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Victor Henry (fighter)

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Victor Henry
BornVictor Westley Henry
(1987-05-04) May 4, 1987 (age 37)
South Gate, California, U.S.
Other namesLa Mangosta
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Reach68 in (173 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofSouth Gate, California, U.S.
TeamUWF USA
TrainerJosh Barnett
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total32
Wins24
By knockout7
By submission8
By decision9
Losses7
By submission1
By decision6
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Catch wrestling
Snake Pit World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Bolton 68 kg[2]

Victor Westley Henry[3] (born May 4, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

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Growing up in a diverse but mostly black community as an individual, Henry always stood out. His mother's emphasis on staying out of trouble led him to school commitments and athletics. Despite a brief stint with baseball and soccer, it was a newspaper article about a nearby taekwondo gym that caught his mother's attention. Martial arts soon became a way for Henry to channel his energy and focus. He earned his black belt and then ventured into jiu-jitsu, with dreams of becoming a personal or medical trainer for professional sports teams. However, as he delved deeper into martial arts, he discovered a passion for MMA. Under the guidance of trainer Jimmie Romero, Henry's skills flourished, and he realized he had the potential to become a fighter. It was through Romero that he met his future mentor and supporter, Josh Barnett, during a seminar. Henry's eagerness to learn and improve his wrestling skills caught Barnett's attention, solidifying a partnership that would become a turning point in his journey as a fighter. Henry trained at Combat Submission Wrestling in Fullerton, where he honed his skills.[4][5][6][7]

Catch wrestling

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Besides MMA, he has also competed in catch wrestling.[5][8] Henry won his weight class and the openweight division at the 2018 Billy Robinson Invitational.[8] He then competed at The Snake Pit's 2018 Catch Wrestling World Championships, where he was the runner-up in the lightweight division.[2][9] Henry won his weight class and the openweight division at the 2021 King of Catch tournament.[8]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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In August 2010, Henry started his MMA career with a debut win in Pomona, California, securing a submission victory via rear-naked choke against Dillion Croushorn. They continued to excel, notching wins in Pomona in October 2010 and January 2012, where they showcased their skills with a guillotine choke victory over Bobby Sanchez in a catchweight (140 lb) match at Respect in the Cage 16. Their success continued with unanimous decision wins in May and July 2013, demonstrating their adaptability in various scenarios. Unfortunately, they faced a setback in April 2014 when they were defeated by Joe Murphy via split decision in Costa Mesa, California.[10]

July 2014 brought a redemption moment in Tokyo, Japan, where they earned a TKO victory over Hideo Tokoro at Grandslam MMA: Way of the Cage, getting Henry back on the winning track.[11]

Pancrase

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With a quick return to America, Henry became the CS Bantamweight Champion in Tacoma, Washington, with a armbar win over Cory Vom Baur at CageSport 32. Returning to Japan, Henry's ascension continued in 2015, with victories over Masakatsu Ueda via kneebar submission victory at Grandslam MMA 2 and Taichi Nakajima, in his Pancrase debut at Pancrase 267 on May 31, 2015 via split decision, and Hidekazu Fukushima at Pancrase 270 via guillotine choke.[12]

However, the road to success faced a setback, losing to Shintaro Ishiwatari in a unanimous decision at Pancrase 273 in Tokyo, Japan, for the Bantamweight King of Pancrase title. In the following years, the fighter's journey included a mixture of wins and losses, with unanimous decision win over Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha at Pancrase 277 followed by split decision loss to Rafael Silva at Pancrase 282[13] and unanimous decision loss against Masakatsu Ueda at Pancrase 285.

In February 2018, the fighter made a successful return by achieving a TKO victory over future UFC fighter Anderson dos Santos at KOTC: Energetic Pursuit. Henry continued his winning streak in August 2018, finishing Takafumi Otsuka via body kick knockout at Deep: 85 Impact.

Henry returned to America to secure a split decision win against Kyler Phillips at CXF 15: Rage in the Cage before traveling to Russia to defeat Denis Lavrentyev via unanimous decision at RCC 5.

Rizin Fighting Federation

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In March 2019, the fighter claimed the DEEP Bantamweight Championship with a majority decision victory over Yuki Motoya at DEEP 88 Impact, claiming his first major title in Japan. After a brief stopover in Russia to finish Nikita Chistyakov via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round at RCC 6, Henry debuted in Rizin Fighting Federation with a reverse triangle armbar submission victory against Trent Girdham at Rizin 18 in Nagoya, Japan.

In his sophomore performance, Henry gained a TKO win via punches over Masanori Kanehara at Rizin 21 in Hamamatsu, Japan.[14]

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Henry could not enter Japan and therefore was forced to take bouts outside of the country, with this decision resulting in a setback as he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Denis Lavrentyev at Parus FC in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in a match for the Parus FC Bantamweight Championship.

However, the fighter made a strong comeback in October 2021, securing a submission victory with a rear-naked choke against Albert Morales at LXF 6 with this win earning him the LOXP Bantamweight Championship.[15]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Henry was signed to UFC as a replacement for Trevin Jones against Raoni Barcelos on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 199.[16] The pairing was then cancelled just hours before taking place due to COVID-19 protocols,[17] and rescheduled to meet on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270.[18] Henry won the fight via unanimous decision.[19]

Henry took on Raphael Assunção at UFC Fight Night 212 on October 15, 2022,[20] losing the fight via unanimous decision.[21]

Henry squared off against Tony Gravely on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221.[22] He won the fight via split decision.[23]

Henry was scheduled to face Javid Basharat on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 228.[24] However, Henry withdrew for unknown reasons and the bout was rescheduled for UFC 294 on October 21, 2023.[25] The fight ended in no-contest after an unintentional groin kick by Basharat rendered Henry unable to continue.[26]

Henry faced Rani Yahya on April 27, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 55.[27] After landing two knockdowns, Henry won the bout by technical knockout in the third round.[28]

Henry faced Charles Jourdain on November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246.[29] He lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the second round, which was Henry's first career loss by finish.[30]

Championships and accomplishments

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Catch wrestling

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Mixed martial arts

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
32 matches 24 wins 7 losses
By knockout 7 0
By submission 8 1
By decision 9 6
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 24–7 (1) Charles Jourdain Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi November 2, 2024 2 3:43 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win 24–6 (1) Rani Yahya TKO (head kick and punches) UFC on ESPN: Nicolau vs. Perez April 27, 2024 3 2:36 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
NC 23–6 (1) Javid Basharat No Contest (accidental groin kick) UFC 294 October 21, 2023 2 0:15 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates An accidental groin kick rendered Henry unable to continue.
Win 23–6 Tony Gravely Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili March 11, 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 22–6 Raphael Assunção Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo October 15, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 22–5 Raoni Barcelos Decision (unanimous) UFC 270 January 22, 2022 3 5:00 Anaheim, California, United States
Win 21–5 Albert Morales Submission (rear-naked choke) LXF 6 October 30, 2021 2 1:46 Burbank, California, United States Won the LOXP Bantamweight Championship.
Loss 20–5 Denis Lavrentyev Decision (unanimous) Parus FC November 7, 2020 3 5:00 Dubai, United Arab Emirates For the Parus FC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 20–4 Masanori Kanehara TKO (punches) Rizin 21 February 22, 2020 2 0:45 Hamamatsu, Japan
Win 19–4 Trent Girdham Submission (reverse triangle armbar) Rizin 18 August 18, 2019 3 2:14 Nagoya, Japan
Win 18–4 Nikita Chistyakov TKO (punches) RCC 6 May 4, 2019 1 4:50 Chelyabinsk, Russia
Win 17–4 Yuki Motoya Decision (majority) DEEP: 88 Impact March 9, 2019 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Won the DEEP Bantamweight Championship.
Win 16–4 Denis Lavrentyev Decision (unanimous) RCC 5 December 15, 2018 3 5:00 Ekaterinburg, Russia
Win 15–4 Kyler Phillips Decision (split) CXF 15 October 20, 2018 3 5:00 Burbank, California, United States
Win 14–4 Takafumi Otsuka KO (body kick) DEEP: 85 Impact August 26, 2018 3 1:36 Tokyo, Japan
Win 13–4 Anderson dos Santos TKO (doctor stoppage) KOTC: Energetic Pursuit February 24, 2018 2 5:00 Ontario, California, United States
Loss 12–4 Masakatsu Ueda Decision (unanimous) Pancrase 285 March 12, 2017 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 12–3 Rafael Silva Decision (split) Pancrase 282 November 13, 2016 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 12–2 Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha Decision (unanimous) Pancrase 277 April 24, 2016 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 11–2 Shintaro Ishiwatari Decision (unanimous) Pancrase 273 December 13, 2015 5 5:00 Tokyo, Japan For the Pancrase Bantamweight Championship.
Win 11–1 Hidekazu Fukushima Submission (guillotine choke) Pancrase 270 October 4, 2015 1 4:32 Tokyo, Japan
Win 10–1 Taichi Nakajima Decision (split) Pancrase 267 May 31, 2015 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 9–1 Masakatsu Ueda Submission (kneebar) Grandslam MMA 2: Way of the Cage February 8, 2015 3 3:22 Tokyo, Japan
Win 8–1 Cory Vom Baur Submission (armbar) CageSport 32 October 4, 2014 1 4:43 Tacoma, Washington, United States Won the CS Bantamweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Hideo Tokoro TKO (punches) Grandslam MMA 1: Way of the Cage July 13, 2014 2 1:52 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 6–1 Joe Murphy Decision (split) Fight Club OC: Thursday Night Fights 20 April 17, 2014 3 5:00 Costa Mesa, California, United States
Win 6–0 Jeff Martin Submission (armbar) BAMMA Badbeat 10 August 9, 2013 1 4:22 Commerce, California, United States
Win 5–0 Kevin Michel Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Validation July 11, 2013 3 5:00 Highland, California, United States
Win 4–0 Bronson Casarez Decision (unanimous) Fight Club OC: Rumble on the Range 4 May 16, 2013 3 3:00 Burbank, California, United States
Win 3–0 Bobby Sanchez Submission (guillotine choke) Respect in the Cage 16 January 21, 2012 1 1:34 Pomona, California, United States Catchweight (140 lb) bout.
Win 2–0 Gary Mikayelyan TKO (punches) Respect in the Cage 8 October 9, 2010 N/A N/A Pomona, California, United States
Win 1–0 Dillion Croushorn Submission (rear-naked choke) Respect in the Cage 7 August 21, 2010 2 2:36 Pomona, California, United States

[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Wigan's Snakepit wrestling club celebrates anniversary". Wigan Today. November 15, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "Victor Henry ("La Mangosta") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "How Victor Henry found himself making his UFC debut Saturday at age 34". Orange County Register. January 20, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Bitter, Shawn (October 30, 2019). "MMA Prospect of the Month: Victor Henry". Cageside Press. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Bitter, Shawn (December 18, 2021). "Welcome to the UFC: Victor Henry". Cageside Press. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Fight Path: UFC's Josh Barnett helped boost Victor Henry's confidence". MMA Junkie. September 5, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Victor Henry". UFC.com. December 14, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Catch Wrestling World Championships 2018". Snake Pit Wigan. November 3, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Victor Henry Continues Breakout Year at Saturday's Sold-Out SFL American Debut". MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Victor Henry Takes Out Tokoro, Nam Phan Rebounds at Grandslam MMA 'Way of the Cage'". sherdog.com. July 13, 2014.
  12. ^ Sherdog.com. "Sherdog Prospect Watch: Victor Henry". Sherdog. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  13. ^ "Pancrase 282 Results: Silva Edges Henry, Nakai Stops Watt". Combat Press. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Simon Head (February 22, 2020). "Rizin FF 21 results: Mikuru Asakura scores knockout finish, gets unexpected challenge". mmajunkie.com.
  15. ^ "LXF 6 RESULTS - News - Lights Out XF". www.lightsoutxf.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  16. ^ DNA, MMA (December 8, 2021). "Victor Henry maakt UFC debuut op 18 december tegen Raoni Barcelos in Las Vegas". MMA DNA. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  17. ^ Nolan King (December 18, 2021). "UFC Fight Night 199 loses Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry hours before start time". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  18. ^ Anderson, Jay (January 5, 2022). "Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry Lands on UFC 270". Cageside Press. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  19. ^ Anderson, Jay (January 22, 2022). "UFC 270: Victor Henry Impresses in Debut, Picks Apart Raoni Barcelos". Cageside Press. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  20. ^ Nolan King (August 22, 2022). "Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 15-21)". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  21. ^ Dewar, Val (October 15, 2022). "UFC Vegas 62: Raphael Assunção Turns Back the Clock, Defeats Victor Henry by Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  22. ^ ATSteveDuncan (January 27, 2023). "Tony Gravely vs. Victor Henry anunciado para UFC Vegas 71". MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Jamie Theodosi (March 11, 2023). "UFC Las Vegas: Victor Henry narrowly edges Tony Gravely in three-round war". Cageside Press. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  24. ^ "Javid Basharat faces Victor Henry at UFC Vegas 79". Asian MMA. August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  25. ^ "Javid Basharat and Victor Henry rebooked for UFC 294". Asian MMA. September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  26. ^ Theodosi, Jamie (October 21, 2023). "UFC 294: Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry Fizzles, No Contest Results from Groin Strike". Cageside Press. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  27. ^ Sherdog.com. "Report: Rani Yahya to Face Victor Henry at UFC on ESPN 55 on April 27". Sherdog. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  28. ^ Dewar, Val (April 27, 2024). "UFC Vegas 91: Victor Henry Dominates Rani Yahya, Leaves Apex to "Fight Korean Barbecue"". Cageside Press. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  29. ^ Sportsnet Staff (September 11, 2024). "Canada's Charles Jourdain dropping to bantamweight to fight at UFC Edmonton". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  30. ^ Mathis Desjardins (November 2, 2024). "Charles Jourdain Makes A Splash With Sub Win In New Division". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  31. ^ "Victor Henry". Sherdog.
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