Luis Javier Vazquez (born April 27, 1976) is a retired

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or ...

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 ...

. A professional from 1998 until 2011, he competed for 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 ...

, WEC,

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

ShoXC ''ShoXC'' is a mixed martial arts series produced by the mixed martial arts organization EliteXC, Showtime and Proelite.com. The series was announced on July 11, 2007. The purpose of the show is to highlight up and coming MMA fighters. On Oct ...

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

, and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

. He is the former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion.

Early life

Born in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, on April 27, 1976, Javier Vazquez came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at the age of four. He grew up in

El Monte, California } El Monte ( Spanish for "The Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the San Gabriel Valley, east of the city of Los Angeles. El Monte's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte" and is historica ...

, and started wrestling as a sophomore at Arroyo High School at the age of 15. In 1994, he placed 3rd at the

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

wrestling tournament and continued his stellar high school career by placing 4th in the Southern Section Masters tournament. He was just one match away from placing in the high school state wrestling championships, ending up in the top 12 in the state at 130 lbs. He was voted team captain in both his junior and senior years. Vazquez continued his wrestling career at

Mt. San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) is a public community college in southern California, located in Walnut in eastern Los Angeles County. It offers more than 260 degree and certificate programs, 25 support programs, and more than 50 studen ...

where he again proved himself to be one of "the best of the best" by finishing 7th in the state and being voted team captain for his leadership on and off the mat.Javier Vazquez Biography
. URL accessed on March 21, 2010. In 1997, Vazquez started learning

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

with the renowned Carlson Gracie Team. He competed in every jiu-jitsu and submission tournament he could and eventually found himself participating in mixed martial arts (MMA). His first no-holds-barred matches were at Neutral Grounds 5 in 1998. Several more fights in smaller venues followed, and he then took time off from fighting to train and compete in jiu-jitsu. After only five years of training, he earned his black belt from the Carlson Gracie Team. In 2005, Vazquez won the North American trials for 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 ...

, but dropped out before competition due to a groin injury.

MMA career

Early career

In December 2009, Vazquez was named the "most inspirational performance of the decade" in MMA by

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

magazine for his fight against

Alberto Crane Alberto Lewis Crane (born July 14, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist, submission grappler and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor. He has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a former King of the Cage and Ring of ...

where he fought three rounds with a torn ACL. He went on to fight for

Elite XC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

and was able to break free from his contract before the company folded. He signed to fight against

LC Davis La Carvas Rashad Davis (born October 28, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, Davis has also formerly competed for the Quad Cities ...

at Affliction: Trilogy, but the event folded 10 days before the fight was supposed to take place.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Vazquez then signed with WEC and made his promotional debut against Davis at

WEC 42 ''WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 9, 2009 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada Background Kenji Osawa was originally scheduled to face Rani Yahya at this ...

, In a major upset, Vazquez lost a controversial split decision to Davis. Vazquez rebounded quickly as he replaced an injured

Mark Hominick Mark Jeffrey Hominick (born July 22, 1982) is a Canadian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he was the inaugural Featherweight title challenger, the WEC, and Affl ...

against

Deividas Taurosevicius Deividas is a Lithuanian language, Lithuanian masculine given name. Individuals with the name Deividas include: *Deividas Česnauskis (born 1981), Lithuanian footballer *Deividas Dulkys (born 1988), Lithuanian basketball player *Deividas Gailius ( ...

WEC 43 ''WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 10, 2009 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Background The event was scheduled to take place on September 2, 2009 at the Covel ...

but lost another split decision. Vazquez faced and defeated former

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

and former WEC featherweight title challenger

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in addition to serving as the head coach on '' The Ultim ...

via armbar on March 6, 2010, at

WEC 47 ''WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Background The only WEC event held in Ohio, WEC 47 coincided with the Arnold ...

. He defeated decorated grappler

Mackens Semerzier Mackens Semerzier (born November 3, 1980) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor from 2008 until 2012, he competed for the UFC and WEC. Background In ...

via second round submission on August 18, 2010, at

WEC 50 ''WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 18, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background This event marked WEC's first visit to Las Vegas since WEC ...

