Ray Cooper III

Raynald "Ray" Cooper III[5] (born February 7, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division.Upon graduating at the age of 18, he began his career in professional MMA,[8] turning down a college scholarship to continue wrestling.In the semifinals, Cooper defeated Handesson Ferreira in a rematch via technical knockout to advance to the Welterweight finals.[28] Cooper had previously faced Magomedkerimov in the finals of the 2018 tournament, losing the bout via guillotine in the second round.He won the bout this time tho via knockout in the third round, winning the 2021 PFL Welterweight Tournament and another $1 million dollar prize.[31] At weigh-ins, Ray Cooper III missed weight for the bouts, weighing in at 176.4 pounds, 5.4 pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit.He was fined 20 percent of their purses, ineligible to win playoff points, given a walkover loss, and was penalized one point in the standings[32] In an upset, Cooper lost the bout via unanimous decision.Both Blake and Baylen wrestled for Warner Pacific University where they were NAIA national champions and All-Americans.He also has a younger sister named Makana who is currently competing in the Hawaii High School Girls Wrestling division.