Deron Carlis grew up in Overland Park, KS, and attended Blue Valley West High School. After high school, Carlis played two years of junior college football before enlisting in the US Army as an infantryman.
Carlis went to basic training at Ft. Benning, GA, in December of 2008 and was then stationed at joint base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, WA, assigned to Alpha Company 2-23. In August of 2009, Carlis was deployed to Iraq for 12 months. In 2012, he was honorably discharged from the Army.
Carlis moved back to Overland Park and began training with L.C. Davis and Jason High, and was the head trainer at Title Boxing Club at 148th and Metcalf . In just two years, Carlis ammassed a 6-3 amateur record and now holds the Blue Corner amateur featherweight title belt.
In March 2014, Carlis made his professional MMA debut for Blackout Fighting Championships, against Johnnie Roades. He won via submission in the second round. Carlis has since been on a win-streak, defeating Tim Clayton in 22 seconds via TKO in May and Daurice Starr via submission in round 1 at the Phoenix Fighting Championships in November.
Carlis will look to continue his win streak in March 2015, on Phoenix FC’s next card. He is currently studying psychology, an interest stemming from his own struggles after returning from war.
Leave a Reply