Mixed martial artists come from every corner of the globe, bearing a variety of styles. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring disciplines prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best mixed martial artist of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it. For example, reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Robbie Lawler may have been born in San Diego, but few would recognize him as a Californian.
Scott Jorgensen was for a time one of MMA’s top 10 bantamweights. Known for his colorful tattoos and sometimes reckless style, “Young Guns” brought the heat whenever he fought. Even in defeat, Jorgensen proved to be one of the most difficult hurdles at 125 and 135 pounds, against both champions and young contenders rising through the ranks.
A Payson, Utah, native, Jorgensen put down roots in Idaho, where he became a decorated amateur wrestler. He was a three-time Pac-10 conference champion at Boise State University before shifting gears to MMA. Jorgensen found his way to World Extreme Cagefighting in 2008 and went 7-3 with the promotion, scoring two “Fight of the Night” bonuses and challenging Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight championship. He came to the Ultimate Fighting Championship as part of the WEC merger in 2011, competing in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions.
Jorgensen’s style earned the appreciation of fans and netted him a total of six post-fight performance bonuses in the WEC and UFC. However, despite victories over Brad Pickett, Takeya Mizugaki and Jeff Curran he never managed to break through against the upper crust at 125 and 135 pounds, losing to fighters like Renan Barao, Urijah Faber, Eddie Wineland, Zach Makovsky, Jussier da Silva and Wilson Reis. Jorgensen compiled a 4-8 record in UFC competition and was released by the promotion following a Nov. 21 defeat to Alejandro Perez.
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