Joseph Edward Proctor (born August 10, 1985) 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 ...

who most recently competed in the

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

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 ...

. A professional competitor since 2008, Proctor was also a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Live''.

Background

Proctor was born in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 101,636, making ...

, but raised in

Pembroke, Massachusetts Pembroke is a small historic town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Pembroke is a South Shore suburb of the Boston metropolitan area. The town is located about halfway between Boston and Cape Cod. The town is considered rural wi ...

. He attended the

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly Southeastern Massachusett ...

. Proctor worked in

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...

before a friend suggested he try

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subd ...

. Proctor began training at Lauzon MMA in

Bridgewater, Massachusetts Bridgewater is a town located in Plymouth County, in the state of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population was 28,633. Bridgewater is located approximately south of Boston and approximately 35 miles east ...

, with UFC veteran and submission specialist

Joe Lauzon Joseph Edward Lauzon Jr. (born May 22, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, competing in the UFC's Lightweight division. A well-rounded fighter, he has the fourth most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history, behind Donald Ce ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Proctor held an amateur record of 5-1 before starting his

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...

career in August 2008, winning his first fight by decision. Over the next three years he amassed a record of 7-1.

The Ultimate Fighter

Proctor was one of 32 Lightweight fighters announced by the UFC to participate in first live season of

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

reality show. Proctor won his way into the house when he defeated Jordan Rinaldi by a guillotine choke submission in the first round. With that victory, he was chosen as the fourth pick by Team Faber. Proctor won his next match against Team Cruz's seventh pick, Chris Tickle. He defeated Tickle with a rear-naked choke submission near the end of the first round, gaining entry into the quarter-finals. For his quarter-final fight, Proctor was matched up with striking specialist

James Vick James William Vick (born February 23, 1987) is a retired American mixed martial artist and boxer who formerly competed in the welterweight and lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Vick was a cast member of '' The U ...

. Proctor was unable to take Vick down in the fight and was outmatched on the feet. Proctor lost the fight by unanimous decision after the second round, thus eliminating him from the competition.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Proctor made his UFC debut against fellow cast member Jeremy Larsen on June 1, 2012, at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale. He won the fight via TKO due to a combination of a knee and punches in the first round. Proctor next 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 ...

on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Proctor was expected to face

Al Iaquinta Al Iaquinta (born April 30, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, having once challenged for the Lightweight championship belt. A professional ...

on April 27, 2013, at UFC 159. However, the bout was scrapped as both fighters sustained training injuries leading up to the fight. Proctor faced Cristiano Marcello on February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Proctor faced Justin Salas on July 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 45. Proctor won the bout via second-round TKO. Proctor faced

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 December 12, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale. He lost the fight via submission in the first round after being dropping with a spinning back kick to the body. Proctor faced Justin Edwards on June 6, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 68. He won the back-and-forth fight via submission with just seconds remaining in the final round, resulting in the latest submission win in the UFC Lightweight division. Proctor faced Magomed Mustafaev on December 12, 2015, at UFC 194. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Proctor was expected to face

Erik Koch Erik Jon Koch (born October 4, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he formerly competed for the WEC. Background Koch wa ...

on May 29, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 88 ''UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 88'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 29, 2016, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background A bantamweight bout between top undefeated p ...

. However, Proctor pulled out of the fight on April 21 citing injury and was replaced by Shane Campbell. Proctor faced

Bryan Barberena Bryan Paul Barberena (born May 3, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also competed for King of the Cage. B ...

on April 22, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 108. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

*Reality Fighting **RF Lightweight Championship (One time) *American Fighting Organization **AFO Lightweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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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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Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

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Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

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Matt Bessette Matthew James Bessette (born December 28, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist currently competing in CES MMA where he is the reigning Featherweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for Bellato ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Eric Fama , Submission (guillotine choke) , Reality Fighting: Mohegan Sun , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:22 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Luis Felix , TKO (punches) , AFO: Thanksgiving Massacre 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:24 ,

Mansfield, Massachusetts Mansfield is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2020 Census, the town population is 23,860. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island. The vill ...

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Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

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Westport, Massachusetts Westport (Massachusett: ) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,339 at the 2020 census. The village of North Westport lies in the town. Other named areas of the town are "Westport Point," which has a do ...

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jordan Rinaldi , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Live , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Proctor, Joe American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People from Pembroke, Massachusetts 1985 births Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Dartmouth alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu