American Football Database
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Marcus Jones
No. 78     
Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1973-08-15) August 15, 1973 (age 50)
Place of birth: Jacksonville, North Carolina
High School: Jacksonville (NC) Southwest
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Weight: 286 lb (130 kg)
Career information
College: North Carolina
NFL Draft: 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22
Debuted in 1996 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last played in 2002 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career history
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Games played     85
Games started     39
Tackles     124
Sacks     24
Fumble recoveries     4
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Marcus Jones
Born (1973-08-15) August 15, 1973 (age 50)
Jacksonville, North Carolina, U.S.
Other namesThe Darkness, Big Baby
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight262 lb (119 kg; 18.7 st)
Division265
Reach80.0 in (203 cm)
Fighting out ofTampa, Florida
TeamGracie Tampa
Years active2007–2009
Mixed martial arts record
Total6
Wins4
By knockout3
By submission1
Losses2
By knockout2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Marcus Edward Jones (born August 15, 1973) is an American former mixed martial artist fighter and former college and professional American football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of North Carolina, and was recognized as an All-American. A first-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, he played professional football for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After retiring from the NFL, he became a mixed martial arts fighter, and was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.

Early years[]

Jones was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina.[1] He attended Southwest Onslow High School in Jacksonville,[2] and played high school football for the Southwest Stallions. Jones accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina, where he played for the North Carolina Tar Heels football team from 1992 to 1995. He set the Tar Heels' career sack record (subsequently broken by Greg Ellis), and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 1995.

Professional football[]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft,[3] and he played for the Buccaneers from 1996 to 2002.[1] Jones played his entire active professional career with the Buccaneers, playing in 85 games, starting 39 of them, and recording 24 sacks.[4] He was released by the Buccaneers in October 2002. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills, but was placed on injured reserve and was waived after suffering a knee injury.[5]

Mixed martial arts career[]

Jones trained under Rob Kahn in Gracie Tampa in Tampa, Florida. He made his professional MMA debut on October 26, 2007, in World Fighting Championships 5 with a victory over Will Mora. In his next fight, Jones took on Eduardo Boza, and defeated him via technical knockout midway through round one.

Jones took his first loss to Daniel Perez. Jones won two fights in a row after the loss before being selected to appear on the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter[]

Jones was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter which began filming on June 1, 2009 and started airing on September 16, 2009. During pre-selection training, Jones was shown to struggle with a lack of stamina which potentially led to him being one of the final picks for Team Rampage.

During the competition, Jones suffered through problems in the house, such as a slight knee injury as well as a severe case of sweating, prompting concerns about his availability for the competition. Upon recovery, Jones had his first fight against Team Rashad's Mike Wessel, winning via armbar submission in the first round, making him the only member of Team Rampage to make it past the preliminary rounds. In the quarterfinals, Jones gave Darrill Schoonover his first mixed martial arts defeat by knocking Schoonover out. Jones was defeated in a semifinal bout against Brendan Schaub by KO in the first round. In The Ultimate Fighter Finale he was knocked out by Matt Mitrione 10 seconds into the second round. After this fight, he decided to retire from MMA so he could spend more time with his family.[6]

Mixed martial arts record[]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 4-2 Matt Mitrione KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale 02009-12-05 5, 2009 2 0:10 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Retired from MMA
Win 4-1 John Juarez TKO (punches) XCF 1: Rumble in Racetown 02009-02-14 14, 2009 1 1:39 Daytona Beach, Florida, United States
Win 3-1 Mike Ottman TKO (punches) Revolution Fight Club 2 02008-12-19 19, 2008 1 1:24 Miami, Florida, United States
Loss 2-1 Daniel Perez KO (punches) WFC 6: Battle in the Bay 02008-03-22 22, 2008 1 1:26 Tampa, Florida, United States
Win 2-0 Eduardo Boza TKO (punches) Revolution Fight Club 10: Bad Blood 02007-11-10 10, 2007 1 2:32 Tampa, Florida, United States
Win 1-0 Will Mora Submission (kimura) World Fighting Championships 5 02007-10-26 26, 2007 1 1:02 Tampa, Florida, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition record[]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 2-1 Brendan Schaub KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 1 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Semi-finals
Win 2-0 Darrill Schoonover KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 1 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Quarter-finals
Win 1-0 Mike Wessel Submission (armbar) The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights 1 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Preliminary bout

External links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 National Football League, Historical Players, Marcus Jones. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  2. databaseFootball.com, Players, Marcus Jones. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  3. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1996 National Football League Draft. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  4. Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Marcus Jones. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  5. Chris Miller, "Marcus Jones moves past NFL life," ENCToday.com (November 17, 2003). Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  6. "Marcus Jones retires from MMA". aroundtheoctagon.com. http://www.aroundtheoctagon.com/?p=2981. Retrieved March 3, 2010.

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