Steven Mann Record: 14-6-0

The Bellator run

Mann’s move to the national stage proved a stern test. In June 2015 he faced Justin Guthrie at Bellator 138, where the experienced Guthrie caught him in a second-round D’Arce choke. It was the start of a difficult stretch: he dropped a first-round knockout to Jason Louck that August, then was submitted by Kyle Kurtz via triangle choke at Bellator 145 in November 2015. The losses came against quality opposition, but they underlined that the jump in competition exposed gaps in his defensive grappling.

Bouncing back and the Veach test

Mann answered with a strong run in 2016, opening the year with a first-round armbar of Kevin Brown Jr. and following it with a knee stoppage of Mike Estus at Bellator 157. That momentum set up a December 2016 showdown with Matt Veach at Shamrock FC 279, a fight against a 16-5 veteran that went the deepest of any on his marquee resume. Veach eventually secured an armbar in the third round, handing Mann a hard-fought loss. He rebounded with three more finishes before closing out his recorded run with a 2018 submission loss to Matt Delanoit at Shamrock FC 305.

Fighting style

Mann is a finisher to his core – every one of his 14 wins has come inside the distance, an exceptional 100% finish rate, with nine submissions and five knockouts and not a single decision victory on his ledger. The submission-heavy breakdown reflects a fighter who hunts for the finish on the mat, chaining chokes and armlocks once he establishes position. The honest flip side is that his six losses tell their own story: four came by submission, a sign that the same grappling-first approach that makes him dangerous can leave him vulnerable to the elite scramblers and submission artists he met at the Bellator level.

Career highlights

• Perfect finish rate — all 14 of Mann’s career wins came by stoppage, split between nine submissions and five knockouts, with zero decision victories.
• Bellator 157 stoppage — his knee finish of Mike Estus on the Bellator stage in 2016 was a signature moment of his national-level run.
• Five-fight opening streak — Mann launched his professional career with five straight wins on the Extreme Challenge circuit, immediately marking him as a Midwest finisher to watch.