Deron Winn coaching with Daniel Cormier at California's state tournament (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Deron Winn will be making his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 153 on Saturday, June 22.
The 29-year-old former wrestler will be facing Markus Perez at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., the mixed martial arts website Sherdog.com reported Thursday. It will be the first Ultimate Fighting Championships event to be held in the state of South Carolina.
Winn shared the news on social media Thursday afternoon. On his Twitter account @DeronWinn, the UFC signee wrote, "Cats out of the bag! June 22 it's going down my @ufc debut!" while this was the message on his personal Facebook page: "The time has come! June 22nd I will be fighting Markus Perez in my @ufc debut in Greenville, SC. I can't wait!"
Winn is now 5-0 in his professional MMA career which he launched in March 2017. His first four fights ended in the first round. Winn's most recent victory was over veteran Tom Lawlor at Golden Boy MMA in Los Angeles in November 2018. He signed with UFC just days before Christmas in 2018.
Winn's first UFC opponent, Markus Perez, brings a 11-2 pro MMA record to UFC Fight Night 153. Prior to making his Octagon debut in November 2017, Perez was 9-0, having held the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight (185-pound) title.
Winn, a member of the American Kickboxing Academy, has been guided to success in his pro MMA career by two giants in wrestling and UFC: trainer Kevin Jackson, former UFC champ and Olympic gold medalist, and, as mentor, Daniel Cormier, dual UFC champ and 2008 Olympic wrestler.
Prior to launching his pro MMA career, Winn was a three-time Missouri state wrestling champ for Liberty High School outside Kansas City. Winn then enrolled at St. Louis Community College, Meramec where he was a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champ. At the 2008 NJCAA Nationals, Winn was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the championships.
Want to know more? Check out "Deron Winn: Combat Sports Renaissance Man" by InterMat's Richard Mann.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now