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) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, 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 Decem ...

. 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 Nampa () is the most populous city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 100,200 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is Idaho's List of cities in Idaho, third-most populous city. Nampa is about west of Boise, Id ...

, and developed an early love of football. He began

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

in the sixth grade and through

Nampa High School Nampa High School is a four-year public secondary school in Nampa, Idaho, the oldest of three high schools operated by the Nampa School District #131. The school colors are red white and blue and the mascot is a bulldog. Athletics Nampa com ...

, but he missed a football scholarship out of high school due to his low

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

scores, and soon took up

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

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

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, 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 ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

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, Orland, and Oroville, California. History After the passage of the 1960 Donahoe Act, the voters of Butte County created a local community ...

near

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 United Sta ...

, 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 university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

as a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. 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) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

debut in 2002 facing

UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, 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 a ...

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

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, kickboxer ...

due to injury sustained to his hand in the fight. He returned in February 2005 at '' UFC 51'' to face top heavyweight contender Paul Buentello. 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. Unfortunately he would suffer another KO loss at the hands of the UFC Heavyweight Champion 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'' to face

Brandon Vera Brandon Michael Vera (born October 10, 1977), or also known by his ring name as The Truth, is a Filipino and American retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavyweight Grand Prix Champ ...

. 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, 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 ...

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

. 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, , Antônio Silva , TKO (knees and punches) , EliteXC: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:19 ,

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6–1 , Wade Shipp , TKO (punches) , IFC: Caged Combat , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:50 ,

, 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 a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

, 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 Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, 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 Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 , Josh Diekmann , TKO (punches) , WEC 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

, 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 List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

, 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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5–1 , Sherman Pendergarst , KO (punches) , Combat in the Cage 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:34 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5–1 ,

, KO (head kick and knee) , UFC 57 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4–1 , Andrei Arlovski , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3–1 , Paul Buentello , KO (punch) , UFC 51 , , 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 ,

, 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, 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, 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 Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2–1 , Wesley Correira , Decision (split) , SB 30: Collision Course , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 3–1–1 , Jason Brilz , Draw , VFC 4: Wildcard , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, 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 Marshall County, Iowa, and is the county seat of the county. With a population of 27,591 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the 16th largest city in the state. Marshalltown is home to the Iowa Vetera ...

, 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, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

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

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

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References

External links