Tim Welch

Born in Great Falls, Montana, Tim Welch is widely regarded as one of the brightest young coaching minds in mixed martial arts today.

At 19, he drove to Portland, Oregon to train at Team Quest alongside Chael Sonnen, Yushin Okami, and Matt Lindland — betting everything on his passion for the sport. From Portland he made his way to Glendale, Arizona, training at The MMA Lab under then-UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson, and never looked back.

He competed professionally from 2009 to 2017, compiling 14 victories with a 100% finish rate — every win by KO or submission. He appeared on Bellator's Fight Master and The Ultimate Fighter. In 2018, he earned his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under world champion Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes.

A year later, he opened a 900-square-foot gym in a mechanics' garage in Peoria, Arizona. Today, Red Hawk Academy is a 12,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility — home to over 1,000 athletes coached, a 5.0 Google rating, and one of the most respected fighter development programs in the country.

At UFC 292 on August 19, 2023, Sean O'Malley — a kid Tim first spotted competing in a kickboxing match in Montana — defeated Aljamain Sterling by TKO to become UFC Bantamweight Champion. Tim was 33 years old, making him the youngest coach in history to lead a fighter to a UFC world title. The knockout came from a counter right hand they had drilled in camp for weeks.

O'Malley isn't the only one. Tommy McMillen — another Great Falls, Montana native — earned a UFC contract in 2025 and made his debut in April 2026 with a first-round TKO win. Drakkar Klose, an active UFC Lightweight, trains and coaches at Red Hawk. Ezra Elliott, one of the country's top prospects, is currently 8-0 with seven finishes. And Forrest Molinari, former USA Wrestling star, is next in line. The pipeline is real — and it's just getting started.

Widely regarded as one of the best MMA coaches in the world, Tim has built something rare: a program where young, hungry talent comes to become great. Sugar Sean, Tommy, Ezra, and Forrest Molinari are proof that the next generation of champions is being built right here at Red Hawk Academy.

Chael Sonnen, who trained alongside Welch at Team Quest, put it plainly: "Tim is one of the great minds in the sport — he would come in as the student but leave as the teacher."

Tim Welch is a proud partner of The MMA Network — and the kind of coach who changes the trajectory of athletes' lives.

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Website: www.redhawkacademyaz.com

Instagram: @timwelchmt @redhawkacademyaz @redhawksjavahouse @redhawkrecap

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