Victor Henry (fighter)

Victor Henry (born May 4, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background
Growing up in a diverse but mostly black community as a half-white, half-Mexican individual, Henry always stood out. His mother's emphasis on staying out of trouble led him to school commitments and athletics. Despite a brief stint with baseball and soccer, it was a newspaper article about a nearby taekwondo gym that caught his mother's attention. Martial arts soon became a way for Henry to channel his energy and focus. He earned his black belt and then ventured into jiu-jitsu, with dreams of becoming a personal or medical trainer for professional sports teams. However, as he delved deeper into martial arts, he discovered a passion for MMA. Under the guidance of trainer Jimmie Romero, Henry's skills flourished, and he realized he had the potential to become a fighter. It was through Romero that he met his future mentor and supporter, Josh Barnett, during a seminar. Henry's eagerness to learn and improve his wrestling skills caught Barnett's attention, solidifying a partnership that would become a turning point in his journey as a fighter. Henry trained at Combat Submission Wrestling in Fullerton, where he honed his skills.

Besides MMA, he has also competed in catch wrestling. At the 2018 Catch Wrestling World Championships hosted by The Snake Pit, Henry was the runner-up in the lightweight category.

Early career
In August 2010, Henry started his MMA career with a debut win in Pomona, California, securing a submission victory via rear-naked choke against Dillion Croushorn. They continued to excel, notching wins in Pomona in October 2010 and January 2012, where they showcased their skills with a guillotine choke victory over Bobby Sanchez in a catchweight (140 lb) match at Respect in the Cage 16. Their success continued with unanimous decision wins in May and July 2013, demonstrating their adaptability in various scenarios. Unfortunately, they faced a setback in April 2014 when they were defeated by Joe Murphy via split decision in Costa Mesa, California.

July 2014 brought a redemption moment in Tokyo, Japan, where they earned a TKO victory over Hideo Tokoro at Grandslam MMA: Way of the Cage, getting Henry back on the winning track.

Pancrase
With a quick return to America, Henry became the CS Bantamweight Champion in Tacoma, Washington, with a armbar win over Cory Vom Baur at CageSport 32. Returning to Japan, Henry's ascension continued in 2015, with victories over Masakatsu Ueda via kneebar submission victory at Grandslam MMA 2 and Taichi Nakajima, in his Pancrase debut at Pancrase 267 on May 31, 2015 via split decision, and Hidekazu Fukushima at Pancrase 270 via guillotine choke.

However, the road to success faced a setback, losing to Shintaro Ishiwatari in a unanimous decision at Pancrase 273 in Tokyo, Japan, for the Bantamweight King of Pancrase title. In the following years, the fighter's journey included a mixture of wins and losses, with unanimous decision win over Alan Yoshihiro Yamaniha at Pancrase 277 followed by split decision loss to Rafael Silva at Pamcrase 282 and unanimous decision loss against Masakatsu Ueda at Pancrase 285.

In February 2018, the fighter made a successful return by achieving a TKO victory over future UFC fighter Anderson dos Santos at KOTC: Energetic Pursuit. Henry continued his winning streak in August 2018, finishing Takafumi Otsuka via body kick knockout at Deep: 85 Impact.

Henry returned to America to secure a split decision win against Kyler Phillips at CXF 15: Rage in the Cage before traveling to Russia to defeat Denis Lavrentyev via unanimous decision at RCC 5.

Rizin Fighting Federation
In March 2019, the fighter claimed the DEEP Bantamweight Championship with a majority decision victory over Yuki Motoya at DEEP 88 Impact, claiming his first major title in Japan. After a brief stopover in Russia to finish Nikita Chistyakov via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round at RCC 6, Henry debuted in Rizin Fighting Federation with a reverse triangle armbar submission victory against Trent Girdham at Rizin 18 in Nagoya, Japan.

In his sophomore performance, Henry gained a TKO win via punches over Masanori Kanehara at Rizin 21 in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Henry could not enter Japan and therefore was forced to take bouts outside of the country, with this decision resulting in a setback as he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Denis Lavrentyev at Parus FC in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in a match for the Parus FC Bantamweight Championship.

However, the fighter made a strong comeback in October 2021, securing a submission victory with a rear-naked choke against Albert Morales at LXF 6 with this win earning him the LOXP Bantamweight Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Henry was signed to UFC as a replacement for Trevin Jones against Raoni Barcelos on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 199. The pairing was then cancelled just hours before taking place due to COVID-19 protocols, and rescheduled to meet on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. Henry won the fight via unanimous decision.

Henry took on Raphael Assunção at UFC Fight Night 212 on October 15, 2022, losing the fight via unanimous decision.

Henry squared off against Tony Gravely on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. He won the fight via split decision.

Henry was scheduled to face Javid Basharat on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 228. However, Henry withdrew for unknown reasons and the bout was rescheduled for UFC 294 on October 21, 2023. The fight ended in no-contest after an unintentional groin kick by Basharat rendered Henry unable to continue.

Henry faced Rani Yahya on April 27, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 55. After landing two knockdowns, Henry won the bout by technical knockout in the third round.

Catch wrestling

 * The Snake Pit
 * 2018 Catch Wrestling World Championships - runner-up, lightweight (68 kg)

Mixed martial arts

 * DEEP
 * DEEP Bantamweight Championship (One time)
 * Lights Out Xtreme Fighting
 * LOXF Bantamweight Championship (One time)
 * CageSport
 * CS Bantamweight Championship (One time)