Townsend Saunders

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Townsend Saunders

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|April 20, 1967}}

| birth_place = White Sands, New Mexico, U.S.

| hometown = Torrance, California, U.S.

| country = United States

| team = USA

| sport = Wrestling

| event = Freestyle and Folkstyle

| club = Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club

| collegeteam = Arizona State
Cal State Bakersfield

| coach = Bobby Douglas

| headercolor = lightsteelblue

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

}}

Townsend Saunders (born April 20, 1967) is an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling.{{Cite book|last=Dan|first=Gable|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EWAOC7EYCCUC&q=%22Townsend+Saunders%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA163|title=Coaching Wrestling Successfully|date=1998-12-01|publisher=Human Kinetics|isbn=978-0-87322-404-8|language=en}} 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.

Biography

Saunders was born in White Sands, New Mexico. Known in college as "Junior" Saunders,{{Cite book|last=Rowe|first=Reginald E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=URcrDAAAQBAJ&q=%22Townsend+Saunders%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT131|title=The Golden Era of Amateur Wrestling: 1980S|date=2016-05-09|publisher=Archway Publishing|isbn=978-1-4808-2963-3|language=en}} 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.[https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/4681 Townsend Saunders]. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2022.

Mixed martial arts record

{{MMArecordbox

| draws=

| nc=

| ko-wins=

| ko-losses=

| sub-wins=

| sub-losses=

| dec-wins=

| dec-losses=2

| dq-wins=

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}}

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center | 0–2

| Mikey Burnett

| Decision (unanimous)

| UFC 18

| {{dts|1999|January|8}}

| align=center | 1

| align=center | 15:00

| Kenner, Louisiana, United States

| {{no2}}Loss

| align=center | 0–1

| Pat Miletich

| Decision (split)

| UFC 16

| {{dts|1998|March|13}}

| align=center | 1

| align=center | 15:00

| Kenner, Louisiana, United States

| MMA Debut.

Submission grappling record

|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Result

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Opponent

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Method

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Event

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Date

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Round

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Time

| style="border-style:none none solid solid;" | Notes

| {{yes2}}Win || {{flagicon|BRA}} Andre Pederneiras || Decision || The Contenders || 1997 || 5 || 5:00 ||

References

External links

{{Sherdog}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20051112085004/http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/champions/?names&wrestler=1597 Townsend "Junior" Saunders at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame site]
{{UFC|townsend-saunders}}

Category:1967 births

Category:Living people

Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in wrestling

Category:Wrestlers at the 1992 Summer Olympics

Category:Wrestlers at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Category:American male sport wrestlers

Category:Arizona State University alumni

Category:People from Doña Ana County, New Mexico

Category:American male mixed martial artists

Category:Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling

Category:Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling

Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics