Justin Edwards (fighter) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Justin Ross Edwards is an American

United States

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

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

competing in the welterweight

Welterweight (MMA)

The welterweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The UFC's & Strikeforce's welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Edwards has made a name for himself fighting in the Midwest. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos. Currently, Edwards is signed 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...

(UFC), holding a 1-2 record inside the promotion.

Early Life

Edwards grew up in Mansfield, Ohio

Mansfield, Ohio

Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....

, attending the local community high school. There he participated in football, and wrestling. Edwards also did Greco-Roman wrestling

Greco-Roman wrestling

Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...

which was not affiliated with his school. Upon graduating Edwards earned an athletic scholarship to play football at Urbana University

Urbana University

Urbana University is a private university specializing in liberal arts education. Urbana is located in Urbana, Ohio, approximately one hour west of Columbus and one hour northeast of Dayton.-History:...

in Urbana, Ohio

Urbana, Ohio

Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army. Urbana was named after the town of Urbanna, Virginia. It is the burial-place of the Indian fighter...

. Edwards graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Criminal Justice. After graduating college Edwards picked up rugby until his work schedule wouldn't allow him to play.

MMA Career

Edwards started training MMA in 2006 after seeing an MMA fight on television. Edwards said, "I could do that", and began training at a local gym the following day. In October of 2006, Edwards made his amateur debut, winning via submission. He won his next five amateur fights, holding an undefeated 6-0 record before losing three straight fights and then deciding to go pro.

Edwards made his pro debut with a :30 second TKO win against Ultimate Fighter alumni, Josh Rafferty

Josh Rafferty

Josh Rafferty is an American mixed martial artist from Cincinnati, Ohio. He best known for his appearance on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television series produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

. His next bout took place on the undercard for Bellator 5 against tough veteran John Troyer

John Troyer

John Troyer was a farmer, businessman, medical practitioner, and exorcist in the Norfolk County, Ontario region....

. Edwards won the fight via submission towards the end of round one. He then entered a one night tournament for the International Fighting Championship, winning the tournament with wins over Davarius Scaife and Daniel Stittgen - both via first round submission. Edwards won two more fights before appearing on The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter

In 2011, Edwards had signed with the UFC

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...

to compete in The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos.

Edwards was flown in as a replacement fighter for Keon Caldwell, making Edwards a member of Team dos Santos. He had his first fight against eventual winner Tony Ferguson. Edwards lost after Ferguson threw an upkick that knocked him unconscious. He was set to appear in the wildcard round but was suspended 90 days and could not compete.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Even though he lost in the preliminary round, Edwards remained signed after the show. He made his official UFC debut June 4, 2011 on The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos Finale, , was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2011 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:Featured were the finalists from The Ultimate Fighter 13 – Team Lesnar...

card, fighting against castmate, Clay Harvison

Clay Harvison

Clayton Harvison is a American mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Harvison has made a name for himself fighting in his homestate of Georgia. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs...

. He lost the fight via split decision.

Edwards faced highly touted prospect and Wand Fight Team

Wand Fight Team

Wand Fight Team is a mixed martial arts training organization headed by UFC fighter and former Pride Middleweight Champion & Middleweight Grand Prix Champion, Wanderlei Silva...

product, Jorge Lopez, on September 17, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 25

UFC Fight Night 25

UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 17, 2011 at the Ernest N...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Edwards stepped in to fight newly-signed Englishman, John Maguire

John Maguire (fighter)

John Maguire is an English mixed martial artist, who competes in the welterweight division. He is the former Cage Rage UK Welterweight Champion and has also competed in BAMMA. Maguire is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship....

, at UFC 138

UFC 138

UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2011 at LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S. and live on Sportsnet in Canada...

in Birmingham, England, following the withdrawal of James Head

James Head

James David Head is a Canadian television director.-Cameraman:Head began his career as a cameraman on various film crews. In 1985, he was a second assistant camera for the concert film 9012Live by Yes. In 1987, he was a second assistant camera for the movie Stakeout...

due to injury. After being outgrappled and outwrestled for three rounds, Edwards lost via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Mixed martial arts record

John Maguire (fighter)

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 138

UFC 138

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

UFC Fight Night 25

UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 17, 2011 at the Ernest N...

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

Clay Harvison

|Decision (split)
|The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

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...

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

Findlay, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

, United States
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|Win
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|Josh Rafferty

Josh Rafferty

Elizabeth, Indiana

Elizabeth is a town in Posey Township, Harrison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 162 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1812 and named for Elizabeth Veach, wife of the landowner who donated the land for the town.-History:...

, United States
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