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Javier Vazquez (fighter)

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Javier Vazquez
BornLuis Javier Vazquez
(1977-04-27) April 27, 1977 (age 47)
Santiago, Cuba
Other namesShowtime
ResidenceRancho Cucamonga, California, United States
NationalityCuban
American
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
DivisionLightweight
Featherweight
Reach69 in (175 cm)
StyleBrazilian jiu-jitsu, Submission wrestling
Fighting out ofPomona, California, United States
Teacher(s)Rodrigo Medeiros
Rank5th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active1998–2013
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins16
By submission11
By decision5
Losses5
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  Cuba
Men's Submission Wrestling
ADCC North American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Vernon -66kg

Luis Javier Vazquez (born April 27, 1977) is a retired Cuban-American mixed martial artist. A professional from 1998 until 2011, he competed for the UFC, WEC, Shooto, ShoXC, EliteXC, and King of the Cage. He is the former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion.

Early life

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Born in Santiago, Cuba, on April 27, 1977, Javier Vazquez came to the United States at the age of four. He grew up in El Monte, California, and started wrestling as a sophomore at Arroyo High School at the age of 15. In 1994, he placed 3rd at the CIF wrestling tournament and continued his stellar high school career by placing 4th in the Southern Section Masters tournament. He was just one match away from placing in the high school state wrestling championships, ending up in the top 12 in the state at 130 lbs. He was voted team captain in both his junior and senior years.

Vazquez continued his wrestling career at Mt. San Antonio College where he again proved himself to be one of "the best of the best" by finishing 7th in the state and being voted team captain for his leadership on and off the mat.[2]

In 1997, Vazquez started learning jiu-jitsu with the renowned Carlson Gracie Team. He competed in every jiu-jitsu and submission tournament he could and eventually found himself participating in mixed martial arts (MMA). His first no-holds-barred matches were at Neutral Grounds 5 in 1998. Several more fights in smaller venues followed, and he then took time off from fighting to train and compete in jiu-jitsu. After only five years of training, he earned his black belt from the Carlson Gracie Team.[2] In 2005, Vazquez won the North American trials for the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, but dropped out before competition due to a groin injury.

MMA career

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Early career

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In December 2009, Vazquez was named the "most inspirational performance of the decade" in MMA by Sports Illustrated magazine for his fight against Alberto Crane where he fought three rounds with a torn ACL. He went on to fight for Elite XC and was able to break free from his contract before the company folded. He signed to fight against LC Davis at Affliction: Trilogy, but the event folded 10 days before the fight was supposed to take place.

World Extreme Cagefighting

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Vazquez then signed with WEC and made his promotional debut against Davis at WEC 42, In a major upset, Vazquez lost a controversial split decision to Davis. Vazquez rebounded quickly as he replaced an injured Mark Hominick against Deividas Taurosevicius at WEC 43 but lost another split decision.

Vazquez faced and defeated former UFC Lightweight Champion and former WEC featherweight title challenger Jens Pulver via armbar on March 6, 2010, at WEC 47.[3] He defeated decorated grappler Mackens Semerzier via second round submission on August 18, 2010, at WEC 50.[4] Vazquez was defeated by Chad Mendes via unanimous decision on November 11, 2010, at WEC 52.[5]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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In October 2010, WEC merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[6] Vazquez defeated The Ultimate Fighter 2 winner and former lightweight title contender Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision on June 26, 2011, at UFC on Versus 4.[7]

On January 13, 2013, Vazquez announced on Sherdog Radio Network's Rewind show that he has officially retired from MMA competition.[8]

Personal life

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In 2005, Vazquez married Rose Gracie, the daughter of Rorion Gracie and granddaughter of Hélio Gracie. They had two children together.[2] In 2017, they subsequently filed for divorce. Vazquez was concurrently diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.[9] After undergoing Gerson therapy and defeating cancer, Vazquez opened Javier Vazquez Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He has recently taken up cycling.[10]

Instructor lineage

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Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Carlson Gracie Sr. → Rodrigo Medeiros → Javier Vazquez

