Jason DeLucia
 |
| Jason DeLucia | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 24, 1969 Bellingham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Division | Light heavyweight |
| Style | Kung Fu, Karate, Shootfighting, Aikido, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Judo |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Bellingham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Team | Lion's Den (mixed martial arts) |
| Rank | Black Belt in Aikido Red Sash in Kung Fu Certified instructor in Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling [1] |
| Years active | 1993-2001, 2003-2006 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 55 |
| Wins | 33 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 13 |
| By decision | 13 |
| Losses | 21 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 13 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Jason DeLucia (born July 24, 1969) is an American retired mixed martial artist and a pioneer of the early mixed martial arts scene.[2] He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Pancrase, and Cage Rage during a career that began in the formative years of modern MMA.
DeLucia entered the inaugural UFC events representing Five Animals Kung Fu, and was one of the competitors at UFC 1, where he served as a reserve fighter and defeated Trent Jenkins in the alternate bout before the main tournament, marking the first match in UFC's history. He subsequently entered the UFC 2 tournament, before losing to Royce Gracie by submission. DeLucia later joined Pancrase in Japan, where he became a prominent competitor and faced many of the leading fighters of the era, including Ken Shamrock, Masakatsu Funaki, Bas Rutten, and Minoru Suzuki. He continued competing internationally for more than a decade, with later appearances in the UFC and Cage Rage Championships.
Mixed Martial Arts career
[edit]DeLucia began training in martial arts at an early age, developing a background in karate, aikido, Taekwondo and Five Animals Kung Fu, which became his singnature style. In 1992, he drove from Massachusetts to Los Angeles with the intention of answering an open challenge issued by martial artist and actor Steven Seagal published on Black Belt magazine.[3] After the challenge did not materialize, DeLucia learned of the Gracie Challenge and contacted Rorion Gracie, eventually facing Royce Gracie at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California, in an unsactioned bout.[2] The fight between Royce and DeLucia would later be in one of the Gracie in Action tapes, which inspired the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[4] The experience exposed DeLucia to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and prompted him to begin developing his grappling skills.
DeLucia was invited to UFC 1 by Rorion Gracie as an alternate after his earlier encounter with the family. He was matched against kenpo practitioner Trent Jenkins, a preliminary contest held before the eight-man tournament to determine the tournament's reserve fighter. DeLucia defeated Jenkins by rear-naked choke in 52 seconds. Because none of the tournament competitors withdrew, DeLucia did not enter the main tournament.[2] The bout aired live on pay-per-view but was omitted from the later commercial VHS release, contributing to its later obscurity.[5]
DeLucia returned for UFC 2, now part of the main tournament. On the round of 16, he defeated Wing Chun practitioner Scott Baker, defeating him by submission to strikes from a mounted position after 6:41. He then met Royce Gracie for a rematch at quarter-finals, where he was defeated by an armbar. After DeLucia tapped out, Gracie did not let go of the armbar and the commentator claimed that his elbow had "popped a capsule". However, DeLucia denied this in a Sherdog.com forum, saying it was just badly bent.[6]
After UFC 2, DeLucia met Ken Shamrock and his father Bob Shamrock at the backstage. They were scouting fighters for Pancrase, and DeLucia was invited to train at the Lion's Den. DeLucia recalled that Ken took him to his house, where he lived and trained while preparing for his first Pancrase fight.[7]
DeLucia debuted at Pancrase against its co-founder Masakatsu Funaki, winning by submission to kneebar. He went on to compete in the King of Pancrase tournament in December 1994, one of the first major international MMA tournaments outside the UFC and a showcase for many of the leading fighters of the sport's early era. He defeated Thomas Puckett in the opening round before losing to Minoru Suzuki in the second round. He went on to face many of the organization's leading fighters, including Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Minoru Suzuki, Guy Mezger, Frank Shamrock, and Manabu Yamada, establishing himself as a prominent competitor during Pancrase's formative years. Including three bouts with Rutten, two victories over Ikuhisa Minowa, and a win over Matt Hume. His rivalry with MMA legend Bas Rutten was particularly notable, with DeLucia once suffered a ruptured liver againt Rutten at Pancrase: Truth 6 on June 25, 1996.[8]
He briefly returned to the UFC at UFC 23, losing to Joe Sleek by TKO.
DeLucia continued competing in Pancrase after his UFC return in 1999, fighting regularly through 2000 and 2001. His final Pancrase bout came on September 30, 2001, when he lost to Katsuhisa Fujii by referee stoppage due to a knee injury during the first round. DeLucia subsequently returned to competition in 2003, defeating Matt Rogers by rear-naked choke in an MMA event promoted by Shootboxing. He later competed in Cage Rage in 2006, defeated by Fábio Piamonte via triangle armbar at Cage Rage 15, and made his final professional appearance that year, losing to Lance Everson at WFL 4.
Post-fight career
[edit]Following his retirement, DeLucia became increasingly critical of the evolution of mixed martial arts, particularly the widespread use of ground-and-pound. He argued that prolonged ground fighting and strikes from the top position detracted from the submission-focused style of early MMA, which he associated with the rules and philosophy of early Pancrase. DeLucia said he had largely stopped watching modern MMA because of his dislike of ground-and-pound and advocated for rules that would limit the amount of time fighters could remain on the ground while placing greater emphasis on throws and submissions.[3]
During his time in Japan, DeLucia also trained in Pancrase's "Hybrid Wrestling" system and became a certified instructor, later establishing himself as a captain of the Pancrase Hybrid Budokan.[2] He became a promoter of "Hybrid Fighting", a system he developed with Eric Kearns that combined traditional martial arts with elements of modern mixed martial arts. The system emphasized technical competition and safety, deliberately excluding the ground-and-pound techniques that DeLucia had come to criticize in modern MMA.[3]
Championships and Accomplishments
[edit]- Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling
- 1996 King of Pancrase Championship Tournament Runner-Up[9]
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
Mixed martial arts record
[edit]| 55 matches | 33 wins | 21 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 6 |
| By submission | 13 | 13 |
| By decision | 13 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 33–21–1 | Lance Everson | TKO (punches) | WFL: Calloway Cup 4 | November 27, 2006 | 1 | N/A | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Loss | 33–20–1 | Fabio Piamonte | Submission (triangle armbar) | Cage Rage 15 | February 4, 2006 | 1 | 1:04 | London, England | |
| Win | 33–19–1 | Matt Rogers | Submission (rear naked choke) | SB 1: Shootbox 1 | August 23, 2003 | 1 | 2:39 | Orlando, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 32–19–1 | Katsuhisa Fujii | TKO (knee injury) | Pancrase - 2001 Anniversary Show | September 30, 2001 | 1 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 32–18–1 | Yuki Sasaki | Submission (armbar) | Pancrase - 2001 Neo-Blood Tournament Opening Round | July 29, 2001 | 2 | 3:05 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 32–17–1 | Daisuke Ishii | Decision (unanimous) | Pancrase - Proof 4 | June 26, 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Draw | 32–16–1 | Katsuhisa Fujii | Draw (unanimous) | Pancrase - Trans 7 | December 4, 2000 | 1 | 15:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 32–16 | Takaichi Hirayama | Decision (unanimous) | Pancrase - Trans 6 | October 31, 2000 | 1 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 31–16 | Omar Bouiche | Submission (armbar) | Pancrase - Trans 4 | June 26, 2000 | 1 | 2:18 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 31–15 | Bob Stines | TKO (punches) | Pancrase - Trans 3 | April 30, 2000 | 1 | 0:32 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 31–14 | Joe Slick | TKO (knee injury) | UFC 23 | November 19, 1999 | 1 | 1:12 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 31–13 | Manabu Yamada | Decision (unanimous) | Pancrase - 1999 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round | August 1, 1999 | 1 | 15:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 30–13 | Chris Lytle | Decision (majority) | Pancrase - Breakthrough 7 | July 6, 1999 | 1 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 29–13 | Ikuhisa Minowa | Decision (unanimous) | Pancrase - Breakthrough 6 | June 11, 1999 | 1 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 28–13 | Ryushi Yanagisawa | Decision (majority) | Pancrase - Breakthrough 5 | May 23, 1999 | 1 | 15:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 27–13 | Kiuma Kunioku | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase - Breakthrough 1 | January 19, 1999 | 1 | 15:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 26–13 | Manabu Yamada | Submission (armbar) | Pancrase: Advance 12 | December 19, 1998 | 1 | 1:13 | Chiba, Japan | |
