Justin Willis (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the World Series of Fighting and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
| Justin Willis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Justin Willis July 19, 1987 East Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Other names | Big Pretty |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 79 in (201 cm)[1] |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | San Jose, California, United States |
| Team | American Kickboxing Academy |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 10 |
| Wins | 8 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
editBorn and raised in California, Willis played football through high school and the collegiate level as a lineman at San Jose State University, graduating with a degree in sociology. At the collegiate level, Willis was All-Conference.[2]
Mixed martial arts career
editEarly career
editWillis made his amateur debut in 2009, a second-round loss, before competing again as an amateur bout on the Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons 2 against Steve Dickey. Willis won via unanimous decision . After going professional in 2012, he amassed a record of 4–1 before being signed by the UFC.[3]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
editWillis made his promotional debut on July 16, 2017, against James Mulheron at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio. He won via unanimous decision.[4]
He then faced Allen Crowder at UFC 218 on December 2, 2017[5] and won via knockout in the first round.[6]
He faced Chase Sherman on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 128[7] and won by unanimous decision.[8]
He faced Mark Hunt on December 2, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 142[9] and won by unanimous decision.[10]
Willis faced Curtis Blaydes on March 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 148.[11] Blaydes continually took Willis down and controlled him and also scored a knockdown in the second round. Willis lost the fight via unanimous decision.[12] Willis spent a good amount of the pre-fight press time taunting Blaydes, who responded in kind in his post-fight interview, referring to Willis as "Big Titty".[13]
On May 24, 2019, it was reported that Willis was released from UFC.[14][15]
Professional Fighters League
editOn February 11, 2020, news surfaced that Willis had signed with the PFL and was expected to compete in the PFL 2021 heavyweight season.[16]
Willis was expected to make his debut against Denis Goltsov at PFL 3 on May 6, 2021, but was removed from the fight prior to weigh-ins.[17]
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 10 matches | 8 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 8–2 | Curtis Blaydes | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis | March 23, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Mark Hunt | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa | December 2, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Adelaide, Australia | |
| Win | 7–1 | Chase Sherman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee | April 21, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Allen Crowder | KO (punch) | UFC 218 | December 2, 2017 | 1 | 2:33 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | James Mulheron | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio | July 16, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Win | 4–1 | Julian Coutinho | TKO (punches) | WSOF 31 | June 17, 2016 | 2 | 0:30 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Rizvan Kuniev | Decision (unanimous) | Inoki Genome Fight 4 | August 29, 2015 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Openweight bout. |
| Win | 2–1 | Yusuke Kawaguchi | TKO (punches) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 | December 31, 2014 | 1 | 0:43 | Tokyo, Japan | Openweight bout. |
| Win | 1–1 | James Kirby | TKO (punches) | Global Knockout: The Return | June 14, 2014 | 1 | N/A | Jackson, California, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Henry Solis | TKO (elbows) | ROF 43: Bad Blood | June 2, 2012 | 2 | 4:32 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Justin Willis". www.pflmma.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "Justin Willis - Official UFC® Profile". www.ufc.com.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Justin". Sherdog. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Justin Willis outworks fellow newcomer James Mulheron". MMAjunkie. July 16, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "Contender Series' Allen Crowder to Debut vs Justin Willis at UFC 218 - MMA Today". MMA Today. September 28, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "UFC 218 results: Justin Willis levels Allen Crowder for first-round knockout". MMAjunkie. December 2, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ Mike Bohn (March 15, 2018). "Chase Sherman vs. Justin Willis booked for UFC Fight Night 128 in Atlantic City". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 128 results: Justin Willis outlasts Chase Sherman in sometime-slugfest". MMAjunkie. April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ "Report | Mark Hunt to take on Justin Willis at UFC Adelaide in last fight on UFC deal | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. September 25, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ "UFC Adelaide results: Justin Willis earns methodical victory over Mark Hunt". MMA Fighting. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- ^ Jesse Holland (January 16, 2019). "Curtis Blaydes vs Justin Willis on tap for UFC Nashville". mmamania.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ "UFC Nashville results: Curtis Blaydes shuts down Justin Willis in one-sided affair". MMA Junkie. March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ "After one-sided Nashville loss, Justin Willis responds to Curtis Blaydes' 'Big Titty' diss".
- ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC Heavyweight Justin Willis Released". Sherdog. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ "Justin Willis disputes being released from UFC contract, vows August return". MMA Junkie. May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ Danny Segura (February 11, 2020). "Former UFC heavyweight Justin Willis signs with PFL". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Brand, Jeremy. "PFL 3 Features Fabricio Werdum vs. Renan Ferreira Main Event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Justin". Sherdog. Retrieved September 26, 2018.