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
21 matches 16 wins 5 losses
By submission 11 0
By decision 5 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–5 Joe Stevenson Decision (unanimous) UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry June 26, 2011 3 5:00 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss 15–5 Chad Mendes Decision (unanimous) WEC 52 November 11, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–4 Mackens Semerzier Submission (rear-naked choke) WEC 50 August 18, 2010 2 1:35 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–4 Jens Pulver Submission (armbar) WEC 47 March 6, 2010 1 3:41 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Loss 13–4 Deividas Taurosevicius Decision (split) WEC 43 October 10, 2009 3 5:00 San Antonio, Texas, United States
Loss 13–3 LC Davis Decision (split) WEC 42 August 9, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–2 Mark Kergosien Submission (guillotine choke) Ultimate Chaos June 27, 2009 1 0:59 Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win 12–2 JC Pennington Submission (rear-naked choke) ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series October 26, 2007 1 1:15 Santa Ynez, California, United States Featherweight debut.
Win 11–2 Adriano Pereira Decision (split) EliteXC: Destiny February 10, 2007 3 5:00 Southaven, Mississippi, United States
Win 10–2 Rob Emerson Decision (split) Shooto: Warrior Spirit:Evolution November 14, 2003 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 9–2 Alberto Crane Decision (split) KOTC 21: Invasion February 21, 2003 3 5:00 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Lost the KOTC Lightweight Championship.
Win 9–1 David Gardner Submission (kneebar) KOTC 16: Double Cross August 2, 2002 1 4:31 San Jacinto, California, United States Defended the KOTC Lightweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Rumina Sato Decision (unanimous) Shooto: Treasure Hunt 7 June 29, 2002 3 5:00 Osaka, Japan
Win 7–1 Sean Wilmot Submission (armbar) KOTC 13: Revolution May 17, 2002 1 1:57 Reno, Nevada, United States Defended the KOTC Lightweight Championship.
Win 6–1 Philip Perez Submission (triangle choke) KOTC 10: Critical Mass August 4, 2001 2 3:58 San Jacinto, California, United States Won the KOTC Lightweight Championship.
Win 5–1 Farrell Frisby Submission (heel hook) KOTC 9: Showtime June 23, 2001 1 0:48 San Jacinto, California, United States
Win 4–1 Antonio Emae Submission (injury) KOTC 3: Knockout Nightmare April 15, 2000 1 1:42 San Jacinto, California, United States
Win 3–1 Louie Cercedez Submission (armbar) Empire 1 Official August 15, 1999 1 N/A Corona, California, United States
Loss 2–1 Victor Hunsaker Decision (split) Neutral Grounds 5 June 28, 1998 1 11:00 United States
Win 2–0 Kim Kellenberger Decision (unanimous) 1 11:00
Win 1–0 Sean Kim Submission (armbar) 1 1:37

References

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  1. ^ Rodrigo Medeiros BJJ Revolution Team Black Belts. URL accessed on June 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Javier Vazquez Biography Archived 2010-03-23 at the Wayback Machine. URL accessed on March 21, 2010.
  3. ^ "Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez in the works for WEC 47 in March". MMAJunkie.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  4. ^ "Javier Vazquez vs. Mackens Semerzier added to WEC 50 prelims". mmajunkie.com. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on June 27, 2010.
  5. ^ "WEC 52 additions include Mendes-Vazquez". MMAjunkie.com. September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010.
  6. ^ "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012.
  7. ^ "Joe Stevenson heads to featherweight, meets Javier Vazquez at UFC on Versus 4". mmajunkie.com. April 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 6, 2011.
  8. ^ "With Fights Still Left on UFC Contract, Javier 'Showtime' Vazquez Officially Announces Retirement".
  9. ^ BJJEE (August 16, 2017). "Javi Vasquez Reveals Struggle With Colon Cancer, Is Asking For Help". Bjj Eastern Europe. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dare to Win (Javier Vazquez Documentary)". YouTube. April 29, 2019.
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