Chris Barnett is an MMA fighter who currently fights in the UFC’s Heavyweight division. He turned pro in 2009 and primarily competed in the Xtreme Fighting Championships.
Barnett, who earned a Bachelor’s Degree, wrestled on a scholarship at Campbellsville. He was later invited to try mixed martial arts after winning a dancing competition.
Unfortunately, 2022 was not in his favor because the MMA fighter is still mourning the loss of his beloved wife, who died earlier this year.
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Chris Barnett’s Wife Was Suffering From Encephalitis
Chris Barnett fought Martin Buday at UFC Fight Night 206 on April 16, 2022. He was defeated by a unanimous technical decision after he was unable to compete in the third round due to an unintentional elbow to the back of the head.
His wife was fighting Encephalitis throughout the entire Buday fighting training camp, and she unfortunately died in May.
According to hopkinsmedicine.org, encephalitis is an inflammation of the active tissues of the brain caused by an autoimmune reaction or an infection. Seizures, headaches, stiff neck, light sensitivity, and mental confusion can result from the condition, which causes the brain to swell.
Chris mentioned in an episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com that he didn’t know if people knew, but his wife had died. They called him 30 hours before the fight on Monday, telling him he needed to make a decision.”
He added that she was fine when he left, and now this is coming up. With everything going on, Barnett didn’t think it was a camp.
On February 8, Barnett’s wife was admitted to the hospital. She died unexpectedly three months later, leaving behind her husband and their children.
Chris also stated that he didn’t think about his plan of attack or the fight while it was taking place. Instead, he spent the entire time in the Octagon thinking about his wife, family, and the emotions of his children.
Chris Barnett was born in Georgia and raised in Spain
Chris Barnett was born on June 14, 1986, in Zaragoza, Spain, to a family of taekwondo practitioners.
Chris’s family moved back to the United States when he was four years old, and they eventually settled in Georgia.
His mother and father are both black-belts in Taekwondo. He began his MMA training at the age of five.
During The MMA Hour in November 2021, Barnett revealed that his mother scolded him after his UFC 268 match.
When he got home, his mother yelled at him, according to the UFC champion.
Chris’ father is unable to travel and communicate as effectively as before due to a recent stroke, which prevents him from cornering Barnett for fights. He continued to comment on his son’s finishing technique.
“He’s still one of my biggest critics, which is awesome because he was mad at me when I put my hand down for the spinning hook kick,” Chris said of his father.
Chris Barnett Net Worth 2022 is a pro heavyweight MMA fighter
Chris Barnett, a pro-heavyweight MMA fighter, is expected to have a net worth of $2 million in 2022. So far in his career, he has won several major championships.
He competed in major Japanese organizations such as the Inoki Genome Federation, Rizin Fighting Federation, and Road Fighting Championship in his early career.
The Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) called him almost 12 years later, on May 22, 2021, to replace Askar Mozharov on short notice against Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 188.
On November 6, 2021, he faced Gian Villante in Villante’s final fight at UFC 268 in Madison Square Garden, and won via technical knockout in the second round with spinning punches and a wheel kick.
Chris (5ft 9in) was awarded the Performance of the Night bonus award following his victory.
He defeated Jake Collier by TKO in the second round in the preliminary event for UFC 279 on September 10, 2022, after taking an insane amount of punishment in Round 1.
He now has a professional record of 23-8 and a 2-2 record in the UFC. At UFC 268, he stunned the crowd with a spinning wheel kick knockout victory over Giant Villante.
“Thank you for the love and everything,” he said during his post-fight interview. This means everything to me. “I truly love you all from the bottom of my heart.”
Background
Barnett was born in Zaragoza, Spain, where his US Air Force captain father was stationed.
Around the age of four, the family relocated to the United States. They settled in Georgia after living in a number of different places. His father and mother are both black belts in Taekwondo, and he began studying the martial art when he was about five years old. Campbellsville College and the College of South Florida both awarded Barnett a Bachelor’s degree. On a wrestling scholarship, Barnett attended Campbellsville and began studying Judo. Barnett was asked to try mixed martial arts after demonstrating his strikes in a dance battle. He began coaching right away.
The start of a job
Barnett began professional fighting in 2009, primarily in the Xtreme Combating Championships, where he went 5-0 with four knockouts in his first six fights.
He also fought for well-known Japanese organizations such as the Rizin Combating Federation, the Highway Combating Championship, and the Inoki Genome Federation.
Combat Champion is still ongoing
After 12 years, Barnett finally received a call from the UFC, asking him to fill in for Askar Mozharov against Ben Rothwell at UFC Combat Night time 188 on Could 22, 2021. He surrendered in the second round and lost the battle.
In September 2021, it was reported that Barnett had tested positive for marijuana following his first UFC fight. He was suspended for 4.5 months and will not be able to fight again until October 6, 2021.
Barnett’s next fight was against Gian Villante in Villante’s retirement match at UFC 268 on November 6, 2021 in Madison Square Garden.
He won the fight with a spinning wheel kick and punches in the second round. He received a bonus for having the best nighttime efficiency as a result of he gained.
Barnett’s next fight was against Martin Buday on April 16, 2022, at UFC Combat Night 206. Barnett was defeated by a technical unanimous decision after an unintentional elbow to the back of the head in the third round knocked him out.
On September 10, 2022, Barnett faced Jake Collier in the finals of UFC 279, which was UFC 279. Barnett weighed in at 267.5 kilograms, which is 1.5 kilograms more than the limit for a non-title heavyweight fight. Barnett was fined 20% of his winnings, which will go to Collier, the person he was playing against. Barnett was knocked down and hit exhausting with the bottom and pound in the first round. Nonetheless, he got back up and won the fight by TKO in the second round.
Chris Barnett is the most unassuming heavyweight fighter on the planet, despite the fact that he is a grown man dressed as a teddy bear.
Bodily, the person known as “Huggy Bear” is the polar opposite of what most fans might think of when they think of an MMA fighter. There are no extremely chiseled bodies, indignant walkouts, or outlandish feedback prior to the fight.
Barnett is exactly what you see: a huge man (5’9″, 295 lbs) with an even bigger smile.
Barnett is most likely one of the few fighters in the sport’s history who understands that being different isn’t a bad thing.
However, it must be a little frightening for the opposite fighters to see the man they’re about to fight smiling and dancing his method to the ring while Pharrell Williams’ “Completely happy” plays in the background.
Alternatively, his supporters regard Barnett as a breath of fresh air.
“It’s almost like you need to have a personality otherwise you’re just another fighter,” Barnett said over the phone. “There are a lot of fighters. Some of them enjoy fighting, while others do it solely for the money. I enjoy entertaining people. That’s all I’ve got. I win fights because of my fans, particularly in Japan. They practically worship you just for being you. I’m simply being myself when I exit in a bear swimsuit, dance, or do anything else.
“Later that night, you can see me doing the identical dance moves within the ring on the club.” I believe these people are spending their own money to come see me. So why not put something together for them? What was the movie’s line? Aren’t you entertained? Even though Eric Prindle beat me, I still danced and did other things for the gang because if I sat there, I’d want to see a present. I came here to look for a present, so please place it on one.”
A brilliant heavyweight performing handstands, flying knees, spinning heel kicks, and superman punches wouldn’t bore anyone.
Don’t be fooled by the costume or the happy music on the door. Barnett is a skilled fighter who can deliver some impressive strikes for someone his size. His footwork and strikes are clean and appear to require little effort. One of the most effective ways to advance in the combat industry is to have a fun fighting style and a pleasant personality.
However, Barnett has yet to demonstrate his abilities on a grand scale.
Until now, his weight and a long time off have been the two most serious issues in his profession. According to Barnett, the second occurred as a result of a fight with Xtreme Combating Championship.
He stated that the promotion had stopped giving him fights, and that due to his contract, he couldn’t continue to fight and make a living in another way.
“At the time,” Barnett explained, “that promoter needed to make a degree.” “Right now, XFC was making a lot of noise and appearing on AXS TV.” He had younger fighters who needed to fight outside of his group because he wasn’t putting on fights. So my point was, if you aren’t living up to your end of the bargain, shouldn’t I be able to leave? It was dreadful.
“I still have text messages from them saying, ‘Oh, you’ll never fight right here, and I’ll call this promoter and tell him that you simply won’t do that.'” It was simply awful. I initially joined them because I was new and excited to be a part of something. “Oh, there’s no way they’ll make the most of me,” I reasoned. They seem to like me.’ I was absolutely incorrect.
