Dustin William Pague (born August 5, 1987) is a former 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, incorp ...

who most recently fought in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division of 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He was a competitor on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...

's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller, and has formerly competed as a

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

and

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

. Pague is currently a professional boxer after announcing his switch from MMA in January 2016.

Background

Pague began

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

when he was 15 years old and graduated from

Central Dauphin East High School Central Dauphin East High School is a large, suburban, public high school located in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It is one of two high schools operated by the Central Dauphin School District. In the 2017–2018 school year, enrollmen ...

, then attended

Harrisburg Area Community College , mottoeng = Knowledge Restores Truth , established = 1964, accredited in 1967 , type = Public, Community College , president = John J. "Ski" Sygielski, Ed.D. , city = Harrisburg , state = PA , country = USA , undergrad = 19,000 , admini ...

but transferred before eventually earning a degree. Six months after viewing a video of a UFC event, Pague began his amateur career. After suffering a series of back injuries throughout his MMA career, Pague decided to make the transition to professional boxing as a way to continue fighting and reduce the daily strain he was putting on his back.

Professional boxing career

Pague won his professional boxing debut on April 19, 2016, by unanimous decision over Rafael Davis.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In late 2008, Pague made the decision to turn professional after a successful 7–4 amateur career. Pague's pro debut took place on October 11, 2008, against Jon Owens. The fight was contested at Featherweight instead of Lightweight, where Pague spent the entirety of his amateur career. Pague lost the fight via KO in only 18 seconds. Two months after the loss, Pague returned against John Myers. He won the fight via

kimura Kimura (written: lit. "tree village") is the 17th most common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese novelist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese botanist *, Japanese idol and singer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanes ...

submission in round one. Pague built up a five-fight win streak before losing three straight fights to future TUF contestant

Jeff Lentz ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'' is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Charlot ...

, WEC veteran Anthony Leone, and longtime UFC veteran

Din Thomas Din Yero Thomas (born September 28, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist who was featured on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback''. In the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Thomas is a UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist. H ...

. He built up another winning streak that earned him a title shot for the vacant Ring of Combat Bantamweight Championship. The fight marked the first time Pague fought at Bantamweight. He fought Steve De Angelis, defeating him via

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

in the second round. Pague co-owns and operates his own gym, Disciple MMA. He also trains at the TapouT Ranch owned by

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ultimat ...

The Ultimate Fighter

In 2011, Pague had signed with the UFC to compete on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller. In the first episode, Pague fought Tateki Matsuda and won via majority decision (19-19, 20-18, 20-18) after two close rounds. The win gained Pague entry into the ''Ultimate Fighter'' house. He was selected as a part of Team Mayhem. Pague next fought against Team Bisping's top Bantamweight pick,

Louis Gaudinot Louis J. Gaudinot (born August 28, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the UFC's Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, Gaudinot has also formerly competed on Spike TV's The Ultimate ...

. Pague won the fight in the second round via submission (rear-naked choke) to get into the semi-finals. The fight also won Pague and Gaudinot an additional $25,000 for the fan voted "Fight of the Season". In the semi-finals Pague fought and lost to

T.J. Dillashaw Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw (born February 7, 1986) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Dillashaw competed on ...

. Dillashaw controlled Pague on the ground throughout three rounds while landing heavy ground and pound en route to a unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pague officially made his UFC debut on December 3, 2011 at

The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller'' is the fourteenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike held open tryouts on March 21, 2011, ...

losing to John Albert via TKO in the first round. Pague was dropped by a combination from Albert in the opening moments, and then was put in the giftwrap position while getting hit with heavy ground and pound causing the referee to intervene. Pague captured his first UFC win after defeating Jared Papazian on June 8, 2012 at

UFC on FX 3 The year 2012 was the 20th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started with UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended with UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 ...

. Pague won the fight via submission (rear-naked choke) in the first round. Two weeks after his win over Papazian and with six days notice, Pague fought Ken Stone at

UFC on FX 4 The year 2012 was the 20th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started with UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended with UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 ...

on June 22, 2012, replacing an injured Francisco Rivera. Pague was defeated via split decision. Pague faced promotional newcomer

Chico Camus Chico Camus (born January 26, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also formerly competed for the UFC, Legacy FC, ...

on August 11, 2012, at

UFC 150 ''UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 11, 2012, at the Pepsi Center now known as Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Background A fight between Dennis Hallman and Thi ...

