Jamie Varner
| Jamie Varner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | James Christopher Varner October 12, 1984 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Other names | C-4 |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | 155 170 |
| Reach | 72.0 in (183 cm) |
| Style | Wrestling, Boxing |
| Fighting out of | Whippany, New Jersey |
| Team | AMA Fight Club |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 11 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 2 |
| Other information | |
| University | Lock Haven University |
| Notable school(s) | Deer Valley High School |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
|
|
|
James Christopher Varner (born October 12, 1984) is a mixed martial artist who fought for World Extreme Cagefighting. He is a former WEC Lightweight champion.
Contents |
[edit] Mixed martial arts career
[edit] Ultimate Fighting Championship
Varner competed twice in the UFC. His first appearance was against lightweight veteran Hermes Franca, which Varner lost via submission (armbar). His final appearance was against Jason Gilliam, which he won via submission (rear naked choke). After this win, Varner transferred to the WEC.
[edit] World Extreme Cagefighting
Varner successfully defended his WEC Lightweight Championship belt against the previously undefeated Marcus Hicks on August 3, 2008.[1]
He retained his title on January 25, 2009 against Donald Cerrone at WEC 38.[2] The fight was highly competitive and won the Fight of the Night award. However, the fight was stopped prematurely in the fifth round when Cerrone hit Varner's temple with an illegal knee while Varner was still on the ground. Varner was given time to recover, but he was unable to continue, noting that he had double vision and had sustained a broken hand.
The controversial nature of the stoppage and many fans' disapproval of the result tarnished Varner's reputation as a tough fighter. The months following led to potential rematch opportunities which never occurred, amidst speculation that Varner was avoiding the fight and exaggerating an array of injuries that preceded the Cerrone match. This, as well as Varner's subsequent inability to perform since the Cerrone fight (despite Cerrone's ability to do the contrary), led the WEC to set up an interim title bout between Cerrone and Henderson. Henderson defeated Cerrone via unanimous decision to win the WEC Interim Lightweight Championship.
Jamie Varner was defeated by fighter Ben Henderson with a guillotine choke on January 10, 2010 at WEC 46 to unify the WEC Lightweight Championship.[3]
Varner was expected to face Kamal Shalorus on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48,[4] but the bout was called off due to an injury sustained by Shalorus. Varner/Shalorus was then rescheduled for June 20, 2010 at WEC 49.[5] The match ended in a split draw.
Varner faced Donald Cerrone in their highly anticipated rematch on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51.[6] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Varner faced Shane Roller on December 16, 2010 at WEC 53.[7] He lost via submission in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.[8]
[edit] Post Zuffa
In his first post-Zuffa fight, Varner fought Tyler Combs for XFO and won via submission in the first round. He was also in negotiations for a possible fight against Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki at the end of May 2011,[9] but the bout did not materialize.
Varner headlined Titan Fighting Championships 20 against late replacement Dakota Cochrane on September 23, losing by unanimous decision.[10]
Varner has signed a three fight contract with XFC. He debuted on the XFC 14 show, defeating Nate Jolly via KO in round one. He returned on the XFC 16 High Stakes card which took place on February 10, 2012 from the Knoxville Civic Auditorium-Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee.[11] He defeated Drew Fickett via strikes at just 40 seconds into round one.
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 28 matches | 19 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 11 | 3 |
| By decision | 2 | 3 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 2 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19-6-1 (2) | Drew Fickett | Submission (punches) | XFC 16 High Stakes | February 10, 2012 | 1 | 0:40 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | 160 lb catchweight |
| Win | 18-6-1 (2) | Nate Jolly | KO (punches) | XFC 14 Resurrection | October 21, 2011 | 1 | 1:09 | Orlando, Florida, United States | 160 lb catchweight |
| Loss | 17-6-1 (2) | Dakota Cochrane | Decision (unanimous) | Titan Fighting Championships 20 | September 23, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | 165 lb catchweight |
| Win | 17-5-1 (2) | Tyler Combs | Technical Submission (north-south choke) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 39 | May 13, 2011 | 1 | 1:30 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | Welterweight bout |
| Loss | 16-5-1 (2) | Shane Roller | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WEC 53 | December 16, 2010 | 1 | 3:55 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 16-4-1 (2) | Donald Cerrone | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 51 | September 30, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Fight of the Night |
| Draw | 16-3-1 (2) | Kamal Shalorus | Draw (split) | WEC 49 | June 20, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Shalorus had one point deducted in round 2 for illegal kicks to the groin. |
| Loss | 16-3 (2) | Ben Henderson | Submission (guillotine choke) | WEC 46 | January 10, 2010 | 3 | 2:41 | Sacramento, California, United States | Lost WEC Lightweight Title |
| Win | 16-2 (2) | Donald Cerrone | Technical Decision (split) | WEC 38 | January 25, 2009 | 5 | 3:10 | San Diego, California, United States | Defended WEC Lightweight title. Illegal knee by Cerrone stopped the fight & went to the judges; Fight of the night. |
