Justin Mark Eilers (June 28, 1978 – December 25, 2008)Eilers Shot Dead
– Sherdog.com, December 26, 2008 was an American 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 ...

, formerly with the UFC, WEC and

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 ...

. Known for his ground and pound as well as punching power, he won 18 of 19 career bouts via TKO/KO stoppage.

Biography

Justin Mark Eilers was raised in Nampa, Idaho, and developed an early love of football. He began

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

in the sixth grade and through Nampa High School, but he missed a football scholarship out of high school due to his low SAT scores, and soon took up

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

at a local school. He began competing in small full contact shows around

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

, where he met up and coming fighter Jens Pulver, who was fighting with the same promotion. Eilers was also friends with Mike Kyle and taught Kyle

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 ...

techniques when Kyle was a sophomore in high school. Eilers would actually end up fighting Kyle at UFC 49. After being accepted to

Butte College Butte College is a public community college in the Butte-Glenn Community College District in Chico and Orland, California. History After the passage of the 1960 Donahoe Act, the voters of Butte County created a local community college ...

near

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,18 ...

, Eilers left mixed martial arts behind for football, and was recruited by

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. He would go on to play for Iowa State for the next four years, After college, Eilers took time off to fully heal a shoulder injury. It was during this time that he had another chance meeting with Jens Pulver, who was now a popular fighter in the UFC. Pulver urged Eilers to try fighting again, and after a few months of training, he made his

MMA 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 ...

debut in 2002 facing

UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In addition to the Ultimate Fighting ...

Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "The Beast", is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed mart ...

at ''Victory Fighting Championships 3'' (a local Iowa MMA organization). He would lose the fight via decision, but the experience pushed Eilers to focus full-time on the sport of mixed martial arts. Just one month later Eilers returned to MMA competition, taking a quick KO victory over Jeff Gerlick at an ''Extreme Challenge'' event. Eilers went undefeated in his next 4 fights, before losing a close split decision victory to Cabbage Correira at ''SuperBrawl 30''. Coming off the loss to Cabbage, Eilers won his next five fights, all by KO, and was signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2004. His first fight in the octagon was against an old friend from high school, Mike Kyle at '' UFC 49''. Eilers knocked Kyle out in just 1:14 of the first round, but was suspended after the fight by the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers ...

due to injury sustained to his hand in the fight. He returned in February 2005 at ''

UFC 51 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 MM ...

'' to face top heavyweight contender

Paul Buentello Paul Anthony Buentello (born January 16, 1974) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1997, Buentello competed in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Affliction, King of the Cage, Shark Fights, ACB, Legacy ...

. Three minutes into the first round, Eilers was caught by a right hook from Buentello, which ended the fight. Four months later at ''

UFC 53 ''UFC 53: Heavy Hitters'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2005, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later ...

'', Eilers would get a title shot, facing

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...

. Unfortunately he would suffer another KO loss at the hands of the

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Arlovski. Eilers suffered extensive injuries in this match, breaking both hands, his jaw, and tearing his ACL. Following his loss to Arlovski, Eilers took eight months off, and returned to the octagon at ''

UFC 57 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 ...

'' to face Brandon Vera. In yet another brutal knock out, he was dazed by a high kick to the top right side of the head and then dropped by a vicious knee to the same area. Eilers was released from the UFC in 2006, and returned to MMA competition at ''Combat in the Cage 2'', finally scoring a KO victory (his first victory in almost 2 years) over Sherman Pendergarst. In June 2006, Eilers faced Jimmy Ambriz at

WEC 21 ''WEC 21: Tapout'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 15, 2006. ''WEC 21s main event was a fight between Rob McCullough and Ryan Healy. Results See also * World Extreme Cagefighting * List of World Extreme Cagefighting champ ...

, taking a TKO victory due to doctor stoppage. In his next five fights Eilers proceeded to beat Rocky Batastini (by submission due to strikes), Wade Hamilton (by submission due to strikes), Josh Diekmann (by TKO due to strikes), John Dixon (by submission due to strikes) and Jihoon Kim (by submission due to strikes). Eilers' winning streak came to an end when, on March 9, 2007, he lost to

Pedro Rizzo Pedro Augusto Rizzo (; born 3 May 1974) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed for the UFC, PRIDE, M-1 Global, and Affliction. Although he never captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Rizzo competed for i ...

by unanimous decision. The fight took place at the début show of the Undisputed Arena Fighting Championships, and was held in Dallas, Texas.

