James McSweeney

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James McSweeney (born 24 October 1980) is a British former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He grew up in London, started kickboxing at six, and moved to Amsterdam at 18 to train full-time with Lucien Carbin. He became a champion in Britain, the Netherlands, Europe and the world in kickboxing before turning to mixed martial arts in 2006.

McSweeney starred on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights and later competed in the UFC. He beat Wes Shivers and Matt Mitrione on the show, then lost to Roy Nelson in the semifinals. He fought in the UFC against fighters like Travis Browne and Fabio Maldonado, and also fought in other organizations such as BAMMA and Cage Rage.

In 2014 he joined ONE Championship, winning two fights by KO, then losing to Roger Gracie. He later competed in KSW and other promotions, including a loss to Thiago Silva in 2018 and a loss to Hatef Moeil in 2019.

McSweeney retired from MMA in 2021 to focus on kickboxing and joined Glory. He fought around the world, and in 2022 won the Mix Fight Heavyweight Championship in Germany. A planned Glory 88 main event against Badr Hari in 2023 was canceled when Hari withdrew. He retired from kickboxing in 2024.

Off the mat, McSweeney is married with one daughter and lives in Rockwall, Texas. He used to work as a security guard, and in 2012 he stopped a knife-wielding robber in Las Vegas.