James Te Huna
James Te Huna
Ht: 6’2 – Wt: 205 – Age: 31
Born: Canterbury, New Zealand
Fights out of: Penrith, Australia
Team: Elite Fight Gym
Overall Record: 15-5
UFC Record: 4-1
Background:
James Te-Huna is a rising prospect in the UFC light heavyweight division. Te-Huna, known for his heavy hands and being the first New Zealander in the UFC made his mixed martial arts debut in 2003. Te-Huna struggled early in his career going 6-4 overall, while losing the majority of his fights via submission and to stiffer competition, including a loss to future Bellator champion Hector Lombard. Te-Huna took nearly a year off following his loss to Lombard, and upon returning, won his next 5 fights, including a controversial knockout victory over UFC veteran Anthony Perosh. Te-Huna signed with the UFC in 2010 and made his debut against Igor Pokrajac at UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia. Te-Huna and Pokrajac put on a back-and-forth war as both men scored with big punches. Though Pokrajac landed some solid strikes it was Te-Huna that was able to score some big takedowns, eventually pounding Pokrajac out in the final round. Te-Huna would be sidelined for nearly a year as he struggled with injuries. He finally returned to fight at UFC 127, once again competing in Australia where he faced fellow rising prospect Alexander Gustafsson. Both men exchanged takedowns and submission attempts early, but Gustafsson eventually trapped Te-Huna in a body lock and locked on the rear-naked choke for the 1st round submission victory. Te-Huna bounced back with a devastating knockout victory over Ricardo Romero at UFC 135.
2011 Breakdown:
Te-Huna fought twice in 2011, going 1-1 overall.
Te-Huna faced off against fellow rising prospect Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 127. Te-Huna surprisingly came out looking for the takedown, eventually wrestling Gustafsson down and then swiftly moving into side control. Gustafsson quickly got back to his feet, but Te-Huna shot once again, only to be caught in a Gustafsson guillotine attempt. Te-Huna freed his neck and they began to trade positions before Gustafsson took Te-Huna’s back, locking on the rear-naked choke to force the tapout.
Te-Huna moved on to face Ricardo Romero at UFC 135. Romero desperately went for the takedown early, but Te-Huna stuffed it and immediately began landing big strikes. Te-Huna backed away to create some distance and then leveled Romero with some huge right hands that forced the referee stoppage.
2012 Forecast:
James Te-Huna has gone 7-1 since 2008 with his only loss coming to rising prospect Alexander Gustafsson. Te-Huna is flying under the radar because he has yet to face a household name. Te-Huna has the knockout power to hang with some of the top strikers in the division, but he needs the opportunity to do so. 2012 should be a breakout year for Te-Huna if he is placed in a high-profile bout. At this point, he has mostly been relegated to fighting on Australian fight cards. Te-Huna’s losses have all come via submission, but he showed that he was not scared to go to the ground with Gustafsson. Make no mistake though, Te-Huna’s strength is his striking and he is fully capable of knocking out any UFC light heavyweight in the division.
James Te Huna Fight Record
Overall Record: 13-5
2008-2011 Record: 7-1
2011 Record: 1-1
Win | Ricardo Romero | KO | Rd 1 | UFC | 09/24/2011
Loss | Alexander Gustafsson | Sub | Rd 1 | UFC | 02/27/2011
2010 Record: 1-0
Win | Igor Pokrajac | Tko | Rd 3 | UFC | 02/20/2010
2009 Record: 4-0
Win | Anthony Perosh | KO | Rd 1 | | 08/21/2009
Win | Priscus Fogagnolo | Tko | Rd 2 | | 07/11/2009
Win | Antony Rea | Tko | Rd 1 | | 05/22/2009
Win | David Gibb | Tko | Rd 1 | | 03/14/2009
2008 Record: 1-0
Win | Sam Brown | Dec | Rd 3 | | 05/03/2008
