Jason Tan is a retired English

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and currently a head coach of MMA Liverpool. He formerly competed in 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 the ...

division.

Biography

Tan started out in kickboxing at the age of 15 before studying Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA. It is said in previous interviews that Tan's inspiration to study Jiu Jitsu and MMA was through watching

Rickson Gracie Rickson Gracie (; born November 21, 1958) is a Brazilian 9th-degree red belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and a retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the third oldest son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson G ...

's ''Choke'' documentary. Tan has travelled extensively to pursue training in mixed martial arts. He has trained with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and Pride Veteran Chris Brennan at the original Next Generation Fighting Academy, California. On his return to the United Kingdom, Tan co-created Next Generation MMA UK in Liverpool. Tan currently teaches and trains at The MMA Academy Liverpool with Thai Boxing Champion Peter Davies. On 5 December 2012, Tan was awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from SBGi Vice President and BJJ Black Belt Karl Tanswell of SBG Mainline, Manchester.

Mixed martial arts career

Tan began his career on the local show in Liverpool, known as Cage Fighting Championships & Cage Gladiators, defeating opponents such as Joey Van Wanrooy and Leslee Ojugbana. At this time Tan was not a prominent figure on the British MMA scene as he was only fighting in local shows. However this changed when he agreed to fight London's Alex Reid at the Manchester Evening News Arena on the ''"WCFC: No Guts, No Glory" event''. Tan took the fight on two hours notice and some interviews state that he was actually in the middle of a McDonald's feast when he received the call. Tan dominated the fight both standing and on the ground earning a decision victory. Tan's first defeat came against

Jim Wallhead Jim Wallhead (born 14 March 1984) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He has competed for BAMMA, Bellator, and M-1 Challenge and the UFC . Wallhead is a member of Team Rough House and Le ...

who hails from Leicester and is a part of Team Rough House in Nottingham. Over a tough three round battle the judges scored a split decision victory for Wallhead. Tan had to take time off after the Wallhead fight due to a knee injury and was not able to compete until mid-2007. Tan signed with 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

in 2007. In his debut he fought at

UFC 72 ''UFC 72: Victory'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place Saturday, 16 June 2007 at The Odyssey in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Background ''UFC 72'' continued the UFC's expansion into Eur ...

against former pro boxer

Marcus Davis Marcus Paul Davis (born August 24, 1973), is an American professional mixed martial artist and former professional boxer who is perhaps best known for competing in the UFC. A professional MMA competitor from 2003 until 2014, Davis also competed ...

. Tan came out with sharp Muay Thai skills landing leg kicks and high kicks on Davis. However a brief exchange from the pair saw Tan get dropped by a right hook which prompted Davis to land further shots before referee Yves Lavigne stopped the bout at 1:15 of the first round. Tan came back stronger defeating Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Alexandre Izidro. Izidro was a recognized fighter in the UK and the former Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion. Tan dominated the fight outstriking Izidro on the feet and landing effective ground and pound from the top on the ground, where he had him in an armbar. Tan took a unanimous decision. Tan returned to the UFC in 2008, facing undefeated Korean fighter

Dong Hyun Kim Kim Dong-hyun ( ko, 김동현, 金東炫; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a retired South Korean mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fightin ...

UFC 84 ''UFC 84: Ill Will'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 24, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The card featured the return of Sean Sherk, who was suspended and ...

. He lost via TKO (elbows) in the third round. He then gave up his fighting career after just three years, deciding it wasn’t worth the physical injury.

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

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Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

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Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

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, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Joey Van Wanrooij , Submission (triangle choke) , CG 1 – Cage Gladiators 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:46 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Alex Reid , Decision (split) , WCFC – No Guts No Glory , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

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, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brian Moore , TKO (punches) , CFC 3 – Cage Carnage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, England ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Jason Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English male mixed martial artists English practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Liverpool Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu