Joseph Angel Soto (born March 22, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the

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 ...

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 ...

(UFC). A professional competitor since 2006, Soto has also formerly competed for Bellator Fighting Championships, where he was the inaugural Bellator Featherweight World Champion and first ever winner of their Featherweight Tournament, and for

Tachi Palace Fights Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which hosted events at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Matchmaker for TPF was former fighter Richard Goodman. Regarded as a regional promotion, ...

where he is the former Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Champion.

Background

At the time Soto was born, the fourth son, his parents were struggling financially, with his father working as a garbage man and his mother as a house cleaner. Soto grew up in a very religious

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

family, attending church with his family weekly. Soto went to

Porterville High School Porterville High School is located in Porterville, California. The school was erected in 1896. Part of the Porterville Unified School District. Has students enrolled from 9–12 grade. It is named for the city of Porterville. Timeline ;1896 The h ...

in California where he was on the wrestling team and won a California state title. Soto got an athletic scholarship to

Iowa Central Community College Iowa Central Community College is a public community college in Fort Dodge, Iowa, with satellite campuses in Webster City and Storm Lake. History The college was organized in 1966 on the foundation of three area junior colleges which had been ...

was a 2x NJCAA All-American. There Soto wrestled with

Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC L ...

and fellow Mexican American

Cain Velasquez Caín Ramirez Velasquez (born July 28, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist, currently appearing for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He is widely known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, ...

plus Colby Covington. Soto and Jones were also roommates during their freshmen and sophomore years.

Mixed martial arts

Soto began training mixed martial arts after meeting another fighter who agreed to train him in his garage. Soto began training and took his first fight at a Gladiator Challenge event. Soto won the fight midway in the first round via technical knockout. Soto compiled a 4-0 record before getting signed to Bellator Fighting Championships.

Bellator

Soto joined Bellator by entering their Season One Featherweight Tournament. Soto made his debut defeating Ben Greer at

Bellator 1 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 t ...

. In Soto's semi-final fight, which took place May 8 at

Bellator 6 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 dominated

Wilson Reis Wilson Reis Monte Alto Gonçalves (born January 6, 1985, in Januária) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. Reis is the former EliteXC Bantamweight Champion and has also competed for UFC, Bellator, ShoXC ...

from the opening bell with impeccable takedown defense and superior striking. Despite being a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the only

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

Featherweight Champion, Reis could never get the fight to the ground. Soto advanced to the Bellator Featherweight Finals and took on

Yahir Reyes Yahir Reyes (born August 14, 1985) is a Mexican former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2002 until 2010, he competed for Bellator. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 14-7 , Richard Schiller ...

. Soto won the fight by submission in the second round and became the first Bellator Featherweight Champion. A few days before the championships, Soto cut his eyelid while wrestling during a warm-up and had to go to the hospital. Knowing stitches were not an option, he and his friends went to a beauty parlor to have the cut covered with make-up. While the doctor was inspecting Soto, his camp made sure to crack jokes and distract the specialist from noticing the cut over his eye. At

Bellator 19 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010 and ended June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and ...

, Soto fought Diego Saraiva in a "Super Fight". Soto won the fight after cage side doctors said Saraiva was unable to continue because of a cut on his forehead. Soto had his first title defense in the third season, taking on the winner of the Season Two Featherweight Tournament, Joe Warren. Following a dominant first round Soto was knocked unconscious by Warren at 0:33 of the second round. In the fight, Soto suffered a detached retina and was forced to stay away from fighting for nearly a year. Bellator promoter, Bjorn Rebney, stated that Soto was eligible to drop down a weight class for Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament with a win at

Tachi Palace Fights 10 Tachi Palace Fights 10 was a mixed martial arts event held by Tachi Palace Fights (TPF), on August 5, 2011 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. Background Former TPF Featherweight Champion Isaac De Jesus was scheduled ...

. Soto lost to Eddie Yagin by first-round submission, and was replaced in the tournament. After the loss to Yagin, Soto was released from his Bellator contract.

Tachi Palace Fights

In January 2012 Soto picked up a win over Chris David and was signed to fight for

. Soto fought his first TPF fight on May 10, 2012 against former WEC fighter, Chad George. Soto won the fight via second-round submission.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In August 2014 Soto signed a deal with 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 ...

. Soto was expected to face Anthony Birchak 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, ...

. However, the day of the weigh-ins,

Renan Barão Renan Mota do Nascimento Pegado (born 31 January 1987), better known as Renan Barão, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the former UFC Bantamweight Champion. He held one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history - follo ...

had to be admitted to the hospital as a result of his attempts to cut weight. Soto stepped up and faced champion

T.J. Dillashaw Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw (born February 7, 1986) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Dillashaw competed on ...

in the main event. He lost the fight via knockout in the fifth round. A rescheduled bout with Anthony Birchak took place 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 ...

. Soto lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Soto faced

Michinori Tanaka is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional mixed martial artist since 2010, Tanaka has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts car ...

on January 2, 2016 at

UFC 195 ''UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event held on January 2, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was expected to feature a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between then-und ...

, filling in for an injured

Russell Doane Russell Allan Doane is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Champion and King of the Cage Flyweigh ...

. He lost the fight by split decision. Soto next faced

Chris Beal Chris Beal (born August 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Beal wrestled at Ventura High School where he placed second at the state c ...

on June 18, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 89 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 89'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 18, 2016 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the first that the promotion has hoste ...

. He won the back and forth fight via submission in the third round. Soto was tabbed as a short notice replacement to face

Marco Beltrán Marco Antonio Beltrán García (born May 18, 1986) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes mainly in the bantamweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2008, Beltrán has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

in a catchweight bout on November 5, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Soto faced

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in t ...

on March 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Soto faced

Brett Johns Thomas Brett Johns (born 21 February 1992) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. Prior to signing with Bellator, Johns competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

on December 1, 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale. He lost the fight via submission in round one. Soto faced

Iuri Alcântara Iuri Alcântara (born 4 August 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Alcântara mostly fought in Brazil before signing with World Extreme Cagefighting ...

on February 3, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 125 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 125'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on February 3, 2018, at Arena Guilherme Paraense in Belém, Brazil. Background Wh ...

. The bout with Alcântara marked the last fight of Soto's four-fight contract with UFC. He lost the fight via TKO due to strikes in the first round. On August 28, 2018, it was reported that Soto was released by UFC.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

On August 15, 2015 Soto competed in

Eddie Bravo Invitational Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology * Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

4 (The Bantamweights). Soto entered the competition as an underdog, and his first bout was against Eddie Fyvie. Soto won the bout via heel hook in the opening round. Soto then progressed into the quarterfinals, where he faced 2 time EBI champion Geo Martinez. He won the bout via quickest escape time during overtime. Soto then progressed into the semifinals, where he faced Joao Miyao (another world-class opponent). He won the bout via quickest escape time during overtime. Soto then progressed to the finals, where he faced leg lock specialist and favourite of the competition Eddie Cummings. Soto defended many of Cummings' leg lock attempts for several minutes until finally succumbing to a heel hook.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** TPF Bantamweight Championship (One time) * Bellator Fighting Championships ** Bellator Featherweight World Championship (One time; first) ** Bellator Season One Featherweight Tournament Winner

Amateur wrestling

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

Junior Collegiate Championship Runner-up (2007) **

Junior Collegiate Championship 3rd Place (2006) **

All-American (2006, 2007) *National High School Coaches Association **NHSCA Senior All-American (2005) *

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a s ...

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

High School State Championship (2005) **

All-State (2003, 2005) **

Central Section Championship (2005)

Grappling

EBI Ebrahim Hamedi ( fa, اِبراهیم حامدی, also Romanized as "Ebrāhim Hāmedi"; born 1949), better known by his stage name Ebi (Persian: ), is an Iranian pop singer who first started his career in Tehran, gaining fame as part of a ban ...

4 Finalist (2015)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 ,

, TKO (body kick and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 ,

, Submission (calf slicer) , The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

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 ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Fortaleza, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 ,

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Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Decision (split) ,

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

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 , Anthony Birchak , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

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

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2:20 ,

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, 15–2 , Terrion Ware , Submission (north-south choke) , Tachi Palace Fights 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:48 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Jeremiah Labiano , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Tachi Palace Fights 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:16 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Cory Vom Baur , Submission (guillotine choke) , Tachi Palace Fights 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:36 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Chad George , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Tachi Palace Fights 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:01 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Chris David , Submission (rear-naked choke) , TWC 13: Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:28 ,

Porterville, California Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia Metropolitan Area, Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. Since its incorporation in 1 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Romeo McCovey , Decision (unanimous) , NFF: Norcal Fight Fest , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Blue Lake, California Blue Lake (formerly, Scottsville) is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Blue Lake is located on the Mad River in a deep valley, northeast of Eureka, at an elevation of 131 feet (40 m). Its population is 1,208 as of the 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Eddie Yagin , Submission (guillotine choke) , TPF 10: Let The Chips Fall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Joe Warren , KO (knee and punches) , Bellator 27 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:33 ,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Diego Saraiva , TKO (doctor stoppage) ,

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Grand Prairie, Texas Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties of Texas, in the United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Mike Christensen , Submission (gogoplata) , TPF 1: Tachi Palace Fights 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

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 ...

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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, ...

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Robstown, Texas Robstown is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Corpus Christi. It was founded about 1906, and was named for Robert Driscoll. The population was 11,487 as of the 2010 census. The Texas State Legislature offi ...

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Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

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References

External links

* *
Bellator Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soto, Joe American male mixed martial artists American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bellator MMA champions 1987 births Living people Mixed martial artists from California People from Porterville, California People from Tulare County, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Background

Mixed martial arts

Bellator

Tachi Palace Fights

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Amateur wrestling

Grappling

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links