Justin Craig Scoggins (born May 2, 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 ...

and former full-contact kickboxer currently competing in the

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the sp ...

. A professional mixed martial artist since 2010, Scoggins has previously competed in 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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Scoggins began training in

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

at the age of three, later transitioning to

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, gen ...

. Aspiring to compete for the UFC, Scoggins opted to drop out of high school and focus solely on honing his skills. He held an amateur MMA record of 6-0-1 before making his professional debut in February 2012, amassing an undefeated record of 7-0 prior to signing with the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2013

In August 2013, the UFC announced they had signed Scoggins to a contract. He was briefly linked to a bout with

Dustin Ortiz Dustin Ortiz (born December 25, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division and is currently signed to the Brave CF. A professional competitor since 2010, Ortiz has also formerly competed for the UFC, RFA, ...

at UFC Fight Night 27 before it was cancelled. Scoggins eventually debuted on December 7, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 33 against

Richie Vaculik Richie Vaculik ( ; born Richard Vaculik) is a mixed martial artist and big wave surfer from Maroubra, Australia. Richie competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight division. Early life Richie's sporting accomplishments s ...

. Scoggins won the fight via TKO in the first round. For his second fight, Scoggins replaced Darrell Montague against Will Campuzano on March 15, 2014 at UFC 171. Scoggins won the fight via unanimous decision.

2014

For his third fight with the promotion, Scoggins faced

on July 6, 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale Scoggins suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career via split decision. Scoggins next faced John Moraga at UFC Fight Night 50. Scoggins lost the fight via submission in the second round.

2015

Scoggins faced Josh Sampo on May 23, 2015 at UFC 187. Scoggins won the fight via unanimous decision. Scoggins was expected to face Joby Sanchez on December 11, 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. However, Scoggins pulled out of the fight in the week leading up to the event and was replaced by Geane Herrera.

2016

Scoggins faced

Ray Borg Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

on February 6, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 82. Scoggins won the fight via unanimous decision. Scoggins was expected to face Ben Nguyen on March 20, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 85. However, Scoggins pulled out of the fight in the week leading up to the event citing injury. As a result, Nguyen was pulled from the card entirely. Scoggins was expected to face Ian McCall on July 30, 2016 at UFC 201. However, two days before the event, Scoggins announced that he was pulling out of the fight as he was not going to make the contracted weight. As a result, McCall was pulled from the card altogether. Scoggins will now compete at bantamweight full-time. Scoggins next faced Pedro Munhoz in a bantamweight bout on November 19, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 100. He lost the bout by submission in the second round.

2017

Scoggins faced

Ulka Sasaki Ulka may refer to: * Ulka Gupta (born 1997), Indian film and television actress * Ulka Sasaki (born 1989), Japanese mixed martial artist * DRDO Ulka, Indian air-launched expendable target drone * BNS Ulka, establishment of the Bangladeshi Navy ...

in a flyweight bout on June 17, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 111. Scoggins lost the fight via rear-naked choke in the second round. Scoggins was expected to face Tim Elliott on December 16, 2017 at

UFC on Fox 26 ''UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 26'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 16, 2017, at the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Background The e ...

. However on December 3, it was announced that Scoggins was pulled from the fight due to a spinal fracture injury.

2018

Scoggins faced promotional newcomer Said Nurmagomedov on July 14, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 133. He lost the fight via controversial split decision. All 17 media outlets scored the fight for Scoggins. On November 9, 2018, it was reported that Scoggins was released from the UFC.

Rizin FF

Scoggins faced Yuki Motoya in a 132lbs catchweight bout at Rizin 14 on December 31, 2018. He lost the bout via submission in the first round. Scoggins was called on short notice to replace injured

, and was expected to face Kai Asakura at Rizin 15. Eventually Scoggins suffered a knee injury which led the bout scrapped from the fight card. Scoggins stepped in on short notice to replace Erson Yamamoto against Kazuma Sone at Rizin 18 on August 18, 2019. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Post Rizin

Scoggins was expected to face Keith Richardson at XMMA² on July 30, 2021. The bout was scrapped when Richardson pulled out due to unknown reasons. Scoggins made his first appearance after a 2 and a half year break at iKON FC 2 on March 18, 2022 against Eduardo Diez. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Justin was married to Hannah Scoggins, who also is a mixed martial artist.

Championships and achievements

Kickboxing

* International Kickboxing Federation **2004 North American Classic Championship Tournament (80.1-85 lbs.)

Mixed martial arts

*Warfare Fighting Championships **Warfare FC Flyweight Championship (One time) **Two successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record

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Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

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References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scoggins, Justin 1992 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists American male karateka Sportspeople from Greenville, South Carolina Mixed martial artists from South Carolina Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing American Kenpo Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bantamweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male kickboxers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu