| No. 78 | |||||||||
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| Positions | Defensive end Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1973-08-15)August 15, 1973 (age 52) Jacksonville, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 278 lb (126 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Southwest (Jacksonville) | ||||||||
| College | North Carolina | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1996: 1st round, 22nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Marcus Jones | |
|---|---|
| Other names | The Darkness Big Baby |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 80 in (203 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Tampa, Florida |
| Team | Gracie Tampa |
| Years active | 2007–2009 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 4 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Marcus Edward Jones (born August 15, 1973) is an American formermixed martial artist fighter and former professionalfootball player who was adefensive end in theNational Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He playedcollege football for theNorth Carolina Tar Heels, earning consensusAll-American honors in 1995. A first-round pick in the1996 NFL draft, he played professional football for the NFL'sTampa Bay Buccaneers. After retiring from the NFL, he became a mixed martial arts fighter, and was a cast member ofSpikeTV'sThe Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.
Jones was born inJacksonville, North Carolina.[1] He attended Southwest Onslow High School in Jacksonville,[2] and played high school football for the Southwest Stallions. Jones accepted anathletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of North Carolina, where he played for theNorth Carolina Tar Heels football team from 1992 to 1995. He set the Tar Heels' career sack record (subsequently broken byGreg Ellis), and was recognized as a consensus first-teamAll-American in 1995.
TheTampa Bay Buccaneers selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the1996 NFL draft.[3] He played for the Buccaneers from1996 to2002.[1] Jones played his entire active professional career with the Buccaneers, playing in 85 games, starting 39 of them, and recording 24 sacks.[4] He was released by the Buccaneers in October 2002. He was signed by theBuffalo Bills, but was placed oninjured reserve and was waived after suffering a knee injury.[5]
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Jones trained under Rob Kahn in Gracie Tampa in Tampa, Florida. He made his professional MMA debut on October 26, 2007, in World Fighting Championships 5 with a victory over Will Mora. In his next fight, Jones took on Eduardo Boza, and defeated him via technical knockout midway through round one.
Jones took his first loss to Daniel Perez. Jones won two fights in a row after the loss before being selected to appear on the tenth season ofThe Ultimate Fighter.
Jones was a competitor onThe Ultimate Fighter which began filming on June 1, 2009 and started airing on September 16, 2009. During pre-selection training, Jones was shown to struggle with a lack of stamina which potentially led to him being one of the final picks for Team Rampage.
During the competition, Jones suffered through problems in the house, such as a slight knee injury as well as a severe case of sweating, prompting concerns about his availability for the competition. Upon recovery, Jones had his first fight against Team Rashad'sMike Wessel, winning via armbar submission in the first round, making him the only member of Team Rampage to make it past the preliminary rounds. In the quarterfinals, Jones gaveDarrill Schoonover his first mixed martial arts defeat by knocking Schoonover out. Jones was defeated in a semifinal bout againstBrendan Schaub by KO in the first round.
For his official UFC debut, Jones returned for the finale to square off againstMatt Mitrione, where Jones suffered another knockout in the second round. After this fight, he decided to retire from MMA so he could spend more time with his family.[6]
| 6 matches | 4 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 2 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 4–2 | Matt Mitrione | KO (punch) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale | December 5, 2009 | 2 | 0:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | John Juarez | TKO (punches) | XCF 1: Rumble in Racetown | February 14, 2009 | 1 | 1:39 | Daytona Beach, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Mike Ottman | TKO (punches) | Revolution Fight Club 2 | December 19, 2008 | 1 | 1:24 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Daniel Perez | KO (punches) | WFC 6: Battle in the Bay | March 22, 2008 | 1 | 1:26 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Eduardo Boza | TKO (punches) | Revolution Fight Club 10: Bad Blood | November 10, 2007 | 1 | 2:32 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Will Mora | Submission (kimura) | World Fighting Championships 5 | October 26, 2007 | 1 | 1:02 | Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 2 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2–1 | Brendan Schaub | KO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights | 1 | 2:11 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Semi-finals. | |
| Win | 2–0 | Darrill Schoonover | KO (punches) | 1 | N/A | Quarter-finals. | |||
| Win | 1–0 | Mike Wessel | Submission (armbar) | 1 | N/A | Preliminary bout. |
