Jonathan Mark Pearce (born May 1, 1992) is an American

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 ...

who competes in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

Background

Having begun wrestling at the age of 12, Pearce was a state runner-up wrestler at

Science Hill High School Science Hill High School is a public high school in Johnson City, Tennessee, United States. Campus The Science Hill/ Liberty Bell/ Freedom Hall complex includes multiple athletic fields, large parking lots, and a 1-1/2-mile walking track that enci ...

. In 2014, Pearce was blindsided by a disgruntled gym member, after the gym “bully” clocked him from behind after Pearce called out his ongoing rude behavior. Pearce went unconscious and had his head bashed by a heavy follow-up kick. The attack caused Pearce to suffer a broken neck, 19 broken teeth, a severed tongue, and had to undergo reconstructive jaw surgery. He still has two plates and eight screws in his face. After the incident, Pearce dropped out of college in pursuit of a professional mixed martial arts career.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In his MMA debut at CFFC 73, he knocked out Noe Quintanilla in the third round, going on to defeat his next three opponents in Chris Wright, Anthony Morgan, and Nickalas Martino. After going 4–0 to start his career, his fiancée called off their wedding and he would lose the next three bouts, two by first round submission. Also after the third straight loss, in 2017, Pearce went to get medicals done for his next fight and doctors discovered he had a clay-shoveler fracture of two vertebrae in his neck, likely from the 2015 attack. A clay-shoveler fracture is an avulsion in which a small piece of bone tears away from the bigger piece. Pearce tapped out Damir Ferhatbegovic via rear-naked choke in round three at Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Bristol on . He defeated Omar Johnson via TKO in the second round at Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Talladega on . He would defeat his next two opponents in Nick Baker and Dedrek Sanders, both via second round TKO.

Dana White's Contender Series

After 4 victories in a row, Pearce was invited to Dana White's Contender Series 19 on . He took on Jacob Rosales and defeated him via TKO in the third round and securing a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pearce made his UFC debut against UFC vet

Joe Lauzon Joseph Edward Lauzon Jr. (born May 22, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, competing in the UFC's Lightweight division. A well-rounded fighter, he has the fourth most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history, behind Donald Ce ...

, who was coming off a 18 month hiatus, at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. Pearce was scheduled to face Sean Woodson on November 28, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Smith vs. Clark. However, Woodson withdrew a week before the event due to unknown reasons and was replaced by

Kai Kamaka III Jonathan Kai Kamaka III (born January 5, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. He also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Kai started training martia ...

. He won the bout via TKO in the second round. Pearce was scheduled to face

Gabriel Benítez Gabriel Apolinar Benítez (born June 15, 1988) is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He was a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1'', and he competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Ba ...

on May 1, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka.At weigh ins, Benítez weighed in at 150.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the featherweight non-title limit. Pearce turned down the fight due to the weight miss and the bout was scrapped. Pearce faced Omar Morales on September 25, 2021 at

UFC 266 ''UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 25, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United St ...

. He won the fight via rear-naked choke in round two. Pearce was scheduled to face

Austin Lingo Austin Lingo (born July 10, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Lingo began training in martial arts at a young age after his father found out he� ...

on February 19, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 201 ''UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 201'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 59'' and ''UFC Vegas 48'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 19, 2022, at the UFC ...

. However, Lingo pulled out due to undisclosed reasons, and was replaced by Christian Rodriguez. Pearce won the fight via unanimous decision. Pearce faced

Makwan Amirkhani Makwan Amirkhani ( fa, ماکوان امیرخوانی; born November 8, 1988) is an Iranian-born Finnish mixed martial artist

on July 23, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 208 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 208'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 66'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 23, 2022, at The O2 Arena in Lon ...

. He won the bout via TKO in the second round. This win earned him the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award. Pearce faced

Darren Elkins Darren Elkins (born May 16, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he fights in the Featherweight division. Elkins is known for his toughness and comeback victories. Background Elkins was bo ...

on December 3, 2022, at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Back ...

. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Pearce is scheduled to face Bryce Mitchell on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288.

Championships and accomplishments

(One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Makwan Amirkhani Makwan Amirkhani ( fa, ماکوان امیرخوانی; born November 8, 1988) is an Iranian-born Finnish mixed martial artist

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London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Dedrek Sanders , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Warrior FC 140 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Asheville, North Carolina, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Nick Baker , TKO (punches) , Strikefest 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Gray, Tennessee Gray is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Tennessee, United States and a rural suburb of Johnson City. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport&nda ...

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Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Damir Ferhatbegović , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator Monster Energy Fight Series: Bristol , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:43 ,

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in the State of Tennessee. Located in Sullivan County, its population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Peter Petties , Decision (unanimous) , Shogun Fights 16 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Quinten Culpepper , Submission (toe hold) , Valor Fights 37 , , align=Center, 1 , align=center, 3:27 , Cleveland, Tennessee, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Lance Lawrence , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Valor Fights 35 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Nickalas Martino , TKO (elbows) , APEX Fights 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:52 ,

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Chris Wright , TKO (punches) , Valor Fights 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 ,

Blountville, Tennessee Blountville is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,074 at the 2010 census. It is the only Tennessee county seat not to be an incorporated city or town. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Anthony Morgan , Decision (unanimous) , Valor Fights 23 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Pa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Noe Quintanilla , KO (knee) , Evolution Combat Sports Series 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Elizabethton, Tennessee Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of both th ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Jonathan 1992 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Johnson City, Tennessee