Chris Barnett Explained

Chris Barnett
Other Names:Beastboy
Huggy Bear
Birth Name:Christopher James Barnett
Birth Date:14 June 1986
Birth Place:Zaragoza, Spain[1]
Residence:Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Nationality:American
Height:5 ft 9 in
Weight Lb:264
Weight Class:Heavyweight (present)
Super Heavyweight
Reach:75 in[2]
Style:Taekwondo Wrestling Judo
Rank:3rd dan black belt in Taekwondo[3]
Fighting Out Of:Athens, Georgia, U.S.
Team:Barnett Taekwondo Academy
Years Active:2009–present
Mma Kowin:18
Mma Decwin:5
Mma Koloss:4
Mma Subloss:1
Mma Decloss:4
Box Win:2
Box Kowin:1
Box Loss:4
Box Koloss:1
Sherdog:45664
Boxrec:579482

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 (UFC).

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. 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.

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 on ESPN 53.[24] However, Barnett withdrew due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Mick Parkin.[25]

Barnett was scheduled to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta on October 12, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 244.[26] However, Cortes-Acosta withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Junior Tafa.[27] Subsequently, Barnett withdrew after being unable to travel due to Hurricane Milton and was replaced by UFC newcomer Sean Sharaf.[28]

Replacing an injured Justin Tafa, Barnett was scheduled to face Kennedy Nzechukwu on October 26, 2024 at UFC 308.[29] [30] Barnett lost the fight by technical knockout in the first round.[31]

Personal life

Barnett's wife died in May 2022 after a battle with encephalitis.[32] Barnett and his late wife have a daughter and a son.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

|-|Loss|align=center|23–9|Kennedy Nzechukwu|TKO (knee to the body and punches) |UFC 308| |align=center|1|align=center|4:27|Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates||-|Win|align=center|23–8|Jake Collier|TKO (punches)|UFC 279||align=center|2|align=center|2:24|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Loss|align=center|22–8|Martin Buday|Technical Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3|align=center|1:37|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|22–7|Gian Villante|TKO (spinning wheel kick and punches)|UFC 268||align=center|2|align=center|2:23|New York City, New York, United States||-|Loss|align=center|21–7|Ben Rothwell|Submission (guillotine choke)|||align=center|2|align=center|2:07|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|21–6|Ahmed Tijani Shehu|TKO (punches)|UAE Warriors 13||align=center|1|align=center|0:58|Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates||-|Win|align=center|20–6|Rashaun Jackson|Decision (split)|Island Fights 60||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Columbus, Georgia, United States||-|Win|align=center|19–6|Shim Yoon-jae|TKO (punch)|Road FC 055||align=center|1|align=center|3:44|Daegu, South Korea||-|Win|align=center|18–6|Robert Neal|Decision (unanimous)|Island Fights 52||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Pensacola, Florida, United States||-|Win|align=center|17–6|Alexandru