Victor Henry (fighter)

Victor Henry
Born	(1987-05-04) May 4, 1987 (age 37) South Gate, California, U.S.
Other names	La Mangosta
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
Division	Bantamweight
Reach	68 in (173 cm) [1]
Fighting out of	Los Angeles, California, United States
Team	UWF USA
Trainer	Josh Barnett
Years active	2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	31
Wins	24
By knockout	7
By submission	8
By decision	9
Losses	6
By decision	6
No contests	1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record Representing   United States Catch wrestling World Championships 2018 Bolton 68 kg [2]

Victor Henry (born May 4, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

Growing up in a diverse but mostly black community as a half-white, half-Mexican individual, Henry always stood out. His mother's emphasis on staying out of trouble led him to school commitments and athletics. Despite a brief stint with baseball and soccer, it was a newspaper article about a nearby taekwondo gym that caught his mother's attention. Martial arts soon became a way for Henry to channel his energy and focus. He earned his black belt and then ventured into jiu-jitsu, with dreams of becoming a personal or medical trainer for professional sports teams. However, as he delved deeper into martial arts, he discovered a passion for MMA. Under the guidance of trainer Jimmie Romero, Henry's skills flourished, and he realized he had the potential to become a fighter. It was through Romero that he met his future mentor and supporter, Josh Barnett, during a seminar. Henry's eagerness to learn and improve his wrestling skills caught Barnett's attention, solidifying a partnership that would become a turning point in his journey as a fighter. Henry trained at Combat Submission Wrestling in Fullerton, where he honed his skills. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Besides MMA, he has also competed in catch wrestling. ^{[4] [7]} At the 2018 Catch Wrestling World Championships hosted by The Snake Pit, Henry was the runner-up in the lightweight category. ^{[2] [8]}

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In August 2010, Henry started his MMA career with a debut win in Pomona, California, securing a submission victory via rear-naked choke against Dillion Croushorn. They continued to excel, notching wins in Pomona in October 2010 and January 2012, where they showcased their skills with a guillotine choke victory over Bobby Sanchez in a catchweight (140 lb) match at Respect in the Cage 16. Their success continued with unanimous decision wins in May and July 2013, demonstrating their adaptability in various scenarios. Unfortunately, they faced a setback in April 2014 when they were defeated by Joe Murphy via split decision in Costa Mesa, California. ^[9]

July 2014 brought a redemption moment in Tokyo, Japan, where they earned a TKO victory over Hideo Tokoro at Grandslam MMA: Way of the Cage, getting Henry back on the winning track. ^[10]

Pancrase

With a quick return to America, Henry became the CS Bantamweight Champion in Tacoma, Washington, with a armbar win over Cory Vom Baur at CageSport 32. Returning to Japan, Henry's ascension continued in 2015, with victories over Masakatsu Ueda via kneebar submission victory at Grandslam MMA 2 and Taichi Nakajima, in his Pancrase debut at Pancrase 267 on May 31, 2015 via split decision, and Hidekazu Fukushima at Pancrase 270 via guillotine choke. ^[11]

However, the road to success faced a setback, losing to Shintaro Ishiwatari in a unanimous decision at Pancrase 273 in Tokyo, Japan, for the Bantamweight King of Pancrase title. In the following years, the fighter's journey included a mixture of wins and losses, with unanimous decision win over Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha at Pancrase 277 followed by split decision loss to Rafael Silva at Pamcrase 282 ^[12] and unanimous decision loss against Masakatsu Ueda at Pancrase 285.

In February 2018, the fighter made a successful return by achieving a TKO victory over future UFC fighter Anderson dos Santos at KOTC: Energetic Pursuit. Henry continued his winning streak in August 2018, finishing Takafumi Otsuka via body kick knockout at Deep: 85 Impact.

Henry returned to America to secure a split decision win against Kyler Phillips at CXF 15: Rage in the Cage before traveling to Russia to defeat Denis Lavrentyev via unanimous decision at RCC 5.

Rizin Fighting Federation

In March 2019, the fighter claimed the DEEP Bantamweight Championship with a majority decision victory over Yuki Motoya at DEEP 88 Impact, claiming his first major title in Japan. After a brief stopover in Russia to finish Nikita Chistyakov via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round at RCC 6, Henry debuted in Rizin Fighting Federation with a reverse triangle armbar submission victory against Trent Girdham at Rizin 18 in Nagoya, Japan.

In his sophomore performance, Henry gained a TKO win via punches over Masanori Kanehara at Rizin 21 in Hamamatsu, Japan. ^[13]

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Henry could not enter Japan and therefore was forced to take bouts outside of the country, with this decision resulting in a setback as he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Denis Lavrentyev at Parus FC in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in a match for the Parus FC Bantamweight Championship.