. Pague lost via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28). Pague faced

Yves Jabouin Fernand Yves Jabouin (born May 30, 1979) is a retired Haitian-Canadian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Jabouin also formerly comp ...

on June 15, 2013, at

UFC 161 ''UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 15, 2013, at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Background While the UFC has hosted several events in the past in Canada, the event was the first that the org ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Pague faced promotional newcomer

Kyoji Horiguchi is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA and Rizin FF in the Flyweight division. He is the former bantamweight champion in both organizations. As of December 13, 2022, he is #6 in the Bellator Bantamweight Rankings ...

on October 19, 2013 at

UFC 166 ''UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos III'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 19, 2013, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Background The main event was a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between the current champion Cain Velas ...

. Despite controlling Horiguchi for the first round, Pague lost via TKO in the second round. On April 23, 2014, Pague was released from his UFC contract following a four-fight losing streak in the promotion.

Post-UFC career

In his first post-UFC fight, Pague faced D'Juan Owens at The Victorium: Episode 3 on July 12, 2014. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*Ring of Combat **ROC Bantamweight Championship (One time) *

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 ...

**Fight of the Season (

The Ultimate Fighter 14 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller'' is the fourteenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike held open tryouts on March 21, 2011, ...

)

Personal life

Pague is a devoted Christian and has the word "Forgiven" tattooed across his chest.

Professional boxing record

, style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", 1 Win (0 knockouts, 1 decisions), 0 Losses, 0 Draws, 0 No Contests , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Res. , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Rd., Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Win , 1-0 , align=left, Rafael Davis , , , , align=left, , align=left, Debut.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–11 , Anthony Morgan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , World Cagefighting Championships 14 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–10 , D'Juan Owens , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Victorium: Episode 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:52 ,

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Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Jared Papazian , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:21 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 , John Albert , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Steve De Angelis , KO (punch) , Ring of Combat 34 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:25 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 , Dustin Caplinger , TKO (punches) , Fight Night in the Cage 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Scott Heckman , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xtreme Caged Combat 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:42 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Justin Hickey , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 ,

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, TKO (doctor stoppage) , World Extreme Fighting 41 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:14 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , Anthony Leone , Submission (choke) , PA Fighting Championships 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:58 ,

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 , Jeff Lentz , Decision (unanimous) , The Arena Assault 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Joel Roberts , TKO (punches) , Inkosi Promotions 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Bushkill, Pennsylvania Bushkill is an unincorporated community in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States. Portions of Bushkill were seized by the United States government during the controversial Tocks Island Dam project and are now part of the Delaware Water Gap ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Will Childs , Submission (armbar) , The Smoky Mountain Brawl , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Biff Walizer , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Respect Is Earned 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:03 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Charles Cooper , Submission (ankle lock) , Southern Fight League 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , John Myers , Submission (triangle choke) , Southern Fight League 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

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, United States ,

Amateur mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Joey Ponce , Submission (triangle choke) , Valhalla MMA 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Don Torrenti , Submission (armbar) , Valhalla MMA 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:26 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–4 , Justin Dalton , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Total Cage Combat: Retaliation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 ,

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–4 , Khris Gonzalez , Decision (unanimous) , Valhalla MMA 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Doug Hunsucker , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Valhalla MMA 3: Domination , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:38 , Fort Lee,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Luiz Rodrigues , Decision (unanimous) , Valhalla MMA 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Joey Allen , TKO (punches) , Combat Sports Challenge 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Doug Hunsucker , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CSC 17: River City Rumble 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Jared Weiner , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CSC 15: East Coast Brawl 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Siyam Yousefi , Disqualification , CSC 14: River City Rumble 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Zac Allen , Submission (triangle choke) , CSC 12: River City Rumble 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:09 ,

, United States ,

Bare knuckle record

, - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Eddie Hoch , KO (punch) , BKFC Fight Night: New York 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Jake Young , DQ (repeated illegal ground strikes) , BKFC Fight Night: New York , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

Official UFC Profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pague, Dustin Bantamweight mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists 1987 births Living people Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists from Pennsylvania Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters