Tag: james wilks

Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners

Find out where your favorite The Ultimate Fighter winners are now:

The post Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

With the UFC having now secured a new broadcasting deal with ESPN from 2019 onwards, Dana White recently admitted that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show may finally be on its way out after a 27season series run.

As such, now seems like a good time to take a look back at what has become of every single one of the long-running show’s 35 ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winners to date.

Find out what your favorite past winners of TUF are up to now:

SEASON 1

Diego Sanchez

It’s a testament to Diego Sanchez’s durability that 13 years after winning TUF season 1 he remains the only fighter from that historic series to still be actively competing in the UFC, having amassed 27 fights (16-11) to date.

However, after suffering back-to-back first-round knockouts in his last two fights, it’s possible that the 36-year-old’s memorable career is now entering its final stages, though Sanchez has assured his fans that, “I’m not done yet.”


Forrest Griffin

Arguably TUF’s most iconic winner, Griffin’s fight with Stephan Bonner in the Season 1 finale was declared as the most important fight in UFC history by Dana White, while he’d also go on to win the light-heavyweight title too.

Griffin retired in 2013 at the age of 33 due to chronic injuries, but he’s since been inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame and now works for the UFC as their Vice President of Athletic Development.

The post Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

‘TUF 9? Winner James Wilks Retires From MMA Due to Paralysis Threat


(Photo via ocregister.com)

UFC welterweight James Wilks — who became the welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K. after slicing through Che Mills, Frank Lester (twice), and DaMarques Johnson — has announced his retirement from MMA. The 34-year-old Brit has been sidelined due to injuries since his decision loss to Claude Patrick in October 2010, and finally gave in to doctors’ warnings that he could become paralyzed if he continued to compete.

As MMAJunkie explained, Wilks has spent his entire MMA career fighting with a fractured vertebrae from an old rugby injury, leading to a condition called spinal stenosis: “My bones are touching the spinal cord,” Wilks said. “There should be a gap, so when you get hit, you’ve got some leeway for it not to cut into the vertebrae. But my vertebrae have grown from the front and back, and they’re touching the spinal cord…I think if I was single and didn’t have a wife and a son to look after, I probably would have risked it. But I thought about it for quite a while and made the decision (to retire)…It sucks because I don’t feel I’ve shown what really have in the Octagon, and I didn’t want to go out on a loss.”

Wilks compiled an official record of 2-2 in the Octagon, including a decision win over Peter Sobotta at UFC 115. He’ll now turn his attention to teaching at his Lightning MMA gym in Laguna Hills, California, and extolling the virtues of a plant-based diet.


(Photo via ocregister.com)

UFC welterweight James Wilks — who became the welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K. after slicing through Che Mills, Frank Lester (twice), and DaMarques Johnson — has announced his retirement from MMA. The 34-year-old Brit has been sidelined due to injuries since his decision loss to Claude Patrick in October 2010, and finally gave in to doctors’ warnings that he could become paralyzed if he continued to compete.

As MMAJunkie explained, Wilks has spent his entire MMA career fighting with a fractured vertebrae from an old rugby injury, leading to a condition called spinal stenosis: ”My bones are touching the spinal cord,” Wilks said. “There should be a gap, so when you get hit, you’ve got some leeway for it not to cut into the vertebrae. But my vertebrae have grown from the front and back, and they’re touching the spinal cord…I think if I was single and didn’t have a wife and a son to look after, I probably would have risked it. But I thought about it for quite a while and made the decision (to retire)…It sucks because I don’t feel I’ve shown what really have in the Octagon, and I didn’t want to go out on a loss.”

Wilks compiled an official record of 2-2 in the Octagon, including a decision win over Peter Sobotta at UFC 115. He’ll now turn his attention to teaching at his Lightning MMA gym in Laguna Hills, California, and extolling the virtues of a plant-based diet.

Henderson vs. Bocek, MacDonald vs. Wilks and Brookins vs. Makdessi Being Targeted for UFC 129 in Toronto

("The UFC really needs to get a handle on Chuck’s spending. Melting the snow from the shoreline and buying a UFC signal seems a bit exorbitant for one show.")
The card for the UFC’s first Ontario show is coming together nicely.
According to v…


("The UFC really needs to get a handle on Chuck’s spending. Melting the snow from the shoreline and buying a UFC signal seems a bit exorbitant for one show.")

The card for the UFC’s first Ontario show is coming together nicely.

According to various sources, a pair of lightweight and one welterweight bout have been penciled in for the April 30 show at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

MMAJunkie reports that former WEC 155-pound champ Ben Henderson and Canadian grappling standout Mark Bocek will square off on the main card ahead of the co-main event showdowns between former UFC light heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Lyoto Machida and UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre and former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields.

Sportsnet.com is claiming that TUF 12 winner Jonathan Brookins will compete on the card as well opposite undefeated Quebec fighter John "The Bull" Makdessi and that promising Canadian welterweight Rory MacDonald will also take on TUF 9 champ James Wilks.

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UFC 120 Live Blog: Claude Patrick vs. James Wilks Updates

Filed under: UFCThis is the UFC 120 live blog for Claude Patrick vs. James Wilks, a welterweight bout on tonight’s Spike TV event from the O2 Arena in London, England.

TUF 9 welterweight winner James Wilks (7-3) in June defeated Peter Sobotta at UFC 1…

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This is the UFC 120 live blog for Claude Patrick vs. James Wilks, a welterweight bout on tonight’s Spike TV event from the O2 Arena in London, England.

TUF 9 welterweight winner James Wilks (7-3) in June defeated Peter Sobotta at UFC 115. Patrick (12-1) has won his last 11 fights and won his UFC debut in June against Ricardo Funch.

The live blog is below.

UFC 120: Claude Patrick Dominates James Wilks

Filed under: UFC, NewsFormer Ultimate Fighter winner James Wilks fought in front of his British fans Saturday at UFC 120, but he put on an unimpressive performance in losing a decision to Claude Patrick.

Patrick got double underhooks against the cage …

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Former Ultimate Fighter winner James Wilks fought in front of his British fans Saturday at UFC 120, but he put on an unimpressive performance in losing a decision to Claude Patrick.

Patrick got double underhooks against the cage and then secured a takedown early in the first round, and from there he dominated the rest of the round from the top. Wilks did attempt one submission from the bottom, but for the most part the first round consisted of Patrick staying on top of Wilks and pounding on him on the ground.

Claude Patrick Admits He Has Long Way to Go Before Being Contender

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News, VideosLONDON — MMA Fighting spoke to Claude Patrick following his UFC 120 win over James Wilks Saturday night. Patrick defended his performance, spoke about his future and talked about what he ne…

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LONDON — MMA Fighting spoke to Claude Patrick following his UFC 120 win over James Wilks Saturday night. Patrick defended his performance, spoke about his future and talked about what he needs to do to be a player at 170.