Juan Antonio Banuelos (born September 23, 1979) is an American former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division.

Mixed martial arts career

Banuelos made his professional mixed martial arts debut in June 2001, knocking out Daniel Garlets at IFC Warriors Challenge 13. Following the impressive win, Banuelos would compile a record of 3–1 before signing with

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

in 2002.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Banuelos is perhaps best known for being a longtime competitor for

, making his debut at WEC 5: Halloween Havoc. He fought a record 14 times under the promotion, compiling a record of 9–5. His 9 WEC wins are also a promotional record, which he shares with

Urijah Faber Urijah Christopher Faber ( ; born May 14, 1979) is an American former mixed martial artist and actor. He competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the founder of Team Alpha Male ...

and Poppies Martinez. Banuelos was defeated by

Eddie Wineland Eddie Wineland (born June 26, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor from 2003 until 2022, Wineland ...

for the first ever WEC Bantamweight Championship at

WEC 20 ''WEC 20: Cinco de Mayhem'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on May 5, 2006 at Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. ''WEC 20s main event was a heavyweight bout between Brian Olsen and ...

. After the Wineland bout, Banuelos defeated

Cole Escovedo Coleman Ruben Escovedo (born August 30, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist from Fresno, California. He was the inaugural WEC Featherweight Champion. Mixed martial arts career Health issues Escovedo was forced into a well documente ...

Mike French Michael "Mike" G. French (born May 13, 1953) is a former three-time All-American lacrosse player at Cornell University from 1974 to 1976, teaming with fellow lacrosse Hall of Fame members Eamon McEneaney, Dan Mackesey, Bill Marino, Tom Marino, ...

and Justin Robbins while dropping contests against

Charlie Valencia Carlos Enrique "Charlie" Valencia (born October 31, 1974) is an American mixed martial artist. He has fought for the World Extreme Cagefighting, WEC and Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC in their Bantamweight divisions, and is the former List ...

and a controversial decision to

Manny Tapia Manuel Alcaraz Tapia (born March 14, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Bantamweight division. He has formerly competed for the WEC, King of the Cage, and Tachi Palace Fights. He is the forme ...

at WEC 32. Banuelos defeated

Scott Jorgensen Scott Roger Jorgensen (born September 17, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Jorgensen has formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, and ShoXC. Background ...

via

split decision A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split de ...

at WEC 41 in a fight that many, including WEC general manager Reed Harris has speculated is a candidate for fight of the year. Banuelos improved to 8–4 in the WEC after defeating Kenji Osawa via unanimous decision on November 18, 2009, at

WEC 44 WEC may stand for: Organizations * Westinghouse Electric Company, a multinational company supplying nuclear services, fuel, and power plants * Wisconsin Elections Commission, an agency that enforces election laws in Wisconsin * Wisconsin Energy ...

. Banuelos was scheduled to face

Damacio Page Damacio Page (born September 30, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division. Page competed for the WEC, the UFC, LFA, Pancrase, King of the Cage, and also fought at K-1 Premium Dyna ...

on April 24, 2010, at

WEC 48 ''UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber'', also referred to as ''WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. This was WEC's first an ...

, but Page was forced off the card with an injury. Banuelos instead faced Jorgensen in a rematch of their bout from WEC 41 which Banuelos won via split decision. Banuelos lost the rematch by unanimous decision. Banuelos faced Chad George on September 30, 2010, at

WEC 51 ''WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on September 30, 2010 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. This was the only event that the WEC hosted in Colorado. Backg ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 28, 2010,

merged with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Banuelos made his promotional debut against the former WEC

Champion Miguel Torres on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126. Banuelos struggled with the height and reach advantage of Torres and was unable to mount any significant offense until the latter half of the final round. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Legacy Fighting Championship

After going 2–1 outside of the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

, Banuelos signed with

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

based promotion Legacy FC. He faced Josh Sampo in his flyweight debut at Legacy FC 14 on September 14, 2012. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In his second fight within the promotion, Banuelos faced Rafael de Freitas at Legacy FC 18 on March 1, 2013. After three hard fought rounds, the bout was ruled a split draw. Banuelos faced Alptekin Ozkilic at Legacy FC 20 on May 31, 2013. He lost the fight via first round TKO, dropping his third straight fight in the process.

Championships and accomplishments

**WEC North American Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 20–11–1 , Joby Sanchez , TKO (corner stoppage) , Tachi Palace Fights 20 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, ,

Alp Ozkilic Alp Ozkilic, full name Alptekin Özkılıç (born March 27, 1986) is a Turkish-American mixed martial artist, who formerly competed as a Flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Özkılıç ...

, TKO (punches) , Legacy Fighting Championship 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi ( ; ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, Texas, Nueces County with portions extending into Aransas County, T ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 20–9–1 , Rafael De Freitas , Draw (split) , Legacy Fighting Championship 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–9 , Joshua Sampo , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy Fighting Championships 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–8 , Bibiano Fernandes , TKO (punches) , Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–7 ,

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, Pancrase, PRIDE F ...

, Decision (split) , Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7 ,

Hideo Tokoro Hideo Tokoro (born August 22, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who last competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, Tokoro has also formerly competed for Vale Tudo Japan, ZST, Shooto, Rings and K-1 He ...

, Decision (split) , Dream 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 , Miguel Torres , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 126 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , Chad George , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Kenji Osawa , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 ,

, Decision (split) , WEC 41 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Bryan Goldsby , KO (punch) , PFC 10: Explosive , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:59 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (split) , WEC 32: Condit vs. Prater , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho () is the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is the thi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Justin Robbins , Decision (unanimous) ,

WEC 29 ''WEC 29: Condit vs. Larson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting. The event took place on Sunday, August 5, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas), Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Las V ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

, KO (punch) , WEC 26: Condit vs. Alessio , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Mike French , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 25 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , WEC 23: Hot August Fights , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) , WEC 20: Cinco de Mayhem , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , James Cottrell , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 19: Undisputed , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Kimihito Nonaka , TKO (punches) , FFCF 5: Unleashed , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Mangilao Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has decreased slightly since the island's 2010 census. Cliffs lie along much of the village's shoreline provide dramatic views, including ...

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Justin Tavernini , Decision (unanimous) , Ultimate Cage Wars 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Ed Tomaselli , TKO (cut) , WEC 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Mike Lindquist , Submission (rear naked choke) , WEC 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Brandon Shuey , TKO (punches) , SF 6: Battleground in Reno , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Yobie Song , TKO (cut) , Rumble on the Rock 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:39 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Jim Kikuchi , Decision (unanimous) , Rumble on the Rock 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Jeff Bedard , Submission (guillotine choke) , WEC 5: Halloween Havoc , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Steve Hecht , Decision (unanimous) , UAGF 1: Ultimate Cage Fighting 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Stephen Palling , Submission (triangle choke) , Warriors Quest 2: Battle of Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Brian Peterson , KO , IFC Warriors Challenge 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:51 ,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Daniel Garlets , TKO (punches) , IFC Warriors Challenge 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Oroville, California Oroville (''Oro'', Spanish for "Gold" and ''Ville'', French for "town") is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, California, United States. Its population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 in the 2000 census. After the 20 ...

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banuelos, Antonio 1979 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Mixed martial artists from California Bantamweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kajukenbo Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Sportspeople from Tulare, California People from Arroyo Grande, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American kajukenbo practitioners American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Sportspeople from San Luis Obispo County, California