Javier "Javy" Ayala (born August 22, 1988) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has competed for Bellator and Tachi Palace Fights.

Javy Ayala
Born (1988-08-22) August 22, 1988 (age 36)
Porterville, California, United States
Other namesEye Candy
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach76 in (193 cm)[1]
TeamFearless Fighters Gym[2]
Years active2011–2020
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins11
By knockout7
By submission3
By decision1
Losses8
By knockout4
By submission1
By decision3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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Born and raised in Porterville, California, Ayala began wrestling in the seventh grade. Ayala continued with the sport at Porterville High School, where he also competed in track and field. running the 100-meter dash, as well as throwing the discus and shot put.[3] Ayala began his MMA career around 12 years old. [4]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Ayala made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2011 and compiled a record of 5-3, while competing on the regional circuit in California for promotions such as Tachi Palace Fights.[5]

Bellator MMA

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Ayala signed a three-fight contract with Bellator and made his promotional debut at Bellator 102 in Visalia, California on October 4, 2013, against Thiago dos Santos. Ayala won in an upset, knocking out the Brazilian fighter with a series of punches as the first round ended, causing referee John McCarthy to call off the fight.[6]

After the fight, Ayala's contract was updated to six fights and he faced off against Eric Prindle at Bellator 111 on March 7, 2014. Ayala won via TKO due to a doctor stoppage in the third round, after dominating the first two rounds.[7]

Ayala faced undefeated Raphael Butler on September 19, 2014, at Bellator 125.[8] He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Ayala faced Alex Huddleston at Bellator 139 on June 26, 2015.[9] He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Ayala faced Carl Seumanutafa at Bellator 148 on January 29, 2016. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Ayala returned to face Roy Boughton at Bellator 156 on June 17, 2016. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

In his highest profile bout to date, Ayala faced Sergei Kharitonov at Bellator 163 on November 4, 2016. Despite being a significant underdog, Ayala won the fight via knockout just sixteen seconds into the first round.

Ayala faced debuting heavyweight Roy Nelson at Bellator 183 on September 23, 2017.[10] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Ayala faced Cheick Kongo at Bellator 199 on May 12 in San Jose, CA.[11] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

In his highest profile match to date, Ayala faced former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir at Bellator 212 on December 14, 2018. After being taken down and controlled on the ground in the first round, Ayala rallied in the second round to win via TKO after Mir tapped to punches.[12]

Ayala was to face former Bellator Heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov at Bellator 225 on August 24, 2019.[13] However, on the day of the fight, it was announced that Ayala was pulled from the fight by the Connecticut Boxing Commission due to an undisclosed medical reason and was replaced by Tim Johnson.[14]

Ayala was rescheduled to meet Minakov at Bellator 232 on October 26, 2019.[15] However, Minakov was unable to obtain visa for the bout, leading to Ayala being pulled from the card also.[16]

Ayala faced Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 239 on February 21, 2020.[17] After being taken down and dominated on the ground, he lost the fight by unanimous decision.[18]

Personal life

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Ayala is married and has two children.[19] He is the cousin of former UFC Bantamweight fighter Joe Soto.[20]