. Vazquez was defeated by

Chad Mendes Chad Edward Mendes (born May 1, 1985)Archived
from the ...

via unanimous decision on November 11, 2010, at

WEC 52 ''WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background Urijah Faber made his bantamweight debut against Japanese striker Takeya Mi ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010, WEC merged with 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). As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Vazquez defeated

The Ultimate Fighter 2 ''The Ultimate Fighter 2'' was the second season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The season featured a heavyweight and a welterweight division, with 9 fighters initially in each division. The UFC co ...

winner and former lightweight title contender

Joe Stevenson Joseph Christopher Stevenson (born June 15, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist fighting out of Hesperia, California. Coached by (UFC Hall of Famer) Matt Hughes, Stevenson rose to prominence by becoming The Ultimate Fighter 2 Wel ...

via unanimous decision on June 26, 2011, at

UFC on Versus 4 ''UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry'' (also known as ''UFC on Versus 4'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 26, 2011, at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The event was broadcast on Versus ...

. On January 13, 2013, Vazquez announced on

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

Radio Network's ''Rewind'' show that he has officially retired from MMA competition.

Personal life

In 2005, Vazquez married Rose Gracie, the daughter of

Rorion Gracie Rorion Gracie (; born January 10, 1952) is a Brazilian-born Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Grand Master, a prominent member of the Gracie family, writer, publisher, producer, lecturer, lawyer and the co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the ...

and granddaughter of

Hélio Gracie Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also ...

. They had two children together. In 2017, they subsequently filed for divorce. Vazquez was concurrently diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. After undergoing

Gerson therapy Max Gerson (October 18, 1881 – March 8, 1959) was a German-born American physician who developed the Gerson Therapy, a dietary-based alternative cancer treatment that he claimed could cure cancer and most chronic, degenerative diseases. ...

and defeating cancer, Vazquez opened Javier Vazquez Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He has recently taken up cycling.

Instructor lineage

Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda →

Carlos Gracie Sr. Carlos Gracie (September 14, 1902October 7, 1994) was a Brazilian martial artist who is credited with being one of the primary developers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie and fellow students Luis França a ...

→ Carlson Gracie Sr. →

Rodrigo Medeiros Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros (born January 11, 1977) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and submission grappler. Medeiros is a two-time openweight World Jiu-Jitsu Champion. Medeiros has been a Jiu-Jitsu instructor to many notable mixed martial ...

→ Javier Vazquez

Championships and accomplishments

** KOTC Lightweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 16–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 ,

Chad Mendes Chad Edward Mendes (born May 1, 1985)Archived
from the ...

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas 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 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 ,

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, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

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San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Mark Kergosien , Submission (guillotine choke) , Ultimate Chaos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , JC Pennington , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez (; Spanish for "St. Agnes") is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley. It features the Santa Ynez Airp ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Adriano Pereira , Decision (split) , EliteXC: Destiny , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Southaven, Mississippi Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a principal city in Greater Memphis. The 2020 census reported a population of 54,648, making Southaven the third-largest city in Mississippi and the second most populous ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

Rob Emerson Robert Michael Emerson (born July 30, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Emerson is also a veteran of Bellator MMA, the UFC, Pancrase, and was a cast member of ''The Ultimate Fighter 5' ...

, Decision (split) , Shooto: Warrior Spirit:Evolution , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Decision (split) , KOTC 21: Invasion , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , David Gardner , Submission (kneebar) , KOTC 16: Double Cross , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with ...

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

Rumina Sato (, kanji for given name: 留美奈) is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist, famous for his career in the Shooto organization. In the past he fought mostly in the 155 lb division, but he moved down to the 145 lb division. Mixed mar ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Treasure Hunt 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Sean Wilmot , Submission (armbar) , KOTC 13: Revolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Philip Perez , Submission (triangle choke) , KOTC 10: Critical Mass , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Farrell Frisby , Submission (heel hook) , KOTC 9: Showtime , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Antonio Emae , Submission (injury) , KOTC 3: Knockout Nightmare , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Louie Cercedez , Submission (armbar) , Empire 1 Official , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Corona, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Victor Hunsaker , Decision (split) , rowspan=3, Neutral Grounds 5 , rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:00 , rowspan=3, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kim Kellenberger , Decision (unanimous) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Sean Kim , Submission (armbar) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

References

External links

Official SiteOfficial UFC Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vazquez, Javier Living people 1977 births American male mixed martial artists American mixed martial artists of Cuban descent Cuban male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Cuban male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Cuban practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Cuban emigrants to the United States People from El Monte, California People from Pomona, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters