John Williams (MMA fighter)

John Williams
Born	1940 Canada
Other names	Gray Wolf, Dr. John Williams
Nationality
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Division	Heavyweight
Style	Judo, Mixed Martial Arts
Fighting out of	Canada
Team	Team Williams
Rank	black belt in Judo
Years active	2010
Kickboxing record
Total	1
Wins	1
Losses	0
Other information
Occupation	Doctor, Professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighter

Dr. John "Gray Wolf" Williams became the oldest active professional mixed martial artist when at age 70, he made his professional fight debut on July 24, 2010.^[1]

Early life

Williams was born in Canada in 1940.

Martial arts/MMA careers

In 1987, Williams set a world record for breaking multiple blocks of ice with a single punch (11 inches thick, 22 inches wide, 42 inches long, and 10 stacks high). This record still stands today. Next, he spent 13 consecutive hours using judo throws, and he set over 100 weightlifting records, one was a world record for lifting 505 pounds in the one-handed deadlift at 160 pound bodyweight. Sadly, this was dis proven as the world record for this lift was already achieved in 1920. He fought in kickboxing, amateur and professional boxing, he competed in both karate and judo.

Williams debut his amateur mma fighting career in November 2000, and fought nine times, with a record of four wins and five losses.^[2]

At seventy-years old, Williams decided to set a new record. He wanted to become the oldest pro debuting mixed martial arts fighter in history. However, athletic commissions were opposed to this idea. Williams had to pass a battery of both physical and medical tests to prove it was safe for him in compete in professional mixed martial arts. Williams passed the tests.

In an interview prior to his match, Williams said, “I went and got information on discrimination towards a person because of age, and I realized that if I say this is my job and I’m physically capable of doing the job, there was no way in the world they could stop me. This had nothing to do with risk factors. When you know what you’re doing, MMA is safe. I could have done an amateur thing or an exhibition, but no, I wanted to do a real fight.”

Record breaking MMA debut match

Williams, sporting a long pony-tail, met Larry Brewbaker, 49, a used car salesman with a shaved head and multiple tattoos. Their fight took place in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada,on July 24, 2010, at the “Elite 1 – Wild Card”.^[3]

The 70-year-old Williams set three records that night. He became the oldest debuting MMA fighter, the oldest active MMA fighter, and the oldest winning MMA fighter. Williams won his match by ankle lock in the 2nd round.

In an interview after his record making victory, Williams said, “The point of life is living it. And I tell you, I got in that cage and I felt alive. I felt human again. You get that thing over your head, people think you’re 70 and you don’t know [expletive]. They don’t bother to get to know you. I like Eminem. I like rap music. …Mentally, I feel the same as I did when I was 30. I like the same kind of cars, make the same kind of ridiculous claims, and the enjoy same kinds of women. Nothing’s changed for me, but there’s this stereotype. You don’t change, but they try and make you fit a mold and be something you don’t want to be, which is an old person. Not me. I’ve been a fighter all my life.”

References