MMA’s Greats of the States | Rhode Island: Eric Spicely

Mixed martial artists come from every corner of the globe, bearing a variety of styles. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring disciplines prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best mixed martial artist of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Eric Spicely stands out in a small crowd from the smallest state. Based in Olneyville, Rhode Island, he cut his teeth on the regional jiu-jitsu circuit before turning to MMA. The transition has gone swimmingly thus far.

The 30-year-old Spicely won his first eight professional bouts -- seven of them were first-round finishes -- in the CES MMA promotion and earned a spot on Season 23 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. There, he tapped Kenneth Bergh in a qualifying match and took a unanimous decision from Elias Urbina in the tournament quarterfinals. However, Spicely’s run ended in the semifinals, where he was knocked out by Andrew Sanchez, the season’s eventual winner.

Spicely made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC Fight Night 91 on July 16, as he submitted to a Sam Alvey guillotine choke. His place on the UFC roster seemed tenuous at best. Spicely’s fortunes changed two months later at UFC Fight Night 95, where he upset Thiago Santos and tapped the Brazilian striker with a first-round rear-naked choke. The victory brought with it a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus, along with welcomed stability. Spicely has since improved to 10-1 with a triangle choke submission against Alessio Di Chirico at UFC on Fox 23 in January.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Andre Soukhamthath, Mike Campbell