Jordan Wright (born October 7, 1991) 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 competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division. He formerly fought in 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 ( ...

Background

Wright started gymnastics at age four, but after watching the

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' (''DBZ'') is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 ''Dragon Ball'' television series and adapts the latter 325 chapters ...

, he developed an interest in martial arts. Trying

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

as his first martial art, he would then try his hand in Wushu Kung Fu,

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

Pencak Silat Pencak silat (; in Western writings sometimes spelled "pentjak silat" or phonetically as "penchak silat") is a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It ...

Catch Wrestling Catch wrestling (also known as catch-as-catch-can) is an English wrestling style where wrestlers aim to win by Pin (sport wrestling), pinning or Submission (combat sports), submitting their opponent using any legal holds or techniques. It emph ...

, and

Boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

. After participating in some Muay Thai smokers at the age of 16, he was instantly hooked. After high school, Wright decided to make fighting a full-time job and moved to New Mexico and tried out for Jackson-Wink MMA. After passing the tryout, Wright would sleep and live at the gym during the summer before his freshman year at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. Wright has trained and competed in

catch wrestling Catch wrestling (also known as catch-as-catch-can) is an English wrestling style where wrestlers aim to win by Pin (sport wrestling), pinning or Submission (combat sports), submitting their opponent using any legal holds or techniques. It emph ...

. He was the runner-up in the -214 lb. division at the ACWA US Open national championships in December 2023.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Soon after graduating from college, Wright made his professional MMA debut at 23 years old under the banner of Xplode Fight Series. He was victorious, submitting John Lee with a rear-naked choke in just 63 seconds. Wright would go on to win his next seven bouts, none lasting longer than 2:48. At LFA 30 on January 12, 2018, Wright submitted Craig Wilkerson in 1 minute and 29 seconds. Fighting under the banner of Dana White's Contender Series 10, he faced Anthony Hernandez. Despite losing the fight in 40 seconds, the fight would be declared a no contest, as Hernandez tested positive for marijuana. Wright faced Gabriel Checco at LFA 80 on January 17, 2020. He won the bout via TKO in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Wright made his UFC debut on short notice, as a replacement for Jorge Gonzalez, against

Ike Villanueva Isaac "Ike" James Villanueva (born April 4, 1984), is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer who competes in the Heavyweight division of BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing and competed in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Ligh ...

on August 22, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar. Wright won after cutting Isaac badly with a knee, leading to a doctor's stoppage. Wright faced

Joaquin Buckley Joaquin Yuconri Buckley ( ; born April 27, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also formerly comp ...

UFC 255 ''UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 21, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

on November 21, 2020. He lost the fight via knockout in round two. Wright faced

Jamie Pickett Jamie Pickett (born August 29, 1988) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Pickett lived with his grandparents growing up in Chinquapin, North Carol ...

on May 15, 2021, at

UFC 262 ''UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 15, 2021 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship ...

. He won the bout via TKO in the first round. Wright was scheduled to face

Julian Marquez Julian Marquez (born May 8, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Marquez was born and raised in Kansas City, Misso ...

on October 16, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 195 ''UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 195'', ''UFC Vegas 40'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 53'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 16, 2021, at the UFC A ...

. At the weigh-ins, it was announced that Marquez was pulled from the bout due to non-COVID related health issues and the fight was canceled. Wright faced Bruno Silva on December 11, 2021, at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Wright was scheduled to face

Roman Kopylov Roman Yuryevich Kopylov (born 4 May 1991) is a Russian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of 29 April 2025, he is #14 in the UFC middleweight rankings. Background R ...

on April 23, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 205 ''UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 205'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 63'' or ''UFC Vegas 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 23, 2022, at the UF ...

. However Kopylov withdrew for medical reasons and he was replaced by

Marc-André Barriault Marc-André Barriault (born February 18, 1990) is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Middleweight division. He previously competed with TKO Major League MMA where he w ...

. Wright lost the fight via a guillotine choke in round one. Wright faced

Duško Todorović Duško Todorović (born May 19, 1994) is a Serbian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Todorović started training taekwond ...

on October 15, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 212 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 large ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Wright faced Zac Pauga on February 18, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 219 ''UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 219'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 77'', and ''UFC Vegas 69'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 18, 2023, at ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. After the loss, it was announced that Wright was no longer on the UFC roster.

Post-UFC Career

In his first fight outside the UFC, Wright faced

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been mov ...

veteran Zack Borrego in the main event of Fury FC 88 on March 24, 2024. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Catch wrestling

* American Catch Wrestling Association ** 2023 US Open - 2nd place, -214 lbs.

Mixed martial arts

** Fight of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Jordan 1991 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing silat Mixed martial artists utilizing wushu American male karateka American male Muay Thai practitioners American wushu practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century American sportsmen American male sport wrestlers American catch wrestlers Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling