Javier Vazquez (fighter)

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Javier Vazquez (fighter) is a Cuban-American retired mixed martial artist. He competed professionally from 1998 to 2011 and fought in the UFC, WEC, Shooto, ShoXC, EliteXC, and King of the Cage. He was the King of the Cage Lightweight Champion once.

Early life
- Born Luis Javier Vazquez on April 27, 1977, in Santiago de Cuba.
- Moved to the United States at age four and grew up in El Monte, California.
- Started wrestling in high school and continued in college at Mt. San Antonio College, earning leadership roles along the way.
- Began learning jiu-jitsu in 1997 with the Carlson Gracie Team and earned a black belt after about five years.
- Won North American trials for the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005 but dropped out due to a groin injury.

MMA career
- Notable moment: in 2009, Sports Illustrated named his fight against Alberto Crane as the “most inspirational performance of the decade” after he fought three rounds with a torn ACL.
- Fought in Elite XC, then moved to WEC after the WEC–UFC merger.
- WEC debut at WEC 42 vs. LC Davis ended in a controversial split decision loss.
- Lost another split decision to Deividas Taurosevicius at WEC 43.
- Defeated Jens Pulver by armbar at WEC 47 (2010).
- Defeated Mackens Semerzier by submission (rear-naked choke) at WEC 50.
- Lost to Chad Mendes by unanimous decision at WEC 52.
- When WEC merged into the UFC in 2010, Vazquez continued his UFC career.
- Won a unanimous decision over Joe Stevenson at UFC on Versus 4 (June 26, 2011).
- Announced his retirement from MMA in January 2013.

Personal life
- Vazquez was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer but recovered after treatment, including Gerson therapy.
- He opened the Javier Vazquez Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
- He has taken up cycling.

Instructor lineage
Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Carlson Gracie Sr. → Rodrigo Medeiros → Javier Vazquez

Championships and record
- King of the Cage Lightweight Championship (one time).
- Professional MMA record: 21 fights, 16 wins (11 by submission, 5 by decision) and 5 losses (all by decision).

Summary
Javier Vazquez is a respected Cuban-American fighter known for his success in multiple promotions, his high-level jiu-jitsu, and his perseverance through injuries and illness. He remains active in the sport through coaching and training.