| Loss | 25–13 | Keiichiro Yamamiya | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase: Advance 10 | December 16, 1998 | 1 | 15:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 25–12 | Satoshi Hasegawa | Decision (majority) | Pancrase: 1998 Anniversary Show | September 14, 1998 | 1 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 24–12 | Satoshi Hasegawa | Technical Submission (straight armbar) | Pancrase: Advance 7 | June 2, 1998 | 1 | 6:14 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 23–12 | Ryushi Yanagisawa | Submission (toe hold) | Pancrase: Advance 5 | April 26, 1998 | 1 | 12:44 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 23–11 | Satoshi Hasegawa | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pancrase: Advance 3 | March 1, 1998 | 1 | 0:55 | Kobe, Japan | |
| Win | 22–11 | Takafumi Ito | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase: Advance 1 | January 16, 1998 | 1 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 21–11 | Ikuhisa Minowa | Submission (ezekiel choke) | Pancrase: Alive 11 | December 10, 1997 | 1 | 3:47 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 20–11 | Yuki Kondo | Submission (toe hold) | Pancrase: 1997 Anniversary Show | September 6, 1997 | 1 | 27:22 | Chiba, Japan | For the Pancrase Openweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–10 | Kiuma Kunioku | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pancrase: Alive 6 | June 18, 1997 | 1 | 18:51 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 19–10 | Kazuo Takahashi | Submission (armbar) | Pancrase: Alive 5 | May 24, 1997 | 1 | 5:13 | Kobe, Japan | |
| Win | 18–10 | Takafumi Ito | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pancrase: Alive 4 | April 27, 1997 | 1 | 4:54 | Chiba, Japan | |
| Loss | 17–10 | Masakatsu Funaki | TKO (leg injury) | Pancrase - Truth 10 | December 15, 1996 | 1 | 7:49 | Tokyo, Japan | For the vacant Pancrase Openweight Championship. |
| Win | 17–9 | Osami Shibuya | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pancrase - Truth 9 | November 9, 1996 | 1 | 11:45 | Kobe, Japan | |
| Win | 16–9 | Yuki Kondo | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase - Truth 7 | October 8, 1996 | 1 | 20:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 15–9 | Minoru Suzuki | KO (palm strike) | Pancrase - 1996 Anniversary Show | September 7, 1996 | 1 | 4:58 | Chiba, Japan | |
| Loss | 14–9 | Bas Rutten | KO (punch to the body) | Pancrase - Truth 6 | June 25, 1996 | 1 | 4:56 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| Win | 14–8 | Osami Shibuya | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase - Truth 5 | May 16, 1996 | 1 | 15:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 13–8 | Kiuma Kunioku | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase - Truth 4 | April 8, 1996 | 1 | 15:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 12–8 | Kazuo Takahashi | TKO (side kick) | Pancrase - Truth 2 | March 2, 1996 | 1 | 3:37 | Kobe, Japan | |
| Win | 11–8 | Katsuomi Inagaki | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Pancrase - Truth 1 | January 28, 1996 | 1 | 4:56 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 10–8 | Takafumi Ito | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 7 | December 14, 1995 | 1 | 3:49 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| Win | 9–8 | Takaku Fuke | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 6 | November 4, 1995 | 1 | 30:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 8–8 | Ryushi Yanagisawa | Submission (triangle choke) | Pancrase - 1995 Anniversary Show | September 1, 1995 | 1 | 2:25 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 7–8 | Minoru Suzuki | Submission (guillotine choke) | Pancrase - 1995 Neo-Blood Tournament Opening Round | July 22, 1995 | 1 | 9:23 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 7–7 | Bas Rutten | Submission (toe hold) | Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 5 | June 13, 1995 | 1 | 1:32 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| Loss | 7–6 | Manabu Yamada | Submission (heelhook) | Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 4 | May 13, 1995 | 1 | 3:03 | Chiba, Japan | |
