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Welterweight · “Lightning”

James Wilks

7-4-0 UFC 2-2-0
Submission Grappler Defensive Striker
6'1"Height
75"Reach
OrthodoxStance
48Age
0KO wins
1Sub wins
50.0%Finish rate
11:50Avg fight
Simulate Tapology ↗

Skill profile

Rated 0–100 against every UFC veteran · the rim is reserved for specialists, and only efficiency opens it
Striking — Weak, rated 17.0 of 100 Accuracy — Average, rated 49.7 of 100 Striking D — Average, rated 57.0 of 100 Durability — Below avg, rated 38.9 of 100 Wrestling — Average, rated 54.3 of 100 TD Defense — Average, rated 54.0 of 100 Grappling — Above avg, rated 70.0 of 100 Control — Average, rated 66.1 of 100 Striking Accuracy Striking D Durability Wrestling TD Defense Grappling Control
  1. Grappling Above avg 70
  2. Control Average 66
  3. Striking D Average 57
  4. Wrestling Average 54
  5. TD Defense Average 54
  6. Accuracy Average 50
  7. Durability Below avg 39
  8. Striking Weak 17

Built on 47 minutes of tracked cage time across 4 statted fights — every axis is held down until there is more tape, so read this as a sketch rather than a verdict.

Submission Grappler above avg grappling — rates 70 of 100 among UFC veterans
Defensive Striker average striking d — rates 57 of 100 among UFC veterans
Career rates — the raw numbers behind the chart
Sig. strikes landed / min1.82
Sig. strikes absorbed / min2.03
Striking accuracy45.3%
Striking defense50.3%
Knockdowns / 15 min0.0
Takedowns / 15 min1.27
Takedown accuracy22.2%
Takedown defense66.7%
Sub attempts / 15 min3.8
Control time26.5%
Record vs .500+ opponents0-2

Striking trend

Sig. strikes/min, last 4 fights · green = win
June 20, 2009 vs DaMarques Johnson — 3.47/min (W) — only 4.9 min of tape, so this rate reflects how fast the fight ended more than how he fought Jun '09 November 14, 2009 vs Matt Brown — 1.53/min (L) Nov '09 June 12, 2010 vs Peter Sobotta — 2.53/min (W) Jun '10 October 16, 2010 vs Claude Patrick — 0.8/min (L) Oct '10

Fight history

4 UFC bouts · newest first · opponent records as of fight night
L Claude Patrick 12-1 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC 120: Bisping vs Akiyama · October 16, 2010
12/28Sig. strikes
23/40Absorbed
0/1Takedowns
0:48Control
0Knockdowns
0Sub attempts
Full event page › Deep dive vs Claude Patrick › Simulate vs Claude Patrick ›
W Peter Sobotta 8-2 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC 115: Liddell vs Franklin · June 12, 2010
38/80Sig. strikes
15/57Absorbed
1/5Takedowns
3:19Control
0Knockdowns
1Sub attempts
Full event page › Deep dive vs Peter Sobotta › Simulate vs Peter Sobotta ›
L Matt Brown 10-7 walk-in KO/TKO · R3 2:27 — UFC 105: Couture vs Vera · November 14, 2009
19/53Sig. strikes
45/75Absorbed
1/10Takedowns
6:11Control
0Knockdowns
3Sub attempts
Full event page › Deep dive vs Matt Brown › Simulate vs Matt Brown ›
W DaMarques Johnson 12-6 walk-in TITLE Submission · R1 4:54 — The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale · June 20, 2009
17/29Sig. strikes
13/21Absorbed
2/2Takedowns
2:15Control
0Knockdowns
8Sub attempts
Full event page › Deep dive vs DaMarques Johnson › Simulate vs DaMarques Johnson ›

Walk-in records count UFC bouts in this database. For the pre-UFC career, see the record breakdown below or the Tapology button up top.

Record breakdown

Full pro career (Wikipedia, results only)
7-4-0Pro record
Lightning MMAGym / team

Wins by method

KO/TKO 2
Submission 4
Decision 1
Other 0

Losses by method

KO/TKO 1
Submission 1
Decision 2
Other 0

Fights by organization

UFC 4
KOTC 2
GC 1
Apocalypse Fights 1
UAGF 1
Total Combat 1
UAGF Ultimate Cage Fighting 1
Full career — 11 fights, every organization
OpponentMethodEventOrg RdTime
L Claude Patrick Decision (unanimous) UFC 120
October 16, 2010
 UFC 3 5:00
W Peter Sobotta Decision (unanimous) UFC 115
June 12, 2010
 UFC 3 5:00
L Matt Brown TKO (punches) UFC 105
November 14, 2009
 UFC 3 2:26
W DaMarques Johnson Submission (rear naked choke) The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom Finale
June 20, 2009
 UFC 1 4:54
W Mike Robles Submission (armbar) GC 85: Cross Fire
October 25, 2008
 GC 2 4:27
W John Cole TKO (knees) Apocalypse Fights 1: The First Sign
August 7, 2008
 Apocalypse Fights 1 0:26
W Shawn Nagano Submission (rear naked choke) UAGF 4: Kaos on the Kampus
May 20, 2006
 UAGF 2 4:22
L Patrick Speight Decision (unanimous) Total Combat 13: Anarchy
March 11, 2006
 Total Combat 3 3:00
W Ray Lizama TKO (cut) KOTC 41: Relentless
September 24, 2004
 KOTC 1 1:14
L Jimmy Smith Submission (kneebar) KOTC 39: Hitmaster
August 6, 2004
 KOTC 1 1:40
W Roman Mitichyan Submission (armbar) UAGF Ultimate Cage Fighting 4
October 12, 2003
 UAGF Ultimate Cage Fighting 2 —

Career history from the fighter's Wikipedia record table (James Wilks) — results only, no strike stats; UFC bouts are marked and carry full stats in the fight history above.

Division context

vs. 190 qualified Welterweight fighters · tick = division mean
Striking volume /min 1.8 avg 3.4
Strikes absorbed /min 2.0 avg 3.3
Striking accuracy 45.3% avg 45.1%
Striking defense 50.3% avg 55.2%
Takedowns /15 min 1.3 avg 1.5
Takedown accuracy 22.2% avg 40.2%
Takedown defense 66.7% avg 62.5%
Sub attempts /15 min 3.8 avg 0.6
Control time 26.5% avg 21.4%
Finish rate 50.0% avg 54.1%