Justin Ross Edwards (born January 26, 1983) 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 ...

currently competing in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Edwards has also formerly 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 ...

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

, and was a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos'' and '' The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption.''

Background

Edwards grew up in

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 47,534 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Columbus via Interstate 71, it i ...

, attending Madison High School. There he participated in football and wrestling. Edwards also did

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...

that was not affiliated with his school. Upon graduating Edwards earned an athletic scholarship to play football at

Urbana University Urbana University was a private university specializing in liberal arts education and located in Urbana, Ohio. In its final few years, it was purchased by Franklin University and was a branch campus of that university. History Urbana Universi ...

Urbana, Ohio Urbana is a city in Champaign County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located about northeast of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton and west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 11,115 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. Edwards graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Criminal Justice. After graduating college Edwards picked up rugby until his work schedule wouldn't allow him to play.

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Edwards started training MMA in 2006 after seeing an MMA fight on television, and began training at a local gym the following day. In October 2006, Edwards made his amateur debut, winning via submission. He won his next five amateur fights, holding an undefeated 6–0 record before losing three straight fights and then deciding to go pro.

Early career

Edwards made his pro debut with a 30 second TKO win over ''Ultimate Fighter'' alumni, Josh Rafferty. His next bout took place at

Bellator 5 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

against veteran John Troyer. Edwards won the fight via submission towards the end of round one. He then entered a one night tournament for the International Fighting Championship, winning the tournament with wins over Davarius Scaife and Daniel Stittgen – both via first round submission. Edwards won two more fights before appearing on The Ultimate Fighter.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

In 2011, Edwards had signed with the

to compete in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos''. Edwards was flown in as a replacement fighter for Keon Caldwell, making Edwards a member of Team dos Santos. He had his first fight against eventual winner

Tony Ferguson Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla (born February 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist where he is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. A professional since 2008, and was signed to the UFC from his '' The Ultimate Fi ...

. Edwards lost after Ferguson threw an upkick that knocked him unconscious. He was set to appear in the wildcard round but was suspended 90 days and could not compete.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After losing in the preliminary round, Edwards remained signed after the show. He made his official UFC debut June 4, 2011, on

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos'' is the thirteenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on November 4, 2010 ...

card, fighting against castmate, Clay Harvison. He lost the fight via split decision. Edwards faced highly-touted prospect and Wand Fight Team product, Jorge Lopez, 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 ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards stepped in to fight newly-signed Englishman, John Maguire, at

UFC 138 ''UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2011 at LG Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the United ...

Birmingham, England Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands region, in England. It is the largest local authority district in England by population and the second-largest cit ...

, following the withdrawal of James Head due to injury. After being taken down and controlled for most of the fight, Edwards lost via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). Edwards was expected to face Mike Stumpf on February 4, 2012, at UFC 143. However, Stumpf suffered an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Stephen Thompson. Edwards was also forced to pull out of the bout and was replaced by Dan Stittgen. Edwards faced

Josh Neer Joshua Martin Neer (born March 24, 1983) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2003, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL, and Shark Fights. N ...

on October 5, 2012, at

UFC on FX 5 ''UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot'' (also known as ''UFC on FX 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 5, 2012, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the fifth UFC event broadcast l ...

. Edwards leaped into an arm in guillotine and finished the fight 45 seconds into the first round via technical submission after choking Neer unconscious. The finish won him ''Submission of the Night'' honors. Edwards was expected to face Gunnar Nelson on February 16, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald. However, Edwards was forced to pull out of the bout citing an injury, and was replaced by returning veteran

Jorge Santiago Jorge Santiago Rodrigues (; born October 9, 1980) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the first Sengoku Middleweight Champion and is the former Strikeforce Middleweight Grand Prix Champion. He has also competed for the UFC, King ...

. Edwards faced promotional newcomer

Brandon Thatch Brandon Michael Mathew Thatch (born July 11, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Thatch was adopted at age five by his m ...

on August 28, 2013, at

UFC Fight Night 27 ''UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 27'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 28, 2013, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Backg ...

