5 Things You Might Not Know About Dustin Joynson

Dustin Joynson has grown tired of excelling in anonymity.

The 36-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series alum will put his undefeated record on the line when he makes his organizational debut opposite Kirill Grishenko at One Championship “NextGen” on Friday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Joynson boasts four finishes among his six professional victories. He last appeared under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner on Oct. 30, when he was awarded a three-round unanimous decision over journeyman Carl Seumanutafa.

As Joynson approaches his first assignment in One Championship, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He bloomed late on the mixed martial arts bush.

Joynson made his debut at the age of 28 when he wiped out Jannie Joubert with punches in just 58 seconds at Prestige Fighting Championship 5 on May 16, 2014. It was his only win in his 20s, as he did not compete again for nearly three years.

2. Success was a companion on the regional scene.

The Vancouver, British Columbia, native captured titles in the Battlefield Fight League and Havoc Fighting Championship organizations. Joynson laid claim to the HFC heavyweight crown when he submitted Grayson Wells with a second-round rear-naked choke in December 2017 and brought home the BFL championship when he took a five-round unanimous decision from Caio Machado in November 2018.

3. He surrounds himself with the right people.

Joynson once trained out of the same Zugec Ultimate Martial Arts camp that produced former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight titleholder Sarah Kaufman and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Ryan Janes. He now calls The Fitness Academy home.

4. Unfortunate events may have kept him out of the Octagon.

The Canadian appeared on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, only to see his Aug. 27, 2019 pairing with Ben Sosoli cut short by an inadvertent eye poke a little more than two minutes into the first round. Sosoli thumbed Joynson in the eye in a close-quarters exchange, rendering him unable to continue and perhaps costing him a chance to compete in the UFC.

5. His strength of schedule has come into question.

Only two of the six men Joynson has defeated sport records north of .500. Machado sits at 6-1-1 while West stands at 5-4. The other four—Joubert, Seumanutafa, Jared Henderson and Chris Catala—own a combined mark of 21-27.