Death

At 10:45 p.m. on December 25, 2008, Eilers was shot during an apparent domestic dispute by his stepfather, 48-year-old James Robert Malec, at Malec's and his mother's residence in Nampa, Idaho. He died from a single gunshot to the chest. Malec, a former correctional officer, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.Eilers Shot Dead
SherdogMMA fighter Eilers shot to death in Idaho
International Herald Tribune All Eilers left behind a son, who was also in the home that night. Malec was convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Idaho Press

Championships and accomplishments

*International Fighting Championship **IFC U.S. Heavyweight Championship (One time) **IFC Battleground Heavyweight Championship (One time)http://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2004_Results/01-31-04IFC.pdf

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 19–7–1 , Antônio Silva , TKO (knees and punches) , EliteXC: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:19 , Stockton, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6–1 , Wade Shipp , TKO (punches) , IFC: Caged Combat , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:50 , Nampa, Idaho, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–6–1 , Matt Thompson , Decision (unanimous) , HDNet Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6–1 , Scott Hough , TKO (punches) , FSG: Coliseum Carnage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:11 , Ames, Iowa, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–6–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , AOW: Art of War 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5–1 , Ji Hoon Kim , TKO (submission to punches) , World Best Fighter: USA vs. Asia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5–1 , Josh Dixson , TKO (submission to punches) , Beatdown in Bakersfield , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:56 , Bakersfield, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 , Josh Diekmann , TKO (punches) , WEC 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , Wade Hamilton , TKO (submission to punches) , RMN MMA: Demolition , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5–1 , Rocky Batastini , TKO (submission to punches) , Xtreme Fight Series 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ar ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5–1 , Jimmy Ambriz , TKO (doctor stoppage) , WEC 21: Tapout , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Highland, California Highland (and neighboring "East Highlands") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population of the city was 53,104 as of the 2010 census, up from 44,605 at the 2000 census. The term ''Highland'' also refers to a geo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5–1 , Sherman Pendergarst , KO (punches) , Combat in the Cage 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:34 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5–1 , Brandon Vera , KO (head kick and knee) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

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, 9–4–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3–1 ,

, KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:34 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2–1 , Mike Kyle , KO (punch) , UFC 49 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2–1 , Mikhail Bogdanov , TKO (corner stoppage) , Euphoria: Russia vs USA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 , Vince Lucero , TKO (injury) , SuperBrawl 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:11 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2–1 , Rocky Batastini , TKO (punches) , IFC: Battleground Tahoe , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Lake Tahoe, Nevada Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2–1 , Gary Marshall , TKO (punches and elbows) , IFC: Battleground Boise , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2–1 , Brian Shepard , TKO (injury) , CFM: Octogono Extremo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 , Monterrey, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2–1 ,

Wesley Correira Wesley John Correira Jr. (born November 11, 1978), nicknamed Cabbage, is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. An iron chinned brawler, Correira began his career in 2000 and came to p ...

, Decision (split) , SB 30: Collision Course , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 3–1–1 ,

Jason Brilz Jason Brilz (born July 7, 1975) is a retired American mixed martial artist who most recently fought in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, he has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, and King of the Cage. Wrestling career ...

, Draw , VFC 4: Wildcard , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Johnathan Ivey , TKO (submission to punches) , Iowa Challenge 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Seth Peters , TKO (submission to punches) , Iowa Challenge 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Jeff Gerlick , KO (punch) , MMA Nationals 2002 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 , Davenport, Iowa, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , VFC 3: Total Chaos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States ,

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eilers, Justin 1978 births 2008 deaths Deaths by firearm in Idaho American male mixed martial artists American male karateka Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists from Idaho Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Iowa State Cyclones football players Male murder victims People from Nampa, Idaho People murdered in Idaho