| Win | 7–5 | John Renfroe | Submission (heel hook) | Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 3 | April 8, 1995 | 1 | 1:36 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 6–5 | Manabu Yamada | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 2 | March 10, 1995 | 1 | 1:41 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–5 | Masakatsu Funaki | Submission (inverted heel hook) | Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 1 | January 26, 1995 | 1 | 9:04 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–4 | Minoru Suzuki | Submission (heel hook) | King of Pancrase tournament opening round | December 16, 1994 | 1 | 2:04 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 5–3 | Thomas Puckett | KO (head kick) | King of Pancrase tournament opening round | December 16, 1994 | 1 | 0:48 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 4–3 | Bas Rutten | Submission (guillotine choke) | Pancrase - Road To The Championship 5 | October 15, 1994 | 1 | 1:43 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 4–2 | Matt Hume | Decision (lost points) | Pancrase - Road To The Championship 4 | September 1, 1994 | 1 | 15:00 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Takaku Fuke | Submission (inverted heel hook) | Pancrase - Road To The Championship 3 | July 26, 1994 | 1 | 4:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 3–1 | Masakatsu Funaki | Submission (kneebar) | Pancrase - Road To The Championship 2 | July 6, 1994 | 1 | 1:01 | Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Royce Gracie | Submission (armbar) | UFC 2 | March 11, 1994 | 1 | 1:07 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Scott Baker | TKO (submission to punches) | UFC 2 | March 11, 1994 | 1 | 6:41 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Trent Jenkins | Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC 1 | November 12, 1993 | 1 | 0:52 | Denver, Colorado, United States |
Kickboxing record
[edit]| 0 wins (0 KOs), 1 loss | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 11, 2001 | Loss |  Sergei Gur |
Seikendo: SWA Ultimate Boxing | Tokyo, Japan | TKO (punch) | 2 | 12:57 | 0-1 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest | ||||||||
Submission grappling record
[edit]KO PUNCHES
References
[edit]- ↑ "Jason DeLucia: Where is He Now?". Sherdog. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 "Jason DeLucia: Where is He Now?". Sherdog. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- 1 2 3 Reid, Tony (June 15, 2018). "Jason DeLucia Talks Fight with Royce Gracie at UFC 2, Disdain for Ground and Pound and Fighting Steven Seagal to the Death". Retrieved September 5, 2026.
- ↑ "The Old School Gracie Challenge Videos Are Still a Must See! - Gracie Castle Hill". December 8, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ↑ Palmquist, Chris (November 11, 2011). "UFC 1: The Beginning". mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Q for Jason DeLucia..." Archived September 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums.
- ↑ Sherdog.com. "Jason DeLucia: Where is He Now? - Japan Calls". Sherdog. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Q for Jason DeLucia..." Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums.
- ↑ "Pro Wrestling History".
External links
[edit]
- 1969 births
- American male mixed martial artists
- American wushu practitioners
- Living people
- Mixed martial artists from Massachusetts
- Light heavyweight mixed martial artists
- Mixed martial artists utilizing karate
- Mixed martial artists utilizing wushu
- Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo
- Mixed martial artists utilizing aikido
- Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
- People from Bellingham, Massachusetts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters
- 20th-century American sportsmen