Joseph Edward Proctor (born August 10, 1985) is an 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 ...

who most recently 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 th ...

division of 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 ( ...

. A professional competitor since 2008, Proctor was also a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Live''.

Background

Proctor was born in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...

, but raised in

Pembroke, Massachusetts Pembroke is an historic town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Pembroke is a South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore suburb of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. The town is located app ...

. He attended the

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a Public university, public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly "Southeas ...

. Proctor worked in

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

before a friend suggested he try

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

. Proctor began training at Lauzon MMA in

Bridgewater, Massachusetts Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 28,633. The historic town center of Bridgewater is located approximately south of Boston, Massachusetts and approxima ...

, with

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 ...

veteran and submission specialist

Joe Lauzon Joe Lauzon (born May 22, 1984) is a semi-retired American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC's Lightweight division. Described as a well-rounded fighter, he has the most post-fight bonus awards in UFC Lightweight history ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Proctor held an amateur record of 5-1 before starting his

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

career in August 2008, winning his first fight by decision. Over the next three years he amassed a record of 7-1.

The Ultimate Fighter

Proctor was one of 32 Lightweight fighters announced by the

to participate in first live season of

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

reality show. Proctor won his way into the house when he defeated

Jordan Rinaldi Jordan Rinaldi (born September 25, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the welterweight Complete Devastation champion. Rinaldi competed in featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Rinaldi was b ...

by a guillotine choke submission in the first round. With that victory, he was chosen as the fourth pick by Team Faber. Proctor won his next match against Team Cruz's seventh pick, Chris Tickle. He defeated Tickle with a rear-naked choke submission near the end of the first round, gaining entry into the quarter-finals. For his quarter-final fight, Proctor was matched up with striking specialist

James Vick James William Vick (born February 23, 1987) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight and lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Vick was born to a modest Texan family on ...

. Proctor was unable to take Vick down in the fight and was outmatched on the feet. Proctor lost the fight by unanimous decision after the second round, thus eliminating him from the competition.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Proctor made his UFC debut against fellow cast member Jeremy Larsen on June 1, 2012, at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale. He won the fight via TKO due to a combination of a knee and punches in the first round. Proctor next faced Ramsey Nijem on December 8, 2012, at

UFC on Fox 5 ''UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 5'') was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 8, 2012, at KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. It was broadcast live on Fox Sports. ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Proctor was expected to face

Al Iaquinta Al Iaquinta (born April 30, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, having once challenged for the Lightweight championship belt. A professional ...

on April 27, 2013, at

UFC 159 ''UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 27, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background Jimy Hettes was expected to face Steven Siler at the event; however, Hettes was forced out of the bou ...

. However, the bout was scrapped as both fighters sustained training injuries leading up to the fight. Proctor faced Cristiano Marcello on February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Proctor faced Justin Salas on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45. Proctor won the bout via second-round TKO. Proctor faced

Yancy Medeiros Yancy Medeiros Jr. (born September 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforc ...

on December 12, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale. He lost the fight via submission in the first round after being dropped with a spinning back kick to the body. Proctor faced Justin Edwards on June 6, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 68 ''UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 68'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 6, 2015, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Background The event was expected to be headlined by a l ...

. He won the back-and-forth fight via submission with just seconds remaining in the final round, resulting in the latest submission win in the UFC Lightweight division. Proctor faced

Magomed Mustafaev Magomed Mustafaev (born August 2, 1988) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who competed in the Lightweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for M-1 Global. Background Magomed Mustafaev was born ...

on December 12, 2015, at

UFC 194 ''UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was originally scheduled to take place on Dec ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Proctor was expected to face

Erik Koch Erik Jon Koch (born October 4, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he formerly competed for the WEC. Background K ...

on May 29, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 88. However, Proctor pulled out of the fight on April 21 citing injury and was replaced by

Shane Campbell Shane Darryl Campbell is a Canadian Welterweight Muay Thai kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and a former W.K.A. Muay Thai World Champion. Campbell is also the current WMA World Pro Muay Thai Champion, Aggression MMA World Champion, and Unified ...

. Proctor faced

Bryan Barberena Bryan Barberena (born May 3, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist formerly fighting in the Middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also competed for King of the Cage. Backgro ...

on April 22, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 108. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*Reality Fighting **RF Lightweight Championship (One time) *American Fighting Organization **AFO Lightweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

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, 11–3 , Justin Edwards , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:58 ,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Justin Salas , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Cristiano Marcello , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city wa ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Ramsey Nijem , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Jeremy Larsen , KO (knee and punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

Matt Bessette Matthew James Bessette (born December 28, 1984) is a retired American Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for Bellator MMA, Bellator and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Backgr ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Reality Fighting: Gonzaga vs. Porter , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Oz Pariser , Decision (unanimous) , Reality Fighting: Mohegan Sun , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Eric Fama , Submission (guillotine choke) , Reality Fighting: Mohegan Sun , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:22 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Luis Felix , TKO (punches) , AFO: Thanksgiving Massacre 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:24 ,

Mansfield, Massachusetts Mansfield is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2020 Census, the town population is 23,860. Mansfield is 23 miles southwest of Boston and is 22 miles northeast of Providence, Rhode Is ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Nelson Gaipo , Submission (guillotine choke) , AFO: Summer Brawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Matt Casio , Submission (armbar) , AFO: Night of Champions 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Will Seaver , Submission (rear-naked choke) , FFP: Untamed 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Westport, Massachusetts Westport (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,339 at the 2020 census. The village of North Westport, Massachusett ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Joe DeChaves , Decision (split) , Reality Fighting: Ferocity , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=3, The Ultimate Fighter: Live , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , rowspan=3,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Chris Tickle , Submission (rear-naked choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:42 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Proctor, Joe American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People from Pembroke, Massachusetts 1985 births Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Dartmouth alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu