Jake Collier
Rodney Jacob "Jake" Collier (born October 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background. With no background in sports, Collier started Brazilian jiu-jitsu to lose weight at the age of 20. Eventually he started competing in the sport, quickly taking his first amateur mixed martial arts bout. Mixed martial arts career. Early career. After compiling an amateur record of 12–2, Collier made his professional debut in November 2010. He competed primarily for regional organizations around his native state of Missouri. He amassed a record of  7–1 before signing with the UFC on the heels of a first round finish of Gabriel Checco at RFA 19. Ultimate Fighting Championship. Collier made his promotional debut against Vitor Miranda on December 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 58. He lost the fight via TKO in the final seconds of the first round. Collier next faced Ricardo Abreu on June 6, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 68, filling in for an injured Daniel Sarafian. Collier won the fight via split decision. Collier faced returning veteran Yang Dongi on November 28, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 79. He lost the  fight via TKO in the second round. Collier next faced promotional newcomer Alberto Uda on May 29, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 88. He won the fight via TKO in the second round and was awarded a "Performance of the Night" bonus. Collier was expected to face Josh Stansbury in a light heavyweight bout on December 3, 2016 at . However, Collier pulled out of the fight in late October citing injury and was replaced by Devin Clark. Collier faced Devin Clark on April 15, 2017 at UFC on Fox 24. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Collier faced Marcel  Fortuna on November 11, 2017 at . He won the fight by unanimous decision. Collier was scheduled to face Marcin Prachnio on February 24, 2018 at UFC on Fox 28. However, on January 4, 2018, he was forced to pull out from the fight citing injury. On February 16, 2019 it was announced that Collier had tested positive for higenamine in an out of competition test for which he received a ten-month suspension and he will be eligible to compete again on October 27, 2019. Collier was scheduled to face Tom Aspinall in a heavyweight bout on March 21, 2020  at after more than two years absence from UFC. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled. Subsequently, the pairing was left intact and took place on July 25, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 14. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. Collier faced Gian Villante on December 5, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 19. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Collier faced Carlos Felipe on June 12, 2021 at UFC 263. He lost the fight by split decision. Collier faced Chase Sherman on January 15, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 32. He won the  bout via rear-naked choke submission in round one. This win earned him the "Performance of the Night" award. As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Collier was scheduled to face Justin Tafa on April 30, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 35. However, Tafa withdrew from event for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by Andrei Arlovski. He lost the bout via split decision. 14 out of 14 media scores gave it to Collier. Personal life. Collier has three sons.