Matt Veach

Matt Alan Veach (born May 31, 1981) is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He is known for his 3 fight stint in the UFC, including his "Fight of the Night" performance against former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar.

Mixed Martial Arts

Matt started wrestling in the sixth grade and competed for 12 years. He was a high school state placer, JuCo All-American, and a D-1 NCAA qualifier for Eastern Illinois University.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Veach made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens, facing off against UFC veteran, Matt Grice. After getting knocked down in a brief exchange early in the first round, Veach quickly recovered and dropped Grice, following up with punches on the ground as the referee halted the bout at 4:34 of the very first round, giving Matt the win via TKO.

At The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale in a fight against Frank Edgar as a replacement for an injured Kurt Pellegrino, Veach made his second appearance in the UFC. The first round was very close; Edgar controlled most of the standup part of the round, while Veach landed numerous takedowns and slams. However, early in the second round, Edgar caught Veach with an over hand right that stunned him, leaving him open for Edgar to take him to the ground, achieve the back mounted position and sink in a rear naked choke for the win at 2:22 of round two. This marked the first loss of Veach's professional mixed martial arts career.