Heath Sims

Heath Sims wrestled Greco-Roman at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finishing 12th in the welterweight class. He was on the US National Team for 12 years and won seven national titles, a silver medal at the 1991 World Youth Championships, and a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships.

Sims wrestled at Sydney by overcoming a severe injury he sustained in 1999. While training at the US Olympic Training Center he flew his snowboard off a mountainside and had to be transported off the mountain by helicopter. His kidney and spleen were lacerated and badly damaged. After staying out of training and competition for several months he went against doctor’s orders and returned to the mats.

After the Olympics Sims joined Mixed Martial Arts and competed as an MMA fighter, making his début at Xtreme Pankration 2 in April 2002 and fighting through February 2006, compiling a record of 5 wins, 4 losses, and 2 draws.

Sims then became a martial arts coach and trainer. In 2006 he joined Team Quest MMA Fitness with his training partner and fellow Olympian Dan Henderson. In 2012 he moved to Singapore as the head MMA and wrestling coach at Evolve MMA. In 2022 he returned to the states, to serve as a wrestling coach at Clark Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy in San Diego, where his classes focused on using specific and effective wrestling techniques as an advantage in Jiu Jitsu and NoGi grappling.