Jared Vanderaa[1] (born May 12, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Vanderaa was born in Washington but moved around a lot with his mother in pursuit of opportunities, eventually settling in California.
[7] Vanderaa started training MMA in February 2010, right after wrestling season, and had his amateur first fight in October 2010.
[11] After tapping out Idrees Wasi in first round at Global Knockout 10, he made his Extreme Fighting Championship debut in South Africa at EFC 66, losing the split decision to Andrew van Zyl for the EFC Heavyweight Championship.
[12] After losing a short notice bout via unanimous decision to Vernon Lewis at LFA 35,[13] Vanderaa defeated Elvis Moyo via TKO in the second round at EFC 73.
[16] At Dana White's Contender Series 34, Vanderaa defeated Harry Hunsucker via TKO in the first round, securing him a contract from the UFC.
[26] Vanderaa was scheduled to face Azamat Murzakanov, replacing Philipe Lins on December 4, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31.
[27] However, shortly after the weigh-ins, officials announced that the bout had been canceled due to Vanderaa not being medically cleared.
[37] As the first bout of his post-UFC tenure Vanderaa faced Nick Costello at Gladiator Challenge – Proving Ground on March 4, 2023.
[42] Vanderaa and his fiancée own the Team Quest gym in Hemet, which is the successor of PrimeTime MMA where Jared began his career.