# Cathal Pendred

Cathal Pendred is an Irish actor and former mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the Cage Warriors Welterweight World Champion.

## Background

Pendred was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents, when he was four years old he moved to Dublin, Ireland with his parents where he was raised alongside a younger brother and two younger sisters. Pendred competed in rugby growing up and was talented, winning the Leinster Schools Senior Cup.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Pendred started his professional career in 2009. He became the number one ranked welterweight in Ireland in 2010 after winning the national title. In March 2013 he became the Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion after beating the title holder Gael Grimaud in London, England.

### The Ultimate Fighter

Pendred was selected as a cast member of the nineteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter on 25 March 2014. He was then chosen as the third pick for the middleweights on coach B.J. Penn's team.
In the quarter-final rounds, Pendred fought Team Edgar middleweight Urbina. Pendred defeated Urbina by decision after three rounds. Pendred fought Eddie Gordon in the semi-finals. He lost the bout by a split decision.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pendred faced Team Penn teammate Mike King at middleweight on 19 July 2014 at UFC Fight Night 46. He was victorious via second-round submission. The win earned him 'Fight of the Night' honours along with Mike King. However, King would also later go on to fail the drug test which resulted in his half of the bonus going to Pendred.
Pendred dropped to the welterweight division where he fought Gasan Umalatov on 4 October 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story. He defeated Umalatov by a split decision.
Pendred next faced Sean Spencer on 18 January 2015 at UFC Fight Night 59. Pendred won the fight by a controversial unanimous decision. Both Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg had felt Spencer had dominated the fight and declared on air how baffling the decision was; later UFC president Dana White echoed this sentiment on air. Likewise, all 15 major MMA media outlets scored the fight in favour of Spencer.
Pendred faced Augusto Montaño on 13 June 2015 at UFC 188. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Montaño tested positive for testosterone metabolites in the post-fight drug test.
Pendred faced John Howard as a short-notice replacement on 11 July 2015 at UFC 189. He lost the fight via split decision.
Pendred next faced Tom Breese on 24 October 2015 at UFC Fight Night 76. Pendred lost the fight by TKO in the first round.
Pendred announced his retirement from MMA on 25 November 2015.

## Acting career

On 23 May 2017, it was announced that Pendred had been cast in a lead role in the Amazon produced TV series Lore, which is based on the popular podcast of the same name. Pendred plays Michael Cleary, a real-life character from Irish folklore in the horror anthology series. Michael is married to the younger Bridget (played by Holland Roden). When Bridget starts making more money than he does, and starts questioning his decisions, Michael is convinced that his loving wife has been replaced by a changeling. Lore premiered on 13 October 2017.

## Personal life

Pendred was educated in Belvedere College, Dublin and won a Leinster Senior Cup medal in 2005 alongside future Irish internationals Cian Healy and Ian Keatley.
Pendred attended Dublin City University where he studied forensics, he graduated with a BSc degree in Analytical Science in 2012.
In April 2014 Cathal was pictured carrying a baby dolphin into the ocean. The dolphin had become beached and was unable to return to deep enough water on its own. A picture was taken with the dolphin in Cathal's arms as he carried it into the sea, this picture went viral soon after the incident. Subsequently, the story was reported across the globe.
In March 2022, Pendred graduated with a master's degree in climate change from Dublin City University.
In June 2024, Pendred married Virgin Media Ireland presenter Síomha Ní Ruairc.

### Other endeavors

Cathal was the subject of a 2013 MTV UK mini-documentary entitled "Pendred".
In 2015 Pendred became the first UFC fighter to support an anti-domestic violence group. He spearheaded a campaign which promoted the positive influence men can play in stopping domestic abuse of women and children. The campaign involved the release of a powerful YouTube video in which Pendred spoke about the role men can play in preventing abuse.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Split | Enforcer | Also stunt player |
| 2016 | Jack Taylor: In Purgatory | Xavier | |
| 2017 | Cardboard Gangsters | Security Officer | |
| 2017 | My Name Is Lenny | Roofie | |
| 2017 | Release | Marcus | |
| 2018 | Black Water | Dax | |
| 2019 | The Corrupted | Gerry Dwyer | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Ripper Street | Phillip | Guest role; 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Pendred | Himself | 1 episode; (MTV UK production) |
| 2016 | Ray Donovan | Joxy Maguire | Episode: "The Texan" |
| 2017 | Into the Badlands | Rafferty | Guest role; 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Lore | Michael Cleary | Episode: "Black Stockings" |
| 2018 | Strike Back | Anton Krupin | Episode: #6.10 |
| 2018 | Magnum P.I. | Wade Steuben | Guest role; 2 episodes |

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Mike King
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2014: Ranked #10 Fight of the Year vs. Mike King
* Cage Warriors Fighting Championship
** CWFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
* Cage Contender
** Cage Contender Welterweight Championship (One time)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 22 matches | 17 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 2 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 10 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 17–4–1 | Tom Breese | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka | 24 October 2015 | 1 | 4:37 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Loss | 17–3–1 | John Howard | Decision (split) | UFC 189 | 11 July 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 17–2–1 | Augusto Montaño | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 188 | 13 June 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Win | 16–2–1 | Sean Spencer | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Siver | 18 January 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 15–2–1 | Gasan Umalatov | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story | 4 October 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Win | 14–2–1 | Mike King | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao | 19 July 2014 | 2 | 3:33 | Dublin, Ireland | Middleweight bout. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 13–2–1 | Che Mills | TKO (corner stoppage) | CWFC 55 | 1 June 2013 | 3 | 1:47 | Dublin, Ireland | Non-title bout; Mills missed weight (170.7 lbs). |
| Win | 12–2–1 | Gael Grimaud | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors: 52 | 9 March 2013 | 5 | 5:00 | London, England | Won the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–2–1 | Bruno Carvalho | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors: 49 | 27 October 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Cardiff, Wales | |
| Win | 10–2–1 | David Bielkheden | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors: 47 | 2 June 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Draw | 9–2–1 | Danny Mitchell | Draw | Cage Warriors: Fight Night 2 | 8 September 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Amman, Jordan | |
| Win | 9–2 | Nico Musoke | Decision (unanimous) | OT: On Top 2 | 18 June 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Glasgow, Scotland | OTP Welterweight Tournament Semi-final, Withdrew from final against Steven Ray and was replaced by Misoke |
| Win | 8–2 | Vladimir Malko | TKO (punches) | Cage Warriors: 42 | 28 May 2011 | 2 | 3:14 | Cork City, Ireland | |
| Win | 7–2 | Liam Shannon | TKO (punches) | Cage Contender 8 | 12 March 2011 | 3 | 2:03 | Dublin, Ireland | Defended the Cage Contender Welterweight Championship. |
| Loss | 6–2 | Lee Chadwick | TKO (punches) | OMMAC 8 | 4 December 2010 | 1 | 0:27 | Liverpool, England | Middleweight bout. |
| Win | 6–1 | Jamie Rogers | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors 39: The Uprising | 27 November 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Cork City, Ireland | |
| Win | 5–1 | Yuri Malko | TKO (punches) | TNP: Boiling Points | 28 August 2010 | 1 | 0:00 | Wexford, Ireland | |
| Win | 4–1 | Liam Shannon | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Contender 5 | 24 July 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Dublin, Ireland | Won the Cage Contender Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 3–1 | Jonny Shiels | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Contender 4 | 1 May 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 2–1 | Merv Mulholland | TKO (punches) | KO: The Fight Before Christmas 2 | 2 December 2009 | 2 | 4:02 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Ronan McKay | Submission (triangle armbar) | Immortal Fighting Championship 1 | 19 September 2009 | 3 | 0:00 | Strabane, Northern Ireland | |
| Win | 1–0 | Attila Horvarth | TKO (punches) | Strabane Fight Team: Fight Night 2 | 21 February 2009 | 1 | 0:38 | Strabane, Northern Ireland | Middleweight bout. |

## Mixed martial arts exhibition record

| Exhibition record breakdown | Exhibition record breakdown | |
| 2 matches | 1 win | 1 loss |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 1–1 | Eddie Gordon | Decision (split) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn | 18 June 2014 (airdate) | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 19 semi-final round. |
| Win | 1–0 | Hector Urbina | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn | 23 April 2014 (airdate) | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 19 preliminary round. |