John Thomas Dodson III (born September 26, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Dodson has made a name for himself fighting mainly in the Southwest region. He was the winner of the Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller. As of July 5, he is ranked #12 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings.
Dodson was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He grew up in Albuquerque and later moved to Edgewood, New Mexico with his family. He attended Moriarty High School in Moriarty, New Mexico. Dodson is half African-American, half Filipino. While attending Moriarty, Dodson competed in track, football and wrestling. In wrestling Dodson was a two-time state champion, one time state runner-up and four time district champion. Dodson graduated from high school in 2003, and then enrolled at the University of New Mexico while working at a local Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant.