Justin Ross Edwards (born January 26, 1983) 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

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 boxe ...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Edwards has also 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 ...

, Bellator, and was a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos'' and '' The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption.''

Background

Edwards grew up in

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The city ...

, attending

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentuc ...

. There he participated in football and wrestling. Edwards also did

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...

that was not affiliated with his school. Upon graduating Edwards earned an athletic scholarship to play football at

Urbana University Urbana University was a private university specializing in liberal arts education and located in Urbana, Ohio. In its final few years, it was purchased by Franklin University and was a branch campus of that university. History Urbana University ...

Urbana, Ohio Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the War of 1812. It is t ...

. Edwards graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Criminal Justice. After graduating college Edwards picked up rugby until his work schedule wouldn't allow him to play.

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Edwards started training MMA in 2006 after seeing an MMA fight on television, and began training at a local gym the following day. In October 2006, Edwards made his amateur debut, winning via submission. He won his next five amateur fights, holding an undefeated 6–0 record before losing three straight fights and then deciding to go pro.

Early career

Edwards made his pro debut with a 30 second TKO win over ''Ultimate Fighter'' alumni, Josh Rafferty. His next bout took place at

Bellator 5 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 ...

against veteran John Troyer. Edwards won the fight via submission towards the end of round one. He then entered a one night tournament for the International Fighting Championship, winning the tournament with wins over Davarius Scaife and Daniel Stittgen – both via first round submission. Edwards won two more fights before appearing on The Ultimate Fighter.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

In 2011, Edwards had signed with the

to compete in '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos''. Edwards was flown in as a replacement fighter for Keon Caldwell, making Edwards a member of Team dos Santos. He had his first fight against eventual winner

Tony Ferguson Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla (born February 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight C ...

. Edwards lost after Ferguson threw an upkick that knocked him unconscious. He was set to appear in the wildcard round but was suspended 90 days and could not compete.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After losing in the preliminary round, Edwards remained signed after the show. He made his official UFC debut June 4, 2011 on

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos'' is the thirteenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on November 4, 2010, ...

card, fighting against castmate, Clay Harvison. He lost the fight via split decision. Edwards faced highly-touted prospect and Wand Fight Team product, Jorge Lopez, on September 17, 2011 at

UFC Fight Night 25 ''UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 25'' or ''UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 17, 2011 at the Ernest N. Moria ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards stepped in to fight newly-signed Englishman, John Maguire, at

UFC 138 ''UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2011 at LG Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the United S ...

Birmingham, England Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, following the withdrawal of James Head due to injury. After being taken down and controlled for most of the fight, Edwards lost via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). Edwards was expected to face Mike Stumpf on February 4, 2012 at

UFC 143 ''UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event organized by Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background An episode of UFC Primetime returned to promote the m ...

. However, Stumpf suffered an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Stephen Thompson. Edwards was also forced to pull out of the bout and was replaced by Dan Stittgen. Edwards faced

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. ...

on October 5, 2012 at

UFC on FX 5 ''UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot'' (also known as ''UFC on FX 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 5, 2012, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the fifth UFC event broadcast l ...

. Edwards leaped into an arm in guillotine and finished the fight 45 seconds into the first round via technical submission after choking Neer unconscious. The finish won him ''Submission of the Night'' honors. Edwards was expected to face Gunnar Nelson on February 16, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald. However, Edwards was forced to pull out of the bout citing an injury, and was replaced by returning veteran

Jorge Santiago Jorge Santiago Rodrigues (; born October 9, 1980) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the first Sengoku Middleweight Champion and is the former Strikeforce Middleweight Grand Prix Champion. He has also competed for the UFC, King ...

. Edwards faced promotional newcomer

Brandon Thatch Brandon Michael Mathew Thatch (born July 11, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Thatch was adopted at age five by his m ...

on August 28, 2013 at

UFC Fight Night 27 ''UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 27'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 28, 2013, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Backg ...

. He lost the bout via first round TKO. Edwards faced

Ramsey Nijem Pedro Ramsey Nijem ( ar, رامزي نجم, born April 1, 1988) is an American retired mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor from 2008 to 2021, Nijem is perhaps best known for his 10-fight stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championshi ...

in a Lightweight bout on January 15, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 35 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 35'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 15, 2014, at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1, and was ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Edwards was expected to face

Yancy Medeiros Yancy Medeiros Jr. (born September 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikefor ...

on August 30, 2014 at

UFC 177 ''UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Soto'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 30, 2014, at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. Background The event was originally planned to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev ...

. However, Edwards pulled out of the event in the days leading up to the event citing an injury. Medeiros ended up fighting promotional newcomer

Damon Jackson Damon Blake Jackson (born August 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, Jackson competed for Bellator MMA and King of the Cag ...

. Edwards faced

Joe Proctor Joseph Edward Proctor (born August 10, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Proctor was also a competitor o ...

on June 6, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 68 ''UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 68'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 6, 2015, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Background The event was expected to be headlined by a l ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight via submission with just seconds remaining in the final round. Subsequently, he was released from the promotion.

''The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''

In February 2017, it was revealed that Edwards would again compete on the UFC's reality show in the 25th season on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''. Edwards was the seventh pick overall for Team Garbrandt. He defeated

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 ...

in the opening round by unanimous decision. In the quarter finals Edwards lost to Tom Gallicchio by submission in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

*International Fighting Championships **IFC Grandprix Winner (2009) *

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 ...

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

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 10–7 , Willis Black , TKO (punches) , WXC 79: Warrior Wednesday 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

Southgate, Michigan Southgate is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 30,047 at the 2020 census. Southgate was incorporated as a city in October 1958, which was one of the last remaining portions of the now-defunct Ecorse Town ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6 , Carlo Prater , Submission (guillotine choke) , Premier Fighting Championship 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6 ,

Devonte Smith Devonte Smith (born July 30, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Smith started training mixed martial arts around the age of 14 after seeing Quin ...

, KO (punch) , Alliance MMA at the Arnold Sports Festival , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–5 , Cody Pahan , Submission (guillotine choke) , Fight Night at the Island: Saunders vs. Volkmann , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Welch, Minnesota Welch is an unincorporated community in Welch Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. Welch is along County 7 Boulevard near Highway 61, 36 miles southeast of St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩ� ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:58 ,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 ,

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

Duluth, Georgia Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, Duluth had a ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 , John Maguire , Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Jorge Lopez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Clay Harvison , Decision (split) ,

, , 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, 6–0 , Marcus Ajian , Submission (guillotine choke) , CNG Promotions: Queen City Meltdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Tony Parker , Submission (guillotine choke) , Extreme IT Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Findlay, Ohio Findlay ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Ohio, United States. The second-largest city in Northwest Ohio, Findlay lies about 40 miles (64 km) south of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 40,313 at the 2020 United St ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Dan Stittgen , Submission (guillotine choke) , IFC: Wiuff vs. Newcomb , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Davarius Scaife , Submission (armbar) , IFC: Wiuff vs. Newcomb , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

John Troyer John Troyer (3 February 1753 – 28 February 1842)Hugh F. Gingerich and Rachel W. Krider, ''Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies'', Masthof Press, Morgantown, PA, revised 2007 ed., pp. 526–527, #TY1. This genealogy gives several generations of ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Josh Rafferty , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 111 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Elizabeth, Indiana Elizabeth is a town in Posey Township, Harrison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 162 at the 2010 census. History The original plat of the town of Elizabeth was recorded on April 17, 1812. It was witnessed by Sheriff John Ti ...

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1-2 , Tom Gallicchio , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, ,

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 Vegas ...

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

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, KO (upkick) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 13 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos'' is the thirteenth installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on November 4, 2010, ...

, (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 ,

, United States ,

Amateur mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Mickey Hughes , Submission (armbar) , NAAFS: Columbus Night of Pain 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Konstandinos Angelas , Decision (split) , ICFA: Shamrock Showdown , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Troy Miller , Submission (rear-naked choke) , CSB 2: Caged Super Brawl 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

Celina, Ohio Celina ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Ohio, United States about 58 miles northwest of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton. The population was 10,400 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. Celina is situated on the northwestern sh ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jason Koehler , TKO (punches) , NOTW: Night of the Warrior , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Sean Lewis , TKO (punches) , NOTW: Night of the Warrior , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Joe Camacho , Submission (armbar) , Iron Tiger Challenge 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 ,

Bellefontaine, Ohio Bellefontaine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Ohio, Logan County, Ohio, United States, located 48 miles (77 km) northwest of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 13,370 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 Cens ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Chad Smith , TKO (punches) , MFC 6: Mega Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Dusty Jones , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 4: Mega Fighting Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:11 , London, Ohio, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Justin American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Greco-Roman wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1983 births American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Bellefontaine, Ohio Urbana University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Early career

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Ultimate Fighting Championship

''The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Amateur mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links