Lungu|TKO (punches)|Road FC 047||align=center|1|align=center|2:34|Beijing, China||-|Win|align=center|16–6|Shim Yoon-jae|TKO (spinning back kick)|Road FC 045||align=center|2|align=center|3:33|Seoul, South Korea||-|Loss|align=center|15–6|Alex Nicholson|KO (elbow)|Island Fights 42||align=center|1|align=center|0:40|Pensacola, Florida, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–5|Myung Hyun-man|KO (punch)|Road FC 041||align=center|2|align=center|1:53|Wanju, South Korea||-|Loss|align=center|15–4|Myung Hyun-man|TKO (doctor stoppage)|Road FC 038||align=center|1|align=center|2:17|Seoul, South Korea||-|Win|align=center|15–3|Frank Tate|Decision (split)|Island Fights 39||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Pensacola, Florida, United States||-|Loss|align=center|14–3|Kirill Sidelnikov|Decision (split)|Rizin 1||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Nagoya, Japan||-|Win|align=center|14–2|Shinichi Suzukawa|TKO (punches)|Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2015||align=center|1|align=center|1:44|Sumida, Japan||-|Loss|align=center|13–2|Oli Thompson|Decision (unanimous)|Inoki Genome Fight 4||align=center|2|align=center|5:00|Sumida, Japan||-|Win|align=center|13–1|Emil Zahariev|KO (spinning back kick to the body)|Inoki Genome Fight 3||align=center|2|align=center|2:58|Sumida, Japan||-|Win|align=center|12–1|Shinichi Suzukawa|TKO (punches)|Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014||align=center|1|align=center|1:57|Sumida, Japan||-| Win| align=center|11–1|Jon Hill| TKO (punches)| Island Fights 30| | align=center| 1| align=center| 0:30| Pensacola, Florida, United States||-| Win| align=center| 10–1| Travis Wiuff|TKO (punches)|Inoki Genome Fight 2||align=center|2|align=center|0:27|Sumida, Japan||-| Win| align=center| 9–1| Richard White|TKO (punches)|Island Fights 28| |align=center|1|align=center|4:57|Pensacola, Florida, United States||-| Win| align=center| 8–1| Demoreo Dennis|TKO (punches)|Island Fights 27||align=center|2|align=center|1:13|Pensacola, Florida, United States||-| Win| align=center| 7–1| Walt Harris|Decision (unanimous)|World Extreme Fighting 46||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Orlando, Florida, United States||-| Win| align=center|6–1| Mario Rinaldi|TKO (punches)|XFC 13| |align=center|2|align=center|1:44| Tampa, Florida, United States||-| Loss| align=center|5–1|Eric Prindle|Decision (majority)|Martial Combat 12||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Sentosa, Singapore||-| Win| align=center|5–0|Jay White|KO (punches)|XFC 11||align=center|1|align=center|4:39|Tampa, Florida, United States||-| Win| align=center|4–0| Joel Wyatt|TKO (punches)|WCC 2||align=center|2|align=center|0:43|Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States||-| Win| align=center|3–0| Kenny Garner|TKO (punches)|XFC 10|| align=center|3| align=center|1:36|Tampa, Florida, United States||-| Win| align=center| 2–0| Daniel Perez| TKO (punches)|XFC 9|| align=center|2| align=center|0:47|Tampa, Florida, United States||-| Win| align=center|1–0| Johnathan Ivey| Decision (unanimous)|XFC 8||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Knoxville, Tennessee, United States|

Submission grappling record

-- width:100%; -->
1 Matches, 0 Wins, 1 Losses, 0 Draws
ResultRec.OpponentMethodtext-centerEventDateDivisionLocation
Loss 0–1Submission (Kimura) Dean Toole Promotions June 15, 2019 Openweight Pensacola, Florida[33]

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponent TypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
6Win2–4 Demarcus Kemp4, 3:00Aug 13, 2016
5Loss1–4 Kenny Lacy4June 1, 2012
4Loss1–3 Trevor Bryan2 (4), February 10, 2012
3Loss1–2 Pedro Julio Rodriguez4November 11, 2011
2Loss1–1 Nathaniel James4November 4, 2011
1Win1–0 Michael Greeson2 (4), Aug 12, 2011

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fight Path: For XFC's big man Chris Barnett, martial arts was a family affair. MMAjunkie.com. July 30, 2009.
  2. Web site: Stats UFC. ufcstats.com. 13 May 2021 .
  3. Web site: Insight: get to know Chris Barnett. April 6, 2017. Road Fighting Championship.
  4. Web site: Chris Barnett ("Beastboy") MMA Fighter Page . Tapology.
  5. Web site: Chris Barnett MMA Stats . Sherdog.
  6. UFC 268 Recap: Champion Rose Namajunas, Chris Barnett, and Chris Curtis. November 9, 2021. Jim Norton. Matt Serra.
  7. Web site: Chris Barnett's Black-Belt Parents On Knockout: 'Literally, My Mom Yelled At Me' - MMA Fighting. November 8, 2021. YouTube. Ariel Helwani.
  8. Web site: Fight Path: For XFC's big man Chris Barnett, martial arts was a family affair . 30 July 2009 .
  9. Web site: Jordy McElroy. November 25, 2014. Chris 'Huggy Bear' Barnett: The Heavyweight You Should Be Talking About. BleacherReport.
  10. Web site: Chris Barnett. BoxRec. February 4, 2022.
  11. Web site: Farah Hannoun. Ben Rothwell welcomes 'Beast Boy' Chris Barnett to the octagon at UFC Fight Night 188. MMAjunkie.com. May 13, 2021.
  12. Web site: Shawn Bitter. May 22, 2021. UFC Vegas 27 Results: Ben Rothwell Submits Debuting Chris Barnett. CageSidePress.
  13. Web site: UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett suspended, fined for marijuana despite NAC's rule change on the drug. September 22, 2021. mmafighting.com. Shaun Al-Shatti.
  14. Web site: Gian Villante loses UFC 268 retirement fight via crazy TKO (Video). November 6, 2021. fansided.com. Steven Irvine.
  15. Web site: UFC 268 video: Chris Barnett retires Gian Villante with spectacular spinning wheelkick knockout. MMAFighting. November 6, 2021. Damon Martin.
  16. Web site: UFC 268 bonuses: Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler thriller leads night of six winners. November 7, 2021. mmafighting.com. Alexander K. Lee.
  17. Web site: Chris Barnett set to return vs. Martin Buday at April 16 UFC event. January 24, 2022. mmafighting.com. Mike Heck.
  18. Web site: Bitter . Shawn . 2022-04-16 . UFC Vegas 51: Injury, Foul Mars Martin Buday vs. Chris Barnett Heavyweight Fight . 2022-04-16 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  19. Web site: 2022-07-26 . UFC 279 adds Chris Barnett vs. Jake Collier heavyweight clash . 2022-09-10 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  20. Web site: UFC 279 weigh-in results: Disastrous session leads to fight card overhaul. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Staff. 2022-09-09. 2022-09-09.
  21. Web site: UFC 279 results, highlights: Chris Barnett rallies to TKO Jake Collier in heavyweight slugfest . 2022-09-11 . CBSSports.com . 11 September 2022 . en.
  22. Web site: ATSteveDuncan . 2023-02-14 . Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman agregado a UFC 287 . 2023-02-15 . MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. . es.
  23. Web site: Sherdog.com . Karl Williams Replaces Chris Barnett, Meets Chase Sherman at UFC 287 . 2023-04-02 . Sherdog . en.
  24. Web site: Navas . Julio Fernando . 2024-01-16 . Mohammed Usman enfrenta a Chris Barnett en el UFC Vegas 88 - MMA AL DÍA . 2024-01-17 . es.
  25. Web site: 2024-01-31 . UFC Vegas 89 adds three new fights to lineup, but loses fan-favorite . 2024-01-31 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  26. Web site: UFC News: Fan-Favorite Chris Barnett Returns to Fight Top Heavyweight Prospect. si.com. Christopher De Santiago. 2024-07-29. 2024-08-11.
  27. Web site: Chris Barnett gets new opponent for UFC Fight Night 244. mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Nolan King. 2024-09-29. 2024-09-29.
  28. Web site: Junior Tafa’s reaction to Chris Barnett pulling out of this weekend’s UFC. ntnews.com.au. Brendan Bradford. 2024-10-08. 2024-10-09.
  29. Web site: Chris Barnett Gets New Booking, Faces Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308. cagesidepress.com. Staff. 2024-10-12. 2024-10-12.
  30. Web site: 2 Changes To Massive UFC 308 Card Have Made The Event Even Better. forbes.com. Brian Mazique. 2024-10-21. 2024-10-21.
  31. Web site: UFC 308: Kennedy Nzechukwu Stops Hobbled Chris Barnett. cagesidepress.com. Jay Anderson. 2024-10-26. 2024-10-26.
  32. Web site: 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. Cole Shelton. 2022-09-05. 2022-09-10.
  33. Web site: Ryan Harkness. Romero subs, Pettis and Masvidal draw in charity grappling fights. mmamania.com. June 16, 2019.

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