoo on His Elbow". Tablet.
  6. ^ a b "COVID forces Haim Gozali, Israeli MMA fighter, out of retirement". The Jerusalem Post. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  7. ^ Nambiar, Abhishek (2023-11-03). "Usman Nurmagomedov gives a scathing 8-word reply to Israeli fighter Haim Gozali's son over distasteful missile message to Muslim fighters". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  8. ^ Fischer, Emil (3 September 2015). "Haim Gozali and The ADCC: Jiu-Jitsu Transcends Politics". Jiu-Jitsu Times.
  9. ^ a b c "Haim Gozali MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  10. ^ "UFC veterans in Israel". USA Today. November 9, 2010. Retrieved on October 25, 2018.
  11. ^ "Watch: Meet Haim Gozali, The First Israeli MMA Fighter To Fight In MSG". The Jewish Week. June 26, 2017.
  12. ^ "Gozali-Couture 2 & Dandois-Rubin Set For Bellator 209". MMA TakeOver. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  13. ^ Dave Doyle (June 24, 2017). "Bellator 180 results: Ryan Couture grinds out win over Haim Gozali". mmafighting.com.
  14. ^ "Bellator 234 video highlights with Vassell's dominance, father-son Gozali submissions". mmajunkie.com. November 16, 2019.
  15. ^ Samuel, Ezra (2023-10-11). "MMA analyst throws shade at Bellator over suspicious looking bout featuring Israeli star". Calfkicker.com. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  16. ^ Christ, Scott (2021-02-05). "BKFC KnuckleMania results and highlights: Bloodbaths, knockouts, and a one-legged man winning an ass-kicking contest". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
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