Justin Frazier (born June 15, 1989) 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

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division. He most notably competed 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 ( ...

and

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

Background

Frazier graduated from Cave City High School in 2008, then played football at

Arkansas Tech University Arkansas Tech University (ATU) is a public university in Russellville, Arkansas, United States. The university offers programs at both baccalaureate and graduate levels in a range of fields. The Arkansas Tech University–Ozark Campus, a two-yea ...

. After a knee injury derailed his football career, Frazier received degrees at both University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville and at

Arkansas State University Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second-largest university in the st ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Starting his career in 2010, Frazier compiled a 10–2 record fighting for various regional organizations and

. At

Bellator 52 2011 in Bellator MMA was the fourth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in multiple weight classes, including three of the original tournament classes: Welterweight, Lightweight and Feathe ...

on October 1, 2011, Frazier faced Liron Wilson and easily dispatched off him via GnP in the first round. In his next fight afterward, Frazier faced future

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 ...

Heavyweight title contender

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts i ...

at RFA 2 on March 30, 2012. He lost via TKO in the first round. At

Bellator 120 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight ...

on May 17, 2014, Frazier waged a sloppy slugfest with

Mike Wessel Michael Wade Wessel (born December 2, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. A professional competitor since 2007, Wessel formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator, and was a contestant on ' ...

that ended in a Wessel TKO in the first round. After this win, Frazier would take a couple of years off to deal with the medical issues off his son.

The Ultimate Fighter

In August 2017, it was announced that Frazier was one of the fighters featured on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters'' UFC TV series. Frazier was the seventh pick by coach

Kelvin Gastelum Kelvin Gastelum (born October 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gastelum earned a contract with the UFC after winning '' The ...

. In the quarter-finals, Frazier defeated Anderson da Silva via unanimous decision after two rounds. In the semi-finals, Frazier defeated Michel Batista via technical knockout in Round One. This win secured Frazier a spot in the finals against Juan Espino.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale on November 30, 2018, Frazier faced Juan Espino. He lost the bout in quick fashion via straight armlock in the first round. In February 2019, Frazier revealed that he was released from his UFC contract.

Post UFC

After his release from the UFC, Frazier faced Kevin Sears at C3 Fights 47 on January 12, 2019. He won the bout via unanimous decision. He then faced Ben Rowland at Pyramid Fights 12 on June 22, 2019, winning the bout via first round submission.

Personal life

Frazier’s son was born with a congenital birth defect,

hypoplastic left heart syndrome Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped and incapable of supporting the systemic circulation. It is estimated to account for 2-3% of all congenital hea ...

, that prevents the oxygen-rich blood from circulating the body, leading to a heart transplant just two weeks into his heart, and complications afterwards led to a battle with cancer in 2012.

Mixed martial arts record

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Batesville, Arkansas Batesville is the largest city in and the county seat of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles (128 km) northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 10,268. The c ...

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Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city in and the county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly ...

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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 ...

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Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

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Southaven, Mississippi Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a principal city in Memphis metropolitan area, Greater Memphis. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census reported a population of 54,648, making it the List of municipal ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Terence Landers , TKO (punches) , Off The Chain MMA 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Chris Miller , TKO (punches) , Mid South MMA Championships 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:09 ,

Caruthersville, Missouri Caruthersville is a city in and the county seat of Pemiscot County, Missouri, United States, located along the Mississippi River in the Bootheel region of the state's far southeast. The population was 5,562, according to the 2020 census. Hist ...

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Kearney, Nebraska Kearney ( ) is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 33,790 in the 2020 census, making it the 5th most populous city in Nebraska. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward pus ...

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Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , James Hall , TKO (punches) , AXC 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

Bryant, Arkansas Bryant is a city in Saline County, Arkansas, United States and an affluent suburb of Little Rock. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 16,688. It is part of the Central Arkansas region. History European settlers establi ...

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Paragould, Arkansas Paragould is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Arkansas, Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anom ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ace Lewis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , AXC 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

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Conway, Arkansas Conway is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, Faulkner County, located in the state's most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. The city also serves as a regional shopping, ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frazier, Justin 1989 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Mixed martial artists from Arkansas