Justin Willis (martial artist) – Wikipedia
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American mixed martial arts fighter
Justin Willis (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the World Series of Fighting and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background[edit]
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[edit]
Early career[edit]
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, he amassed a record of 4–1 before being signed by the UFC.[3]
Ultimate Fighting Championship[edit]
Willis made his promotional debut on July 16, 2017 against James Mulheron at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio. He won via unanimous decision.[4]
He then faced Allen Crowder at UFC 218 on December 2, 2017[5] and won via knockout in the first round.[6]
He faced Chase Sherman on April 21, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128[7] and won by unanimous decision.[8]
He faced Mark Hunt on December 2, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142[9] and won by unanimous decision.[10]
Willis faced Curtis Blaydes on March 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 148.[11] Blaydes continually took Willis down and controlled him and also scored a knockdown in the second round. Willis lost the fight via unanimous decision.[12] Willis spent a good amount of the pre-fight press time taunting Blaydes, who responded in kind in his post-fight interview, referring to Willis as “Big Titty”.[13]
On May 24, 2019, it was reported that Willis was released from UFC.[14][15]
Professional Fighters League[edit]
On February 11, 2020, news surfaced that Willis had signed with the PFL and was expected to compete in the PFL 2021 heavyweight season.[16]
Willis was expected to make his debut against Denis Goltsov at PFL 3 on May 6, 2021, but was removed from the fight prior to weigh-ins.[17]
Mixed martial arts record[edit]
| 10 matches | 8 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 8–2 | Curtis Blaydes | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis | March 23, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Mark Hunt | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa | December 2, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Adelaide, Australia | |
| 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 (punch) | 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 |
[18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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