DaMarques Johnson (born June 28, 1982) is a retired American

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 ...

. He competed for 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 ...

and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock Jr. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstre ...

and was the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

runner-up on '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom''.

Background

Johnson was born and raised in

West Jordan, Utah West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 116,961, placing it as the third most populous in the state. The city occupies the sou ...

, he and his family were poor and lived in a rough part of the town. Johnson was primarily raised by his Mormon mother, as his father died when he was nine years old. Johnson attended and graduated from Kearns High School, where he competed in

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

and basketball and would often get into fights. In 2000, Johnson joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

, an option given to him as a kid to get out of some trouble. Johnson, who was a standout in

hand to hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...

, worked in the S-1 and did paperwork for other soldiers while assigned to a

Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

group. It was in 2001, while still enlisted, when a fellow soldier in his platoon introduced to Johnson to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He trained at Close Combat Institute (CCI) After returning to civilian life following his eight years of active duty, he met

Jeremy Horn Jeremy Graham Horn (born August 25, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. Horn is best known for fighting in smaller American promotions, he has also competed in some of the premiere mixed martial arts organizations around the world, inclu ...

and began training in mixed martial arts at his gym. Before taping for the ''Ultimate Fighter'', DaMarques taught children's Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes at Sandy's Elite Performance gym.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Johnson, who in the earlier portions of his career fought as high in the weight classes as

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

had his first fight in 2005, losing by technical knockout. He was submitted by the highly regarded

Brock Larson Brock Orville Larson (born August 23, 1977) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. A professional competitor from 2002 until 2016, Larson has formerly competed for the U ...

in his second fight. In his third professional fight, Johnson had his first win at a

event, winning the fight by submission due to punches.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Johnson appeared on '' The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom''. He defeated Ray Elbe by technical knockout in an elimination match earning him a spot on the ''United States'' team. Johnson won his second fight against

Dean Amasinger ''The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom'' is the ninth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It began production in January 2009, and began airing on ...

by submission using a triangle choke, which is noted by his coaches and teammates to be his signature submission move. Johnson won his semi-final match up against

Nick Osipczak Nicholas Dominic Osipczak (born 30 December 1984) is an American- English professional mixed martial artist, most famous for his fights and wins in the welterweight division of the UFC. He was also a cast member of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate ...

by unanimous decision. This win earned him the first spot in the Welterweight Finals. Johnson also gained notoriety throughout the series due to his ongoing feud with Team UK coach

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English former mixed martial artist, sports commentator, analyst, and actor. He competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( ...

. Tensions reached an all-time high after Bisping squirted water into Johnson's face citing that Johnson had made a racist comment toward him earlier in the week. However, the comment was made by fellow USA teammate Cameron Dollar, causing Bisping to apologize to Johnson for his behavior.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Johnson lost his

debut when he fought

James Wilks James Brett Wilks (born 5 April 1978) is an English former professional mixed martial artist. As a professional competitor from 2003 until 2012, he competed for the UFC, King of the Cage, and was the winner of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fight ...

on June 20, 2009, in Las Vegas to crown the ''TUF 9'' welterweight winner. Johnson tapped out to a

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

with six seconds left in round one. After the finale, Johnson was offered a multi-fight contract with the UFC. Johnson was scheduled to face off against Peter Sobotta on November 14, 2009, at

UFC 105 ''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape d ...

, but the bout was cancelled due to a military commitment for Sobotta. Johnson instead fought and defeated Edgar García via submission (triangle choke) in the first round at UFC 107, earning him a ''Submission of the Night'' bonus. UFC.com ranked the submission fourth in the UFC's 2009 Submission of Year and had honorable mention for UFC's 2009 Fight of the Year. At

UFC 112 ''UFC 112: Invincible'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 10, 2010, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Due to the time zone difference in Abu Dhabi, UFC 112 was shown live on pay-per-view in the U ...

, Johnson fought seasoned veteran Brad Blackburn, defeating him via third-round TKO with a kick to the body and follow up punches. Johnson received his second UFC bonus, winning ''Knockout of the Night'' honors. Johnson then faced

Matthew Riddle Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is the reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He a ...

on August 1, 2010, at UFC on Versus 2. However, Johnson weighed in at 172.5 lb (and only lost half a pound after the weigh-in). Johnson had to give up 20% of his purse to Riddle. Riddle defeated Johnson via TKO in the second round. Johnson next faced

Mike Guymon Michael Kevin Guymon (born September 17, 1974) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in Bellator's Lightweight division. He has also competed for the UFC, as an alternate for the Tucson Scorpions in the I ...

on January 22, 2011, at

UFC Fight Night 23 ''UFC: Fight for the Troops 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 23'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 22, 2011 at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. The event was the third that the UFC has ho ...

