Daniel James (fighter)
Daniel James (born December 31, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Bellator MMA. As of June 20, 2023, he is #5 in the Bellator Heavyweight Rankings.[1]
| Daniel James | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31, 1981 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | The American Predator |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 264 lb (120 kg; 18 st 12 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 82 in (208 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Team | Midwest Training Center |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 11 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Growing up on the west side of Chicago, James resided in his childhood in neighbourhoods that were filled with violence and drugs. However, he was able to avoid getting involved in them through athletics and sports. He gained his nickname, "The American Predator", from his uncle due to his characteristic dreadlocks. He spends much of his free time running programs for children to keep them out of trouble.[2][3]
James has a very successful career as a fitness trainer at Reach Fieldhouse in Chicago, where he runs multiple fitness programs.[3] Likewise, he travelled the world as a former celebrity bodyguard, still partaking in the endeavor from time to time, like for the rapper Twista.[4]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Debuting at in 2014 at Bellator 112 against Erick Correa, a bout in which he won via second round retirement, James went 7–3–1 fighting around the American Midwest scene, facing such opponents like Daniel Gallemore.
After going 2-0 in the LFA with impressive knockouts against Calyn Hull via second round knockout on September 21, 2018 at LFA 50 and Patrick Martin via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round on May 24, 2019 at LFA 67, James advanced to the finals of the LFA Heavyweight tournament against Brett Martin. However, the bout for the vacant LFA Heavyweight Championship against Martin on September 27, 2019 at LFA 77, ended in controversy as Martin missed weight for the bout coming in at 272.6 pounds, 6.6 lbs over the weight limit, and James went on to lose the bout via disqualification in the 5th round after throwing illegal knees against the fence.[5]
Absolute Championship Akhmat
James signed with the Absolute Championship Akhmat, making his promotional debut against Ruslan Magomedov at ACA 101: Strus vs. Nemchinov on November 15, 2019, losing the fight via unanimous decision.[6]
In his sophomore appearance against Michal Martínek on November 26, 2020 at ACA 114: Omielańczuk vs. Johnson, James would win the bout in the second round, trapping his opponent in a crucifix and finishing the bout via elbows and punches.[7]
James faced Daniel Omielańczuk on April 23, 2021 at ACA 122, losing the bout via unanimous decision.[8]
James would rebound against Tomas Pakutinskas on September 11, 2021 at ACA 128: Goncharov vs. Omielańczuk, winning the bout at the end of the first round as Pakutinskas submitted due to punches.[9]
James faced Raphael Pessoa at November 18, 2021 at ACA 132: Johnson vs. Vakhaev, winning the bout via ground and pound TKO in the second round.[10]
In what would be his last bout with the promotion, James faced Denis Smoldarev on February 26, 2022 at ACA 136: Bukuev vs Akopyan, winning the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.[11]
Bellator MMA
A heavyweight bout between Davion Franklin on May 6, 2022 at Bellator 280.[12] However, James failed an out of competition drug test and was pulled from the bout.[13]
James faced Tyrell Fortune on November 18, 2022 at Bellator 288, pulling off a comeback and finishing Fortune in the second round via ground and pound.[14]
James faced Marcelo Golm on March 31, 2023 at Bellator 293.[15] He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.[16]
James faced Gökhan Saricam on June 16, 2023 at Bellator 297.[17] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[18]
James is scheduled to face Ali Isaev on November 17, 2023 at Bellator 301.[19]
Mixed martial arts record
| 22 matches | 15 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 1 |
| By submission | 3 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 3 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 15–7–1 | Gökhan Saricam | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 297 | June 16, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 15–6–1 | Marcelo Golm | TKO (punches) | Bellator 293 | March 31, 2023 | 3 | 0:26 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Win | 14–6–1 | Tyrell Fortune | TKO (punches and elbows) | Bellator 288 | November 18, 2022 | 2 | 0:27 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 13–6–1 | Denis Smoldarev | TKO (punches) | ACA 136: Bukuev vs Akopyan | February 26, 2022 | 1 | 1:41 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 12–6–1 | Raphael Pessoa | TKO (punches) | ACA 132: Johnson vs. Vakhaev | November 18, 2021 | 2 | 2:14 | Minsk, Belarus | |
| Win | 11–6–1 | Tomas Pakutinskas | TKO (submission to punch) | ACA 128: Goncharov vs. Omielańczuk | September 11, 2021 | 1 | 4:34 | Minsk, Belarus | |
| Loss | 10–6–1 | Daniel Omielańczuk | Decision (unanimous) | ACA 122: Johnson vs. Poberezhets | April 23, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Minsk, Belarus | |
| Win | 10–5–1 | Michal Martínek | TKO (elbows and punches) | ACA 114: Omielańczuk vs. Johnson | November 26, 2020 | 2 | 3:32 | Łódź, Poland | |
| Loss | 9–5–1 | Ruslan Magomedov | Decision (unanimous) | ACA 101: Strus vs. Nemchinov | November 15, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Warszawa, Poland | |
| Loss | 9–4–1 | Brett Martin | DQ (illegal knees) | LFA 77 | September 27, 2019 | 5 | 1:12 | Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States | For the vacant LFA Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–3–1 | Patrick Martin | TKO (punches) | LFA 67 | May 24, 2019 | 1 | 4:45 | Branson, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 8–3–1 | Calyn Hull | KO (punches) | LFA 50 | September 21, 2018 | 2 | 0:32 | Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 7–3–1 | Zach Rosol | Submission (kimura) | Victory FC: Fight Night Waterloo 2 | November 22, 2017 | 3 | 4:58 | Waterloo, Iowa, United States | |
| Loss | 6–3–1 | Daniel Gallemore | Submission (guillotine choke) | Victory FC 57 | May 5, 2017 | 1 | 1:24 | Topeka, Kansas, United States | For the Victory FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–2–1 | Chris Beal | TKO (punches) | XFO 60 | March 11, 2017 | 2 | 0:38 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Draw | 5–2–1 | John Hawk | Draw (majority) | Big Guns 21 | November 19, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Tallmadge, Ohio, United States | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Arnold Adams | TKO (punches) | HFC 27 | February 6, 2016 | 1 | 2:06 | Michigan City, Indiana, United States | For the Hoosier FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–1 | Pat Harman | Submission (rear-naked choke) | HFC 25 | September 25, 2015 | 1 | 2:33 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Jason Walraven | Submission (kimura) | Super Brawl Showdown 1 | January 30, 2015 | 1 | 2:55 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Aaron Ware | Decision (unanimous) | XFO 54 | November 22, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Ryan Pokryfky | TKO (punches) | XFO 53 | October 11, 2014 | 2 | 3:38 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Leroy Johnson | Decision (unanimous) | NAAFS: Fight Night In The Flats 10 | June 7, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Erick Correa | TKO (retirement) | Bellator 112 | March 14, 2014 | 2 | 4:30 | Hammond, Indiana, United States |
References
- "Bellator Rankings". www.bellator.com.
- "VFC 57's Daniel James: Looking to Inspire Chicago by Winning Heavyweight Title". Combat Press. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- "LFA 77's Daniel James: Chicago's Inspiration". Combat Press. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- Heck, Mike (2022-11-18). "Video: Rapper Twista's bodyguard Daniel James prepares for Bellator 288 with help from D.U.S.T. Commander Dale Brown". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- Frankl, Mika (2019-09-28). "LFA 77 Results- Main Event Ends In Controversy". mymmanews.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- "Uitslagen : ACA 101 : Warsaw". mmadna.nl (in Dutch). November 15, 2019.
- "ACA 114: Deák aj Martínek tvrdo narazili | VIDEO ukončení". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- Sherdog.com. "ACA 122 - Johnson vs. Poberezhets". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
- "T.Pakutinskas po nokautu pralaimėtos kovos: "Atrodo, tarsi kažkas ištrynė kelias minutes iš mano gyvenimo"". sportas.lt. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- "ACA 132 Results - Johnson vs Vakhaev". MMA Sucka. 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- "Дэниел Джеймс техническим нокаутом победил Дениса Смолдарева на ACA 136". mma.metaratings.ru (in Russian). 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- "Unbeaten heavyweight Davion Franklin meets Daniel James at Bellator 280". MMA Junkie. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- "Daniel James off Bellator 280 in Paris due to positive drug test". MMA Junkie. 2022-04-14. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- "Bellator 288 video: Daniel James blasts Tyrell Fortune, finishes with vicious ground-and-pound". MMA Junkie. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- "Marcelo Golm vs. Daniel James, Cat Zingano vs. Leah McCourt headline Bellator 293 on March 31". MMA Junkie. 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- Jay Anderson (2023-03-01). "Bellator 293: after slow start, Daniel James erupts to stop Marcelo Golm in third". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- FightBookMMA (2023-04-12). "BELLATOR 297: Nemkov vs. Romero adds 8 more fights". FightBook MMA. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- "Bellator 297 results: Gokhan Saricam spoils Chicago homecoming for Daniel James". MMA Junkie. 2023-06-17. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- "Bellator 301 set for Chicago: 2 title fights, including Sergio Pettis vs. Patchy Mix, grand prix semifinal, grudge rematch". MMA Junkie. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
- Sherdog.com. "Daniel James". Sherdog.