Isaac "Ike" James Villanueva (born April 4, 1984), 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, incorp ...

who competed in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Starting his career in 2008, Villanueva compiled a 17–9 record fighting for various Texas regional promotions. During this time, he would lose to future UFC fighters,

Cody Donovan Cody Scott Donovan (born February 20, 1981) is an American practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is also a retired mixed martial artist, who is perhaps best known for his four-fight stint in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fight ...

Justin Ledet Justin Wayne Ledet (born September 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist and boxer who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2010, he has most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

, and

Trevin Giles Trevin Dewayne Giles (born August 6, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). Giles currently competes in the welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Giles was born in San Antonio, Texas, and was a f ...

, as well lose to accomplished IBJJF World Championship and the

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, is an international submission wrestling, submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been ...

winner,

Robert Drysdale Robert Lewis Drysdale (born October 5, 1981) is a Brazilian-American Brazilian jiu-jitsu 4th degree black belt under Léo Vieira, a retired mixed martial artist and an instructor at his own BJJ academy, "Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu". Havi ...

, who he would lose to by first round submission. He also knocked out UFC vet

Roger Narvaez Roger Narvaez (born September 9, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. Mixed martial arts career Narvaez began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2007 as a way to lose weight and to help keep in ...

in 28 seconds at Fury FC 36 on August 30, 2019, which won him the Fury FC Light Heavyweight Championship. He would defend this title against just released from the UFC,

Rashad Coulter Orlando Rashad Coulter (born November 27, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2011, he has also competed f ...

at Fury FC 40 on December 13, 2019. After knocking down Coulter early in the fight, he eventually finished him by technical knockout later in the round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Villanueva made his UFC debut against

Chase Sherman Chase Sherman (born November 16, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former bare-knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2014, he has competed for the UFC and Titan FC. Background Born and raised in D'Iberville, ...

on May 13, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira. Being outclassed on the feet, Villanueva lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. After the fight Sherman received nine month

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent d ...

suspension for testing positive for

Anastrozole Anastrozole, sold under the brand name Arimidex among others, is a medication used in addition to other treatments for breast cancer. Specifically it is used for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. It has also been used to prevent breast ca ...

from a in-competition sample collected on May 13, 2020. Villanueva was expected to face Jorge Gonzalez on August 15, 2020 at

UFC 252 ''UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 15, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Sta ...

. However, due to alleged

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

issues for Gonzalez, the pairing was rescheduled for UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar on August 22, 2020. In turn, Gonzalez was removed from the card for undisclosed reasons and replaced by promotional newcomer

Jordan Wright Jordan Michael Wright (born October 7, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. He formely fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Wright started gymnastics at age 4, but after watchin ...

. Isaac lost in the first round after being cut badly, leading to a doctor's stoppage. Villanueva was scheduled to face

Vinicius Moreira Vinicius Moreira Castro (born February 28, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light heavyweight division. He is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background In ...

on January 30, 2021. In late December 2020, the UFC opted against holding an event on a planned January 30 date and decided to reschedule several bouts to January 20, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. Villanueva faced

on January 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Villaneuva faced

Marcin Prachnio Marcin Prachnio (born July 14, 1988) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Prachnio has also competed in ONE C ...

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 ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round after being kicked in the liver. Villanueva faced

Nicolae Negumereanu Nicolae Negumereanu (born September 4, 1994), commonly known as Nick Negumereanu, is a Romanian mixed martial artist (MMA) who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division in the UFC. A former Real Xtreme Fighting (RXF) Light Heavyweigh ...

on October 23, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori. He lost the fight via TKO in round one. Though there was controversy as replays showed Negumereanu landing illegal strikes to the back of Villanueva's head after the knockdown that led to the finish. Villanueva faced

Tyson Pedro Tyson Pedro (born 17 September 1991) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Pedro is an Australian of Spanish, American Samoa heritage. He ...

on April 23, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 205 ''UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 205'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 63'' or ''UFC Vegas 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 23, 2022, at the UF ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. On May 6, 2022 it was announced that Villanueva was no longer on the UFC roster.

Personal life

Isaac worked a day job as a

CNC Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a ...

machinist outside of his fighting career, before he signed with the UFC. He has two sons born in 2014 and had a daughter Gianna born in September 2020.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

*Fury Fighting Championship ** Fury FC Light Heavyweight Championship (One Time) ***One successful defense

Mixed martial arts record

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, KO (leg kick and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 ,

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 Vegas ...

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

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, TKO (punches) , Fury FC 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

Robstown, Texas Robstown is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Corpus Christi. It was founded about 1906, and was named for Robert Driscoll. The population was 11,487 as of the 2010 census. The Texas State Legislature offici ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–9 , Juan Torres , TKO (punches) , Fury FC 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:59 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–9 , Patrick Miller , TKO (punches) , Fury FC 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–9 , Antonio Jones , Decision (split) , Fury FC 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–8 , Matt Jones , Decision (unanimous) , TKO Fight Alliance , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Legacy FC 59 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–7 , Brandon Farran , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 55 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–7 , Richard Knepp , TKO (punches) ,

Bellator 149 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickboxi ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–7 , Husam Mohamed , TKO (punch) , Fury Fighting 9 , , align=Center, 1 , align=center, 1:08 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–7 , Kyle Keeney , TKO (punches) , Fury Fighting 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

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, Submission (armbar) , Legacy FC 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

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, Submission (armbar) , Immortal Kombat Fighting , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:40 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 , Larry Crowe , KO (head kick) , Legacy FC 8 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:57 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 , Alexander Pappas , TKO (punches) , International Xtreme Fight Association , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Brian Lightfoot , TKO (punches) , International Xtreme Fight Association , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Dwight Gipson , KO (punches) , TCF Puro Combate 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 , Artenas Young , TKO (punches) , Legacy Promotions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Chase Watson , Decision (unanimous) , Shark Fights 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Josh Luna , TKO (punches) , Shark Fights 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ascend Combat: The Beginning , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:52 ,

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Marcus Sursa , Submission (guillotine choke) , Shark Fights 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Dale Mitchell , TKO (punches) , URC 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Conroe, Texas Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about north of Houston. It is a principal city in the metropolitan area. As of 2021, the population was 98,081, up from 56,207 in 2010. Since 2007, the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Jason Basset , KO (punch) , SWC 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Daniel Andrews , TKO (punches) , SWC 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Villanueva, Ike Living people 1984 births American male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Houston Mixed martial artists from Texas