Josh Hinger (born May 28, 1982) is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor as well as former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
[1] At age 15, he moved to Temecula and continued to wrestle for Chaparral High School where during his senior year in 2000, he was champion in a regional California Interscholastic Federation tournament in the 145 lbs division.
[1] In November 2003, Hinger made his MMA debut where he submitted Brady Fulton via rear naked choke in the first round.
[1][6] In 2006, after graduating from UC Irvine, Hinger joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Turkmenistan where he participated in a few wrestling tournaments.
[4][6] In 2008, Hinger came back to the US and moved to Orange County where he trained with Baret Yoshida and Jason Bukich to earn his Brown Belt.
[1][4][6] From 2011 to 2014, Hinger attended graduate school at Indiana University Bloomington earning degrees in Central Eurasian Studies and Public Affairs with a focus in Finance.
[12] Hinger competed in the main event of Fight 2 Win 170 on April 19, 2021, facing Rafael Barbosa for the promotion's Masters Middleweight title.
[18] Hinger defeated Tye Ruotolo in the opening round before losing to eventual silver medallist Lucas 'Hulk' Barbosa.