Former WEC Champion Jamie Varner Exits Arizona Combat Sports, Joins AMA Fight Club

Jamie Varner

Former WEC champion Jamie Varner is looking to make some changes that will hopefully lead him back to the UFC, and it starts with joining New Jersey’s AMA Fight Club.

Varner, who is coming off a win over Tyler Combs at XFO 39 a little over a week ago, has decided to pick up and move from his longtime home in Arizona to work with the New Jersey based fight team.

“Jamie’s been out here for about a week and a half, and he’s looking to buy a house and move out here and make AMA his home,” AMA Fight Club leader Mike Constantino revealed in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio.

“He’s a great addition to the team. He’s very, very talented and I’ll give you my word now, hear it here first, he’ll definitely be back in the UFC.”

AMA Fight Club boasts a list of several UFC fighters including top lightweight contender Jim Miller, who will obviously become a major asset in working with Varner, as well as benefit from adding another top lightweight to the camp.

Constantino says it was a mutual friend at KO Reps who introduced Varner to the team, and now it’s going to be a permanent move to New Jersey.

“It was a really good fit, definitely from our end, and apparently he liked it so he’s going to stay. He’s going to get so much better I can already see it in how talented he already is,” said Constantino.

Varner joins AMA Fight Club after several years training in Arizona, primarily under the tutelage of brothers Trevor and Todd Lally at Arizona Combat Sports.

In its heyday, Arizona Combat Sports touted some of the top up-and-coming fighters in the sport like Ryan Bader, C.B. Dollaway, and Carlos Condit.

Many of those past stars have already split with the gym and now Varner is the latest to exit.

Constantino believes that Varner can pick up a lot working with the squad at AMA Fight Club and become and integral part to their team over the next several months.

“Jamie’s very, very well rounded. He’s got really good striking, really good wrestling, and he’s got good jiu-jitsu. When you add the cardio and just being around guys that always have fights, guys in my school always have fights so every practice we have 10-plus guys on the mat and they all have fights booked, so they’re all equally as hungry. My practices are very, very competitive and they’re very intense. You can’t help but get better in that environment,” Constantino said.

Following his win at XFO 39, Varner has already ventured back to New Jersey to work with the team at AMA Fight Club and will look to relocate there permanently in the next few months.

Damon Martin is the lead staff writer and radio host for MMAWeekly.com.
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