John Cholish (born December 17, 1983) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2013, he competed for the UFC and Strikeforce.

John Cholish
Born (1983-12-17) December 17, 1983 (age 40)
Hoboken, New Jersey, United States
ResidenceNew York, New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight156.2 lb (71 kg; 11 st 2 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Reach74 in (188 cm)
Fighting out ofNew York, New York, United States
TeamRenzo Gracie Academy
Gracie Barra Texas
Teacher(s)Vinicius Magalhaes
Renzo Gracie
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active2006-2013
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins8
By knockout3
By submission4
By decision1
Losses3
By submission2
By decision1
Draws0
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mixed martial arts career

edit

Early career

edit

Cholish made his professional MMA debut in September 2007.[1] He lost his first fight via submission, but won his next seven fights before signing with the UFC.

Strikeforce

edit

Cholish made his Strikeforce debut in February 2011 as part of the preliminary card for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva. He defeated The Ultimate Fighter veteran Marc Stevens via submission (kneebar) in the second round. Cholish drew considerable attention from MMA news sites for the submission due to its rarity.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

edit

Cholish made his promotional debut against Mitch Clarke on December 10, 2011, at UFC 140.[2] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Cholish faced Danny Castillo on May 5, 2012, at UFC on Fox 3.[3] He was defeated by Castillo via unanimous decision.

Cholish was expected to face Yves Edwards on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5.[4] However, Cholish was forced out of the bout with a groin injury and replaced by Jeremy Stephens.[5]

Cholish next faced Gleison Tibau on May 18, 2013, at UFC on FX 8.[6] He lost the fight via submission in the second round. After the fight Cholish retired from MMA, citing low pay as the reason for his retirement.[7]

"I'm fortunate enough that I have a job that provides for me really well, I give a lot of these guys credit that fight at this level. I think they could be compensated much better based on the income that the UFC takes in. Fortunately, I can just walk away and I'm OK with it. By no means do I mean it disrespectfully toward any other fighters because I think they do a great job. But hopefully Zuffa and the UFC will start paying them a little better."

— John Cholish, Interview after retirement

Personal life

edit

Cholish, a Cornell University graduate, holds a full-time job with the Marex Spectron which brokers commodities of natural gas crude oil on the institutional platform.[8]

Mixed martial arts record

edit
Professional record breakdown
11 matches 8 wins 3 losses
By knockout 3 0
By submission 4 2
By decision 1 1
Draws 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 8–3 Gleison Tibau Submission (guillotine choke) UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold May 18, 2013 2 2:34 Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil
Loss 8–2 Danny Castillo Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller May 5, 2012 3 5:00 East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Win 8–1 Mitch Clarke TKO (punches) UFC 140 December 10, 2011 2 4:36 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 7–1 Jameel Massouh Submission (guillotine choke) Cage Fury Fighting Championships 9 June 10, 2011 2 2:25 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Won vacant CFFC Lightweight Championship.
Win 6–1 Marc Stevens Submission (kneebar) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva March 26, 2011 2 3:57 East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Win 5–1 Rich Moskowitz Submission (inverted triangle choke) Ring of Combat 32 October 23, 2010 3 3:05 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Won vacant Ring of Combat Lightweight Championship.
Win 4–1 Hitalo Machado TKO (punches) Urban Conflict Championships 2 May 14, 2010 4 2:25 Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Win 3–1 Matt Troyer Submission (arm-triangle choke) Urban Conflict Championships 1 March 19, 2010 2 1:16 Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Win 2–1 Benoit Guionnet TKO (punches) Wreck MMA: Fight for the Troops December 12, 2009 2 0:39 Gatineau, Quebec, Canada Catchweight (160 lbs) bout.
Win 1–1 Chris Connor Decision (unanimous) Battle at the Nation's Capital December 13, 2008 3 5:00 Washington, D.C., United States
Loss 0–1 Jason Patino Submission (guillotine choke) Cage Fights 6 September 29, 2007 1 2:17 Fort Myers, Florida, United States

References

edit
  1. ^ Damon Martin (2011-12-10). "After First UFC Win, John Cholish Still Back to Work Monday". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  2. ^ "Mitch Clarke Makes his UFC Debut". ALLMAX Nutrition. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  3. ^ "Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish added to UFC on FOX 3 in May". MMAjunkie.com. February 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  4. ^ "Yves Edwards to face John Cholish at UFC on FOX 5". MMAFighting.com. 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  5. ^ "Jeremy Stephens Replaces Injured John Cholish, Faces Yves Edwards at UFC on Fox 5". sherdog.com. 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  6. ^ "Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish joins UFC on FX 8 lineup". mmajunkie.com. March 6, 2013.
  7. ^ Matt Erickson and John Morgan (2013-05-19). "John Cholish retires after UFC on FX 8 loss, pushes for better fighter pay". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  8. ^ "Inside the Mind of an MMA Champion". ResSports.com. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
edit