From couch potato to UFC debut in six years? Meet your new hero, Jake Collier

Jake Collier

The typical MMA stories – the lifelong martial artist, the collegiate wrestling standout, the streetwise brawler – those simply do not apply to UFC newcomer Jake Collier.

“I was about 270 pounds, 20 years old and welding as a full-time job, Collier told MMAjunkie. “I kind of got real big and fat, and I was unhappy with myself. A friend of mine knew jiu-jitsu, and I was telling him maybe I wanted to get into jiu-jitsu or grappling or something just to get a workout and get in shape.

“I went into this place, starting working jiu-jitsu – basic stuff, nothing amazing – just to work, and I started losing weight and feeling good about myself. Then I took a grappling match. It was a couple of months away, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to do that.’ I went out there and just got completely destroyed. I got submitted in every round. But that fired me up. I wanted to keep going.”

And by “keep going,” Collier didn’t just mean honing his jiu-jitsu skills. Instead, he was offered a chance to fight, and Collier couldn’t turn it down.

“This guy was there, this amateur MMA promoter, and he was like, ‘Hey, you ever thought about fighting?'” Collier recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, that would be cool. I’ll try that out.’ He had a show, and my first fight was like a 30-second TKO.

“I won a couple of times, and I was hooked. There was no going back. It was just so much fun. I loved it, and I loved training. I still do. I love this sport. It’s the best sport in the world to me.”

Collier advanced quickly through the ranks, despite boasting absolutely no athletic experience in anyting.

“No sports,” Collier said with a laugh. “Nothing. Not even basketball or football or anything.”

Collier found success quickly in MMA, earning a 6-1 record during his first two years as a professional. However, his career was brought to a halt by a series of injuries that nearly pushed him out of the sport.

“I had to get a bunch of plates and screws put in my thumb,” Collier said. “Then it was like right after that, I got cleared to fight, and I jacked my knee up. It just knocked me out for like a year-and-a-half. I was pretty down. I was like 24, 25 years old. I was right at the peak of my career. I was just getting the ball rolling real good, and I destroyed my hand and blew my knee out. Fortunately, I had a lot of good support around and people like my wife really helped me out.

“I remember times asking my coach and some of my training partners, ‘Do you guys think I can still do this?’ They kept me positive, like, ‘Keep your head up. You’ll be back in the gym in no time.’ And I was. I went through physical therapy, got all that taken care of, and started putting strength back in my leg.”

With a wife and three kids at home, pursuing his dream to compete as a mixed martial artist was no small task. So Collier maintained his job as a welder while he continued on his chosen path.

Following an October win over Gabriel Checco at RFA, Collier finally got the call from the UFC.

“A lot of people asked me, ‘Well, if you win, do you think you’ll be signed with the UFC?'” Collier said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know. If I perform terrible, I’m sure they’re not going to call me.’ But I’m an exciting fighter. I want the fans to watch me. I want them to tune in when I fight.

“I was just trying to make it exciting. After the fight, I felt good, but you still don’t know. I got the phone call, and I was on top of the world.”

The assignment wasn’t exactly easy. Collier (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was tasked with traveling to Brazil, where he’ll face Vitor Miranda (9-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 58 event. While facing a Brazilian fighter in hostile territory is never an easy task, Collier said he never considered turning down the offer.

“I didn’t think twice about it,” Collier said. “I’ll fight anybody. I love to fight and compete. My manager jokes with me all the time that he’s my protector. If anybody calls me at anytime and says they’ve got a fight lined up, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight that guy.’ But he’s like, ‘See, this is why you need me. I need to protect you from yourself.’

But I watched video on (Miranda). I think he’s a really tough guy, good kickboxer. They’re bringing me into Brazil, but I’m totally happy with that. I think it’s going to be a great fight with the way we both fight. We come forward and we throw punches and kicks. We really don’t go to the ground, so I think this could be a really good, exciting fight. Especially for my first fight in the UFC, I’m definitely looking to put on a show.”

Thus far in his career, Collier has proven a man of his word. The Missouri native has gone to a decision just once in his nine career contests, and he insists Saturday will be no different. Oddsmakers have installed him as a slight favorite, despite being a newcomer fighting on foreign soil, and Collier hopes to make a positive first impression, regardless of his prior martial arts pedigree.

“Forward pressure, punches and kicks,” Collier said. “I’m an aggressive fighter. I don’t leave anything to the judges. I’m always looking for the finish. So expect fireworks.

“I’m just going to keep coming forward, and he’s going to do the same. It’s going to be a war. He’s a tough dude. I’m hoping to test his toughness.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 58, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.