Daniel James

Daniel James (born December 31, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Rizin Fighting Federation.

Background

Growing up on the west side of Chicago, James resided in his childhood in neighbourhoods that were filled with violence and drugs. However, he was able to avoid getting involved in them through athletics and sports. He gained his nickname, "The American Predator", from his uncle due to his characteristic dreadlocks. He spends much of his free time running programs for children to keep them out of trouble.

James has a career as a fitness trainer at Reach Fieldhouse in Chicago, where he runs multiple fitness programs.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Debuting at in 2014 at Bellator 112 against Erick Correa, a bout in which he won via second round retirement, James went 7–3–1 fighting around the American Midwest scene, facing such opponents like Daniel Gallemore.

After going 2–0 in the LFA with impressive knockouts against Calyn Hull via second-round knockout on September 21, 2018, at LFA 50 and Patrick Martin via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round on May 24, 2019, at LFA 67, James advanced to the finals of the LFA Heavyweight tournament against Brett Martin. However, the bout for the vacant LFA Heavyweight Championship against Martin on September 27, 2019, at LFA 77, ended in controversy as Martin missed weight for the bout coming in at 272.6 pounds, 6.6 lbs over the weight limit, and James went on to lose the bout via disqualification in the 5th round after throwing illegal knees against the fence.

Absolute Championship Akhmat James signed with the Absolute Championship Akhmat, making his promotional debut against Ruslan Magomedov at ACA 101: Strus vs. Nemchinov on November 15, 2019, losing the fight via unanimous decision.

In his sophomore appearance against Michal Martínek on November 26, 2020, at ACA 114: Omielańczuk vs. Johnson, James would win the bout in the second round, trapping his opponent in a crucifix and finishing the bout via elbows and punches.

James faced Daniel Omielańczuk on April 23, 2021, at ACA 122, losing the bout via unanimous decision.

James would rebound against Tomas Pakutinskas on September 11, 2021, at ACA 128: Goncharov vs. Omielańczuk, winning the bout at the end of the first round as Pakutinskas submitted due to punches.

James faced Raphael Pessoa at November 18, 2021 at ACA 132: Johnson vs. Vakhaev, winning the bout via ground and pound TKO in the second round.

In what would be his last bout with the promotion, James faced Denis Smoldarev on February 26, 2022, at ACA 136: Bukuev vs Akopyan, winning the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.

Bellator MMA A heavyweight bout between Davion Franklin on May 6, 2022, at Bellator 280. However, James failed an out of competition drug test and was pulled from the bout.

James faced Tyrell Fortune on November 18, 2022, at Bellator 288, pulling off a comeback and finishing Fortune in the second round via ground and pound. The bout was later overturned to a no contest after James tested positive for an anabolic substance on a test before the bout.

James faced Marcelo Golm on March 31, 2023, at Bellator 293. He won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.

James faced Gökhan Saricam on June 16, 2023, at Bellator 297. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

James was scheduled to face Ali Isaev on November 17, 2023, at Bellator 301. The week of the event, the bout was scrapped for unknown reasons.

PFL James was set to debut with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) at PFL 1 on April 4, 2024, in a rematch against Tyrell Fortune. However, Fortune withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Marcelo Golm in a rematch bout that James won by technical knockout at the end of the first round. James missed weight, so he was fined a percentage of his purse and given a point deduction in the standings.

James was then again set to rematch Fortune this time at PFL 4 on June 13, 2024, but withdrew from the bout due to an unknown reason and was replaced by Marcelo Golm.

On September 17, 2024, it was announced that James tested positive for bis-(4-cyanophenyl) methanol, a metabolite of letrozole, as the result of an out-of-competition sample collected on May 8, 2024. He was suspended for 10 months for this infraction, making him eligible to return on January 8, 2025.

Karate Combat James competed in the 8-man heavyweight tournament July 18, 2025 at Karate Combat 55 and defeated Braxton Smith by technical knockout in the first round. For the semi-finals, he lost to Zac Pauga by unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts record Win

Timothy Johnson KO (punch) Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 10

Miami, Florida, United States Loss

Marek Samociuk Decision (unanimous) Rizin: Otoko Matsuri

Tokyo, Japan Win

Marcelo Golm TKO (punches) PFL 1 (2024)

San Antonio, Texas, United States Loss

Gökhan Saricam Decision (unanimous) Bellator 297

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Marcelo Golm TKO (punches) Bellator 293

Temecula, California, United States NC

Tyrell Fortune NC (overturned) Bellator 288

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Denis Smoldarev TKO (punches) ACA 136

Moscow, Russia Win

Raphael Pessoa TKO (punches) ACA 132

Minsk, Belarus Win

Tomas Pakutinskas TKO (submission to punch) ACA 128

Minsk, Belarus Loss

Daniel Omielańczuk Decision (unanimous) ACA 122

Minsk, Belarus Win

Michal Martínek TKO (elbows and punches) ACA 114

Łódź, Poland Loss

Ruslan Magomedov Decision (unanimous) ACA 101

Warsaw, Poland Loss

Brett Martin DQ (illegal knees) LFA 77

Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States Win

Patrick Martin TKO (punches) LFA 67

Branson, Missouri, United States Win

Calyn Hull KO (punches) LFA 50

Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States Win

Zach Rosol Submission (kimura) Victory FC: Fight Night Waterloo 2

Waterloo, Iowa, United States Loss

Daniel Gallemore Submission (guillotine choke) Victory FC 57

Topeka, Kansas, United States Win

Chris Beal TKO (punches) Xtreme Fighting Organization 60

Chicago, Illinois, United States Draw

John Hawk Draw (majority) Big Guns 21

Tallmadge, Ohio, United States Loss

Arnold Adams TKO (punches) Hossier FC 27

Michigan City, Indiana, United States Win

Pat Harman Submission (rear-naked choke) Hossier FC 25

Hammond, Indiana, United States Win

Jason Walraven Submission (kimura) Super Brawl Showdown 1

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Win

Aaron Ware Decision (unanimous) Xtreme Fighting Organization 54

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Ryan Pokryfky TKO (punches) Xtreme Fighting Organization 53

Chicago, Illinois, United States Loss

Leroy Johnson Decision (unanimous) NAAFS: Fight Night In The Flats 10

Cleveland, Ohio, United States Win

Erick Correa TKO (retirement) Bellator 112

Hammond, Indiana, United States

Karate Combat record Loss

Zac Pauga Decision (unanimous)

Win

Braxton Smith TKO (punches)