Carlos Enrique Valencia is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 mixed martial artist (MMA). He has fought for the WEC

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

 and UFC in their bantamweight

Bantamweight

Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

 divisions..

Early life

Valencia grew up in Rosemead, California

Rosemead, California

Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 53,764. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian...

 as the son of a machinist for an aerospace company and a stay-at-home mother. He has three brothers, two older and one younger.He attended Mark Keppel High in Monterey Park, California

Monterey Park, California

Monterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...

. He took sixth in the state championships in his senior year. After high school, he went on to East Los Angeles College where he won a junior college state championship. He moved on to Fresno State where he had a successful career on the Bulldogs wrestling team. He graduated from Fresno State in 1995.

Mixed Marital Arts career

Valencia made his WEC

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

 debut on March 24, 2007 at WEC 26

WEC 26

WEC 26: Condit vs. Alessio was the second mixed martial arts event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting under Zuffa management. The event was held on March 24, 2007. WEC 26 hosted three title fights on March 24. The first of the title fights was for the WEC Bantamweight Title, between challenger,...

 and was victorious over Antonio Banuelos

Antonio Banuelos

Juan Antonio Banuelos is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...

 via KO. Valencia defeated Ian McCall

Ian McCall (fighter)

Ian McCall is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2002, McCall has fought for World Extreme Cagefighting among other organizations. He recently defeated the #1 ranked flyweight fighter in the world, Jussier...

 at WEC 31

WEC 31

WEC 31: Faber vs. Curran was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting . The event took place on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and was aired live on the Versus Network....

 via submission (guillotine choke

Guillotine choke

The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...

) at 3:19 of the first round. He most recently defeated Coty Wheeler

Coty Wheeler

Coty Wheeler is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the WEC. He lost his fight to Charlie Valencia at WEC 43 on October 10, 2009.Wheeler lost to Will Campuzano via unanimous decision on January 10, 2010 at WEC 46...

 on October 10, 2009 at WEC 43

WEC 43

WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 10, 2009 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.-Background:...

.

Valencia most recently defeated Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese striker Akitoshi Tamura

Akitoshi Tamura

Akitoshi Tamura is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed almost exclusively in the Shooto organization, before making his debut at the WEC 37. In 2007, he was the lightweight champion of Shooto. He was once ranked as the #5 Bantamweight in the world by the MMAWeekly Worldwide Ranking System...

 on January 10, 2010 at WEC 46

WEC 46

WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 10, 2010. It took place at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California.-Background:...

.

Valencia was scheduled to face former WEC Bantamweight Champion Eddie Wineland

Eddie Wineland

Eddie Wineland is an American professional mixed martial artist from Highland, Indiana who fights in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Wineland is a former World Extreme Cagefighting Bantamweight Champion...

 on June 20, 2010 at WEC 49

WEC 49

WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 20, 2010 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.-Background:...

, but Valencia was forced off the card with an injury.

Valencia faced former WEC Bantaweight Champion Miguel Torres

Miguel Torres (fighter)

Miguel Angel Torres is an American mixed martial artist who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. He is a former WEC Bantamweight champion. Prior to fighting with the WEC, Torres also held the bantamweight title for the US Shooto organization, as well as for the Ironheart Crown...

 on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51

WEC 51

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on September 30, 2010 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event was the first that the WEC hosted in Colorado.-Background:...

. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

 merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

Valencia faced Ivan Menjivar

Ivan Menjivar

Ivan Menjivar is a Salvadoran-Canadian professional mixed martial artist currently fighting in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Mixed martial arts career:...

 on April 30, 2011 at UFC 129

UFC 129

UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.-Background:...

. Valencia lost via first round TKO after a series of elbow strikes and punches.

After the loss, Valencia was released from the promotion.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Loss
|align=center| 12–7
|   Ivan Menjivar

Ivan Menjivar

Ivan Menjivar is a Salvadoran-Canadian professional mixed martial artist currently fighting in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Mixed martial arts career:...

| TKO (elbow and punches)
| UFC 129

UFC 129

UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.-Background:...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:30
|Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 12–6
|   Miguel Torres

Miguel Torres (fighter)

Miguel Angel Torres is an American mixed martial artist who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. He is a former WEC Bantamweight champion. Prior to fighting with the WEC, Torres also held the bantamweight title for the US Shooto organization, as well as for the Ironheart Crown...

| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| WEC 51

WEC 51

WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on September 30, 2010 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event was the first that the WEC hosted in Colorado.-Background:...

|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 2:25
|Broomfield, Colorado

Broomfield, Colorado

The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–5
|   Akitoshi Tamura

Akitoshi Tamura

Akitoshi Tamura is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed almost exclusively in the Shooto organization, before making his debut at the WEC 37. In 2007, he was the lightweight champion of Shooto. He was once ranked as the #5 Bantamweight in the world by the MMAWeekly Worldwide Ranking System...

| Decision (spilt)
| WEC 46

WEC 46

WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 10, 2010. It took place at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California.-Background:...

|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–5
|   Coty Wheeler

Coty Wheeler

Coty Wheeler is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights for the WEC. He lost his fight to Charlie Valencia at WEC 43 on October 10, 2009.Wheeler lost to Will Campuzano via unanimous decision on January 10, 2010 at WEC 46...

| Decision (unanimous)
| WEC 43

WEC 43

WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 10, 2009 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.-Background:...

|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–5
|   Seth Dikun

Seth Dikun

Seth Dikun is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights in WEC's featherweight division. His debut for WEC was a unanimous-decision-loss to Charlie Valencia at WEC 38...

| Decision (unanimous)
| WEC 38

WEC 38

WEC 38: Varner vs. Cerrone was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 25, 2009. It aired live on the Versus Network....

|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 9–5
|   Dominick Cruz

Dominick Cruz

Dominick Cruz is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, who competes as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the current UFC Bantamweight Champion...

| Decision (unanimous)
| WEC 34

WEC 34

WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber for the WEC Featherweight Championship. WEC 34...

|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 9–4
|   Yoshiro Maeda

Yoshiro Maeda

Yoshiro Maeda is a Japanese mixed martial artist that has competed for Pancrase, DEEP, Pride, WEC and DREAM. He fought for the WEC Bantamweight Title at WEC 34 against Miguel Torres...

| KO (kick to the body)
| WEC 32

WEC 32

WEC 32: New Mexico was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on Wednesday, February 13, 2008. For the first time under Zuffa ownership, the show was held in Rio Rancho, New Mexico and not the usual spot of Las Vegas, Nevada...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:29
|Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–3
|   Ian McCall

Ian McCall (fighter)

Ian McCall is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2002, McCall has fought for World Extreme Cagefighting among other organizations. He recently defeated the #1 ranked flyweight fighter in the world, Jussier...

| Submission (guillotine choke

Guillotine choke

The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...

)
| WEC 31

WEC 31

WEC 31: Faber vs. Curran was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting . The event took place on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and was aired live on the Versus Network....

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:19
|Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 8–3
|   Brian Bowles
| Submission (rear naked choke

Rear naked choke

The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...

)
| WEC 28

WEC 28

WEC 28: Faber vs. Farrar was the fourth mixed martial arts event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting under Zuffa management. The event was held on June 3, 2007. WEC 28 was the first WEC to be aired live on the Versus Network. The main event was a Featherweight title defense by WEC Featherweight...

|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 2:50
|Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–2
|   Antonio Banuelos

Antonio Banuelos

Juan Antonio Banuelos is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division.-Mixed martial arts career:...

| KO (punch)
| WEC 26

WEC 26

WEC 26: Condit vs. Alessio was the second mixed martial arts event held by the World Extreme Cagefighting under Zuffa management. The event was held on March 24, 2007. WEC 26 hosted three title fights on March 24. The first of the title fights was for the WEC Bantamweight Title, between challenger,...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:12
|Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, United States
| Drops to Bantamweight
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 7–2
|   Cub Swanson

Cub Swanson

Kevin Luke Swanson is an American mixed martial artist . He is currently signed as a featherweight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-World Extreme Cagefighting:...

| TKO (punches)
| King of the Cage: BOOYAA
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:52
|San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 7–1
|   Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber

Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...

| Submission (rear naked choke

Rear naked choke

The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...

)
| King of the Cage: Predator
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:09
|Globe, Arizona

Globe, Arizona

Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....

, United States
| For KOTC Bantamweight (145 lb) Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–0
|   Del Hawkins
| Submission (rear naked choke

Rear naked choke

The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...

)
| King of the Cage: The Return 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:04
|San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–0
|   Bobby Gamboa
| Decision
| King of the Cage 33: After Shock
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–0
|   Greg Mayer
| Submission (heel hook)
| King of the Cage 29: Renegades
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 1:43
|San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–0
|   David Velasquez
| Submission (rear naked choke

Rear naked choke

The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...

)
| King of the Cage 12: Cold Blood
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:43
|San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

, United States
| Won KOTC Bantamweight (145 lb) Championship. Later vacates title.
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–0
|   Bobby Gamboa
| Submission (shoulder dislocated from slam)
| King of the Cage 11: Domination
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:41
|San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto, California

San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–0
|   David Velasquez
| Decision (unanimous)
| GC 2: Collision at Colusa
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|Colusa, California

Colusa, California

Colusa is the county seat of Colusa County, California. The population was 5,971 at the 2010 census, up from 5,402 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
|   Octavio Moreles
| Decision (unanimous)
| CFF: Cobra Open
|
|align=center| N/A
|align=center| N/A
|Anza, California

Anza, California

Anza is a census-designated place located in southern Riverside County, California, in the Anza Valley, a semi-arid region at a mean elevation of above sea level. It is located south of Idyllwild, and approximately southwest of Palm Springs, southeast of Los Angeles, California and...

, United States
|

External links