Quick Facts
Biography
James William Vick (born February 23, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Vick was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Live.
Mixed martial arts career
Vick began his professional career fighting in regional shows in his home state of Texas. His first four fights all came in 2011, where he went undefeated with four straight wins.
The Ultimate Fighter
Vick was one of 32 lightweight fighters announced by the UFC to participate in first live season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
Vick won his way into the house when he defeated Dakota Cochrane by split decision after one round. He was then chosen to be part of Team Cruz as Cruz's fifth pick and ninth overall.
For the first official fight of the show, he was chosen to fight Team Faber's third pick Daron Cruickshank. After a rough first part of the round, Vick landed a knee on Cruickshank as he shot in for a takedown, and won the fight by knockout in the first round.
His quarter-final fight came against Team Faber's Joe Proctor. Vick was able to dominate the fight, out-striking Proctor on the feet and successfully defending all of Proctor's take down attempts. Vick won the fight by unanimous decision, earning his way into the semi-final round.
Vick was selected to fight Team Faber fighter and eventual show winner, Michael Chiesa, in the semi-final round. Vick lost the fight via KO in the second round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Vick was scheduled to face castmate Vinc Pichel on June 1, 2012 at The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale. However, due to his KO loss in the semifinals, Vick was unable to compete at the event and Pichel was pulled from the card as well.
In his official debut, Vick faced Ramsey Nijem on August 17, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 26. He won the fight via submission at just 58 seconds into the first round.
Vick was expected to face promotional newcomer Valmir Lazaro on August 2, 2014 at UFC 176. However, after UFC 176 was cancelled, Vick/Lazaro was rescheduled and eventually took place on August 23, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 49. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.
Vick faced Nick Hein on November 22, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 57. Vick won the fight by unanimous decision.
Vick faced Jake Matthews on May 10, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65. Vick won the fight via submission in the first round. The win also earned Vick his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Vick next faced Glaico França on April 23, 2016 at UFC 197. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Vick was expected to face Evan Dunham on June 4, 2016 at UFC 199, filling in for an injured Leanardo Santos. In turn, Dunham pulled out for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Beneil Dariush. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Vick was scheduled to face Johnny Case on February 4, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 104. However On January 19, Case pulled out the fight citing injury and was replaced by Abel Trujillo.
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Jake Matthews
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 10 matches | 9 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 9–1 | Beneil Dariush | KO (punch) | UFC 199 | June 4, 2016 | 1 | 4:16 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Win | 9–0 | Glaico França | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 197 | April 23, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 | Jake Matthews | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt | May 10, 2015 | 1 | 4:53 | Adelaide, Australia | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 7–0 | Nick Hein | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson | November 22, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Austin, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Valmir Lazaro | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos | August 23, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Ramsey Nijem | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen | August 17, 2013 | 1 | 0:58 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Chris Pecero | Decision (unanimous) | Back Alley Promotions | September 3, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Arlington, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Mike Salazar | TKO (punches) | STFC 16 - All or Nothing | August 12, 2011 | 1 | 2:17 | McAllen, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jimmy Taylor | Submission (armbar) | Xtreme Knockout 11 | July 23, 2011 | 1 | 1:56 | Arlington, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Cody Carrillo | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Undisputed MMA 1 | June 18, 2011 | 1 | 3:30 | Amarillo, Texas, United States |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 4 matches | 3 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 3–1 | Michael Chiesa | KO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Live | May 12, 2012 (Live airdate) | 2 | 1:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | The Ultimate Fighter: Live Semi-Final round |
| Win | 3–0 | Joe Proctor | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Live | May 11, 2012 (Live airdate) | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | The Ultimate Fighter: Live Quarter-Final round |
| Win | 2–0 | Daron Cruickshank | KO (knee) | The Ultimate Fighter: Live | March 16, 2012 (Live airdate) | 1 | 2:16 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | The Ultimate Fighter: Live Preliminary round |
| Win | 1–0 | Dakota Cochrane | Decision (split) | The Ultimate Fighter: Live | March 9, 2012 (Live airdate) | 1 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | The Ultimate Fighter: Live Elimination round |