David Michaud

David Michaud (born November 10, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he formerly competed for the Professional Fighters League, Legacy Fighting Alliance, the UFC and Titan FC.

Background
Michaud, who is an Oglala Lakota Native American, was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Michaud competed in wrestling, football, and baseball at Pine Ridge High School. Michaud won All-State honors in football, was an All-Conference selection in baseball, and in wrestling, Michaud finished first for 189 lbs. his senior season and also had a second-place finish as a sophomore. Overall, he held an overall high school record of 91-19 and went 15-1 during his senior season. Michaud was also the valedictorian of his reservation high school graduating class and held a 4.0. Michaud originally went to South Dakota State University to play football, but eventually turned his attention to wrestling after competing in only two matches his freshman year. Michaud was also a standout academically.

Early career
Michaud competed as a Light Heavyweight and Middleweight as an amateur, winning Ring Wars Championships in both divisions and compiling a record of 4-1. He began his amateur career at age 15.

Michaud then made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2009 competing as a Welterweight in regional promotions across The Dakotas. Michaud compiled a record of 4-0, before auditioning for The Ultimate Fighter in 2012.

The Ultimate Fighter
Michaud appeared in the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter 16. Michaud lost via submission (arm-triangle choke) against Eddy Ellis during the entry round.

After TUF Michaud returned to the regional scene in The Dakotas, where he was able to string together a three-fight win streak, before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Michaud made his promotional debut, as a short notice replacement for an injured Danny Mitchell and faced Li Jingliang at UFC 173. Jingliang defeated Michaud split decision.

Michaud faced Garett Whiteley in a Lightweight bout on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13. Michaud won the fight via unanimous decision.

Michaud faced Olivier Aubin-Mercier on April 25, 2015 at UFC 186. He lost the fight via submission in the third round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post UFC
Michaud made his first appearance after his UFC release in April 2016 when he faced Chris Hugh at RFA 37. He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round. However, his streak was halted at Titan FC 39 in June 2016, where he fought Dhiego Lima for the Titan FC Welterweight Championship but lost via unanimous decision.

March 2017 brought a fresh wind as Michaud secured a knockout victory over Cody Wilson at EB: Beatdown 20 in the third round. He continued his winning ways against Jake Lindsey at Legacy Fighting Alliance Fight Night 1 in April 2017, where he won via TKO due to injury in the third round.

Michaud's path had a stumble when he lost to Ciro Rodrigues at Legacy Fighting Alliance 19 in August 2017, via TKO in the first round. He bounced back by defeating Tyler Milner at Sparta Combat League 63 in October 2017 with a submission win via rear-naked choke in the first round.

Bellator MMA/Legacy Fighting Alliance
A significant career move was announced in July 2018 when Michaud signed a contract with Bellator. He faced Corey Davis at Bellator 204 on August 17, 2018 and won the fight via knockout in the first round. Michaud continued this momentum against Fernando Gonzalez Trevino at Combate Americas- Mexico vs. USA in October 2018, earning a TKO victory in the second round.

Michaud faced future UFC fighter Christian Aguilera on February 2, 2019 at LFA 59. He won the bout via TKO in the second round.

Professional Fighters League
Michaud made his PFL debut against Sadibou Sy, however it was shortlived as he lost 17 seconds into the bout after a liver kick made him unable to continue. Michaud rebounded with a win over Handesson Ferreira at PFL 4 in July 2019, securing the victory via TKO in the first round. His winning streak continued at PFL 7 in October 2019 where he faced John Howard in the quarterfinals, winning the bout via unanimous decision. In the same event, he also faced Glaico França in the semifinals and won via majority decision. Michaud faced Ray Cooper III in the finals at PFL 10 on December 31, 2019. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Michaud was set to face Rory MacDonald on April 29, 2021 at PFL 2 as the start of the 2021 PFL Welterweight tournament. On April 8, Michaud announced that he had to pull out of the bout due to medicals discovering a congenital heart condition, congenital bicuspid aortic valve with dilated aortic root, which put him at risk of aortic dissection. His future in MMA is also uncertain.