Chris Barnett gave fight fans their first finish of the evening when he stopped fellow heavyweight Jake Collier with a second-round comeback.
Chris Barnett : UFC 279 | Record | Wife | Sherdog
Christopher James Barnett (born June 14, 1986) is a American 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 |
| 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) |
Starting his professional career in 2009, Barnett fought primarily in Xtreme Fighting Championships and started 5–0 with four knockouts.
He also fought in other notable Japanese organizations, such as Rizin Fighting Federation, Road Fighting Championship, and Inoki Genome Federation.
Chris Barnett ufc 279
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. He lost the bout by submission in the second round.
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.
In his next fight, Barnett fought Gian Villante in Villante’s retirement fight at UFC 268 on November 6, 2021 in Madison Square Garden.
He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round via spinning wheel kick and punches. The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award.
Barnett next faced Martin Buday at UFC Fight Night 206 on April 16, 2022.
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.
Record
Barnett most recently faced Jake Collier on September 10, 2022 at UFC 279.
| 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 |
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 will go to his opponent Collier.
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.
Chris Barnett wife
Tragedy struck the Chris Barnett household as the UFC star’s fiancee passed away after suffering from encephalitis.
Christopher James, a professional ring announcer, shared the unfortunate news on his Twitter profile.
The update confirmed that Barnett’s wife battled encephalitis for 90 days. However, she passed away recently.
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain and is caused by a virus. There are many symptoms of the infection which include hallucinations, memory problems, vomiting and even seizures.
Barnett has a son and a daughter with his fiancee. We at Mediareferee offer our condolences to the Barnett family during these tough times.
Sherdog
The 35-year-old UFC Heavyweight has fought thrice in the promotion. He came into the promotion with a 21-6 record.
The American came in on a six-fight wins streak. However, he lost his first outing in May 2021, against Ben Rothwell.
Beastboy, as Barnett is called, then picked up a win at UFC 268 over Gian Villante. That earned him a Performance on the Night award.
He then took on Martin Buday at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs Muhammad 2. However, that match ended in a bit of controversy as he lost the clash via technical decision.
An elbow to the back of Barnett’s head left him unable to continue, and he was handed the loss.