. He won the fight via verbal submission in the first round after applying a body triangle. Johnson faced Amir Sadollah on March 26, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 24, replacing an injured

on just two weeks notice. Johnson lost the bout in the second round after tapping out to elbows while he was trapped in the 'gift wrap' control. Johnson was expected to face Clay Harvison on September 17, 2011, at

UFC Fight Night 25 ''UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 25'' or ''UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 17, 2011 at the Ernest N. Moria ...

However, Johnson was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by

Seth Baczynski Seth Baczynski (born October 26, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional since 2006, Baczynski has formerly competed for the UFC, and was a cast member of ...

. Johnson/Harvison took place on November 12, 2011, at UFC on Fox 1. Johnson won the fight via first-round KO after hitting Harvison with an uppercut that knocked him down and seemingly unconscious. Johnson fought British fighter John Maguire on April 14, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. Johnson faced

Mike Swick Michael Timothy Swick (born June 19, 1979) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist, who spent most of his career competing for the UFC's middleweight division. Swick, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside fellow wel ...

on August 4, 2012, at UFC on FOX 4. Swick rocked Johnson early in the first round but Johnson weathered the storm and seemed to have the advantage at the end of the round with his grappling. Early in the second round Swick leg swept Johnson to the ground and finished him off with a punch; followed by two more strikes to an already unconscious Johnson. Johnson was tabbed as a short notice replacement and faced promotional newcomer Gunnar Nelson at a catchweight of 175 lbs. on September 29, 2012, at

UFC on Fuel TV 5 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 29, 2012, at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Background Jörgen K ...

, replacing an injured Pascal Krauss. Johnson did not make weight, coming in at 186.5 lbs. and lost the fight via first round submission due to a rear naked choke. After his loss to Nelson and missing weight by 16.5 lbs., Johnson was released from the UFC.

Post-UFC career

Johnson was expected to face Jason South at Showdown Fights 10 on February 8, 2013, however the bout was cancelled prior to the event. Finally, over a year after his UFC release, Johnson faced Ian Williams at Cage Warrior Combat 9 on November 2, 2013. He lost the fight via split decision. He was then expected to face Indalecio Tat Romero at Dakota FC: Winter Brawl on January 11, 2014. However, Johnson was forced out of the bout due to injury. He was expected to face Dan Stittgen in the main event of APFC 16 on April 5, 2014, however Johnson was removed from the bout and the fight was cancelled. Johnson fought Matt Dwyer at Battlefield Fight League 30 on May 23, 2014. He lost via second-round TKO, bringing his losing streak to five in a row.

Personal life

Johnson has a son.

Championships and accomplishments

*Throwdown Showdown **TS Welterweight Championship (One time) *

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 ( ...

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Edgar García ** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Brad Blackburn **UFC.com Awards ***2009: Ranked #4 Submission of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–15 , Joe Rodriguez , Submission (shoulder choke) , SteelFist Fight Night 36: Conflict , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:52 ,

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, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 16–9 , Clay Harvison , KO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 , Amir Sadollah , TKO (submission to elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:27 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–8 ,

, Submission (body triangle) , UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–8 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:29 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–7 , Brad Blackburn , TKO (kick to the body) ,

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 13–7 , Edgar García , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC 107 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 ,

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom'' is the ninth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It began production in January 2009, and began airing on ...

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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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 , Ryan Williams , Decision (unanimous) , Extreme Challenge 109 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Brandon Olsen , Submission (triangle choke) , Throwdown Showdown 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Utah, Provo, Lindon, Utah, Lindon, and Vineyard, Utah, Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the pri ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Ron Vincent , TKO (punches) , Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5 , Samuel Rauch , Submission (triangle choke) , Total Mayhem 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–5 , Harold Lucambio , Submission (triangle choke) , Throwdown Showdown 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–5 , Sterling Nitsuma , KO (punch) , Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–5 , William Layton , TKO (strikes) , UCE Round 28: Episode 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–5 ,

Court McGee Court McGee (born December 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, McGee mostly fought in local pr ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UCE Round 26: Finals , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:50 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Hank Weiss , Submission (strikes) , UCE Round 26: Episode 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:15 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–3 , Justin Wright , Submission (triangle choke) , UCE Round 18: Episode 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , David Rodrique , TKO (submission to punches) , KOTC: Shock and Awe , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:51 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Paul Purcell , TKO (punches) , XFC: Dome Of Destruction 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

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, United States ,

References

External links

*
UFC ProfileSponsorship and Clothing Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Damarques Living people American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Utah Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Salt Lake City 1982 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters