Justin Eilers - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Justin Mark Eilers was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

, formerly with the UFC and WEC

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

. Eilers trained with Miletich Fighting Systems

Miletich Fighting Systems

Miletich Fighting Systems is a mixed martial arts training organization. It is recognized as an excellent training camp. It has been the training camp for fighters such as Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver, Robbie Lawler, and Jeremy Horn...

in Bettendorf, Iowa

Bettendorf, Iowa

Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Bettendorf is the fifteenth largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and the fourth largest city in the "Quad Cities". As of the 2010 United States Census the population grew to 33,217. Bettendorf is one of the Quad Cities, along with...

Biography

Justin Eilers was born and raised in Nampa, Idaho

Nampa, Idaho

Nampa is the largest and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, USA. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census. Nampa is located about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is part of the Boise metropolitan area...

, and developed an early love of football. He began wrestling

Wrestling

Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

in the sixth grade and through high school, but he missed a football scholarship out of high school due to his low SAT

SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...

scores, and soon took up karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

at a local school. He began competing in small full contact shows around Idaho, where he met up and coming fighter Jens Pulver

Jens Pulver

Jens Johnnie Pulver is an American mixed martial artist . He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He was formerly signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting , which is...

, who was fighting with the same promotion.

After being accepted to Butte Junior College near Chico, California, Eilers left mixed martial arts behind for football, and was recruited by Iowa State University

Iowa State University

Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...

as a linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

. He would go on to play for Iowa State for the next four years, After college, Eilers took time off to fully heal a shoulder injury. It was during this time that he had another chance meeting with Jens Pulver, who was now a popular fighter in the UFC. Pulver urged Eilers to try fighting again, and after a few months of training, Eilers made his MMA debut in 2002 facing classic UFC fighter Dan Severn

Dan Severn

Daniel DeWayne Severn is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, notable for his success in the early years of Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. Severn has fought and wrestled for many mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions, including King of the...

at Victory Fighting Championships 3 (a local Iowa MMA organization). Eilers would lose the fight via decision, but the experience pushed Eilers to focus full time on the sport of mixed martial arts. Just one month later Eilers would return to MMA competition, taking a quick KO victory over Jeff Gerlick at an Extreme Challenge event.

Eilers went undefeated in his next 4 fights, before losing a close split decision victory to Cabbage Correira

Wesley Correira

Wesley "Cabbage" Correira is an American mixed martial artist. He trains with BJ Penn in Hilo, Hawaii at BJ Penn MMA.-Biography:...

at SuperBrawl 30. Coming off the loss to Cabbage, Eilers won his next five fights, all by KO, and was signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

in 2004. His first fight in the octagon was against an old friend from high school, Mike Kyle

Mike Kyle

Mike Kyle is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a light heavyweight and heavyweight. He fights primarily for Strikeforce and King of the Cage. He is the King of the Cage Light Heavyweight champion...

at UFC 49
UFC 49
UFC 49: Unfinished Business was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 21, 2004, at the MGM Grand Arena in Paradise, Nevada...

. Eilers knocked Kyle out in just 1:14 of the first round, but was suspended after the fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to injury sustained to his hand in the fight. He returned in February 2005 at UFC 51
UFC 51
UFC 51: Super Saturday was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...

to face top heavyweight contender Paul Buentello

Paul Buentello

. Three minutes into the first round, Eilers was caught by a right hook from Buentello, which ended the fight. Four months later at UFC 53
UFC 53
UFC 53: Heavy Hitters was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2005, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey...

, Eilers would get a title shot, facing Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...

. Unfortunately he would suffer another KO loss at the hands of the heavyweight champion Arlovski. Eilers suffered extensive injuries in this match, breaking both hands, his jaw, and tearing his ACL

Anterior cruciate ligament

The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...

.

Following his loss to Arlovski, Eilers took 8 months off, and returned to the octagon at UFC 57
UFC 57
UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2006. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States.Headlining the card was an anticipated...

to face Brandon Vera

Brandon Vera

Brandon Michael Vera is an American mixed martial artist. He competes as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the winner of the WEC 13 Heavyweight Tournament and currently resides in San Diego, California. He holds notable victories over Frank Mir, Assuerio Silva,...

. In yet another brutal knock out, Eilers was dazed by a high kick to the top right side of the head and then dropped by a vicious knee to the same area.

Eilers was released from the UFC in 2006, and returned to MMA competition at Combat in the Cage 2, finally scoring a KO victory (his first victory in almost 2 years) over Sherman Pendergarst.

In June 2006, Eilers faced Jimmy Ambriz

Jimmy Ambriz

Jimmy "The Titan" Ambriz is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Super Heavyweight division. He is a former King of the Cage Super Heavyweight Champion. His nickname "The Titan" is for his enormous size and raw power...

at World Extreme Cagefighting 21, taking a TKO victory due to doctor stoppage. In his next five fights Eilers proceeded to beat Rocky Batastini (by submission due to strikes), Wade Hamilton (by submission due to strikes), Josh Diekman (by TKO due to strikes), John Dixon (by submission due to strikes) and Jihoon Kim (by submission due to strikes).

Eilers' winning streak came to an end when, on March 9, 2007, he lost to Pedro Rizzo

Pedro Rizzo

Pedro Augusto Rizzo is an Brazilian mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter. He has a professional MMA record of 19–9–0 as of July 17, 2010. He holds notable victories over former UFC Champions Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.-Mixed...

by unanimous decision. The fight took place at the début show of the Undisputed Arena Fighting Championships, and was held in Dallas, Texas.

Death

At 10:45 p.m. on December 25, 2008, Eilers was shot during an apparent domestic dispute by his stepfather, 48-year-old James Robert Malec, at Malec's and his mother's residence in Nampa

Nampa, Idaho

(Canyon County

Canyon County, Idaho

Canyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2010 Census the county had a population of 188,923. The county seat is Caldwell, and its largest city is Nampa.. Canyon County is part of the Boise City–Nampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :The county was...

), Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

. Eilers died from a single gunshot to the chest. Malec, a former correctional officer, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
Eilers leaves behind a son, whom was also in the home that night. Malec was convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Loss
| 19-7-1
|

Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva (fighter)

Antonio Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He initially fought in the super heavyweight division, but currently competes in the heavyweight weight class. He is the first and last EliteXC heavyweight champion...

|TKO (Knees and Punches)
|EliteXC: Unfinished Business

EliteXC: Unfinished Business

EliteXC: Unfinished Business was a mixed martial arts event held by EliteXC on July 26, 2008 in Stockton, CA at Stockton Arena.The show was officially announced during the Showtime broadcast of EliteXC: Return of the King and the main event featured a rematch between Middleweight Champion Robbie...

|2008-07-26
|2
| 0:19
|
| For Elite XC Heavyweight Championship. Silva tested positive for steroids post-fight.
|-
| Win
| 19-6-1
|

Wade Shipp
|TKO (Punches)
|IFC – Caged Combat
|2008-04-26
|4
| 3:50
|
|
|-
| Win
| 18-6-1
|

Matt Thompson
|Decision (Unanimous)
|HDNet Fight
|2007-10-13
|3
| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
| 17-6-1
|

Scott Hough
|TKO (Strikes)
|FSG: Coliseum Carnage
|2007-04-08
|1
| 4:11
|
|
|-
| Loss
| 16-6-1
|

Pedro Rizzo

|Decision (Unanimous)
|Undisputed Arena Fighting Championships
|2007-03-09
|3
| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
| 16-5-1
|

Ji Hoon Kim
|Submission (Strikes)
|World Best Fighter: USA vs. Asia
|2007-02-03
|1
| 2:10
|
|
|-
| Win
| 15-5-1
|

Josh Dixon
|Submission (Strikes)
|Beatdown in Bakersfield
|2006-11-17
|2
| 0:56
|
|
|-
| Win
| 14-5-1
|

Josh Diekman
|TKO (Strikes)
|WEC 24

WEC 24

WEC 24: Halloween Fury 5: Full Force was a mixed martial arts event held on October 12, 2006. WEC 24s main event was a championship fight for the WEC Lightweight Title between champion Hermes Franca and challenger Nate Diaz....

|2006-10-12
|1
| 2:29
|
|
|-
| Win
| 13-5-1
|

Wade Hamilton
||Submission (Strikes)
|RMN – MMA: Demolition
|2006-09-16
|1
| 2:23
|
|-
| Win
| 12-5-1
|

Rocky Batastini
|Submission (Strikes)
|Xtreme Fight Series 1
|2006-07-15
|1
| 2:32
|
|
|-
| Win
| 11-5-1
|

Jimmy Ambriz

|TKO (Doctor Stoppage)
|WEC 21: Tapout
|2006-06-15
|1
| 5:00
|
|-
| Win
| 10-5-1
|

Sherman Pendergarst
|KO (Punches)
|Combat in the Cage 2
|2006-05-20
|2
| 4:34
|
|-
| Loss
| 9-5-1
|

Brandon Vera

|KO (Kick and Knee)
|UFC 57

UFC 57

UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2006. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States.Headlining the card was an anticipated...

|2006-02-04
|1
| 1:25
|
|
|-
| Loss
| 9-4-1
|

Andrei Arlovski

Andrei Valeryevich Arlovski is a Belarusian kickboxer, mixed martial artist and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.-Biography:...

|TKO (Strikes)
|UFC 53

UFC 53

UFC 53: Heavy Hitters was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2005, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey...

|2005-06-04
|1
| 4:10
|For Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship
|-
| Loss
| 9-3-1
|

Paul Buentello

|KO (Punch)
|UFC 51

UFC 51

UFC 51: Super Saturday was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2005 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...

|2005-02-05
|1
| 3:34
|
|-
| Win
| 9-2-1
|

Mike Kyle

|KO (Punch)
|UFC 49

UFC 49

UFC 49: Unfinished Business was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 21, 2004, at the MGM Grand Arena in Paradise, Nevada...

|2004-08-21
|1
| 1:14
|
|-
| Win
| 8-2-1
|

Mikhail Bogdanov
|TKO (Corner Stoppage)
|Euphoria: Russia vs USA
|2004-03-13
|1
| 5:00
|
|-
| Win
| 7-2-1
|

Vince Lucero
|TKO (Injury)
|SuperBrawl 33
|2004-02-07
|1
|0:11
|
|
|-
| Win
| 6-2-1
|

Rocky Batastini
|TKO (Punch)
|International Fighting Championships

International Fighting Championships

International Fighting Championships is an American mixed martial arts organization. Founded in 1996, the IFC was the vision of longtime martial artist and kickboxing promoter, Howard Petschler. Howard recognized that MMA would finally solve a lot of the problemsassociated with martial arts as a...

: Battleground Tahoe
|2004-01-31
|1
|
|
|
|-
| Win
| 5-2-1
|

Gary Marshall
|TKO (Strikes)
|IFC: Battleground Boise
|2003-10-25
|1
| 4:25
|
|
|-
| Win
| 4-2-1
|

Brian Shepard
|TKO (Injury)
|CFM: Octogono Extremo
|2003-09-27
|1
| 4:00
|
|
|-
| Loss
| 3-2-1
|

Wesley Correira

Wesley "Cabbage" Correira is an American mixed martial artist. He trains with BJ Penn in Hilo, Hawaii at BJ Penn MMA.-Biography:...

|Decision (Split)
|SB 30: Collision Course
|2003-06-13
|3
| 5:00
|
|
|-
|Draw
| 3-1-1
|

Jason Brilz

Jason Brilz is an American mixed martial artist. He formerly fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the light heavyweight division.-Wrestling career:...

|Draw
|VFC 4: Wildcard
|2003-04-19
|3
| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
| 3-1
|

Johnathan Ivey

Johnathan Ivey is an American Heavyweight mixed martial artist. He has fought notable fighters such as Gan McGee, Jeremy Horn, Ben Rothwell, Dan Severn, Ricco Rodriguez and Ken Shamrock.-Mixed martial arts career:...

|Submission (Strikes)
|Iowa Challenge 9
|2003-04-05
|1
|1:03
|
|
|-
| Win
| 2-1
|

Seth Peters
|Submission (Strikes)
|Iowa Challenge 8
|2003-01-11
|1
|
|
|
|-
| Win
| 1-1
|

Jeff Gerlick
|KO (Punch)
|MMA Nationals 2002
|2002-12-14
|1
| 2:56
|
|
|-
| Loss
| 0-1
|

Dan Severn

|Decision (Unanimous)
|VFC 3: Total Chaos
|2002-11-23
|3
|
|
|

External links

UFC profile

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