Javier Vazquez (fighter)
| Javier Vazquez | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Luis Javier Vazquez April 27, 1976 Santiago, Cuba |
| Other names | Showtime |
| Residence | Rancho Cucamonga CA |
| Nationality |
Cuban American |
| Height | 5 ft 7.5 in (1.71 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) |
| Division | Lightweight (1998-2007) Featherweight (2007-2013) |
| Reach | 69 in (180 cm) |
| Style | Gracie Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Pomona, California, United States |
| Team | Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance California, CSW and Bodyshop Fitness. |
| Teacher(s) | Carlson Gracie, Rodrigo Medeiros |
| Rank | 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[1] |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 21 |
| Wins | 16 |
| By submission | 11 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Website | http://www.javiervazquez.tv |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Luis Javier Vazquez (born April 27, 1976) is a retired Cuban-American mixed martial artist. He is the son-in-law of Rorion Gracie.
Early life
Born in Santiago, Cuba on April 27, 1976, 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. He 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 Javier started learning Jiu-Jitsu under the renowned Carlson Gracie Team. He competed in every Jiu-Jitsu and submission tournament he could and eventually found himself in the fight game. His first no-holds-barred match was at Neutral Grounds in 1998 which resulted in a decision. Several more fights in smaller venues followed and he then took time off from fighting to train and compete in Jiu-Jitsu. After only 5 years of training he earned his black belt from the Carlson Gracie Team.[2]
In 2005 Javier won the North American Trials for the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, but dropped out before competition due to a groin injury.
MMA career
Early career
In December 2009 Javier was named the "most inspirational performance of the decade" in MMA by Sports Illustrated magazine for his fight against Alberto Crane where he fought 3 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 the Affliction: Trilogy but the event folded 10 days before the fight was supposed to take place.
World Extreme Cagefighting
Vazquez then signed with the 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]
Vazquez 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
In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 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]
Vazquez announced January 13, 2013 on Sherdog Radio Network’s "Rewind" show that he has officially retired from MMA competition.[8]
Personal life
On June 22, 2005, Vazquez married Rose Gracie the daughter of Rorion Gracie and granddaughter of Helio Gracie. Rose is the creator and the main force behind the submission only movement in jiu-jitsu also referred as subonly, she hosts several jiu-jitsu competitions thru out the year thru her organization Gracie Tournaments. Rose has been very outspoken about jiu-jitsu's current rule set problems and has pressured other members of the community to make changes in the sport. Rose and her sister Riane are the only members of the Gracie Family that have both parents being on the Gracie Family. They have four daughters. They currently own and operate a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu facility in Rancho Cucamonga, California.[2]
Instructor Lineage
Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie, Sr. → Carlson Gracie, Sr. → Rodrigo Medeiros → Javier Vazquez
Championships and accomplishments
- King of the Cage
- King of the Cage Lightweight championship (1 time)
Mixed martial arts record
| 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 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 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 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 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) | King of the Cage 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 | 8:00 | United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Kim Kellenberger | Decision (unanimous) | Neutral Grounds 5 | June 28, 1998 | 1 | 8:00 | United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Sean Kim | Submission (armbar) | Neutral Grounds 5 | June 28, 1998 | 1 | 1:37 | United States |
References
- ↑ Rodrigo Medeiros BJJ Revolution Team Black Belts. URL accessed on September 26, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Javier Vazquez Biography. URL accessed on March 21, 2010.
- ↑ "Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez in the works for WEC 47 in March". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
- ↑ "Javier Vazquez vs. Mackens Semerzier added to WEC 50 prelims". mmajunkie.com. 2010-06-24.
- ↑ "WEC 52 additions include Mendes-Vazquez". MMAjunkie.com. 2010-09-20.
- ↑ "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010.
- ↑ "Joe Stevenson heads to featherweight, meets Javier Vazquez at UFC on Versus 4". mmajunkie.com. April 4, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/With-Fights-Still-Left-on-UFC-Contract-Javier-Showtime-Vazquez-Officially-Announces-Retirement-49007
