5 Things You Might Not Know about Mark O. Madsen

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Mark O. Madsen may be a late bloomer in mixed martial arts, but he has nevertheless emerged as a person of interest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.

The undefeated 36-year-old will carry a perfect 10-0 record into his three-round UFC on ESPN 29 co-main event with former Strikeforce champion Clay Guida on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Madsen linked arms with the UFC in 2019 and immediately began climbing the ladder at 155 pounds. However, he has not competed since he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Austin Hubbard—Madsen suffered a broken jaw in the process—at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020.

As Madsen approaches his battle with Guida, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. The Old Continent gave rise to his exploits.

Madsen was born on Sept. 23, 1984 in Nykobing Falster, Denmark—a city of roughly 17,000 people located 80 miles southwest of Copenhagen, the capital of the northern European country.

2. His nickname was earned on the field of battle.

“The Olympian” competed in Greco-Roman wrestling at three different Olympics. After failing to place at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, Madsen placed fifth in London in 2012. He then returned at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he lost to two-time Olympic champion Roman Vlasov in the 75-kilogram final and settled for a silver medal.

3. He did not follow the typical timeline.

Madsen made his mixed martial arts debut at the age of 29 in 2013. The Dane has been a dominant force ever since, as he has delivered all 10 of his victories by knockout, technical knockout, submission or unanimous decision. Only Hubbard, Thibaud Larchet, Matthew Bonner and Alexandre Bordin have managed to take him the distance.

4. He has been known to forego the feeling-out process.

The Fight Ready rep has shown a propensity for quick-strike offense, having already authored two-sub-minute finishes. He put away Philipp Henze with punches 44 seconds into their European MMA 6 pairing on Sept. 26, 2013 and choked Matthias Freyschuss unconscious with a guillotine 26 seconds into their encounter at an MMA Gala event on Jan. 13, 2018. Madsen also put those skills on display in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he dismissed Danilo Belluardo with punches just 72 seconds into their UFC Fight Night 160 confrontation on Sept. 28, 2019.

5. Trial and error led to his current address.

Madsen spent the first eight fights of his career competing as an undersized welterweight in his native Denmark. The 5-foot-8 Dane downshifted to 155 pounds when he joined the UFC roster in 2018.