Tarec Saffiedine

Tarec Saffiedine
Tarec Saffiedine
Born	Tarec Robert Saffiedine; September 6, 1986 (age 40); Brussels, Belgium
Other names	Sponge
Occupation	Professional mixed martial artist (retired)
Years active	2007–2019
Known for	Final Strikeforce Welterweight Champion; UFC Welterweight competitor

Tarec Robert Saffiedine (born 6 September 1986) is a retired Belgian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Welterweight category. Having turned professional in 2007, Saffiedine also participated in DREAM and Strikeforce promotions, where he notably held the final Strikeforce Welterweight Championship title.

Background

Saffiedine was born in Brussels to a Lebanese father and a Belgian mother. He embarked on his martial arts journey at the age of ten, training in disciplines such as Judo, Wing Chun, and Taekwondo. Raised in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, he initially played basketball before transitioning to Karate at sixteen, achieving a black belt in Shihaishinkai knockdown karate by 2005. His amateur kickboxing record stands at 12 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw. After relocating to the United States, he expanded his skill set by training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Wrestling. Early in his career, Saffiedine held various jobs including positions in restaurants and security. His moniker "Sponge" highlights his rapid capacity to absorb knowledge. Known for his frequent stance changes, he honed a multifaceted fighting approach through training with notable teams like Tristar Gym and Team Quest.

Early career

Saffiedine made his professional debut in March 2007, securing victory via kimura submission. Within that year, he competed three additional times across Belgium and France before moving to the United States in January 2008 to join Team Quest for training. His first bout after relocating occurred in June 2008 at Ultimate Cage Wars 12 in Canada, where he won by armbar submission. In 2009, he achieved two more victories on American soil.

DREAM

Subsequently, Saffiedine fought under Japan's DREAM organization. His initial appearance resulted in a unanimous decision win against Seichi Ikemoto at DREAM 10 during a reserve match outside the Welterweight Grand Prix bracket. At DREAM 12, stepping in on short notice for WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho, he competed at Middleweight (185 lbs) but was narrowly defeated by split decision by Yoon Dong-Sik.

Strikeforce

Upon returning to the U.S., Saffiedine earned a unanimous decision win over James Terry at Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi by effectively utilizing striking techniques and strong takedown defense. He followed this with a second-round knockout of Nate Moore at Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey—marking his first KO triumph.

While competing on loan for Shark Fights, he secured a unanimous decision victory over grappler Brock Larson at Shark Fights 13 through dominant striking and solid takedown defense. Back within Strikeforce, Saffiedine suffered a unanimous decision loss to Tyron Woodley during the headlining bout of Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine.

A scheduled contest against Evangelista Santos at Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson was called off. Later, Saffiedine stepped in for Paul Daley to defeat Scott Smith via unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson and subsequently edged out Tyler Stinson with a split decision win at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine.

He maintained momentum by winning a unanimous decision against Roger Bowling at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman. In Strikeforce’s final event, utilizing effective leg kicks throughout five rounds, Saffiedine overcame Nate Marquardt by unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, thereby becoming the last fighter to hold the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After Strikeforce held its final event, Saffiedine was among the fighters absorbed into the UFC roster.

He was originally set to compete against former EliteXC Middleweight Champion Robbie Lawler on 27 July 2013 at UFC on Fox 8 but had to pull out due to injury. Siyar Bahadurzada was named as his replacement but also withdrew, resulting in Bobby Voelker stepping in.

Saffiedine was booked to fight Jake Ellenberger on 4 January 2014 at UFC Fight Night 34; however, Ellenberger withdrew with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Hyun Gyu Lim. Saffiedine secured a unanimous decision victory and received his first Fight of the Night award.

A rematch with Ellenberger was planned for UFC 172 but was canceled because of an undisclosed training injury.

On 4 October 2014, at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine, he faced Rory MacDonald and experienced his first TKO defeat in the third round.

A fight against Matt Brown was arranged for UFC Fight Night 60 in February 2015 but was called off after Saffiedine withdrew with a groin injury.

Following recovery from several injuries, Saffiedine returned on 30 January 2016 at UFC on Fox 18, defeating Jake Ellenberger by unanimous decision. He later lost to Rick Story via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 88 in May 2016.

A rescheduled matchup with Matt Brown for UFC 207 was canceled when Brown was redirected to fight Donald Cerrone. Instead, Saffiedine faced Dong Hyun Kim and lost by split decision.

On 17 June 2017, he competed against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia, losing by unanimous decision.

Saffiedine was released from the UFC roster on 26 November 2019.

Championships and accomplishments

Strikeforce
- Held the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship once, being the final champion
- Participated in the final fight in Strikeforce history (Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine)
Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Earned Fight of the Night honors once
- Received Performance of the Night once
MMAJunkie.com
- Awarded January 2014 Fight of the Month vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
- Recognized for December 2016 Knockout of the Month vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Mixed martial arts record

| Rory MacDonald 
| TKO (punches) 
| UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine 
|  
| align=center |3 
| align=center |1:28 
| Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 
|

|-

| Win 
| align=center |15–3 
| Hyun Gyu Lim 
| Decision (unanimous) 
| UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim 
|  
| align=center |5 
| align=center |5:00 
| Marina Bay, Singapore 
|

|-

| Win 
| align=center |14–3 
| Nate Marquardt 
| Decision (unanimous) 
| Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine 
|  
| align=center |5 
| align=center |5:00 
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States 
|

|-

| Win 
| align=center |13–3 
| Roger Bowling 
| Decision (unanimous) 
| Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman 
|

  San Jose, California, United States   |

External links