Jared Vanderaa

Jared Vanderaa is a heavyweight mixed martial artist born May 12, 1992, in Washington and raised across multiple states before settling in California. He began training MMA in February 2010 immediately after a shoulder injury ended his high school wrestling career, drawn to the sport by action films like Bloodsport and Kickboxer. Over nearly a decade in regional promotions (EFC, SMASH Global, LFA), Vanderaa built an imposing record as a power-hitting heavyweight, earning the EFC Heavyweight Championship with one successful title defense and the SMASH Global Heavyweight Championship. His finishing instincts were sharp: seven wins by knockout, three by submission, and six first-round finishes showcased a fighter capable of explosive, entertaining performances.

Vanderaa earned his UFC contract through Dana White's Contender Series Season 4 in November 2020, stopping Harry Hunsucker in the first round. However, his octagon tenure proved volatile. After an early-career loss to Serghei Spivac in February 2021, he rebounded with a career-highlight unanimous decision over Justin Tafa in May 2021 that earned Fight of the Night honors, suggesting he could compete at the division's mid-tier level. That momentum stalled dramatically. Over eighteen months, he posted five consecutive losses to mid-ranked opponents (Romanov, Arlovski, Oleinik, Sherman, Cortes-Acosta), a losing streak that ranks among the longest in UFC heavyweight history. The UFC released him in December 2022.

A striker-first fighter who lands 85% of his significant strikes at distance and absorbs heavy fire in return (5.67 strikes absorbed per minute), Vanderaa pairs his hand speed with a black-belt-level submission game and a taste for heel hooks. His defensive lapses have been costly, but his finishing arsenal remains credible. Since departing the UFC, Vanderaa has competed in regional MMA circuits with mixed fortune, stringing together three consecutive submission victories in 2024 before a first-round TKO loss in a light heavyweight title bout in October 2025. At 31 and based out of Kings MMA, he remains an active heavyweight seeking to recapture the championship-level form he displayed before the UFC.