Jesse Juarez (born May 8, 1981) 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 ...

currently competing in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division of the

Absolute Championship Berkut Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been ...

. A professional competitor since 2006, Juarez has also formerly competed for

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

, the MFC, and

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having UFC veterans Jorge Masvidal, Keith Jardin ...

. He holds a win at Welterweight over former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

Background

Originally from

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...

, Juarez is of French, Italian, and Tongan descent. Juarez attended

North Torrance High School North Torrance High School is a four-year public high school located at 3620 W. 182nd St. in Torrance, California. Of the four public high schools in the Torrance Unified School District, North High is the second oldest. The school's mascot is ...

where he competed in

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 ...

, football, and track and field, earning All-American honors for wrestling. Juarez later continued his wrestling career at

Golden West College Golden West College (GWC) is a public community college in Huntington Beach, California. Organization Golden West College, Orange Coast College, and Coastline Community College comprise the Coast Community College District (CCCD). The district ...

where he was a JUCO All-American and California JC state champion before transferring to

Montana State University-Northern Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. Juarez was a two-time NAIA All-American and was a 2005 NAIA National Champion at Montana State University-Northern. Juarez had been introduced to

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

while wrestling in high school and later transitioned into

after college.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Juarez started his professional career in 2006. He fought mainly for California-based promotions as

, ''Gladiator Challenge'' and ''Invincible''. He faced

Luke Stewart Luke Stewart is a retired American people, American mixed martial artist. Holding a professional record of 6–3, Stewart competed in the now-defunct promotion Strikeforce (mixed martial arts), Strikeforce for his entire career. Background Luke ...

on September 20, 2008 at Strikeforce: At The Mansion II. He lost via submission due to an armbar in the first round.

Bellator MMA

Juarez made his promotional debut against Mikey Gomez on April 10, 2009 at

Bellator 2 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

. He won via TKO in the first round. Juarez next faced Deray Davis on May 15, 2009 at Bellator 7–8. Once again he won via TKO in round one. Juarez did a rematch against Mikey Gomez on June 5, 2009 at

Bellator 10 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

. He won via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Maximum Fighting Championship and Cage Fighting Championship

Juarez made his promotional debut in MFC against Joe Christopher on December 4, 2009 at

MFC 23 ''MFC 23: Unstoppable'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on December 4th, 2009 at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta. The main event featured former UFC contender Thales Leites taking ...

. He won via unanimous decision. Juarez faced Nathan Gunn on February 26, 2010 at

MFC 24 ''MFC 24: HeatXC'' was a mixed martial arts event to be held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on February 26, 2010 at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta. The main event featured Yves Edwards taking on Derrick Noble in a l ...

. He won via knockout with a head kick at 11 seconds of round one. Juarez made his promotional debut in Cage Fighting Championship against Justin Murray on April 16, 2010 at ''CFC 13'' for the welterweight title. Juarez defeated Murray via majority decision (49–47, 48–48, 48–47) after five rounds and became the CFC welterweight title holder. Juarez faced

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

on November 12, 2010 at

MFC 27 ''MFC 27: Breaking Point'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on November 12, 2010 at the River Cree Casino in Enoch, Alberta. Background This event featured an MFC Welterweight title fight between Do ...

for the MFC Welterweight Championship. He lost via submission due to a triangle armbar in the third round. Juarez defended his CFC Welterweight Championship against Manuel Rodriguez on August 26, 2011 at ''CFC 18''. He defeated Rodriguez via unanimous decision (50–45, 50–45, 49–47) after five rounds to retain his belt. Juarez defended the CFC Championship against Robert Whittaker on May 18, 2012 at ''CFC 21''. He defeated Whittaker via unanimous decision (49–46, 48–47, 48–47) after five rounds to retain the title.

Return to Bellator MMA

In 2013, Juarez returned to

. He faced Jordan Smith on February 21, 2013 at

Bellator 90 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. He won via split decision (30–27, 29–28, 28–29) after a hard-fought match. Juarez faced Joe Williams on November 2, 2013 at

Bellator 106 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. He won via submission due to a guillotine choke in the very first round. Juarez was scheduled to face

Andrey Koreshkov Andrey Andreevich Koreshkov (Russian: Андрей Андреевич Корешков, born August 23, 1990) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. He is the former Bellator Welterw ...

in the quarterfinal match of Bellator season ten welterweight tournament on March 14, 2014 at

Bellator 112 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

. However, after the removal of other tournament competitors citing injuries, the tournament line-up was shifted and Juarez instead faced

Adam McDonough Adam McDonough (born September 24, 1985) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career McDonough started his professional career in 2007. He fought mainly ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Juarez faced

Ron Keslar Ron Keslar (born April 17, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also formerly competed for Bellator, Strikeforce and King of the Cage. Backgr ...

on September 19, 2014 at

Bellator 125 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Juarez was expected to face

Brennan Ward Brennan Ward (born June 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2008, Ward formerly competed for CES MMA and was the Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tou ...

Bellator 134 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

on February 27, 2015. However, Ward was moved up to the main card to face

Curtis Millender Curtis Marquir Millender (born December 1, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2013, Millender has formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellato ...

after Millender's opponent,

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987) is a British Kickboxing, kickboxer, Boxing, boxer, and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is recognised in the MMA community for his unortho ...

, pulled out of the fight due to a cut over his left eye. Juarez was removed from the fight card as a result. Juarez faced

Ricky Rainey Ricky Rainey (born June 29, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2011, Rainey has previously competed for Bellator and in the UFC's Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career After compi ...

at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. In June 2015, it was revealed that Juarez and 7 other fighters were released from the promotion.

