Chris Barnett
BornChristopher James Barnett
(1986-06-14) June 14, 1986 (age 37)
Zaragoza, Spain[1]
Other namesBeastboy
Huggy Bear
ResidenceTampa, Florida, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight268 lb (122 kg; 19 st 2 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight (present)
Super Heavyweight
Reach75 in (191 cm)[2]
StyleTaekwondo Wrestling Judo
Fighting out ofTampa, Florida
TeamBarnett Taekwondo Academy
Rank3rd dan black belt in Taekwondo[3]
Years active2009–present
Professional boxing record
Total6
Wins2
By knockout1
Losses4
By knockout1
Mixed martial arts record
Total31
Wins23
By knockout18
By decision5
Losses8
By knockout3
By submission1
By decision4
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Christopher James Barnett[4] (born June 14, 1986)[5] is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

Barnett was born in Zaragoza, Spain, where his father was stationed as a United States Air Force captain.[6] Around the age of four, the family returned to the United States and after bouncing around they settled in Georgia.[6] Both of his parents are black belts in Taekwondo, and he started training the martial art around the age of five.[7] Barnett went to Campbellsville University and University of South Florida and graduated with a bachelor's degree. At Campbellsville, Barnett competed in Wrestling on a scholarship and began training in Judo.[8] Barnett received an invitation to try out mixed martial arts after showing his moves in a dance battle, and started training immediately.[7]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Starting his professional career in 2009, Barnett fought primarily in Xtreme Fighting Championships and started 5–0 with four knockouts.[9] He also fought in other notable Asian organizations, such as Rizin Fighting Federation, Road Fighting Championship, and Inoki Genome Federation.[10]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After 12 years, Barnett finally got a call from the UFC to replace Askar Mozharov on short notice against Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 22, 2021.[11] He lost the bout by submission in the second round.[12]

In September 2021, news surfaced that Barnett had tested positive for marijuana stemming from his UFC debut, and he was suspended for 4.5 months, becoming eligible to return on October 6, 2021.[13]

In his next fight, Barnett fought Gian Villante in Villante's retirement fight at UFC 268 on November 6, 2021, in Madison Square Garden.[14] He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round via spinning wheel kick and punches.[15] The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award.[16]

Barnett next faced promotional newcomer Martin Buday at UFC Fight Night 206 on April 16, 2022.[17] Barnett lost the fight via technical unanimous decision after being rendered unable to continue due to an unintentional elbow to the back of the head in the third round.[18]

Barnett most recently faced Jake Collier on September 10, 2022, at UFC 279.[19] At the weigh-ins, Barnett weighed in at 267.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the non-title heavyweight limit. Barnett was fined 20% of his purse, which went to his opponent Collier.[20] Barnett suffered a knockdown and heavy ground and pound in the first, however he rallied and won the fight via TKO in the second round.[21]

Barnett was scheduled to face Chase Sherman on April 8, 2023, at UFC 287.[22] However, Barnett pulled out due to undisclosed reasons in early April and was replaced by Karl Williams.[23]

Barnett was scheduled to face Mohammed Usman on March 23, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 240.[24] However, Barnett withdrew due to unknown reason and was replaced by Mick Parkin.[25]

Personal life

Barnett's wife died in May 2022 after a battle with encephalitis.[26] Barnett and his late wife have a daughter and a son.[7]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
31 matches 23 wins 8 losses
By knockout 18 3
By submission 0 1
By decision 5 4
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 23–8 Jake Collier TKO (punches) UFC 279 September 10, 2022 2 2:24 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (267.5 lb) bout; Barnett missed weight.
Loss 22–8 Martin Buday Technical Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2 April 16, 2022 3 1:37 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States An inadvertent elbow to the back of Barnett's head rendered him unable to continue.
Win 22–7 Gian Villante TKO (spinning wheel kick and punches) UFC 268 November 6, 2021 2 2:23 New York City, New York, United States Performance of the Night.
Loss 21–7 Ben Rothwell Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt May 22, 2021 2 2:07 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Heavyweight.
Win 21–6 Ahmed Tijani Shehu TKO (punches) UAE Warriors 13 September 25, 2020 1 0:58 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 20–6 Rashaun Jackson Decision (split) Island Fights 60 October 10, 2019 3 5:00 Columbus, Georgia, United States Heavyweight bout.
Win 19–6 Yoon Jae Shim TKO (punch) Road FC 55 September 8, 2019 1 3:44 Daegu, South Korea
Win 18–6 Robert Neal Decision (unanimous) Island Fights 52 February 7, 2019 3 5:00 Pensacola, Florida, United States Heavyweight bout.
Win 17–6 Alexandru Lungu TKO (punches) Road FC 47 May 12, 2018 1 2:34 Beijing, China
Win 16–6 Yoon Jae Shim TKO (spinning back kick) Road FC 45 December 23, 2017 2 3:33 Seoul, South Korea
Loss 15–6 Alex Nicholson KO (elbow) Island Fights 42 October 14, 2017 1 0:40 Pensacola, Florida, United States Heavyweight bout.
Loss 15–5 Hyun Man Myung KO (punch) Road FC 41 August 12, 2017 2 1:53 Wanju, South Korea
Loss 15–4 Hyun Man Myung TKO (doctor stoppage) Road FC 38 April 15, 2017 1 2:17 Seoul, South Korea
Win 15–3 Frank Tate Decision (split) Island Fights 39 November 18, 2016 3 5:00 Pensacola, Florida, United States Heavyweight bout.
Loss 14–3 Kirill Sidelnikov Decision (split) Rizin 1 April 17, 2016 3 5:00 Nagoya, Japan
Win 14–2 Shinichi Suzukawa TKO (punches) Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2015 December 31, 2015 1 1:44 Sumida, Japan
Loss 13–2 Oli Thompson Decision (unanimous) Inoki Genome Fight 4 August 29, 2015 2 5:00 Sumida, Japan
Win 13–1 Emil Zahariev KO (spinning back kick to the body) Inoki Genome Fight 3 April 11, 2015 2 2:58 Sumida, Japan
Win 12–1 Shinichi Suzukawa TKO (punches) Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 December 31, 2014 1 1:57 Sumida, Japan
Win 11–1 Jon Hill TKO (punches) Island Fights 30 September 20, 2014 1 0:30 Pensacola, Florida, United States Defended the Island Fights Super Heavyweight Championship.
Win 10–1 Travis Wiuff TKO (punches) Inoki Genome Fight 2 August 23, 2014 2 0:27 Sumida, Japan
Win 9–1 Richard White TKO (punches) Island Fights 28 May 9, 2014 1 4:57 Pensacola, Florida, United States Won the vacant Island Fights Super Heavyweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Demoreo Dennis TKO (punches) Island Fights 27 February 8, 2014 2 1:13 Pensacola, Florida, United States Super Heavyweight debut.
Win 7–1 Walt Harris Decision (unanimous) World Extreme Fighting 46 April 22, 2011 3 5:00 Orlando, Florida, United States
Win 6–1 Mario Rinaldi TKO (punches) XFC 13 December 3, 2010 2 1:44 Tampa, Florida, United States
Loss 5–1 Eric Prindle Decision (majority) Martial Combat 12 October 16, 2010 3 5:00 Sentosa, Singapore
Win 5–0 Jay White KO (punches) XFC 11 July 9, 2010 1 4:39 Tampa, Florida, United States
Win 4–0 Joel Wyatt TKO (punches) WCC 2 May 28, 2010 2 0:43 Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 3–0 Kenny Garner TKO (punches) XFC 10 March 19, 2010 3 1:36 Tampa, Florida, United States
Win 2–0 Daniel Perez TKO (punches) XFC 9 September 5, 2009 2 0:47 Tampa, Florida, United States
Win 1–0 Johnathan Ivey Decision (unanimous) XFC 8 April 25, 2009 3 5:00 Knoxville, Tennessee, United States Heavyweight debut.

