Zak Cummings

Zak Cummings is a wrestling-rooted grappler who spent 16 years building a 25-7 record as a journeyman competitor across Strikeforce, independent promotions, and the UFC. Born and raised in Missouri, Cummings combined his college wrestling background with Brazilian jiu-jitsu to become a submission specialist, accumulating 12 submission wins (mostly rear-naked chokes, guillotines, and D'Arce chokes) and five knockout victories. He made his UFC debut in August 2013 with a first-round D'Arce choke submission over Ben Alloway that earned him Submission of the Night honors, announcing his arrival in the octagon.

Over his UFC tenure, Cummings proved to be a reliable grinder who competed frequently and fearlessly against ranked opponents. He earned wins over Nicolas Dalby, Alessio Di Chirico, Trevin Giles, and Trevor Smith, while also facing elite fighters like Tim Kennedy and Gunnar Nelson. Though he never captured a UFC title, he demonstrated technical excellence and consistency, finishing 12 of his wins by submission and establishing himself as one of the UFC's most reliable submission artists. His fighting style emphasized positional control, body work, and a high submission average of 0.62 per 15 minutes.

A serious back injury in 2020 requiring surgery for a herniated disc temporarily sidelined Cummings, but he returned to action in August 2020 and won three of his final four UFC bouts. In April 2023, Cummings faced fellow veteran Ed Herman in a planned mutual retirement fight at UFC on ESPN 44, securing a convincing third-round TKO victory. Both fighters received their moment on the microphone to announce their retirement, giving Cummings a clean send-off after a career defined by craftsmanship, durability, and respect for the grappling arts.