John Makdessi (born May 3, 1985) is a Canadian 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 ...

currently competing in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight b ...

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 ...

Background

Makdessi was born in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

, Canada on May 3, 1985, and is a first-generation Lebanese-Canadian born to Lebanese parents. His martial arts training started with Tae Kwon Do at the age of six. When Makdessi started high school, his dojo closed, and he could no longer continue. Towards the end of high school at the age of 19, he found a karate dojo where he learned

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thro ...

. Makdessi spent a lot of his time competing in kickboxing tournaments, and in 2006 won a gold medal in the USKBA. After going 22–0 in kickboxing, Makdessi began training in

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 strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Makdessi made his professional MMA debut in 2008 and compiled an undefeated record of 7-0 before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Makdessi signed with the UFC in 2010. He made his promotional debut on December 11, 2010, at UFC 124 in Montreal, winning a dominant (30-27, 30–27, 30–26) decision over Pat Audinwood. Makdessi was expected to face

TUF 12 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck'' is the twelfth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Charlot ...

winner Jonathan Brookins on April 30, 2011, at UFC 129. Brookins pulled out of the bout and was replaced by another TUF 12 alum in Kyle Watson, who Makdessi knocked out with a spinning backfist in the third round. Makdessi was expected to face Paul Taylor on August 14, 2011, at UFC on Versus 5, but withdrew due to injury. Makdessi suffered the first loss of his career to Dennis Hallman on December 10, 2011, at UFC 140, via first-round rear naked choke. Makdessi lost a unanimous decision to fellow striker

Anthony Njokuani Anthony Obinna Njokuani (born March 1, 1980) is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor since 2001, Njokuani has also formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, and ONE Championship. Background ...

on April 21, 2012, at UFC 145. Makdessi next defeated Sam Stout by unanimous decision on November 17, 2012, at UFC 154. Makdessi then fought Daron Cruickshank at UFC 158 on March 16, 2013. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Makdessi was expected to face Edson Barboza on July 6, 2013, at UFC 162. Makdessi pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Rafaello Oliveira. Makdessi knocked out

Renée Forte Renée Forte Teixeira (born March 27, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly fought in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil''. MMA career Early ...

in the first round on September 21, 2013, at UFC 165. Makdessi lost a unanimous decision to Alan Patrick at UFC 169 on February 1, 2014. Makdessi was expected to face

Abel Trujillo Abel Nazario Trujillo (born September 18, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Trujillo attended Ri ...

on April 25, 2015, at UFC 186. Trujillo pulled out of the fight citing an injury, and was replaced on April 1 by promotional newcomer Shane Campbell. Makdessi won the fight via TKO in the first round. Less than a month after his win, Makdessi returned to the octagon as a replacement for injured

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov av, ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultima ...

against

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ult ...

on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187. Makdessi lost the fight via TKO after his jaw was broken with a head kick in the second round. Makdessi faced Yancy Medeiros on December 12, 2015, at UFC 194. He lost the fight by split decision. Makdessi next faced

Mehdi Baghdad Mehdi Baghdad (born 13 April 1985) is a French mixed martial artist who fights out of Los Angeles, California. He previously fought for the UFC in the lightweight division. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 22: Team McGregor vs Team ...

on July 7, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 90. He was awarded a split decision victory. Makdessi faced Lando Vannata on December 10, 2016, at UFC 206. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Makdessi was expected to face Sage Northcutt on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. In turn, the fight was canceled on July 14 as both fighters cited injuries. Makdessi faced

on December 16, 2017, at

UFC on Fox 26 ''UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 26'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 16, 2017, at the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Background The e ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Makdessi faced

Ross Pearson Ross Pearson (born 26 September 1984) is a retired English mixed martial artist who last competed in 2019. A 26-fight veteran of the UFC, he was a three-time "Fight of the Night" winner and was the lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 9 ...

on July 28, 2018, at UFC on Fox 30. He won the fight by unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Makdessi was expected to face Carlos Diego Ferreira on December 8, 2018, at UFC 231. However, on November 28, 2018, it was reported that Makdessi was removed from the card and replaced by Jesse Ronson. Makdessi was expected to face Nasrat Haqparast on March 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 148. However, on March 13, 2019, it was reported that Haqparast was pulled from the bout due to injury and was replaced by Jesus Pinedo. Makdessi won the fight via unanimous decision. Makdessi was scheduled to face Devonte Smith on August 17, 2019, at UFC 241. However, it was reported on 30 July 2019 that Makdessi was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reason. Makdessi faced Francisco Trinaldo on March 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 170. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Makdessi faced Ignacio Bahamondes on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC 2. At the weigh-ins, Ignacio Bahamondes weighed in at 156.75 pounds, 0.75 pound over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Bahamondes was fined 20% of his individual purse, which went to Makdessi. Makdessi won the bout via split decision. Makdessi faced Nasrat Haqparast on September 3, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 209 ''UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 209'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 67'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 3, 2022, at Accor Arena in Paris, Fra ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

Fear the Fighter sponsorship controversy

Makdessi is listed as the president of the MMA apparel brand Fear the Fighter, which has sponsored several MMA and UFC fighters. Since 2014, a number of fighters have come forward with complaints, alleging that Fear the Fighter had failed to pay their respective sponsorship fees.

Akira Corassani Akira may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Akira'' (franchise), a Japanese cyberpunk franchise ** ''Akira'' (manga), a 1980s cyberpunk manga by Katsuhiro Otomo ** ''Akira'' (1988 film), an anime film adaptation of the manga ** ''Akira'' (vide ...

, Tim Elliott, John Dodson, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Gegard Mousasi have publicly made such allegations. In April 2015, Mousasi's management team stated that they had filed a lawsuit against Makdessi and Fear the Fighter due to their alleged failure to pay the outstanding debt owed to Mousasi.

Mixed martial arts record

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Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

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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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Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

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Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

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Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population ...

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Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

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, Quebec, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 , Alan Patrick , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 169 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

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, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Bendy Casimir , Decision (unanimous) , Mixed Fight League 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Lindsey Hawkes , TKO (punches) , Canadian Fighting Championship 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Brandon McArthur , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Ringside MMA: Rivalry , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , Drummondville, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Iraj Hadin , TKO (punches) , Ringside MMA: Rage Fighting , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:48 ,

, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Amir Uddin , TKO (punches) , XMMA 7: Inferno , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:06 ,

, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dan Dechaine , TKO (punches) , XMMA 6: House of Pain , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 ,

, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Todd Westcott , TKO (punches) , XMMA 5: It's Crow Time , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:06 ,

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References

External links

Official UFC Profile
*
The Official Home Page of John 'the Bull' Makdessi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makdessi, John 1985 births Canadian male karateka Canadian male kickboxers Canadian male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Canadian people of Lebanese descent Canadian male taekwondo practitioners Mixed martial artists utilizing Shotokan Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Living people Sportspeople from Halifax, Nova Scotia Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople of Lebanese descent