[5]

Submission grappling record

1 Matches, 0 Wins, 1 Losses, 0 Draws
Result Rec. Opponent Method Event Date Division Location
Loss 0–1 Cuba Yoel Romero Submission (Kimura) Dean Toole Promotions June 15, 2019 Openweight United States Pensacola, Florida

[27]

Professional boxing record

6 fights 2 wins 4 losses
By knockout 1 1
By decision 1 3
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
6 Win 2–4 United States Demarcus Kemp UD 4, 3:00 Aug 13, 2016 United States Pensacola Bay Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
5 Loss 1–4 United States Kenny Lacy UD 4 June 1, 2012 United States A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
4 Loss 1–3 United States Trevor Bryan KO 2 (4), 2:04 February 10, 2012 United States Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida, U.S.
3 Loss 1–2 Cuba Pedro Julio Rodriguez UD 4 November 11, 2011 United States A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
2 Loss 1–1 United States Nathaniel James UD 4 November 4, 2011 United States Ritz Theatre, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 United States Michael Greeson KO 2 (4), 2:12 Aug 12, 2011 United States DoubleTree Westshore Hotel, Tampa, Florida, U.S.

[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fight Path: For XFC's big man Chris Barnett, martial arts was a family affair". MMAjunkie.com. July 30, 2009.
  2. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. 13 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Insight: get to know Chris Barnett". Road Fighting Championship. April 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "Chris Barnett ("Beastboy") MMA Fighter Page". Tapology.
  5. ^ a b "Chris Barnett MMA Stats". Sherdog.
  6. ^ a b Jim Norton; Matt Serra (November 9, 2021). "UFC 268 Recap: Champion Rose Namajunas, Chris Barnett, and Chris Curtis" (Podcast).
  7. ^ a b c Ariel Helwani (November 8, 2021). "Chris Barnett's Black-Belt Parents On Knockout: 'Literally, My Mom Yelled At Me' - MMA Fighting" – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Fight Path: For XFC's big man Chris Barnett, martial arts was a family affair". 30 July 2009.
  9. ^ Jordy McElroy (November 25, 2014). "Chris 'Huggy Bear' Barnett: The Heavyweight You Should Be Talking About". BleacherReport.
  10. ^ a b "Chris Barnett". BoxRec. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  11. ^ Farah Hannoun (May 13, 2021). "Ben Rothwell welcomes 'Beast Boy' Chris Barnett to the octagon at UFC Fight Night 188". MMAjunkie.com.
  12. ^ Shawn Bitter (May 22, 2021). "UFC Vegas 27 Results: Ben Rothwell Submits Debuting Chris Barnett". CageSidePress.
  13. ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (September 22, 2021). "UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett suspended, fined for marijuana despite NAC's rule change on the drug". mmafighting.com.
  14. ^ Steven Irvine (November 6, 2021). "Gian Villante loses UFC 268 retirement fight via crazy TKO (Video)". fansided.com.
  15. ^ Damon Martin (November 6, 2021). "UFC 268 video: Chris Barnett retires Gian Villante with spectacular spinning wheelkick knockout". MMAFighting.
  16. ^ a b Alexander K. Lee (November 7, 2021). "UFC 268 bonuses: Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler thriller leads night of six winners". mmafighting.com.
  17. ^ Mike Heck (January 24, 2022). "Chris Barnett set to return vs. Martin Buday at April 16 UFC event". mmafighting.com.
  18. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2022-04-16). "UFC Vegas 51: Injury, Foul Mars Martin Buday vs. Chris Barnett Heavyweight Fight". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  19. ^ "UFC 279 adds Chris Barnett vs. Jake Collier heavyweight clash". MMA Junkie. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  20. ^ Staff (2022-09-09). "UFC 279 weigh-in results: Disastrous session leads to fight card overhaul". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  21. ^ "UFC 279 results, highlights: Chris Barnett rallies to TKO Jake Collier in heavyweight slugfest". CBSSports.com. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  22. ^ ATSteveDuncan (2023-02-14). "Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman agregado a UFC 287". MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  23. ^ Sherdog.com. "Karl Williams Replaces Chris Barnett, Meets Chase Sherman at UFC 287". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  24. ^ Navas, Julio Fernando (2024-01-16). "Mohammed Usman enfrenta a Chris Barnett en el UFC Vegas 88 - MMA AL DÍA" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  25. ^ "UFC Vegas 89 adds three new fights to lineup, but loses fan-favorite". MMA Junkie. 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  26. ^ Cole Shelton (2022-09-05). "Chris Barnett reveals 30 hours before Martin Buday fight he had to make a decision on his sick wife, thanks Dana White for calling and taking care of him". BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  27. ^ Ryan Harkness (June 16, 2019). "Romero subs, Pettis and Masvidal draw in charity grappling fights". mmamania.com.

External links

Categories