Townsend Saunders
American wrestler (born 1966)
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Townsend Saunders (born April 20, 1967) is an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling.[1] Collegiately, Saunders was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American at Arizona State University and an NCAA Division II National Champion for California State University-Bakersfield. Townsend was also a Goodwill Games gold medalist in 1994 and won two Pan American Games gold medals in 1991 and 1995.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | April 20, 1967 (age 58) White Sands, New Mexico, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Torrance, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Arizona State Cal State Bakersfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | USA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Bobby Douglas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Saunders was born in White Sands, New Mexico. Known in college as "Junior" Saunders,[2] he adopted his given name in international competition. In 1985, he was a California State runner-up while wrestling for Torrance High School in Torrance, California. Townsend Saunders has also competed in mixed martial arts for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at UFC 16 and UFC 18.
Saunders is married to Tricia Saunders, a four-time FILA World Champion in women's freestyle wrestling, and is the father of three children.
In 2019, Saunders was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[3]
Mixed martial arts record
| 2 matches | 0 wins | 2 losses |
| By decision | 0 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–2 | Mikey Burnett | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 18 | January 8, 1999 | 1 | 15:00 | Kenner, Louisiana, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Pat Miletich | Decision (split) | UFC 16 | March 13, 1998 | 1 | 15:00 | Kenner, Louisiana, United States | MMA Debut. |