| Win | 15-2 (2) | Marcus Hicks | TKO (punches) | WEC 35 | August 3, 2008 | 1 | 2:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended WEC Lightweight title |
| Win | 14-2 (2) | Rob McCullough | TKO (punches) | WEC 32 | February 13, 2008 | 3 | 2:54 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Won WEC Lightweight title |
| Win | 13-2 (2) | Sherron Leggett | TKO (punches and elbows) | WEC 29 | August 5, 2007 | 1 | 4:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12-2 (2) | Jason Gilliam | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 68 | March 3, 2007 | 1 | 1:34 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | |
| Loss | 11-2 (2) | Hermes França | Submission (armbar) | UFC 62 | August 26, 2006 | 3 | 3:31 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11-1 (2) | Leonard Wilson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | RITC 78: Back with a Vengeance | January 14, 2006 | 2 | 1:07 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| NC | 10-1 (2) | Tony Llamas | No Contest | KOTC: Arizona | July 9, 2005 | N/A | N/A | Globe, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 10-1 (1) | Paul Arroyo | Submission (strikes) | Rage in the Cage 71 | June 30, 2005 | 1 | 2:03 | Tempe, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 9-1 (1) | Adam Roland | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 70 | June 11, 2005 | 1 | 2:46 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 8-1 (1) | Jesse Bongfeldt | TKO (punches) | WFF 7: Professional Shooto | July 23, 2004 | 1 | 4:12 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Win | 7-1 (1) | Kyle Bradley | Submission (rear naked choke) | Fight Factory | June 26, 2004 | 2 | 2:34 | N/A | |
| Win | 6-1 (1) | Kyle Sprouse | Submission (choke) | RITC 63: It's Time | June 12, 2004 | 1 | 1:47 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 5-1 (1) | Garett Davis | Submission (triangle choke) | World Freestyle Fighting 6 | May 14, 2004 | 1 | 3:52 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| NC | 4-1 (1) | James Upshur | No Contest | RITC 61: Relentless | April 30, 2004 | 2 | N/A | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 4-1 | Jarvis Brennaman | Submission (triangle choke) | ECS: Evolution | July 19, 2003 | 1 | 1:22 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 3-1 | Dave Klein | Submission (choke) | RITC 50: The Prelude | July 12, 2003 | 3 | 1:56 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 2-1 | Justin Nauling | Submission (armbar) | RITC 49: Stare Down | June 7, 2003 | 2 | 0:38 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 1-1 | Jesse Moreng | Decision (unanimous) | RITC 47: Unstoppable | June 7, 2003 | 3 | 3:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 1-0 | Carlos Ortega | Decision (unanimous) | RITC 46: Launching Pad | March 27, 2003 | 3 | 3:00 | Tempe, Arizona, United States |
[edit] Personal life
He is an alumnus of Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona, where he also was a part of the Deer Valley Skyhawk Wrestling Team. He attended Lock Haven University where he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity (he is not listed in the PI registry, if he joined it was after college) and spent his time at that school training both as a wrestler and a boxer, where he was NCBA (National Collegiate Boxing Association) Champion for the nationally recognized Lock Haven University boxing team. Also attended PCC(Pima Community College) outside of Maricopa county in Arizona.
Varner was instrumental in the legalization and forthcoming athletic sanctioning of mixed martial arts in the state of Arizona after giving testimony to the sport's legitimacy and ongoing development as an athletic profession.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Henderson Conquers Varner for Title". www.wec.tv. http://www.wec.tv/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=39635. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ "Jamie Varner vs. Kamal Shalorus likely for WEC 48 PPV main card". mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/18046/jamie-varner-vs-kamal-shalorus-likely-for-wec-48-ppv-main-card.mma. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
- ^ "WEC 49: 'Varner vs Shalorus' official for June 20 in Edmonton to set up a number one contender spot and rematch with Henderson.". mmamania.com. 2010-04-15. http://www.mmamania.com/2010/4/15/1424149/wec-49-varner-vs-shalorus-official.
- ^ "VARNER VS. CERRONE 2 SIGNED FOR WEC 51". mmaweekly.com. 2010-07-20. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=12103&zoneid=13.
- ^ "Jamie Varner To Face Shane Roller at WEC 53". mmaweekly.com. October 22, 2010. http://mmaweekly.com/jamie-varner-to-face-shane-roller-at-wec-53.
- ^ "Former WEC Champion Jamie Varner Released From WEC/UFC Following Loss". mmaweekly.com. December 28, 2010. http://mmaweekly.com/former-wec-champion-jamie-varner-released-from-wecufc-following-loss.
- ^ "Shinya Aoki Will Fight at Dream 17; McKee and Varner Possible Opponents (UPDATED)". mmaweekly.com. May 6, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/shinya-aoki-will-fight-at-dream-17-mckee-and-varner-possible-opponents.
- ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/24932/jamie-varner-vs-alonzo-martinez-headlines-hdnets-titan-fighting-20-on-sept-23.mma
- ^ http://www.mmainterplay.com/xfc-news/jamie-varner-signs-new-deal-with-the-xtreme-fighting-championships-56240/
- ^ [3]
[edit] External links
- http://www.mmajacked.com/jamievarner MMAJacked Prosite
- Professional MMA record for Jamie Varner from Sherdog
- http://www.jamievarner.com Official Site
- http://www.mtxaudio.com/mma/view_bio.aspx?u=17 Bio at MTX MMA Website
| Preceded by Rob McCullough |
5th WEC Lightweight Champion February 13, 2008 - January 10, 2010 |
Succeeded by Ben Henderson |