. He lost the bout via first round TKO. Edwards faced Ramsey Nijem in a Lightweight bout on January 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 35. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards was expected to face

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 August 30, 2014, at UFC 177. However, Edwards pulled out of the event in the days leading up to the event citing an injury. Medeiros ended up fighting promotional newcomer Damon Jackson. Edwards faced

Joe Proctor Joseph Edward Proctor (born August 10, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Proctor was also a competitor o ...

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 lost the back-and-forth fight via submission with just seconds remaining in the final round. Subsequently, he was released from the promotion.

''The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''

In February 2017, it was revealed that Edwards would again compete on the UFC's reality show in the 25th season on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''. Edwards was the seventh pick overall for Team Garbrandt. He defeated

Joe Stevenson Joseph Christopher Stevenson (born June 15, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist fighting out of Hesperia, California. Coached by (UFC Hall of Famer) Matt Hughes, Stevenson rose to prominence by becoming The Ultimate Fighter 2 Welt ...

in the opening round by unanimous decision. In the quarter-finals Edwards lost to Tom Gallicchio by submission in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

*International Fighting Championships **IFC Grandprix Winner (2009) *

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.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 10–7 , Willis Black , TKO (punches) , WXC 79: Warrior Wednesday 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

Southgate, Michigan Southgate is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The population was 30,047 at the 2020 census. Southgate was incorporated as a city on October 8, 1958, which was one of the last remaining portions of the now-defunct Ecorse Townshi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6 ,

Carlo Prater Carlo Ricardo Prater (born June 25, 1981) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist previously competing in the Welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2002, Prater has also formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, Strikefor ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Premier Fighting Championship 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6 , Devonte Smith , KO (punch) , Alliance MMA at the Arnold Sports Festival , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–5 , Cody Pahan , Submission (guillotine choke) , Fight Night at the Island: Saunders vs. Volkmann , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 , Welch, Minnesota, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 ,

, 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, 8–4 , Ramsey Nijem , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Duluth, Georgia Duluth ( ) is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United Stat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 , John Maguire , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Jorge Lopez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Clay Harvison , Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas 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 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Marcus Ajian , Submission (guillotine choke) , CNG Promotions: Queen City Meltdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Tony Parker , Submission (guillotine choke) , Extreme IT Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Findlay, Ohio Findlay ( ) is a city in Hancock County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The second-largest city in Northwest Ohio, Findlay lies about 40 miles (64 km) south of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. Its population was 40,313 at the 2020 United Sta ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Dan Stittgen , Submission (guillotine choke) , IFC: Wiuff vs. Newcomb , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Davarius Scaife , Submission (armbar) , IFC: Wiuff vs. Newcomb , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , John Troyer , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Josh Rafferty , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 111 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Elizabeth, Indiana Elizabeth is a town in Posey Township, Harrison County, Indiana, Posey Township, Harrison County, Indiana, Harrison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 199 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The original plat ...

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Tom Gallicchio , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, ,

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, 1–1 ,

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

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, KO (upkick) , The Ultimate Fighter 13 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 ,

, United States ,

Amateur mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Mickey Hughes , Submission (armbar) , NAAFS: Columbus Night of Pain 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Konstandinos Angelas , Decision (split) , ICFA: Shamrock Showdown , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Troy Miller , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CSB 2: Caged Super Brawl 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

Celina, Ohio Celina ( ) is a city in Mercer County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,935 at the 2020 census. Located about northwest of Dayton, Celina is situated on the northwestern shores of Grand Lake St. Marys. History ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jason Koehler , TKO (punches) , NOTW: Night of the Warrior , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Sean Lewis , TKO (punches) , NOTW: Night of the Warrior , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Joe Camacho , Submission (armbar) , Iron Tiger Challenge 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

Bellefontaine, Ohio Bellefontaine ( ) is a city in Logan County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located 48 miles (77 km) northwest of Columbus, the population was 14,115 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bellefontaine micropolit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Chad Smith , TKO (punches) , MFC 6: Mega Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Dusty Jones , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 4: Mega Fighting Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:11 ,

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at t ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Justin American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Greco-Roman wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1983 births American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Bellefontaine, Ohio Urbana University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Early career

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Ultimate Fighting Championship

''The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Amateur mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links