Jeff Molina
BornJeffrey Molina
(1997-07-17) July 17, 1997
Lakewood, New Jersey, United States
Other namesEl Jefe
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Flyweight
Reach69 in (175 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofOlathe, Kansas
TeamGlory MMA and Fitness
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins11
By knockout4
By submission4
By decision3
Losses2
By submission1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Jeffrey Molina (born July 17, 1997) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

Molina was born in Lakewood, New Jersey. He attended Olathe South High School, where he participated in wrestling. He started training MMA at age 14, coached by Jason High and LC Davis. In 2017, he began training with James Krause at Glory MMA.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Molina began his professional after a successful 9–0 amateur career. His professional debut took place on Jun 2, 2017 at VFC: Fight Night Harrah's 5, where he lost the bout to Steven Merrill via rear-naked choke in the first round. He rebounded at VFC 58, where he submitted Delfino Benitez via rear-naked choke in the first round. Molina would go on to lose his next bout against Nate Smith via close split decision at Victory FC: Fight Night Coco Key. Afterwards, Molina would go on to win his next 4 bouts via stoppages, before appearing at LFA 76, submitting Chauncey Wilson via rear-naked choke in round one. Molina would go on to submit Kenny Porter via arm-triangle choke at FAC 2.[3][4]

Molina was invited to Dana White's Contender Series 30 on August 25, 2020, where he faced Jacob Silva,[5] winning the bout via unanimous decision and earning a UFC contract.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Molina was scheduled to face Zarrukh Adashev on November 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos,[7] before the bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 185.[8] However, Molina withdrew from the event at the end of December 2020.[9]

Molina made his UFC debut against Aori Qileng on April 24, 2021 at UFC 261. He won the bout via unanimous decision.[10] The bout earned Aori a Fight of the Night bonus award.[11] Molina's 220 strikes attempted in the third round is a UFC record.[12]

In his sophomore performance, Molina faced Daniel da Silva on October 23, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori.[13] He won the bout via TKO stoppage early in the second round.[14]

Molina faced Zhalgas Zhumagulov on June 4, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik.[15] He won the bout via controversial split decision.[16] 12 out of 13 media scores gave it to Zhumagulov.[17]

Molina was set to face Jimmy Flick on January 14, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 217.[18] However, Molina withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Charles Johnson.[19]

Molina is suspended by the NYAC and NSAC effective as of November 5, 2022, linking to a result of suspicious betting activity ahead of the November 5 UFC fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, and Molina is temporary barred from the UFC until the matter is resolved.[20][21][22]

Personal life

Following the leak of a private sex tape, Molina came out as bisexual in March 2023, which made him the first openly LGBT male UFC fighter.[23][24]

Support for LGBTQ rights

Molina wore UFC Pride Month shorts during his fight with Zhalgas Zhumagulov in order to benefit the LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada, which is the beneficiary of profits from sales of the UFC Pride Month T-shirts. He faced fierce backlash from some MMA fans. Molina expressed surprise to see such a reaction in 2022, and frustration at the perceived bigotry of those attacking him on social media.[25]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
13 matches 11 wins 2 losses
By knockout 4 0
By submission 4 1
By decision 3 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 11–2 Zhalgas Zhumagulov Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik June 4, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 Daniel da Silva TKO (elbows and punches) UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori October 23, 2021 2 0:46 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–2 Aori Qileng Decision (unanimous) UFC 261 April 24, 2021 3 5:00 Jacksonville, Florida, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 8–2 Jacob Silva Decision (unanimous) Dana White's Contender Series 30 August 25, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–2 Kenny Porter Submission (arm-triangle choke) FAC 2 February 22, 2020 2 2:38 Independence, Missouri, United States
Win 6–2 Chance Wilson Submission (rear-naked choke) LFA 76 September 13, 2019 1 2:01 Park City, Kansas, United States Catchweight (130 lb) bout.
Win 5–2 Johnnie Roades Submission (rear-naked choke) KC Fighting Alliance 34 July 27, 2019 1 4:16 Independence, Missouri, United States Bantamweight bout.
Win 4–2 Joey Estrada TKO (submission to punches) KC Fighting Alliance 30 September 22, 2018 1 4:15 Independence, Missouri, United States
Win 3–2 Joey Scanlan TKO (punches) Carden Combat Sports 4 May 26, 2018 1 0:51 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win 2–2 Chance Camacho TKO (punches) KC Fighting Alliance 27 February 17, 2018 2 1:22 Independence, Missouri, United States Bantamweight bout.
Loss 1–2 Nate Smith Decision (split) Victory FC: Fight Night Coco Key September 29, 2017 3 5:00 Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Win 1–1 Delfino Benitez Submission (rear-naked choke) Victory FC 58 July 22, 2017 1 4:43 Omaha, Nebraska, United States Flyweight debut.
Loss 0–1 Steven Merrill Submission (rear-naked choke) Victory FC: Fight Night at Harrahs 5 June 3, 2017 1 1:03 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States

[26]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  2. ↑ Kyte, E. Spencer. "JEFF MOLINA'S BREAKOUT YEAR". espn.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "JEFF MOLINA". ESPN. ESPN. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Across the Pond Profile: UFC fighter Jeff Molina | MMA UK". 2020-08-31. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  5. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2020-07-05). "Exclusive: Jeffrey Molina vs. Jacob Silva Headed to Contender Series on August 25". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  6. ↑ "Dana White's Contender Series 30 results: Four more fighters score UFC deals". MMA Junkie. 2020-08-25. Archived from the original on 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  7. ↑ DNA, MMA (2020-09-14). "Jeff Molina vs. Zarrukh Adashev toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 14 november". MMA DNA. Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  8. ↑ Aaron Malone (2020-12-23). "Mike Jackson makes UFC return following CM Punk win, Fight Island card scrapped - Fight announcement roundup". fightful.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  9. ↑ "Zarrukh Adashev in need of new UFC Fight Night opponent after Jeffrey Molina withdraws". MMA Junkie. 2020-12-29. Archived from the original on 2020-12-29. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  10. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2021-04-24). "UFC 261 Results: Three Round Firefight Sees Jeff Molina Beat Qileng Aori". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  11. 1 2 Lee, Alexander K. (2021-04-25). "UFC 261 bonuses: Kamaru Usman, Rose Namajunas rewarded for championship knockouts". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  12. ↑ "Record Book". UFC. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  13. ↑ Cruz, Guilherme (2021-07-30). "Jeff Molina set to face newcomer Daniel Lacerda at Oct. 23 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on 2022-06-03. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  14. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2021-10-23). "UFC Vegas 41 Results: Jeff Molina Beats Daniel Da Silva in Wild Fight". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  15. ↑ ATSteveDuncan (2022-02-25). "Jeff Molina vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov agregado a UFC Fight Night del 4 de junio". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  16. ↑ Law, Eddie (2022-06-04). "UFC Vegas 56: Jeff Molina Grinds Out Split Decision Win Over Zhumagulov". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-06-04. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  17. ↑ "Jeff Molina def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov :: UFC on ESPN+ 65 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-04. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  18. ↑ Marcel Droff (2022-06-23). "UFC | Molina vs. Flick eerste gevecht voor 2023 op 14 januari". eurosport.nl. Archived from the original on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2022-09-23. (in Dutch)
  19. ↑ Mike Bohn and MMA Fighting Newswire (2022-12-05). "Charles Johnson in for Jeff Molina at UFC Vegas 67, faces Jimmy Flick". mmafighting.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  20. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Report: Jeff Molina Suspended by NSAC, Linked to UFC Betting Investigation". Sherdog. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  21. ↑ Martin, Damon (2023-01-17). "Jeff Molina suspended due to allegations he was 'involved in some substantial way' related to James Krause betting scandal". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  22. ↑ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2023-01-17). "UFC reaffirms Jeff Molina barred from promotion after Nevada Athletic Commission suspension". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  23. ↑ Wolford, Ben (March 17, 2023). "Jeff Molina: American UFC fighter comes out as bisexual after private video leaked". BBC. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  24. ↑ "UFC's Molina reveals bisexuality after video leak". ESPN.com. March 17, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Jeff Molina on backlash for wearing UFC's Pride Month shorts: 'I just thought people would be a little more open-minded'". MMA Fighting. June 5, 2022. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022. The decision led to a large group of MMA fans attacking him on social media, which shocked and angered him. "I picked the colors because I thought it looked cool, and then also it supports a good cause," Molina told reporters following his victory. "I'll support anything of a community that's been oppressed and ostracized for some time for something they can't help.
  26. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Jeff Molina". Sherdog. Archived from the original on 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
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