Absolute Championship Berkut

Juarez faced Beslan Isaev on May 6, 2016 at ACB 35. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

** NAIA All-American (2004–05) ** NAIA National Championship 184 lb: Champion (2005) ** NAIA National Championship 174 lb: 5th place (2004) ** NAIA North Region Championship 174 lb: Champion (2004) *

California Community College Athletic Association The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in 1929 as the Calif ...

CCCAA The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in 1929 as the Calif ...

State Championship 184 lb: Champion (2001) * National High School Coaches Association ** NHSCA All-American (2000) ** NHSCA Senior Nationals 171 lb: 7th place (2000)

Mixed martial arts

* Cage Fighting Championship ** CFC Welterweight Championship (One time) ** Two successful title defenses * Invincible ** Invincible Middleweight Championship (One time) ** Invincible Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center , 23–13 , Alexei Ivanov , TKO (punches) , League S-70: Plotforma 7th , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 4:30 ,

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

Krasnodar krai Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and administratively a part of t ...

, Russia , Catchweight (181 lbs) bout. , - , Loss , align=center , 23–12 , Beslan Isaev , Submission (armbar) , , ACB 35: In Memory of Guram Gugenishvili , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 4:44 ,

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, Georgia , , - , Win , align=center , 23–11 , Frank Schuman , Submission (arm triangle choke) , KOTC: Title At The Torch , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 3:47 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 22–11 ,

, KO (knee) , Bellator 137 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 1:13 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 22–10 , Khusein Khaliev , Submission (choke) , Battle in Grozny , , align=center , 1 , align=center , N/A ,

Grozny Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a pop ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center , 22–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 21–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 21–8 , Joe Williams , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center , 1 , align=center , 0:57 ,

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 20–8 , Daniel McWilliams , TKO (punches) , BAMMA USA: Badbeat 10 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 2:24 ,

Commerce, California Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 19–8 , Jordan Smith , Decision (split) ,

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

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, Utah, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 18–8 , Robert Whittaker , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Fighting Championship 21 , , align=center , 5 , align=center , 5:00 , Sydney, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center , 17–8 , Leandro Silva , TKO (doctor stoppage) , EFWC: The Untamed 2 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 17–7 , Gadji Zaipulaev , Submission (rear-naked choke) , FEFoMP: Battle of Empires 1 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 2:15 ,

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center , 16–7 , Manuel Rodriguez , Decision (unanimous) , CFC 18: Juarez vs. Rodriguez , , align=center , 5 , align=center , 5:00 , Sydney, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center , 15–7 ,

Josh Neer Joshua Martin Neer (born March 24, 1983) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2003, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL, and Shark Fights. Ne ...

, TKO (injury) , Shark Fights 16: Neer vs. Juarez , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Odessa, Texas Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small section of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 census, mak ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 15–6 ,

, Submission (triangle armbar) ,

, , align=center , 3 , align=center , 2:37 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center , 15–5 , Justin Murray , Decision (majority) , Cage Fighting Championships 13 , , align=center , 5 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Southport, Queensland Southport is a coastal Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. In the , Southport had a population of 31,908 people. It contains the Gold Coast central business district. Geography Sout ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center , 14–5 , Mauro Chimento Jr. , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Collision in the Cage , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 1:42 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 13–5 , Nathan Gunn , KO (head kick) ,

, , align=center , 1 , align=center , 0:11 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center , 12–5 , Joe Christopher , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center , 11–5 , Mikey Gomez , Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 10–5 , Deray Davis , TKO (punches) , Bellator 7–8 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 4:47 , Chicago, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 9–5 , Mikey Gomez , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center , 1 , align=center , 4:23 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 8–5 , John Fleming , Submission (guillotine choke) , Colosseo Championship Fighting , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 0:46 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center , 7–5 , Thomas Kenney , Submission (punches) , Long Beach Fight Night 3 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 2:07 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 6–5 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Strikeforce: At The Mansion II , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 4:55 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 6–4 , John Walsh , TKO , Long Beach Fight Night 1 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 2:14 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 5–4 ,

Bret Bergmark Bret Bergmark (born November 24, 1973) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Bergmark has formerly competed for the WEC, Strikeforce, and ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Iroquois MMA Championships 3 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 , Iroquois, Ontario, Canada , , - , Win , align=center , 5–3 , Erik Meaders , Submission (verbal) , Invincible MMA , , align=center , 4 , align=center , 0:51 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 4–3 , Casey Ryan , Submission (triangle choke) , TC 25: Fight Club , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 2:27 , San Diego, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 4–2 , Fabio Nascimento , Submission (punches) , EFWC: The Untamed , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 4:50 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 4–1 , Robert Sarkozi , N/A , GC 69: Bad Intentions , , align=center , 1 , align=center , N/A ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 3–1 , Jaime Fletcher , Decision (unanimous) , Invincible 4: It's All About the Action , , align=center , 5 , align=center , N/A ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 2–1 , Jacob Nudel , Submission (armbar) , Total Fighting Alliance 6 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:02 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 1–1 , Bryan Baker , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Chaos in the Cage 2 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 1:38 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 1–0 , Guillermo Smith , KO , Extreme Full Contact 3 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 0:43 ,

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juarez, Jesse 1981 births Living people Montana State University–Northern alumni American male sport wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Sportspeople from Torrance, California