Introduction
Lumumba Sayers (born June 30, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has formerly competed for Strikeforce.
Background
Sayers is from Denver, Colorado, attending Denver East High School and then continued his education at Colorado State University. He has a combat sports background in boxing and also participated in many Toughman Contests before being introduced to mixed martial arts.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Sayers made his professional debut in October 2009. He fought primarily in his native Colorado and was the Fight to Win Middleweight Champion, Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz and No Mercy Extreme Fighting Professional Middleweight Champion. Before signing with Strikeforce, he amassed a record of 4-1, with none of his victories making it to the second round.
Strikeforce
Sayers debuted for Strikeforce in July 2011 on the undercard of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson. He lost his debut to current UFC Middleweight Derek Brunson by submission in the first round.
Sayers returned to the promotion in the main event at Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers. He defeated Antwain Britt via knockout at just 28 seconds into the first round, the first knockout victory of his career.
Sayers earned a main card slot for Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey, He faced veteran Scott Smith and won via guillotine choke submission in the first round.
Sayers faced Anthony Smith at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman. He lost via triangle choke submission in the first round.
Independent promotions
Sayers faced UFC Vet Tommy Speer on April 5, 2013 at MFW: Made For War 2. He lost via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
Personal life
Sayers is married and has children.
Sayers is currently a bounty hunter in Denver, Colorado and was featured on the CMT show Dog and Beth: On the Hunt in episode one.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 11 matches | 6 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 5 | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 6–5 | Canaan Grigsby | KO (knee & punches) | FTW: Fight Club Denver | August 15, 2014 | 2 | 2:18 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 6–4 | Tommy Speer | Submission (rear-naked choke) | MFW: Made For War 2 | April 5, 2013 | 1 | 3:39 | Castle Rock, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 6–3 | Anthony Smith | Submission (triangle choke) | Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman | August 18, 2012 | 1 | 3:52 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–2 | Scott Smith | Submission (guillotine choke) | Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey | March 3, 2012 | 1 | 1:34 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | |
| Win | 5–2 | Antwain Britt | KO (punches) | Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers | November 18, 2011 | 1 | 0:28 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Derek Brunson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson | July 30, 2011 | 1 | 4:33 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Edward Banks | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Full Force Fighting 1 | January 29, 2011 | 1 | 2:39 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Justin Guthrie | Submission (armbar) | No Mercy Extreme Fighting 27 | August 7, 2010 | 1 | 1:16 | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Preston Snook | Submission | Red Dragon Promotions: Enter the Septagon | May 8, 2010 | 1 | 4:15 | Lawton, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Ian Berg | Submission (guillotine choke) | Fight to Win: Phenoms | January 30, 2010 | 1 | 0:30 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Brian Christina | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Rocky Mountain Nationals: Stars of MMA | October 30, 2009 | 1 | 0:54 | Denver, Colorado, United States |