Jody David VeDepo is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division. A professional competitor since 2005, he has formerly 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 ...

and Bellator.

Background

Born and raised in the small town of Columbus Junction, just outside of

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

, Vedepo was a standout

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 sport ...

at Iowa City High School, winning 105 overall matches during four seasons. After high school, Vedepo began training in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Vedepo made his professional MMA debut in November 2005. He went undefeated at 6–0 in the first two and a half years of his career.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Vedepo was invited to compete on

The Ultimate Fighter 7 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest'' was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike, after ''UFC Fight Nigh ...

but declined for unknown reasons. Vedepo made his debut for the UFC on September 17, 2008 against

Alessio Sakara Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has al ...

at UFC Fight Night 15. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. For his second fight, Vedepo faced

Rob Kimmons Rob Kimmons (born January 30, 1981) is a retired American mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division. A professional from 2000 until 2013, he competed for the UFC, WEC, and Titan FC. Background Raised in the small tow ...

UFC Fight Night 18 ''UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 18'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 1, 2009. Background The event was broadcast on Spike TV and served as a lead ...

on April 1, 2009. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Vedepo was expected to face

Gerald Harris Gerald Harris (born November 19, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial artist and current high school science teacher, who most recently fought in Bellator. He was a cast member of Spike TV's ''The Ultimate Fighter 7'' and has also compet ...

on August 28, 2010 at

UFC 118 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 ...

, replacing an injured

. On August 18, it was announced that the Vedepo/Harris bout had been scrapped from the card.

Independent promotions

Following his release from the UFC, Vedepo fought at ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide, where he fought two weight classes higher at

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

and on only a few days notice. He faced

Oli Thompson Oli or OLI may refer to: Places * Oli-ye Jonubi, a village in Bushehr Province, Iran * Oli-ye Shomali, a village in Bushehr Province, Iran People * Óli, a Faroese and Icelandic given name * Oliver (given name), nickname * Oli (footballer), a ...

, winning via TKO (punches) in the second round. He was expected to fight

Rob Broughton Rob Broughton (born 3 March 1983) is an English former mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor between 2004 and 2015, Broughton is a former British Cage Rage heavyweight champion and has also co ...

to crown the tournament winner but Vedepo broke his hand in his semifinals bout against Thompson, which forced him out of the finals.

Bellator MMA

Vedepo is notable for inventing the modified shin choke, also known as the Vedepo Choke, he used this

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

to win his debut bout in Bellator, at the event

Bellator 80 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. In his next appearance, Vedepo squared off against fellow veteran

Louis Taylor Louis Taylor (born May 12, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the welterweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2007, Taylor has also formerly competed for Strikeforce ...

Bellator 84 2012 in Bellator MMA was the sixth installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships, which began on March 9, 2012. The sixth season of Bellator was originally scheduled to begin on March 2, 2012. However, the debut was pushed back a week so ...

. Vedepo was knocked out with a short right hook while he had Taylor in

half guard Half guard (or half mount) is a ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top combatant is in ...

. Vedepo then fought longtime veteran Eddie Larea on August 10, 2013, headlining for a regional promotion in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

. In an upset, Vedepo was defeated via first-round TKO. Vedeop then faced fellow

veteran

Kendall Grove Kendall Grove (born November 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the Bellator MMA, UFC, KSW, ProElite, King ...

on October 18, 2013 at

Bellator 104 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 ...

. In a hard-fought bout, Vedepo lost via unanimous decision. Vedepo faced Ben Crowder at

Bellator 117 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, ...

on April 18, 2014. He defeated Crowder via a verbal submission, as Crowder sustained a leg injury. Vedepo then faced Cortez Coleman at Bellator 121 on June 6, 2014 and won via decision in a closely contested battle. Vedepo faced Davin Clark at Bellator 129 on October 17, 2014. He won via TKO in the third round. Vedepo will make a quick return to the Bellator cage as he steps in as a replacement for an injured

Tom DeBlass Tom DeBlass (born May 14, 1982) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, submission grappler and mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship. He has competed in the middleweight division for Bellator and the Ultimate Fig ...

against

Muhammed Lawal Oklahoma State Cowboys Central Oklahoma Bronchos Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wr ...

on November 15, 2014 at

Bellator 131 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 lost the fight via TKO in the third round. On December 4, 2014

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 ...

announced they released Vedepo from the promotion after he allegedly assaulted a police officer in Iowa. The incident came less than two weeks after his loss at Bellator 131, involving a reportedly-intoxicated Vedepo head butting a police officer in the chest and being tasered ineffectively, as it reportedly took several officers to subdue him. The officer Vedepo head butted was hospitalized with a back injury.

Independent promotions

Vedepo made his return on June 11, 2016, in a rematch with Eddie Larrea. Vedepo avenged his prior loss, winning via

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

submission in the first round. Vedepo most recently fought on December 29, 2017, losing via technical submission in the first round.

Personal life

Vedepo has daughters and twin sons.

Mixed martial arts record

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San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

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Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

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Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

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Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, United States , For the vacant Pinnacle Combat Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Kenneth Allen , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Extreme Challenge 202 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Bettendorf, Iowa Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. It is the 15th largest city of Iowa and the third-largest city in the "Quad Cities". It is part of the Davenport– Moline– Rock Island, IA- IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The popu ...

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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 , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Dennis Reed , Submission (armbar) , Revolution Combat Championships 11: Cocked and Loaded , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 , Columbus Junction,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

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East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

, England , ZT Fight Night Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Miguel Bernard , Submission (armbar) , ZT Fight Night: Heavyweights Collide , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

, England , ZT Fight Night Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Webster Farris , KO (punch) , Adrenaline MMA IV , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:14 ,

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is lo ...

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Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

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Urbandale, Iowa Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,580. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Urbandale was incorporated as ...

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Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vedepo, Joe Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Iowa Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Sportspeople from Iowa City, Iowa 1983 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Independent promotions

Bellator MMA

Independent promotions

Personal life

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links