Summary
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.
| Chris Barnett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christopher James Barnett June 14, 1986 Zaragoza, Spain[1] |
| Other names | Beastboy Huggy Bear |
| Residence | Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Weight | 268 lb (122 kg; 19 st 2 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight (present) Super Heavyweight |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm)[2] |
| Style | Taekwondo Wrestling Judo |
| Fighting out of | Tampa, Florida |
| Team | Barnett Taekwondo Academy |
| Rank | 3rd dan black belt in Taekwondo[3] |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 31 |
| Wins | 23 |
| By knockout | 18 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background edit
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 edit
Early career edit
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 edit
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 on ESPN 53.[24] However, Barnett withdrew due to unknown reason and was replaced by Mick Parkin.[25]
Personal life edit
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 edit
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (one time) vs. Gian Villante[16]
- Island Fights
- IF Super Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- One successful title defense
- IF Super Heavyweight Championship (one time)
Mixed martial arts record edit
| 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. |
Submission grappling record edit
| 1 Matches, 0 Wins, 1 Losses, 0 Draws | |||||||
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Division | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 |  Yoel Romero |
Submission (Kimura) | Dean Toole Promotions | June 15, 2019 | Openweight |  Pensacola, Florida
|
Professional boxing record edit
| 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 | Demarcus Kemp
|
UD | 4, 3:00 | Aug 13, 2016 | Pensacola Bay Center, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
|
|
| 5 | Loss | 1–4 | Kenny Lacy
|
UD | 4 | June 1, 2012 | A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
|
|
| 4 | Loss | 1–3 | Trevor Bryan
|
KO | 2 (4), 2:04 | February 10, 2012 | Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida, U.S.
|
|
| 3 | Loss | 1–2 | Pedro Julio Rodriguez
|
UD | 4 | November 11, 2011 | A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
|
|
| 2 | Loss | 1–1 | Nathaniel James
|
UD | 4 | November 4, 2011 | Ritz Theatre, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
|
|
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Michael Greeson
|
KO | 2 (4), 2:12 | Aug 12, 2011 | DoubleTree Westshore Hotel, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
|
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Fight Path: For XFC's big man Chris Barnett, martial arts was a family affair". MMAjunkie.com. July 30, 2009.
- ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. 13 May 2021.
- ^ "Insight: get to know Chris Barnett". Road Fighting Championship. April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Chris Barnett ("Beastboy") MMA Fighter Page". Tapology.
- ^ a b "Chris Barnett MMA Stats". Sherdog.
- ^ a b Jim Norton; Matt Serra (November 9, 2021). "UFC 268 Recap: Champion Rose Namajunas, Chris Barnett, and Chris Curtis" (Podcast).
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Fight Path: For XFC's big man Chris Barnett, martial arts was a family affair". 30 July 2009.
- ^ Jordy McElroy (November 25, 2014). "Chris 'Huggy Bear' Barnett: The Heavyweight You Should Be Talking About". BleacherReport.
- ^ a b "Chris Barnett". BoxRec. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ Farah Hannoun (May 13, 2021). "Ben Rothwell welcomes 'Beast Boy' Chris Barnett to the octagon at UFC Fight Night 188". MMAjunkie.com.
- ^ Shawn Bitter (May 22, 2021). "UFC Vegas 27 Results: Ben Rothwell Submits Debuting Chris Barnett". CageSidePress.
- ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (September 22, 2021). "UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett suspended, fined for marijuana despite NAC's rule change on the drug". mmafighting.com.
- ^ Steven Irvine (November 6, 2021). "Gian Villante loses UFC 268 retirement fight via crazy TKO (Video)". fansided.com.
- ^ Damon Martin (November 6, 2021). "UFC 268 video: Chris Barnett retires Gian Villante with spectacular spinning wheelkick knockout". MMAFighting.
- ^ a b Alexander K. Lee (November 7, 2021). "UFC 268 bonuses: Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler thriller leads night of six winners". mmafighting.com.
- ^ Mike Heck (January 24, 2022). "Chris Barnett set to return vs. Martin Buday at April 16 UFC event". mmafighting.com.
- ^ Bitter, Shawn (2022-04-16). "UFC Vegas 51: Injury, Foul Mars Martin Buday vs. Chris Barnett Heavyweight Fight". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
- ^ "UFC 279 adds Chris Barnett vs. Jake Collier heavyweight clash". MMA Junkie. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
- ^ Staff (2022-09-09). "UFC 279 weigh-in results: Disastrous session leads to fight card overhaul". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
- ^ "UFC 279 results, highlights: Chris Barnett rallies to TKO Jake Collier in heavyweight slugfest". CBSSports.com. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Karl Williams Replaces Chris Barnett, Meets Chase Sherman at UFC 287". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "UFC Vegas 89 adds three new fights to lineup, but loses fan-favorite". MMA Junkie. 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ryan Harkness (June 16, 2019). "Romero subs, Pettis and Masvidal draw in charity grappling fights". mmamania.com.