However, the fighter made a strong comeback in October 2021, securing a submission victory with a rear-naked choke against Albert Morales at LXF 6 with this win earning him the LOXP Bantamweight Championship. ^[14]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Henry was signed to UFC as a replacement for Trevin Jones against Raoni Barcelos on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 199. ^[15] The pairing was then cancelled just hours before taking place due to COVID-19 protocols, ^[16] and rescheduled to meet on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. ^[17] Henry won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[18]

Henry took on Raphael Assunção at UFC Fight Night 212 on October 15, 2022, ^[19] losing the fight via unanimous decision. ^[20]

Henry squared off against Tony Gravely on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. ^[21] He won the fight via split decision. ^[22]

Henry was scheduled to face Javid Basharat on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 228. ^[23] However, Henry withdrew for unknown reasons and the bout was rescheduled for UFC 294 on October 21, 2023. ^[24] The fight ended in no-contest after an unintentional groin kick by Basharat rendered Henry unable to continue. ^[25]

Henry faced Rani Yahya on April 27, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 55. ^[26] After landing two knockdowns, Henry won the bout by technical knockout in the third round. ^[27]

Championships and accomplishments

Catch wrestling

• The Snake Pit
  • 2018 Catch Wrestling World Championships - runner-up, lightweight (68 kg) ^{[2] [8]}

Mixed martial arts

• DEEP
  • DEEP Bantamweight Championship (One time)
• Lights Out Xtreme Fighting
  • LOXF Bantamweight Championship (One time)
• CageSport
  • CS Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

31 matches	24 wins	6 losses
By knockout	7	0
By submission	8	0
By decision	9	6
No contests	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	24–6 (1)	Rani Yahya	TKO (head kick and punches)	UFC on ESPN: Nicolau vs. Perez	April 27, 2024	3	2:36	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
NC	23–6 (1)	Javid Basharat	No Contest (accidental groin kick)	UFC 294	October 21, 2023	2	0:15	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	An accidental groin kick rendered Henry unable to continue.
Win	23–6	Tony Gravely	Decision (split)	UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili	March 11, 2023	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	22–6	Raphael Assunção	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo	October 15, 2022	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	22–5	Raoni Barcelos	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 270	January 22, 2022	3	5:00	Anaheim, California, United States
Win	21–5	Albert Morales	Submission (rear-naked choke)	LXF 6	October 30, 2021	2	1:46	Burbank, California, United States	Won the LOXP Bantamweight Championship.
Loss	20–5	Denis Lavrentyev	Decision (unanimous)	Parus FC	November 7, 2020	3	5:00	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	For the Parus FC Bantamweight Championship.
Win	20–4	Masanori Kanehara	TKO (punches)	Rizin 21	February 22, 2020	2	0:45	Hamamatsu, Japan
Win	19–4	Trent Girdham	Submission (reverse triangle armbar)	Rizin 18	August 18, 2019	3	2:14	Nagoya, Japan
Win	18–4	Nikita Chistyakov	TKO (punches)	RCC 6	May 4, 2019	1	4:50	Chelyabinsk, Russia
Win	17–4	Yuki Motoya	Decision (majority)	DEEP 88 Impact	March 9, 2019	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan	Won the DEEP Bantamweight Championship.
Win	16–4	Denis Lavrentyev	Decision (unanimous)	RCC 5	December 15, 2018	3	5:00	Ekaterinburg, Russia
Win	15–4	Kyler Phillips	Decision (split)	CXF 15: Rage in the Cage	October 20, 2018	3	5:00	Burbank, California, United States
Win	14–4	Takafumi Otsuka	KO (body kick)	Deep: 85 Impact	August 26, 2018	3	1:36	Tokyo, Japan
Win	13–4	Anderson dos Santos	TKO (doctor stoppage)	KOTC: Energetic Pursuit	February 24, 2018	2	5:00	Ontario, California, United States
Loss	12–4	Masakatsu Ueda	Decision (unanimous)	Pancrase 285	March 12, 2017	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	12–3	Rafael Silva	Decision (split)	Pancrase 282	November 13, 2016	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	12–2	Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha	Decision (unanimous)	Pancrase 277	April 24, 2016	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	11–2	Shintaro Ishiwatari	Decision (unanimous)	Pancrase 273	December 13, 2015	5	5:00	Tokyo, Japan	For the Bantamweight King of Pancrase Championship.
Win	11–1	Hidekazu Fukushima	Submission (guillotine choke)	Pancrase 270	October 4, 2015	1	4:32	Tokyo, Japan
Win	10–1	Taichi Nakajima	Decision (split)	Pancrase 267	May 31, 2015	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	9–1	Masakatsu Ueda	Submission (kneebar)	Grandslam MMA 2: Way of the Cage	February 8, 2015	3	3:22	Tokyo, Japan
Win	8–1	Cory Vom Baur	Submission (armbar)	CageSport 32	October 4, 2014	1	4:43	Tacoma, Washington, United States	Won the CS Bantamweight Championship.
Win	7–1	Hideo Tokoro	TKO (punches)	Grandslam MMA: Way of the Cage	July 13, 2014	2	1:52	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	6–1	Joe Murphy	Decision (split)	FCOC 28	April 17, 2014	3	5:00	Costa Mesa, California, United States
Win	6–0	Jeff Martin	Submission (armbar)	BAMMA Badbeat 10	August 9, 2013	1	4:22	Commerce, California, United States
Win	5–0	Kevin Michel	Decision (unanimous)	KOTC: Validation	July 11, 2013	3	5:00	Highland, California, United States
Win	4–0	Bronson Casarez	Decision (Unanimous)	Fight Club OC: Rumble on the Range	May 16, 2013	3	3:00	Burbank, California, United States
Win	3–0	Bobby Sanchez	Submission (guillotine choke)	Respect in the Cage 16	January 21, 2012	1	1:34	Pomona, California, United States	Catchweight (140 lb) bout.
Win	2–0	Gary Mikayelyan	TKO (punches)	Respect in the Cage 8	October 9, 2010	N/A	N/A	Pomona, California, United States
Win	1–0	Dillion Croushorn	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Respect in the Cage 7	August 21, 2010	2	2:36	Pomona, California, United States

