South African · Brakpan, South Africa · Born 22 April 1996JP Buys, nicknamed 'Young Savage', is a South African mixed martial artist and former UFC competitor who built his career on a wrestling background before winning multiple regional titles in Africa.
JP Buys earned a UFC contract in 2020 via Dana White's Contender Series — notably on the same season as his wife, strawweight Cheyanne Buys — after building his reputation as both the EFC Flyweight interim champion and EFC Bantamweight champion across a career fought predominantly in South Africa. He quickly excelled at the sport, becoming the 2012 African Wrestling Champion in Greco-Roman style and finishing 12th at the 2013 Cadet World Wrestling Championships, before dropping out of school at 17 to train full-time. Buys transitioned into mixed martial arts, turning professional in 2015, and built his career in South Africa's EFC Worldwide promotion, winning the interim flyweight title with a submission win over Baldwin Mdlalose in a 2016 rematch. He moved up to bantamweight in 2018, submitting Philippe Rouch to win the EFC Bantamweight title, and successfully defended it against Luthando Biko the following year with a fourth-round knockout. Buys earned a UFC contract in 2020 after a submission win on Dana White's Contender Series, making his promotional debut in 2021. He competed in the UFC across the flyweight and bantamweight divisions through 2023, training out of Xtreme Couture, though he was unable to secure a win at the promotion's top level. He and his wife, fellow UFC strawweight Cheyanne Buys, both earned UFC contracts on the same season of Dana White's Contender Series in 2020.
Winning both the EFC Worldwide flyweight and bantamweight titles before competing in the UFC
Career Honours
- EFC Worldwide Flyweight Champion
- EFC Worldwide Bantamweight Champion
- 2012 African Wrestling Champion (Greco-Roman)
- Fightstars amateur bantamweight champion
South African Athletes