Gerald Ray Strebendt (born March 1, 1979)[1] is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2008, he fought for the UFC and Cage Rage. He is the former Cage Rage World lightweight champion.
Career
A former member of the United States Marine Corps,[2] Strebendt is known for being the first student of the now world-renowned Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioner, Eddie Bravo where he adopted Eddie's rubber guard, and twister game. In 2004 he became the first fighter to execute a twister in an MMA match.[3]
Strebendt was a key witness in the 2005 murder trial of Rafiel Torre.[2] Torre, whose real name is Ralph Bartel, initially offered Strebendt $10,000 to kill the victim, 32-year-old Bryan Richards, who had a sizable life insurance policy and with whose wife Torre was having an affair.[2] After Strebendt refused, Torre committed the murder himself, then told Strebendt a few days later that he had killed Richards in self-defense with a rear naked choke.[2] Torre asked Strebendt to provide him with an alibi, a request which was met with Strebendt's refusal.[2] More than a year after the killing, Strebendt voluntarily came forward and provided his story to detectives, out of concern that Torre would escape punishment for the murder.[2] Torre was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; he is appealing the sentence.
On January 29, 2014, Strebendt shot and killed 53-year-old David Paul Crofut, also of Springfield, during an altercation following a traffic collision between the two drivers' vehicles.[4] Strebendt called 911 following the collision but before shooting Crofut and was still connected with the 911 call when the shot was fired.[5] Strebendt claims self-defense in the shooting; Strebendt's attorney, Mike Arnold of Eugene, states that Strebendt reached into his vehicle and retrieved his weapon, a loaded .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle, because Crofut verbally threatened his life.[5] Carrying a loaded rifle in a vehicle is legal in Oregon.[6] Crofut was unarmed during the altercation, and no weapons other than Strebendt's rifle were found at the scene.[7] Following the shooting, Strebendt was handcuffed and taken into custody, but was released later that night.[5] According to Strebendt on the 911 call, Crofut hit him "on purpose with his vehicle."[8] Strebendt can be heard on the 911 call instructing Crofut to "back away" and "don't fucking come near me."[8] At the time of his death, Crofut had a blood alcohol content of 0.156%.[9] The legal limit for driving under the influence of alcohol in Oregon is 0.08%.[10]
Strebendt was arrested and charged with murder on March 6, 2014, after a grand jury indictment.[11] On May 21, 2015, the murder charge was dismissed and Strebendt pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide due to police establishing "some mitigating evidence" favoring Strebendt.[9] His attorney Mike Arnold and co-counsel Emilia Gardner went on to write a book about Strebendt and the case called Finishing Machine.[12] He was released from state prison in 2017.[13]
Eight months after his release from prison, Strebendt was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an underage female on April 25, 2018.[14] He was later sentenced by courts in Lane County, OR to two years and four months in prison with two years and eight months of probation.[15]
Mixed martial arts record
| 16 matches | 9 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 4 |
| By submission | 8 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 9–7 | Lyle Beerbohm | Submission (injury) | EWC 3: Capitol Invasion | January 12, 2008 | 1 | 2:42 | Salem, Oregon, U.S. | |
| Win | 9–6 | Will Shutt | Submission (rear-naked choke) | SF 20: Homecoming | October 27, 2007 | 1 | N/A | Portland, Oregon, U.S. | |
| Loss | 8–6 | Vítor Ribeiro | Submission (guillotine choke) | Cage Rage 12 | July 12, 2005 | 1 | 1:13 | London, England | |
| Loss | 8–5 | Sean Sherk | TKO (punches) | Extreme Challenge 58 | June 11, 2004 | 1 | 3:52 | Medina, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| Loss | 8–4 | Jean Silva | Submission (triangle choke) | Cage Rage 6 | May 23, 2004 | 2 | N/A | London, England | For the vacant Cage Rage World Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–3 | Dave Elliot | Submission (twister) | Cage Warriors 7: Showdown | May 9, 2004 | 1 | 0:48 | Barnsley, England | |
| Win | 7–3 | Pat Carr | Submission (rear-naked choke) | XFC 2: The Perfect Storm | November 9, 2003 | 4 | 4:53 | Cornwall, England | |
| Loss | 6–3 | Josh Thomson | KO (punches) | UFC 44 | September 26, 2003 | 1 | 2:45 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| Win | 6–2 | Jean Silva | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Rage 2 | February 22, 2003 | 1 | N/A | London, England | Won the vacant Cage Rage World Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–2 | Carmelo Serrato | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Ultimate Cage Fighting 1 | May 9, 2002 | 1 | N/A | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Charles Bennett | TKO (submission to punches) | GC 7: Casualties of War | November 4, 2001 | 1 | 1:40 | Colusa, California, U.S. | |
| Win | 4–1 | Noah Shinable | TKO (cut) | GC 6: Caged Beasts | September 9, 2001 | 1 | 4:23 | Colusa, California, U.S. | |
| Win | 3–1 | Aaron Anderson | Submission (triangle choke) | GC 5: Rumble in the Rockies | August 19, 2001 | N/A | N/A | Denver, Colorado, U.S. | |
| Win | 2–1 | Mike Meto | Submission (armbar) | Kage Kombat | July 9, 2001 | 1 | 1:52 | San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Eiji Mitsuoka | TKO (submission to punches) | KOTC 9: Showtime | June 23, 2001 | 1 | 2:23 | San Jacinto, California, U.S. | |
| Win | 1–0 | Aaron Herring | Submission (armbar) | Bushido 2 | April 21, 2001 | 1 | 2:54 | Yokohama, Japan |
References
- ^ Mixed martial arts show results Date: September 26, 2003
- ^ a b c d e f Leveque, Rod. "DA says man used martial arts move to kill lover's husband", The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Canada), July 29, 2005.
- ^ Strebendt, Gerald. "Gerald's Tweet with Photo of Joe Rogan". Twitter. Gerald Strebendt (official twitter) @StrebendtGerald. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ Moran, Jack. "Police investigate deadly shooting", The Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon) January 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c Moran, Jack. "Shooting details under scrutiny", The Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon) February 6, 2014
- ^ Martin, Damon. "Police investigating deadly shooting involving former UFC fighter Gerald Strebendt", Fox Sports Haymaker, February 5, 2014
- ^ Dudley, Kelsey. "Police still piecing together car crash and deadly shooting", KMTR Newssource 16 (Eugene, Oregon) February 4, 2014
- ^ a b Strebendt, Gerald (January 29, 2014). "911 Call of Gerald Strebendt (YouTube)". 911 Call of terrified UFC vet Gerald Strebendt shooting. Gerald Strebendt (YouTube). Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "Man who shot and killed motorist pleads guilty to lesser charge". Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "ORS 813.010 – Driving under the influence of intoxicants – 2013 Oregon Revised Statutes". www.oregonlaws.org. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Murder charge for man who claimed self-defense in shooting". Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ Arnold, Mike; Gardner, Emilia (October 12, 2016). Finishing Machine (Ebook ed.). Eugene, Oregon, USA: Versus Publishing. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-9978484-2-7. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ Kowal, Eric (March 28, 2019). "Former one-time UFC fighter, Gerald Strebendt, convicted of sexually abusing teen". My MMA News. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ "Former UFC fighter, convicted in road rage killing, arrested for sexually abusing underaged female". Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ Bissell, Tim. "Ex-UFC fighter Gerald Strebendt sentenced for sexual abuse of martial arts student". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
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