Kevin Jousset (born 2 May 1993) is a French professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2019, Jousset formerly competed for the Hex Fight Series in Australia, where he has been the first simultaneous double Welterweight and Middleweight Champion.
| Kevin Jousset | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 May 1993 Bordeaux, France |
| Other names | Air |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 170.5 lb (77 kg; 12 st 3 lb) |
| Division | Welterweight (2019–2022, 2023–present) Middleweight (2022–2023) |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm)[1] |
| Fighting out of | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Team | Absolute MMA (2016–2020) City Kickboxing (main) (2020–present) Boxing Squad (secondary) (2024–present) |
| Trainer | Eugene Bareman |
| Rank | 2nd dan black belt in Judo[2] Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2] |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 10 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Amateur record | |
| Total | 2 |
| Wins | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Website | airjousset |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Early life
editKevin Jousset was born on 2 May 1993[3][4] in Bordeaux, France[5][6] and then quickly moved with his family to Gap where he grew up.[6] Jousset started judo as a child and received his 2nd dan black belt at the age of 14.[6] He pursued his judo career along with other French prospects at the Rennes Academy and Bordeaux France Academy before moving to Paris and joining INEF and INSEP.[7]
Unfortunately, he had to stop his career after a serious shoulder injury and chose to spend one year and a half in Scotland for learning English at the age of 21.[7][8] Two years later, he moved to Melbourne, Australia in November 2016 where he got a fitness coach diploma and started mixed martial arts.[7][8]
Mixed martial arts career
editEarly years
editJousset quickly joined Absolute MMA in Melbourne where he met Alexander Volkanovski and elite grappler Craig Jones. He stayed there for four years and prepared his first fights with the team.[9] After a few amateur wins, he made his professional debut in March 2019 at Hex Fight Series 18 and went on to win the bout via knockout with a knee strike in the first round.[10] For his third professional fight, he lost against Jack Della Maddalena on 4 October at Eternal MMA 48 for the EMMA Welterweight Championship after a doctor stoppage at the end of round 2.[11] He then settled down in Auckland, New Zealand in January 2020 and joined City Kickboxing where he made a training camp the previous year.[12]
In 2023, he became the first fighter ever to become a two-division champion in the Australian elite MMA promotion HEX Fight Series after winning the HEX Vacant Middleweight Belt in February and then the HEX Welterweight Belt in May.[2][13][14]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
editIn August 2023, Jousset signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after becoming the first HEX double champion.[15] His City Kickboxing teammate and friend Israel Adesanya as well as his coach Eugene Bareman recommended to the UFC staff to sign him after Jousset's progress and dominance in training.[16] On 10 September 2023, he made his promotional debut against Irish fighter Kiefer Crosbie at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia and won by submitting him with a rear-naked choke at the end of round one.[17] Following his fast win, he called out fellow UFC Welterweight Ian Machado Garry in an attempt to continue the theme of defeating Irish fighters.[17]
Jousset faced Song Kenan on 9 December at UFC Fight Night 233.[18] He won the fight via unanimous decision with all three judges scoring 30–27 for the Frenchman.[19] For his third bout in the UFC, he was scheduled to face Jared Gooden on 11 May 2024 at UFC on ESPN 56.[20] However, for medical reasons, Gooden was unable to compete and the bout was cancelled.[21] Since January 2024, Jousset partly trains at Manon Fiorot's team Boxing Squad in Nice when he goes back to France for short or medium stays.[22]
Jousset faced Bryan Battle on 28 September 2024 at UFC Fight Night 243.[23] He lost the fight by technical knockout in the second round.[24]
Championships and accomplishments
editMixed martial arts
edit- Hex Fight Series
- First ever HEX double champion
- HEX Welterweight Championship (One time)
- HEX Middleweight Championship (One time)
- First ever HEX double champion
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 13 matches | 10 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 2 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 5 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 10–3 | Bryan Battle | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis | September 28, 2024 | 2 | 3:47 | Paris, France | |
| Win | 10–2 | Song Kenan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez | December 9, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Kiefer Crosbie | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 293 | September 10, 2023 | 1 | 4:49 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Win | 8–2 | Kitt Campbell | TKO (punches) | Hex Fight Series 26 | May 26, 2023 | 3 | 4:53 | Melbourne, Australia | Return to Welterweight. Won the HEX Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 | Priscus Fogagnolo | Decision (split) | Hex Fight Series 25 | February 24, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | Won the vacant HEX Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–2 | James Craughwell | Decision (unanimous) | Shuriken Fight Series 13 | December 10, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | Middleweight debut. |
| Loss | 5–2 | Kaleb Rideout | Decision (split) | Eternal MMA 67 | July 16, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Gold Coast, Australia | For the vacant Eternal MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–1 | Saeed Fatahifar | Decision (majority) | Eternal MMA 59 | May 7, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Win | 4–1 | Paul McMah | TKO (knee and punches) | Shuriken Fight Series 9 | March 26, 2021 | 1 | 2:39 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Win | 3–1 | Mat Myers | Decision (unanimous) | Hex Fight Series 20 | December 13, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Jack Della Maddalena | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Eternal MMA 48 | October 4, 2019 | 2 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | For the Eternal MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | James O'Brien | TKO (elbows) | Eternal MMA 45 | May 25, 2019 | 1 | 2:32 | Southport, Australia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Sam McNally | KO (knee) | Hex Fight Series 18 | March 29, 2019 | 1 | 1:01 | Melbourne, Australia | Welterweight debut. |
Amateur record
edit| Amateur record breakdown | ||
| 2 matches | 2 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| Unknown | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2–0 | Marc Luty | KO (slam) | Eternal MMA 38 | October 27, 2018 | 1 | 2:17 | Findon, Australia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jayden Groen | — | Path to Hex 6 | September 22, 2018 | — | — | Melbourne, Australia |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Kevin Jousset Biography". ESPN. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kevin Jousset | UFC". UFC. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Stats - Kevin Jousset". UFC Stats. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Kevin Jousset Judoka". JudoInside. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Castillo, Andre (6 September 2023). "UFC 293: Who is Kevin Jousset?". FanSided. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kevin Jousset - Biographie". AirJousset (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Herbinet, Alexandre (7 September 2023). "UFC 293: judoka, pote d'Adesanya... à la découverte de Kevin Jousset, le nouveau Français de l'UFC". RMC Sport (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the team: Kevin Jousset". Absolute MMA. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Herbinet, Alexandre (9 December 2023). "MMA: cinq choses à savoir sur Kevin Jousset, le Français du bout du monde à l'UFC". RMC Sport (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ HEX FULL FIGHT - Kevin Jousset vs Sam McNally. HEX FIGHT SERIES. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jack Della Maddalena vs. Kevin Jousset, Eternal MMA 48". Tapology. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ El Abadi, Saïd (8 September 2023). "Kevin Jousset : Judo, Volkanovski, Adesanya… tout savoir sur le Français qui vient de rejoindre l'UFC". CNews (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Lalanne, Gaspard (24 August 2023). "Le Français Kevin Jousset signe à l'UFC". Actu MMA (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Rasmussen, Joel (26 August 2023). "Hex double champ Kevin Jousset signed with UFC, set to debut in Sydney at UFC 293". Fight News Australia. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ @citykickboxing (23 August 2023). "Welcome to the UFC Kevin Jousset @joussetkevin. He's a Frenchmen but he's Kiwi/Australian made" – via Instagram.
- ^ Fresen, Liam (1 September 2023). "Israel Adesanya's coach spills on how he pushed for CKB fighter to get UFC contract after he "destroyed" 'The Last Stylebender' in sparring". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b King, Nolan (9 September 2023). "UFC 293 video: Kevin Jousset slickly squeezes Kiefer Crosbie into submission, calls out Ian Garry". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Angelini, Olivier (10 November 2023). "Kevin Jousset connait maintenant le nom de son adversaire pour son deuxième combat à l'UFC". BoxeMag (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (10 December 2023). "UFC Vegas 83: Kevin Jousset Has Strong Showing Against Song Kenan". Cageside Press. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Raghuwanshi, Vipin (23 February 2024). "Jared Gooden vs Kevin Jousset Bout Reported for UFC May 11 Event". ITN WWE. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ King, Nolan (10 May 2024). "UFC on ESPN 56 loses welterweight bout for 'medical reasons'". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ ITW d'Aldric Cassata sur Kevin Jousset, Manon Fiorot, l'UFC et ses autres athlètes du Boxing squad (Interview) (in French). AirJousset. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (15 July 2024). "Kevin Jousset vs. 'TUF' winner Bryan Battle set for UFC Paris in September". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Jay Anderson (28 September 2024). "UFC Paris: Bryan Battle Pumps Up Volume, Stops Kevin Jousset". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
External links
edit- Kevin Jousset at Tapology.com
- Kevin Jousset at UFC