^[28]

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com.
2. "Wigan's Snakepit wrestling club celebrates anniversary". Wigan Today . Nov 15, 2018. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
3. "How Victor Henry found himself making his UFC debut Saturday at age 34". Orange County Register. 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
4. Bitter, Shawn (2019-10-30). "MMA Prospect of the Month: Victor Henry". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
5. Bitter, Shawn (2021-12-18). "Welcome to the UFC: Victor Henry". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
6. "Fight Path: UFC's Josh Barnett helped boost Victor Henry's confidence". MMA Junkie. 2013-09-05. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
7. "Victor Henry". UFC.com. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
8. "Catch Wrestling World Championships 2018". Snake Pit Wigan. 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
9. "Victor Henry Continues Breakout Year at Saturday's Sold-Out SFL American Debut". MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
10. "Victor Henry Takes Out Tokoro, Nam Phan Rebounds at Grandslam MMA 'Way of the Cage'". sherdog.com. July 13, 2014.
11. Sherdog.com. "Sherdog Prospect Watch: Victor Henry". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
12. "Pancrase 282 Results: Silva Edges Henry, Nakai Stops Watt". Combat Press. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
13. Simon Head (February 22, 2020). "Rizin FF 21 results: Mikuru Asakura scores knockout finish, gets unexpected challenge". mmajunkie.com.
14. "LXF 6 RESULTS - News - Lights Out XF". www.lightsoutxf.com. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
15. DNA, MMA (2021-12-08). "Victor Henry maakt UFC debuut op 18 december tegen Raoni Barcelos in Las Vegas". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
16. Nolan King (2021-12-18). "UFC Fight Night 199 loses Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry hours before start time". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
17. Anderson, Jay (2022-01-05). "Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry Lands on UFC 270". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
18. Anderson, Jay (2022-01-22). "UFC 270: Victor Henry Impresses in Debut, Picks Apart Raoni Barcelos". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
19. Nolan King (2022-08-22). "Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 15-21)". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
20. Dewar, Val (2022-10-15). "UFC Vegas 62: Raphael Assunção Turns Back the Clock, Defeats Victor Henry by Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
21. ATSteveDuncan (2023-01-27). "Tony Gravely vs. Victor Henry anunciado para UFC Vegas 71". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-01-27.
22. Jamie Theodosi (2023-03-11). "UFC Las Vegas: Victor Henry narrowly edges Tony Gravely in three-round war". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
23. "Javid Basharat faces Victor Henry at UFC Vegas 79". Asian MMA. 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
24. "Javid Basharat and Victor Henry rebooked for UFC 294". Asian MMA. 2023-09-16. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
25. Theodosi, Jamie (2023-10-21). "UFC 294: Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry Fizzles, No Contest Results from Groin Strike". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
26. Sherdog.com. "Report: Rani Yahya to Face Victor Henry at UFC on ESPN 55 on April 27". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
27. Dewar, Val (2024-04-27). "UFC Vegas 91: Victor Henry Dominates Rani Yahya, Leaves Apex to "Fight Korean Barbecue"". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
28. "Victor Henry". Sherdog.

External links

• Victor Henry at UFC
• Professional MMA record for Victor Henry from Sherdog