Pearce is one of the more intriguing “under the radar” competitors in the UFC at the moment.
The 30-year-old Tennessee native, who trains with the Fight Ready crew in Scottsdale, has quietly put together four straight wins since moving to the featherweight division following a first-round stoppage loss to Joe Lauzon at lightweight in his promotional debut three years ago. Three of those victories have come by stoppage, including a second-round finish of Makwan Amirkhani this summer in London.
A graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, Pearce is one of those guys that turns up, handles his business — usually in impressive fashion — and then recedes into the shadows, returning to the gym to keep working on his craft, opting to let his efforts inside the Octagon speak for him.
And thus far, they’re speaking volumes.
Winning four consecutive bouts in the UFC is difficult, regardless of division or opponent, and doing so with three finishes, against the solid competition Pearce has fought thus far, should be garnering more attention.
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Maybe some of the excitement was lessened by the fact that he had to battle hard to defeat Christian Rodriguez in February, the short-notice newcomer somehow being the only opponent he’s faced at featherweight that didn’t get finished, which stands out because Rodriguez is a natural bantamweight. But Pearce still claimed victory, and got back to his dominant ways in July, navigating a competitive first round against Amirkhani before getting “Mr. Finland” out of there late in the middle stanza.
This weekend, Pearce faces another divisional stalwart in Darren Elkins, the longtime Top 15 fixture who remains a solid measuring stick for ascending fighters. After losing four straight between July 2018 and May 2020, “The Damage” has gone 3-1 over his last four, most recently collecting a unanimous decision victory over Tristan Connelly in April.
While there are no guarantees that people will sit up and take notice should he win this weekend, a five-fight winning streak is pretty difficult to overlook, especially if Pearce continues to show his finishing skills and dispatches the notoriously durable Elkins inside the distance.
Featherweight is loaded with talent now, and although another win still isn’t likely to elevate “JSP” into the rankings, it should put him in a position to face someone with a number next to their name next time out.
