Justin Jaynes (born August 10, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and

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 ...

divisions. A professional since 2008, 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 ( ...

(UFC). He is the former Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting (WXC) Lightweight champion.

Background

Jaynes was born and grew up in

Richmond, Michigan Richmond, also known as "Grit City", is a city within Metro Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,878 at the 2020 census. Most of the city is located in Macomb County, though there is a small portion in neighboring St. C ...

. Jaynes attended Richmond High School, graduating in 2007. In his senior year, Jaynes placed second at the 2007 Michigan High School state wrestling tournament, losing to

Drakkar Klose Drakkar Klose (born March 9, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised alongside six other siblings in South Haven, Michigan, Klo ...

in the finals. Jaynes then continued his wrestling career at

Olivet College The University of Olivet, formerly known as Olivet College, is a private Christian college in Olivet, Michigan, United States. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It was founded in 1844 by missionaries from Oberlin Coll ...

, from where he graduated with Bachelor's degree in Sport and Fitness Management.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

With mixed martial arts in its early phases in Michigan, Jaynes fought 47 amateur bouts around the state before turning pro in 2013. Jaynes fought in various regional circuits and fought multiple times overseas. He also made one appearance in Bellator. Jaynes won the WXC Lightweight title and made one successful defense before leaving for the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After a cornerman for

Matt Frevola Matthew Kenneth Frevola (born June 11, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also competed for the Wor ...

tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, Jaynes stepped in to fight

Frank Camacho Franklin Beldad Camacho (born May 18, 1989) is a Chamorro mixed martial artist in the lightweight division. He was a 2010 Blue Belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World champion and a 2006 Micronesian Games wrestling gold medalist. He competed in the Ultim ...

on three days notice. At the weigh-ins, Camacho weighed in at 158 pounds, 2 pounds over the allotted non-title lightweight limit of 156 pounds. The bout proceeded as a catchweight and Camacho was fined 20 percent of his purse which went to Jaynes. Jaynes won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Jaynes faced

Gavin Tucker Gavin Scott Tucker (born June 17, 1986) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist. Tucker currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He had previously won the Extreme ...

UFC Fight Night 174 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 174'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 32'' and ''UFC Vegas 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in En ...

. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke in round three. Jaynes was scheduled to face

Gabriel Benítez Gabriel Benítez (born June 15, 1988) is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He was a contestant on ''The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1'', and competed in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight and Lightweig ...

on November 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. The fight was canceled after Benítez tested positive for

. The pairing was left intact and eventually took place on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 19. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Jaynes faced

Devonte Smith Devonte Smith (born July 30, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Smith started training mixed martial arts around the age of 14 after seeing Quinto ...

on February 6, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov. He lost the fight via technical knockout due to a doctor stoppage in round two. Jayne faced

Charles Rosa Charles Rosa (born August 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional since 2012, he is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background ...

on June 26, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 190 ''UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 190'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 48'' and ''UFC Vegas 30'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 26, 2021 at the UFC Apex ...

. Jaynes made waves across the internet as he announced before his fight that he was betting close to $25,000 on himself to win his fight. He lost the fight via split decision. Subsequently, he tested positive for marijuana and was suspended for four-and-a-half months by NSAC, making him eligible to return to competition on November 9, 2021. In August 2021, Jaynes was released from the UFC.

Post UFC

In his first bout since his release from the UFC, Jaynes faced Carl Deaton III for the TWC Lightweight Championship at Total Warrior Combat: Unfinished Business on February 5, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Jaynes is a coach at

Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts is an American mixed martial arts training organization headed by former UFC Champion and former co-founder of Team Quest, Randy Couture. Xtreme Couture was founded with the flagship gym in Las Vegas. Since th ...

in Las Vegas. He has a son.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2020: Ranked #5 Upset of the Year *Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting ** 'Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting Lightweight Champion

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaynes, Justin 1989 births Living people Olivet Comets wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu