Jesse Juarez

Jesse Juarez (born May 8, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut.

A professional competitor since 2006, Juarez has also formerly competed for Strikeforce, Bellator MMA, the MFC, and Shark Fights.

He holds a win at Welterweight over former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

Originally from Torrance, California, Juarez is of French, Italian, and Tongan descent.

Juarez attended North Torrance High School where he competed in wrestling, football, and track and field, earning High School All-American honors for wrestling after being the California state runner-up.

He fought mainly for California-based promotions as Strikeforce, Gladiator Challenge and Invincible.

[3] Juarez made his promotional debut against Mikey Gomez on April 10, 2009, at Bellator 2.

[8] Juarez made his promotional debut in Cage Fighting Championship against Justin Murray on April 16, 2010, at CFC 13 for the welterweight title.

Juarez defeated Murray via majority decision (49–47, 48–48, 48–47) after five rounds and became the CFC welterweight title holder.