John Cholish (born December 17, 1983) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2013, he competed for the UFC and Strikeforce.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Cholish made his professional MMA debut in September 2007. He lost his first fight via submission, but won his next seven fights before signing with the UFC.

Strikeforce

Cholish made his Strikeforce debut in February 2011 as part of the preliminary card for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva. He defeated The Ultimate Fighter veteran Marc Stevens via submission (kneebar) in the second round. Cholish drew considerable attention from MMA news sites for the submission due to its rarity.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Cholish made his promotional debut against Mitch Clarke on December 10, 2011, at UFC 140. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Cholish faced Danny Castillo on May 5, 2012, at UFC on Fox 3. He was defeated by Castillo via unanimous decision.

Cholish was expected to face Yves Edwards on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5. However, Cholish was forced out of the bout with a groin injury and replaced by Jeremy Stephens.

Cholish next faced Gleison Tibau on May 18, 2013, at UFC on FX 8. He lost the fight via submission in the second round. After the fight Cholish retired from MMA, citing low pay as the reason for his retirement.

"I'm fortunate enough that I have a job that provides for me really well, I give a lot of these guys credit that fight at this level. I think they could be compensated much better based on the income that the UFC takes in. Fortunately, I can just walk away and I'm OK with it. By no means do I mean it disrespectfully toward any other fighters because I think they do a great job. But hopefully Zuffa and the UFC will start paying them a little better."

— John Cholish, Interview after retirement

Personal life

Cholish, a Cornell University graduate, holds a full-time job with the Marex Spectron which brokers commodities of natural gas crude oil on the institutional platform.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
11 matches8 wins3 losses
By knockout30
By submission42
By decision11
Draws0
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss8–3Gleison TibauSubmission (guillotine choke)UFC on FX: Belfort vs. RockholdMay 18, 201322:34Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil
Loss8–2Danny CastilloDecision (unanimous)UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. MillerMay 5, 201235:00East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Win8–1Mitch ClarkeTKO (punches)UFC 140December 10, 201124:36Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win7–1Jameel MassouhSubmission (guillotine choke)Cage Fury Fighting Championships 9June 10, 201122:25Atlantic City, New Jersey, United StatesWon vacant CFFC Lightweight Championship.
Win6–1Marc StevensSubmission (kneebar)Strikeforce: Fedor vs. SilvaMarch 26, 201123:57East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Win5–1Rich MoskowitzSubmission (inverted triangle choke)Ring of Combat 32October 23, 201033:05Atlantic City, New Jersey, United StatesWon vacant Ring of Combat Lightweight Championship.
Win4–1Hitalo MachadoTKO (punches)Urban Conflict Championships 2May 14, 201042:25Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Win3–1Matt TroyerSubmission (arm-triangle choke)Urban Conflict Championships 1March 19, 201021:16Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Win2–1Benoit GuionnetTKO (punches)Wreck MMA: Fight for the TroopsDecember 12, 200920:39Gatineau, Quebec, CanadaCatchweight (160 lbs) bout.
Win1–1Chris ConnorDecision (unanimous)Battle at the Nation's CapitalDecember 13, 200835:00Washington, D.C., United States
Loss0–1Jason PatinoSubmission (guillotine choke)Cage Fights 6September 29, 200712:17Fort Myers, Florida, United States

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