Matt Mitrione is a well-known American mixed martial artist with excellent skills who fights in Bellator MMA.
Known for knocking out opponents with his right hand from a southpaw stance, Matt was a featured fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.
But, before becoming a mixed martial artist, Matt used to be a professional football player. Likewise, he used to play in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings.

Today, we will dive into the life of Matt Mitrione and discuss all the information like his early life, family, education, net worth, personal life, kids, and so much more.
Let us start with some quick facts!
Quick Facts about Matt Mitrione
Full Name | Matthew Steven Mitrione |
Birth Date | July 15, 1978 |
Age | 43 years old |
Birth Place | Bloomington, Illinois |
Nick Name | Matt, Meathead |
Religion | Unknown |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Mixed (Irish- Italian) |
Education | Springfield Southeast High SchoolPurdue University |
Horoscope | Cancer |
Father’s Name | Robert Mitrione |
Mother’s Name | Cecelia Mitrione |
Siblings | Robert Mitrione |
Height | 6′4 inches (1.95m) |
Weight | 116 Kg (258 lbs) |
Hair Color | Dark Brown |
Eye Color | Blue |
Body Measurement | Unknown |
Build | Muscular |
Married | Divorced |
Wife | Tina Mitrione (Div.2014) |
Children | Gia MitrioneJonah Mitrione
Jacob Mitrione |
Profession | MMA Fighter |
Net Worth | $3 million |
Salary | $225,000 |
Affiliations | Bellator MMA, UFC |
Active Since | 2009 |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, Facebook |
Merch | Autographed UFC Cards |
Last Update | May, 2022 |
Matt Mitrione Wiki-Bio | Early Life, Education, & Parents
Matthew Steven Mitrione professionally Matt Mitrione was born in Bloomington, Illinois, the United States, to parents Robert Mitrione and Cecelia Mitrione.

Sadly apart from their names, other information like their status and current whereabouts are not found in the media. Aside from his parents, Matt grew up with his brother Robert Mitrione.

From a very young age, Matt always dreamt of becoming a football player and later followed his dream and started his football career in his high school Springfield Southeast High School. Matt said,
“I started playing football when I was a kid; the game just seemed like a natural fit for me. “The physical ballet of football always attracted me.
From the beginning, I enjoyed every aspect of it and, of course, the contact.”
In High School, Maat excelled as a defensive tackle and also earned an honorable mention as USA Today All-American and All-State honors during his senior year for his incredible playing skills.
Initially, Matt also trained in martial arts as a child and competed in Toughman Competitions in high school. In fact, he even finished second in that Toughman contest.
Soon, his toughness and athleticism caught a lot of attention. Likewise, Matt even received a football scholarship from the Purdue University football program due to his outstanding football skills.
After enrolling at Purdue, Matt competed against elite college programs on some of the nation’s biggest stages.
Not to mention he started with 35 consecutive games for the Boilermakers at defensive tackle in his college football career. Matt said,
“I got to play in two Alamo Bowls with Purdue, one against Kansas State and Michael Bishop, and the other against Oklahoma State.
“I got to play at Michigan, at Wisconsin, at Iowa. Some of the biggest stadiums in the country. It was very cool, and those are some of the best memories I have of playing in college.”
Aside from sports, Matt was also good in academics and later graduated with a Journalism degree. Matt is American by nationality, while his ethnicity is mixed (Irish- Italian).
Matt Mitrione | Age and Height
Having been born on July 15, 1978, Matt is 42 years at the moment. Also, Matt’s star sign happens to be Cancer. And from what we know, the people of this sign are known for being passionate, energetic, and brave.

Now, talking about his physique, Matt stands at 6 feet 4 inches (1.95m) and weighs around 116 Kg (258 lbs). Likewise, he not only has a strong base for fighting but also has a muscular body.
Even at the age of 42, Matt is healthy and energetic. Aside from that, Matt’s other notable body facts are his short dark brown hair and shining pair of blue eyes.
Matt Mitrione | Football Career
Before Matt became the mixed martial artist that we know, he pursued his early career as a professional football player.
Matt played at Purdue University as a defensive tackle for the Boilermakers from 1998 through 2001. While with the Boilermakers, Matt tallied 165 tackles, including 50 stops for loss.
Sadly, Mitrione injured his foot in his senior season, which cost him the chance of getting drafted into the NFL. However, Matt wasn’t out of football very long. Soon, The New York Giants offered Matt a UDFA contract in the 2002 season.
Unfortunately, he re-injured his foot in a 2003 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which precipitated another surgery.
He had to undergo seven surgeries on that particular foot and remained in crutches for 16 months.
Later in 2004, Maat was released by the Giants and then had brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings before being released by the Vikings six weeks into the 2005 season.
Matt Mitrione | Mixed martial arts career
Matt Mitrione was introduced into the mixed martial arts world by his close friend Jayson Werth during their conversation.
After getting introduced, he got highly influenced and relocated with his family to Indianapolis to begin his full-time training to compete in MMA.
“Jayson invited me to fight on an MMA card he was promoting, and I thought yeah, that’d be fun,” he said. “I got injured and couldn’t fight, but I got into the sport. I started training, and about six months later, I was on a little show called The Ultimate Fighter.”
Additionally, Matt competed in the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter competition show in 2010. Right after getting on the show, he even got the unofficial nickname “Meathead” from his coach Rashad Evans.
Then finally, he made his professional MMA debut at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights finale and defeated Marcus Jones via KO early in the second round.
Likewise, in his next fight, he then faced fighter Kimbo Slice at UFC 113 in Montreal. Matt chopped Kimbo down with leg kicks and eventually defeated him through punches in the second round, making his professional record 2–0.
Following his win, on September 25, 2010, Matt faced Joey Beltran at UFC 119 and won the match with the Fight of the Night award. Likewise, Matt started having an immensely successful MMA career as he kept winning the fights.
Moreover, after that, Matt competed and faced several UFC fights and beat many legendary fighters such as Shawn Jordan, Stefan Struve, Brendan Schaub, Derrick Lewis, Roy Nelson, Ben Rothwell, Gabriel Gonzaga, and many more.
On January 17, 2016, Matt faced Travis Browne and lost the fight via TKO in the third round, suffering a gruesome eye injury two eye pokes from Browne throughout the fight.
It was the last fight on Matt’s contract, and later, he opted for the free agency market.
What happened to Matt Mitrione’s eye? | Matt Mitrione’s Eye Injury
Matt Mitrione faced a horrific eye injury in his loss to Travis Browne in the heavyweight division, which became controversial after his picture of swollen eyes got viral on social sites.
Moreover, the swelling was so bad that Mitrione was unable to see out of his right eye. Similarly, he was even left near-defenseless when Travis took him down to the canvas despite being cleared to fight on by the doctor.
Later, Matt made a Twitter post with the swollen eye, revealing that his orbital bone had been broken and the eye poke had caused it.
Fortunately, Mitrione had a speedy recovery with the same good vision just a few days after and returned to action in Octagon again.
Matt Mitrione | Was Matt Mitrione in Bellator MMA ?
Mitrione officially signed with Bellator MMA on March 14, 2016, and made his promotional debut against Carl Seumanutafa. Eventually, in his first debut, Matt won the fight via knockout in the first round.