Charles Dewayne Byrd Jr. (born October 11, 1983) is an American retired

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. A professional from 2009 until 2020, Byrd competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

and Legacy FC.

Background

Byrd was born in

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff, officially the City of Pine Bluff, is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, tenth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, Jefferson County. The population of the city wa ...

, and grew up in Texas. He attended Arlington High School and competed in wrestling and played football during his high school years.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After a 2–0 amateur career, Byrd began his professional career in 2009 and fought under various promotions, notably

Legacy Fighting Championship The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merger in 2016. History Resu ...

. He amassed a record of 7–4 before joined

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been mov ...

Dana White's Contender Series

Byrd appeared in

Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been mov ...

Dana White's Contender Series 1 web-series program on July 11, 2017, facing Jamie Pickett. He won the fight via a technical submission in round one but failed to secure a contract with UFC. Byrd had his second chance at Dana White's Contender Series 6 on August 15, 2017 against Randall Wallace. He won via a submission in round two and with the win, he was signed by UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Byrd made his UFC debut on March 17, 2018 against John Phillips at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov. He won the fight via submission with a rear-naked choke in round one. His next fight came on September 8, 2018 against Darren Stewart at

UFC 228 ''UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on September 8, 2018 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Welterweight ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. Byrd faced Edmen Shahbazyan on March 2, 2019 at

UFC 235 ''UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 2, 2019, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. After a 15-month layoff, Byrd returned to face

Maki Pitolo Maki Ikaika Maleko Pitolo (born November 24, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Pitolo has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and B ...

UFC 250 ''UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 6, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. I ...

on June 6, 2020. He lost the bout via second round technical knockout, announcing his retirement after the event.

Mixed martial arts record

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Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state, state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area ...

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Bojan Veličković Bojan Veličković (; born December 18, 1988) is a Serbian retired mixed martial artist and sambist. He was competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has competed for the UFC, Professional Fighters League, ...

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Robinsonville, Mississippi Tunica Resorts,Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 104,627 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 111 ...

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Plano, Texas Plano ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "flat surface" /'plano/) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, where it is the largest city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County. A small portion of Plano is located in Denton County, Texas, Denton Count ...

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Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Collin County, Texas, Collin and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW) and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth In ...

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Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

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Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

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Irving, Texas Irving is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is an Inner suburb, inner city suburb of Dallas. Irving is noted for its #Demographics, racial and ethnic diver ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrd, Charles 1983 births Living people Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Texas American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters