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David Bielkheden

Swedish fighter who found jiu-jitsu in Stockholm, trained with Brazilian Top Team in Rio, got his black belt from Murilo Bustamante and fought in the UFC.

Biography

David Bielkheden, born in Stockholm in 1979, is a Swedish fighter whose road into mixed martial arts ran through a Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy in his home city. That road later took him to Rio de Janeiro and Brazilian Top Team, and on to Pride and the UFC. He started out in kickboxing at 13, under his first coach, Jen Hulten. At 19 he had his first taste of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, at Hilti BJJ Academy in Stockholm, and before long he was placing at grappling events around Europe. Swedish Wikipedia dates his start to 1998 and names Richard Andersson as the coach he trained under. Andersson, the head coach at Hilti, was also the one who suggested that Bielkheden try mixed martial arts. His first MMA bout, in November 2001, ended in defeat. After that loss he traveled to Rio de Janeiro to train with Brazilian Top Team. Over the next years he went back to Rio again and again, and often came home to Sweden with a new belt color. In 2006 he was promoted to black belt by Murilo Bustamante, the former UFC middleweight champion. A 2008 Sherdog profile adds that in the same year he became the first member of Brazilian Top Team who was not Brazilian. Swedish Wikipedia names both Andersson and Bustamante as his teachers, and the English edition of Wikipedia lists him as a third-degree black belt. The Swedish edition also credits him with national submission wrestling titles in 2010 and 2012, and with earlier grappling wins that include the 2004 ADCC Dutch Open and the purple-belt division of the 2003 Pan American. At Pride Bushido 13 he lost a decision to Mitsuhiro Ishida, and his career then stalled: after Pride was sold to Zuffa, he went more than a year without a fight. When Zuffa released Pride's remaining fighters, he went back to FinnFight, the promotion where he had made his debut. There he outpointed Lubomir Roumenov, vice president of ADCC Europe, and about four weeks later stopped the Croatian kickboxer Nikola Matic inside the first round. The UFC then offered him a fight with Diego Sanchez. Before that debut he told Sherdog that winning the UFC title was a dream of his, but that for the moment he would take one bout at a time. Sanchez beat him at UFC 82 on March 1, 2008. At UFC 89 in Birmingham that October he won a unanimous decision over Jess Liaudin; according to Swedish Wikipedia, that made him the second Swede to win a UFC fight, after Per Eklund, who won on the same card. At UFC 97 in Montreal in April 2009, Mark Bocek submitted him with a rear-naked choke, and Wikipedia states that the UFC released him after that loss. Titles came on the regional circuit, both before and after the UFC years. In March 2005 he won the Shooto Sweden welterweight title by armbar against Patrick Vallee. In June 2016 he won the Scandinavian Fight Nights welterweight title, and in April 2017 he became Superior Challenge welterweight champion with a unanimous decision over Morten Djursaa. He defended that title in December 2017 and again in December 2018. His last recorded bout was a non-title loss to Patrik Pietilä in May 2019. Swedish Wikipedia reports that he announced his retirement from MMA on social media on April 2, 2021, shortly before he was due to defend his Superior Challenge title in Stockholm.

Sources for this profile

  • Sherdog feature profile of David Bielkheden, by Tim Leidecker, 21 February 2008.(opens in a new tab)

    • Bielkheden began kickboxing at age 13 under his first coach, Jen Hulten.

      Where in the source: Second paragraph of the feature, on the start of his kickboxing

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    • At 19 Bielkheden had his first contact with Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Hilti BJJ Academy in Stockholm, and he was soon placing in grappling tournaments around Europe.

      Where in the source: Third paragraph - "Hilti BJJ Academy"

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    • Richard Andersson, head coach at Hilti BJJ Academy, suggested that Bielkheden try mixed martial arts. Bielkheden lost his MMA debut in November 2001.

      Where in the source: Fourth paragraph - "Richard Andersson"

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    • After the debut loss, Bielkheden went to Rio de Janeiro to train with Brazilian Top Team, and in the following years he visited Rio regularly, often coming home to Sweden with a new belt colour.

      Where in the source: Fourth and fifth paragraphs - "Brazilian Top Team"

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    • In 2006 Bielkheden received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Murilo Bustamante, the former UFC middleweight champion, and became the first non-Brazilian member of Brazilian Top Team.

      Where in the source: Fifth paragraph - "first non-Brazilian member"

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    • Bielkheden lost a decision to Mitsuhiro Ishida at Pride Bushido 13; his career then stalled, and he was kept out of fighting for more than a year after Pride was sold to Zuffa.

      Where in the source: Sixth paragraph - "Pride Bushido 13"

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    • After Zuffa released Pride's remaining fighters, Bielkheden returned to FinnFight, where he had made his MMA debut, beat ADCC Europe vice president Lubomir Roumenov by decision and, about four weeks later, knocked out Croatian kickboxer Nikola Matic in the first round. The UFC then offered him a bout with Diego Sanchez.

      Where in the source: Paragraph beginning "At FinnFight 9"

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    • Ahead of his UFC debut Bielkheden said that becoming UFC champion was a dream of his, but that for now he would take it one fight at a time.

      Where in the source: Quotation near the end of the feature - "fight by fight"

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  • Wikipedia, English edition, article on David Bielkheden (page last edited 18 October 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • David Bielkheden was born on 6 June 1979 in Stockholm, Sweden.

      Where in the source: Infobox - "June 6, 1979"

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    • Wikipedia lists Bielkheden as a Swedish national and a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Infobox rank row - "Third degree"

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    • The same infobox gives his rank as third degree.

      Where in the source: Infobox rank row - "Third degree"

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    • In the UFC, Bielkheden lost to Diego Sanchez at UFC 82 (1 March 2008), beat Jess Liaudin by unanimous decision at UFC 89 in Birmingham (18 October 2008) and lost to Mark Bocek by rear-naked choke at UFC 97 in Montreal (18 April 2009); the article says he was released after the Bocek loss.

      Where in the source: Fight table - rows for the three UFC bouts in 2008 and 2009

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    • Bielkheden won the Shooto Sweden welterweight title on 12 March 2005 with an armbar against Patrick Vallee.

      Where in the source: Fight table - event row "Second Impact" and its notes column

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    • Bielkheden won the Scandinavian Fight Nights welterweight title in June 2016, then won the Superior Challenge welterweight title by unanimous decision against Morten Djursaa on 1 April 2017 and defended it in December 2017 and December 2018.

      Where in the source: Fight table - rows for Scandinavian Fight Nights 1 and Superior Challenge 15, 16 and 18

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  • UFC.com athlete page for David Bielkheden, read 21 October 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • UFC.com gives Stockholm, Sweden as Bielkheden's place of birth and 1 March 2008 as the date of his Octagon debut.

      Where in the source: Bio panel - "PLACE OF BIRTH STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN"; "OCTAGON DEBUT MAR. 1, 2008"

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  • Wikipedia, Swedish edition, article on David Bielkheden (page last edited 4 October 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Swedish Wikipedia says Bielkheden took up BJJ in 1998 under Richard Andersson, received his black belt in 2006, and lists his teachers as Andersson and Bustamante; it also says he was the second Swede to win a fight in the UFC, after Per Eklund, who won on the same card.

      Where in the source: Biografi section and infobox row "Grader" - "Under R Andersson och M Bustamente"

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    • Swedish Wikipedia says Bielkheden announced his retirement from MMA on social media on 2 April 2021, shortly before a planned Superior Challenge title defence in Stockholm, and that his final recorded bout was a May 2019 non-title loss to Patrik Pietilä.

      Where in the source: Biografi section, paragraph on Superior Challenge 19 - "pensionering"

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    • Swedish Wikipedia credits Bielkheden with winning the Swedish national submission wrestling championship in 2010 and 2012, and lists earlier grappling wins including the 2004 ADCC Dutch Open and the purple-belt class at the 2003 Pan American.

      Where in the source: Mästerskap och utmärkelser - Submission wrestling list

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Lineage

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