Filed under: UFC
James Wilks defeated DeMarques Johnson with a first-round rear-naked choke Saturday night at the Ultimate Fighter Finale, meaning both of this season’s Ultimate Fighter winners are from the United Kingdom.
“This is the best moment of my life, for sure,” Wilks said afterward. “I really appreciate the opportunity the UFC, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta have given me.”
The British Wilks represented Team UK on the UFC’s reality show, but he’s done most of his MMA training in the United States, and he said he worked several years as a martial arts trainer before deciding to dedicate himself completely to fighting in the cage.
“I moved to the States in 2000 and have been training and teaching martial arts,” Wilks said on a conference call this week to promote his fight with Johnson. “I was fighting sporadically, I’d have a couple years and then have a year off, and I didn’t really dedicate myself to it. But then as I got older I started taking it more seriously and fighting was something I wanted to pursue. I’d been teaching martial arts, which I really enjoy, but now I’m really just focused on the fights.”
That focus has paid off. Wilks is now The Ultimate Fighter.
Ultimate Fighter Finale: James Wilks Submits DeMarques Johnson originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
