Justin Willis (martial artist)
| Justin Willis | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 9, 1987 East Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Other names | Big Pretty |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 82 in (208 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | San Jose, California, United States |
| Team | American Kickboxing Academy |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 8 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Justin Willis (born July 9, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the World Series of Fighting and Strikeforce. As of 26 July 2018, he is the #15 ranked contender in the official UFC heavyweight rankings.[1]
Background
Born and raised in California, Willis played football through high school and the collegiate level as a lineman at San Jose State University, graduating with a degree in sociology. At the collegiate level, Willis was All-Conference.[2]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Willis made his amateur debut in 2009, a second-round loss, before competing again as an amateur bout on the Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons 2 against Steve Dickey. Willis won via unanimous decision . After going professional in 2012, Willis amassed a record of 4-1 before being signed by the UFC.[3]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Willis made his promotional debut on July 16, 2017 against British fighter James Mulheron at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio. He won via unanimous decision.[4]
Willis then faced Allen Crowder at UFC 218 on December 2, 2017.[5] Willis won via knockout.[6]
Wills faced Chase Sherman on April 21, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128.[7] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[8]
Wills is scheduled to face Mark Hunt on December 2, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142.[9]
Mixed martial arts record
| 8 matches | 7 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 7–1 | Chase Sherman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee | April 21, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Allen Crowder | KO (punches) | UFC 218 | December 2, 2017 | 1 | 2:33 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | James Mulheron | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio | July 16, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Win | 4–1 | Julian Coutinho | TKO (punches) | WSOF 31 | June 17, 2016 | 2 | 0:30 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Rizvan Kuniev | Decision (unanimous) | Inoki Genome Fight 4 | August 29, 2015 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Openweight bout. |
| Win | 2–1 | Yusuke Kawaguchi | TKO (punches) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 | December 31, 2014 | 1 | 0:43 | Tokyo, Japan | Openweight bout. |
| Win | 1–1 | James Kirby | TKO (punches) | Global Knockout: The Return | June 14, 2014 | 1 | N/A | Jackson, California, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Henry Solis | TKO (elbows) | ROF 43: Bad Blood | June 2, 2012 | 2 | 4:32 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Heavyweight debut. |
See also
References
- ^ "Fighter Rankings | UFC ®". UFC. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^ "Justin Willis - Official UFC® Profile". www.ufc.com.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Justin". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Justin Willis outworks fellow newcomer James Mulheron". MMAjunkie. 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ "Contender Series' Allen Crowder to Debut vs Justin Willis at UFC 218 - MMA Today". MMA Today. 2017-09-28. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ "UFC 218 results: Justin Willis levels Allen Crowder for first-round knockout". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2018-03-15). "Chase Sherman vs. Justin Willis booked for UFC Fight Night 128 in Atlantic City". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 128 results: Justin Willis outlasts Chase Sherman in sometime-slugfest". MMAjunkie. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ^ "Report | Mark Hunt to take on Justin Willis at UFC Adelaide in last fight on UFC deal | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Justin". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
