Fighter Profile: Jason Dent

Dent (red & white ProFighting-fans.com trunks) eats a punch from George Sotiropolous at UFC 106. Photo used with permission from the UFC

Overall Record: 19-10

Hometown: Madison, OH

Height: 5’10” Weight: 155

Age: 29

Jason “Dynamite” Dent is a muay-thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner who trains at the GriffonRawl Thai boxing & MMA Academy in Ohio. Dent is a veteran of many mixed martial arts promotions including two separate stints with the UFC. He is also recognized for his appearance on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom.

Dent debuted as a professional over six years ago while fighting for the Extreme Combat Challenge promotion. His career was up and down over the course of the next three years appearing in several low and mid-level organizations. King of the Cage, Superbrawl, Icon Sport, and the Xtreme Fighting Organization were among the stops throughout his first three and a half years.

By the time Dent reached the “big-show,” he held a respectable 13-6 record and laid claim to both the Next Level Fighting and the Extreme Fighting Challenge Lightweight Titles. Shortly after defeating Elite XC veteran Kolo Koka at an Icon Sport “Mayhem vs. Lawler” event, he made his September 2006 debut at UFC 63 as a last-minute replacement against UFC stalwart, Roger Huerta.

Dent went back-and-forth with Huerta for three rounds at UFC 63 before dropping the unanimous decision, however earned a second chance with the organization after his display of aggression and determination. Six months later, Dent was given that second chance at UFC 68 in his home state of Ohio at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus. This time he faced UFC sophomore Gleison Tibau, who was just coming off a tough loss to Nick Diaz four months prior. Tibau outworked Dent, especially on the ground, for another three round unanimous decision loss.

“Dynamite” hit the regional circuit once again, beginning at the nearby Cleveland, Ohio-based GFS organization. He would fight six times in mid-level Ohio promotions, including Superior Fight Night, NAAFS, and the IFBL. His 5-1 record from June 2007 through September 2008 earned him a chance back in the big leagues as a possible competitor on The Ultimate Fighter 9 United States vs. United Kingdom.

He won his preliminary bout by defeating Robbie Browning, thus punching his ticket into the TUF 9 house. A couple of episodes later, Dent defeated Team UK’s Jeff Lawson by 2nd round anaconda choke to advance into the semifinals. His title hopes were dashed in the semifinals when Team UK’s Ross Pearson defeated him via decision.

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Jason Dent demonstrates controlling the opponent during MMA class at GriffonRawl MMA Academy. Photo by Luke Jernigan

UFC brass thought enough of Dent to award him a chance to fight again in the octagon at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale against fellow United States teammate, Cameron Dollar. In June of 2009, the Ohio-native battled Dollar on his feet, got the fight to the ground and sunk in an anaconda choke just seconds before the 1st round ended. The win was impressive and earned him his fourth official UFC fight against Australian, George Sotiropoulos at UFC 106 in November. Sotiropoulos stopped Dent late in the 2nd round with an armbar submission and ending his run as a UFC lightweight contender.

Dent was released shortly after his UFC 106 loss and will have to earn his way back to either the UFC, WEC or Strikeforce with solid performances in the regional promotions. He will also stay busy with running his GriffonRawl MMA Academy in Mentor, Ohio where he runs all day-to-days operations and trains four other pro fighters and numerous amateur MMA fighters.

Recent Jason Dent MMA News:

• Lost to George Sotiropoulos via Submission (Armbar) at UFC 106 in Las Vegas, NV - UFC 106 results

• January 2010 - Interview with UFC Veteran Jason Dent, Owner of GriffonRawl MMA Academy

• Will fight at the US Fighting Championship event on March 20 in Wisconsin

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer
Published December 2009, Updated January 2010