Championships and accomplishments

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  • Bellator MMA
    • Tied (with Tyrell Fortune) for most stoppage wins in Bellator heavyweight division history (six)[21]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
19 matches 11 wins 8 losses
By knockout 7 4
By submission 3 1
By decision 1 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 11–8 Valentin Moldavsky Decision (unanimous) Bellator 239 February 21, 2020 3 5:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 11–7 Frank Mir TKO (submission to punches) Bellator 212 December 14, 2018 2 4:30 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Loss 10–7 Cheick Kongo KO (punches) Bellator 199 May 12, 2018 1 2:29 San Jose, California, United States
Loss 10–6 Roy Nelson Decision (unanimous) Bellator 183 September 24, 2017 3 5:00 San Jose, California, United States
Win 10–5 Sergei Kharitonov KO (punch) Bellator 163 November 4, 2016 1 0:16 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 9–5 Roy Boughton TKO (punches) Bellator 156 June 17, 2016 1 3:02 Fresno, California, United States
Loss 8–5 Carl Seumanutafa TKO (punches) Bellator 148 January 29, 2016 2 3:46 Fresno, California, United States
Loss 8–4 Alex Huddleston Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 139 June 26, 2015 1 1:12 Mulvane, Kansas, United States
Win 8–3 Raphael Butler Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 125 September 19, 2014 1 1:03 Fresno, California, United States
Win 7–3 Eric Prindle TKO (doctor stoppage) Bellator 111 March 7, 2014 3 3:05 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 6–3 Thiago dos Santos KO (punches) Bellator 102 October 4, 2013 1 5:00 Visalia, California, United States
Loss 5–3 Carl Seumanutafa TKO (punches) DH: Dragon House 13 February 2, 2013 1 3:00 Oakland, California, United States
Win 5–2 Mike Cook Submission (rear-naked choke) TWC 16: The Condemned January 25, 2013 1 0:34 Porterville, California, United States
Loss 4–2 Freddie Aquitania Decision (split) TPF 15: Collision Course November 15, 2012 3 5:00 Lemoore, California, United States
Loss 4–1 Brandon Cash KO (punch) UPC Unlimited: Up and Comers 12: Turning Point September 22, 2012 1 0:31 Coarsegold, California, United States
Win 4–0 C.J. Leveque Submission (kneebar) CCFC: The Return March 3, 2012 1 1:37 Santa Rosa, California, United States
Win 3–0 Freddie Aquitania Decision (split) TPF 11: Redemption December 2, 2011 3 5:00 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 2–0 Ray Castaneda TKO (punches) TWC 11: Inferno June 17, 2011 1 1:33 Porterville, California, United States
Win 1–0 Gary LaFranchi TKO (submission to punches) TWC 10: Beatdown January 21, 2011 1 0:41 Porterville, California, United States

[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Javy "Eye Candy" Avala Profile". tapology.com. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "Bellator MMA | Chris Page".
  3. ^ "Ayala's next Bellator fight is March 7".
  4. ^ Blaine Henry (February 19, 2020). "Javy Ayala: Fighting for Family". Fight-Library.com.
  5. ^ "Javy".
  6. ^ "Bellator 102 results: Kongo flattens Godbeer, Queiroz whacks Johnson". 5 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Bellator 111 results: Champ Eduardo Dantas defends with slick submission". 8 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Melvin Manhoef vs. Doug Marshall announced as Bellator 125 main event". mmafighting.com. August 12, 2014.
  9. ^ Dana Becker (June 9, 2015). "Bellator 139 Main Card Receives Change, Prelims Add Bouts". fightline.com.
  10. ^ Staff (June 24, 2017). "Benson Henderson's return, Roy Nelson's debut at Bellator 183; Bellator 181 gets new headliner". mmajunkie.com.
  11. ^ Anderson, Jay (March 30, 2018). "Heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Javy Ayala Booked for Bellator 199". cagesidepress.com.
  12. ^ "Bellator 212 results: Primus vs Chandler 2". mmafighting.com. December 15, 2018.
  13. ^ Simon Head (July 30, 2019). "Bellator 225 co-headliner set with ex-heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov vs. Javy Ayala". mmajunkie.com.
  14. ^ "Javy Ayala out of Bellator 225 co-headliner; Tim Johnson steps in to fight Vitaly Minakov". MMA Junkie. August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  15. ^ Ken Pishna (September 20, 2019). "Vitaly Minakov vs. Javy Ayala signed for Bellator 232". mmaweekly.com.
  16. ^ "Bellator 232: Vitaly Minakov's fight with Javy Ayala canceled due to visa issue". mmajunkie.com. October 22, 2019.
  17. ^ Nolan King (January 15, 2020). "Bellator 239 adds Tyrell Fortune vs. Timothy Johnson, Denise Kielholtz vs. Kristina Williams". mmajunkie.com.
  18. ^ Mike Bohn (February 21, 2020). "Bellator 239 results: Valentin Moldavsky mauls Javy Ayala to pair of 30-24 scores". mmajunkie.com.
  19. ^ "Ayala's next Bellator fight is March 7".
  20. ^ "The Lion Heart of Javy 'Eye Candy' Ayala". 28 August 2014.
  21. ^ Mike Bohn (October 22, 2019). "Bellator 232 pre-event facts: Douglas Lima's resume packs a punch". mmajunkie.com.
  22. ^ Sherdog.com. "Javy". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
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