Record: 9-2
Age: 30
Weight class: Featherweight
Height: 5’8″
Birthplace: Hot Springs, Ark.
Next Fight: Friday vs. Don Shainis (13-6) at Combat FC 6 in Wilmington, Mass. (UFC Fight Pass)*
Background: High school wrestling paved the path for Nate Ghareeb. So the obvious was next – a WWE wrestler. Ghareeb’s dream of professional wrestling was short-lived, however. He considered going to pro wrestling school, but his high school coach advised him against it and go with MMA instead. Ghareeb wasn’t really familiar, but the more he looked, the more he liked. After injuries in consecutive years during his collegiate wrestling stint at Springfield College (Mass.), he decided to pivot to a jiu-jitsu gym. The gym had a kickboxing class – and he fell in love with striking. After he transferred to West Virginia University, he dedicated himself to the art of muay Thai. Combat sports became his life. At the crossroads of pursuing a potential career as a police officer or becoming a full-time fighter in 2016, Ghareeb chose the latter. After a 6-3 amateur career, Ghareeb turned pro in July 2019. Over the span of 11 fights, his only losses were to top Bellator prospect Cody Law, and a close and controversial decision against Dan Dubuque. He bounced back nicely with three straight wins, including a rare Suloev stretch submission.
The skinny: It hasn’t been a straight shot to the top for Ghareeb, but his path has been effective in the long term. As he’s progressed through his career, Ghareeb has slowly but surely figured out a stable and successful recipe to improve as a fighter. He’s got a good personality, finishing abilities, great cardio, and a dog in him – an attribute you really can’t teach. For a while, he was a bit of a training nomad. He picks up knowledge from a number of different gyms and training partners in New England – although much of his training took place at his actual house. Eventually, Ghareeb pivoted. In order to make his dream come true, he couldn’t do it all by himself. So he packed up his bags and moved to South Florida where he trains every day with the likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Movsar Evloev, and others at American Top Team. On a three-fight finishing streak, Ghareeb should get a UFC glance should he make it four-for-four.
In his own words: “I absolutely love it down here. I train with the best in the world every single day – people I look up to. These are really high-level guys who are in the UFC already. They’re where I want to be. I ended up coming down here my last two camps down here and prepared with Mike Brown, Thiago Alves, and Steve Mocco. It’s made a world of difference when you’re training with the best in the world every single day and helping guys get ready for UFC-level fights like Arman Tsarukyan and Grant Dawson, who I sparred with a lot, helping them get ready for their fights.
“I train with guys like Edson Barboza, who I’ve looked up to forever. It gives you a certain level of confidence because if you can find little bits of success within your rounds with these guys, you know these are some of the best in the world. … Being put to the test every day in a room where there are no rest rounds makes a world of difference. … If they’re telling you, ‘This is good,’ it means so much more than some guy that doesn’t have those credentials.”
“… I 100 percent believe that I am 100 percent ready. I just think I need my opportunity. I think they just need to give me one chance. I don’t think I’m one of those guys who will waste that opportunity. I’ve been waiting for this for years. Last time I was (‘On The Doorstep’), I truly felt I was on that trajectory and path. I’ve had another year and three more fights to make those adjustments and improvements. Now, compared to where I was mentally, physically, and technically, I’m just an overall way better fighter. … If they call me tomorrow, I’m ready to go.”
* Following the finalization of this story, Ghareeb withdrew from his fight vs. Don Shainis, who remains on Combat FC 6 vs. Damion Nelson on UFC Fight Pass.
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie