Jordan Andrew Espinosa (born November 8, 1989) 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, incorpo ...

competing in the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

division. He is most notable for his time in 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

Espinosa wrestled with the

West Mesa High School West Mesa High School (WMHS) is a public senior high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, located on the city's West Mesa. It is a part of the Albuquerque Public Schools. The school colors are scarlet, royal blue and white, and their mascot is t ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

. He won the state championship as a sophomore, placed third as a junior and second in his senior year. At the national level, he was a five time Southwest Nationals Champion. Espinosa attended the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

where he received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Computer Engineering.

Mixed martial arts career

Amateur career

Epinosa made his amateur debut in June 2009, beginning his career as a flyweight. His third opponent was Ronnie White, whom he defeated by TKO due to punches. In his fifth amateur fight, he faced

Joby Sanchez David Joby Sanchez (born June 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional mixed martial artist since 2011, Sanchez has also competed in the U ...

for the Que Loco CF Bantamweight title. Espinosa lost by submission in the third round. His sixth amateur fight would beagainst Jeremy Robledo. Espinosa won a unanimous decision. Espinosa achieved victory in his next three fights as well, with submission wins over Corey Cline and Noah Gagstatter, as well as a decision victory over Aaron Arvanitis. Espinosa finished his amateur career with a 8–1 record.

Early career

Espinosa made his professional debut in 2012 at Fostoria Fight Night, where he faced Joshua Killion. Espinosa won the fight by way of brabo choke. Prior to appearing on

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been move ...

, Espinosa had amassed a 10–5 record, finishing eight of his ten wins. During this time he won the TSE Bantamweight title, with a decision win over Brett Roller, and had spent the first part of his mixed martial arts career as a

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

, and fought two catchweight bouts. Espinosa faced Nick Urso in a rematch on August 22, 2017 at Dana White's Contender Series 7 , after their first fight in the regional circuit ended in a no contest. He won the rematch by a technical submission via a d'arce choke. However, he was not awarded a UFC contract after this win. Espinosa then faced C.J. Hamilton at an Alliance MMA event in March 2018 and won by split decision. Returning to the Contender Series, he fought Riley Dutro during Dana White's Contender Series 12. Espinosa won the fight by TKO at the very end of the third round. Following the win, Espinosa was awarded a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Espinosa was scheduled to make his UFC debut on November 10, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez against

Mark De La Rosa Mark Anthony De La Rosa (born August 31, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA) who fights in the flyweight division. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background De La Rosa was born in Fort Worth, Texas in the U ...

. However, prior to the fight, Epsinosa suffered a knee injury and was replaced by

. Espinosa subsequently made his debut on March 23, 2019 against Eric Shelton at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis. Espinosa won the fight by unanimous decision. Espinosa's next faced

Matt Schnell Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alli ...

at UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler on August 3, 2019. He lost in the first round by triangle choke submission. Espinosa next faced Alex Perez at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos on January 25, 2020. He lost the fight in the first round by technical submission due to an arm triangle choke. Espinosa was scheduled to face Zhalgas Zhumagulov at a UFC in Kazakhstan on June 13, 2020. However, the event for Kazakhstan was later cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and moved to a location in the United States. Espinosa faced

at UFC on ESPN: Eye vs. Calvillo on June 13, 2020. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Espinosa faced

David Dvořák David Dvořák (born June 5, 1992) is a Czech mixed martial artist. A professional since 2010, he currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 19, 2022, he is #10 in the UFC flyweight ...

on September 19, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Espinosa was expected to face

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Flyweight Champion. He has been profes ...

on January 16, 2021 at UFC on ABC 1. However, Espinosa tested positive for COVID-19 in late December and the pairing was moved to

UFC 259 ''UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. Espinosa lost the fight via unanimous decision. On March 11, 2021, it was announced that Espinosa was released from the UFC.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–10 (1) , Jose Zarauz , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Combate Global - Reyes vs. Gomez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:19 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

