Justin Lawrence
| Justin Lawrence | |
|---|---|
| Born | Justin Ray Lawrence May 15, 1990 Pacific, Missouri, United States |
| Other names | The American Kidd The Hammer (formerly) |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division |
Featherweight Lightweight |
| Reach | 67.0 in (170 cm) |
| Style | Kickboxing, Kempo, Karate, Wrestling, Boxing, |
| Fighting out of |
Los Angeles, California, United States Pacific, Missouri, United States |
| Team |
Blackhouse MMA 21st Century Self Defense Alliance MMA |
| Rank | Black belt in Kempo Karate |
| Years active | 2010-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Justin Ray Lawrence (born May 15, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Lawrence has also formerly competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, the RFA, and was a competitor on FX's The Ultimate Fighter: Live.
Originally from Pacific, Missouri, Lawrence began training at the age of six under his step-father, Benny Voyles, a former professional boxer and kickboxer who owns his own gym in St. Louis, Missouri. Lawrence would go on to become a two-time St. Louis' Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament Champion, and compile over 150 amateur kickboxing wins. In kickboxing, Lawrence also was a six-time IKF International Kickboxing Federation National Kickboxing Champion, and a two-time Pan-American Kickboxing Champion. Lawrence began wrestling in the third grade, and was talented, placing in the state tournament multiple times as well as in football as a running back at Pacific High School. Lawrence was also a member of the school's drama team.
In 2007 Lawrence began his MMA career, taking his first amateur fight, winning in the first round via submission (rear-naked choke). He picked up four more amateur wins, accumulating a record of 5-0 before turning professional.
Lawrence's professional debut came on December 4, 2010 at Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II in St. Louis, Missouri. His opponent was highly touted Russian fighter, Max Martyniouk, who was also making his professional debut. Lawrence dominated throughout the bout but after Lawrence delivered a soccer kick to the head of the downed Martyniouk the fight was forced to go to a technical decision. Despite the illegal kick, Lawrence was awarded the win via a unanimous technical decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
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