Hunter Dean Azure (born March 2, 1992) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

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 ...

who competed in the bantamweight division of 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 ...

(UFC).

Background

Azure was born on the

Fort Peck Indian Reservation The Fort Peck Indian Reservation ( asb, húdam wįcášta, dak, Waxchį́ca oyáte) is located near Fort Peck, Montana, in the northeast part of the state. It is the home of several federally recognized bands of Assiniboine, Nakota, Lakota, ...

Poplar, Montana Poplar is a city in Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. The population was 758 at the 2020 census. The U.S. Army constructed Camp Poplar here in the 1870s to oversee the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Poplar became reservation headquart ...

, and went on to attend

Poplar High School Poplar High School is a high school (grades 9–12) in the small town of Poplar, Montana, Poplar, Roosevelt County, Montana, United States. In 2007 it had 200 plus students and 25 teachers. See also * List of high schools in Montana Notes ...

, where he was a four-time Class-B MHSA state champion as a

wrestler 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 spor ...

. He then wrestled at the

Montana State University–Northern Montana State University–Northern (MSU–Northern or Northern) is a public college in Havre, Montana. It is part of the Montana University System and was Northern Montana College prior to the restructuring of Montana's public university syste ...

, where he earned a degree in

industrial technology Industrial technology is the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler, and more efficient. The industrial technology field employs creative and technically proficient individuals who can help a company ac ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Azure spent most of his early career in regional Western American promotions, most notably fighting in the

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

. During this time he compiled an undefeated 6–0 record.

Dana White's Contender Series

He was eventually invited to the Dana White's Contender Series 19. On July 9, 2019, he faced fellow undefeated prospect Chris Ocon, defeating him via unanimous decision and in the process gaining a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Azure made his promotional debut against

Brad Katona Brad Devin Katona (born December 12, 1991) is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the reigning Brave CF Bantamweight Champion. Katona formerly competed in the UFC and was the featherweight winner of ''The Ultimate Fighter 27''. Personal life ...

on September 14, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje. He won the bout by unanimous decision. Azure was scheduled to face

Umar Nurmagomedov Umar Nurmagomedov (born March 1, 1996), is a Russian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has previously competed in the Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC) and Profe ...

on April 18, 2020, at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. However, the event was then postponed. Azure faced

Brian Kelleher Brian Matthew Kelleher (born August 19, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Kelleher currently competes in the Bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Kelleher ...

on May 13, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. This bout earned both participants the ''Fight of the Night'' award. Azure faced Cole Smith on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai. He won by unanimous decision. Azure faced

Jack Shore Jack Shore (born 6 February 1995) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2016, he is the former Bantamweight c ...

on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland. He lost the bout via split decision. On March 1, 2022, it was announced that Azure was released from UFC.

Post UFC

Azure made his first appearance post release at iKON FC 2 on March 18, 2022, against Keith Richardson. He lost the bout via rear-naked choke in the second round. Azure faced Ben Hollier at Fusion Fight League: Boise on October 15, 2022, winning the bout via unanimous decision.

The Ultimate Fighter 31

In mid March 2023, it was announced that Azure would be competing in the thirty-first season of

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

Personal life

Hunter and his fiancée Sage have a son, Wilder (born 2020). He is the son of Howard and Deb Azure and has three siblings: Dustyn, Autumn, and Ashley. He is a native American, being an enrolled member of the

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakod ...

and Sioux people on the

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Fight of the Night (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Ben Hollier , Decision (unanimous) , Fusion Fight League: Boise , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Keith Richardson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , iKON FC 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:05 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:40 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Chris Ocon , Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , LJ Schulz , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 66 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census, making it the second-largest city in Utah. The city incorporated in 1980 from a large, quic ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jaime Hernandez , TKO (kick to the body and punches) , LFA 59 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , A.J. Robb , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 53 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Cameron Thurgood , TKO (punches) , Golden Fights: Cage Wars 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 ,

Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States Census, making Grand Junction the 17th mo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Joshua Sandvig , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fusion Fight League: Lights Out at the Dome 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:49 ,

Havre, Montana Havre ( ) is the county seat and largest city in Hill County, Montana, United States. Havre is nicknamed the crown jewel of the Hi-Line. It is said to be named after the city of Le Havre in France. As of the 2020 census the population was 9,362 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jon Lorens , TKO (punches) , Jeremy Horn's Elite Fight Night 29 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 , Ogden, Utah, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Azure, Hunter 1992 births Living people 21st-century Native Americans American male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists from Montana American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Native American sportspeople People from Poplar, Montana Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes people Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Montana State University–Northern alumni