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 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Eye vs. Calvillo , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7 (1) , Alex Perez , Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 (1) ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Eric Shelton , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 (1) , Riley Dutro , TKO (punches) , Dana White's Contender Series 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 (1) , C.J. Hamilton , Decision (split) , Alliance MMA at the Arnold Sports Festival , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Columbus, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 (1) , Nick Urso , Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) , Dana White's Contender Series 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5 (1) , Bobby Escalante , Submission (brabo choke) , Global Knockout 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Jackson, California Jackson (formerly, Botilleas, Botilleas Spring, Bottileas, Bottle Spring, and Botellas) is a city in and the county seat of Amador County, California. Its population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census. The city is acc ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5 (1) , Dinis Paiva , Decision (unanimous) , CES MMA 41 - Bessette vs. Croom , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lincoln, Rhode Island Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical ar ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 (1) , Brett Roller , Decision (unanimous) , TSE - Rocky Mountain Rubicon 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fountain, Colorado The City of Fountain is a home rule municipality located in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 29,802 at the 2020 United States Census, a +15.31% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Fountain is a part of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 (1) , John Dirham , TKO (punches) , New League Fights - The Takeover , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Montpelier, Ohio Montpelier is a village in Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,072 at the 2010 census. History Montpelier was platted in 1845. The village was named after Montpelier, Vermont. A post office has been in operation at Montp ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 7–4 (1) , Nick Urso , NC (illegal strikes) , Jackson's MMA Series 17 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 , Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Jordan Morales , Submission (brabo choke) , PA Cage Fight 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the secon ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Rafael de Freitas , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy Fighting Championship 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb of Dallas. According to the 2020 U.S. census its population was 104,627, up from 84,246 in 2010. Allen is located approximately twenty miles (32.2 km) nort ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–4 , Jeremy Pender , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiators of the Cage: The Road to Glory 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Cleveland, Ohio, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–4 , Chris Dunn , Decision (unanimous) , Turf Wars 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Florence, Kentucky Florence is a home rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. Florence is the second largest city located in Northern Kentucky, after Covington, and part of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. The population was 31,946 at ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Robert Browning , Submission (choke) , Bluegrass Brawl 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 , Lexington, Kentucky, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Rico DiSciullo , Decision (unanimous) , CES MMA 23 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Dominic Mazzotta , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Gladiators of the Cage: The North Shore's Rise to Power 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Tim Sosa , Submission (brabo choke) , XFC 25: Boiling Point , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 , Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Andrew Cseh , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rocktagon MMA 26: Veni, Vidi, Vici , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 , Cleveland, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , David Vigil , Submission , Dollar D Promotions: Rattler Rumble , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 , La Junta, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Joshua Killion , Submission (brabo choke) , Golden Lotus Productions: Fostoria Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Fostoria, Ohio Fostoria (, ) is a city located at the convergence of Hancock, Seneca, and Wood counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is approximately south of Toledo and north of Columbus. The city is known for its railroads, as ap ...

, United States , , -

Amateur mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Noah Gagstatter , Submission (strikes) , Kentucky Fighting Challenge 07/30/11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon a southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West Virginia. The population was 21,6 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Aaron Arvanitis , Decision (unanimous) , NAAFS Proving Ground Series 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:30 , Streetsboro, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Corey Cline , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Boyz Gone Bad 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

Ashville, Ohio Ashville is a village in Pickaway County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,097 at the 2010 census. Ashville is located five miles south of Columbus and six miles north of Circleville. History Long before the American settlement of Ohio ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Jeremy Robledo , Decision (unanimous) , Campus Cage Fights , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3:00 , Alamosa, Colorado, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Submission , Que Loco Cage Fighting - Unstoppable , , align=center, 3 , align=center, ? , Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ronnie White , TKO (punches) , New Mexico Cage Fighting 4/17/10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 , Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinosa, Jordan 1989 births American male mixed martial artists People from Findlay, Ohio Mixed martial artists from Ohio Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists from New Mexico Sportspeople from Albuquerque, New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni Living people Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters