Chris Beal (born August 6, 1985) is an American

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 ...

who formerly competed in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of 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 ( ...

Background

Beal wrestled at Ventura High School where he placed second at the state championship for

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

and was a CIF champion. Beal then attended Junior College for two years, one year at

Moorpark College Moorpark College is a Public college, public community college in Moorpark, California. It was established in 1967 with enrollment of 2,500 students and enrolled 14,254 students in 2014. History The board of the Ventura County Community Col ...

and one year at

Ventura College Ventura College is a Public college, public community college in Ventura, California. Established in 1925, the college has a campus with an enrollment of 13,763 students. It is part of the Ventura County Community College District. History ...

. He started training MMA in 2006 after watching a high school friend compete in a mixed martial arts fight.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Beal began his professional mixed martial arts career on July 3, 2009, against Andrew Dominquez at CA Fight Syndicate - Throwdown at the Showdown 1, where he won via decision. He then got a unanimous decision win against Vincent Martinez on October 2, 2009, at CA Fight Syndicate - Throwdown at the Showdown 2.

BAMMA USA

Beal made his BAMMA USA debut on August 20, 2011, facing Evan Esguerra at Badbeat 3. He won the fight via split decision. He then faced Jimmy Jones at Badbeat 4 on January 13, 2012. Beal won the fight via split decision, extending his BAMMA record to 2–0. For his third fight in the promotion, Beal faced Jose Morales at Badbeat 5 on March 16, 2012. He won via TKO due to elbows in the first round. In his next fight, Beal took on Kana Hyatt on July 13, 2012, at Badbeat 6. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Beal then faced Shad Smith at Badbeat 7 on October 12, 2012. He won the fight via unanimous decision, and would subsequently take a hiatus to take part on

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

. After his brief stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Beal returned to BAMMA USA at Badbeat 12 taking on Keith Carson. He won via TKO in the second round.

The Ultimate Fighter

On August 15, 2013, it was revealed that Beal would take part in the 18th season of

, with coaches

Miesha Tate Miesha Theresa Tate ( ; born August 18, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a former UFC Women's Bant ...

& UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey ( ; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first Am ...

. In the first episode, Beal faced Sirwan Kakai to get into the house, defeating him via unanimous decision after two rounds. Beal was chosen as the first male pick for Team Rousey. In his second bout on the show, Beal faced Team Tate's #1 pick

Chris Holdsworth Chris Holdsworth (born October 24, 1987) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate''. Mixed martial arts career Backgro ...

. Beal was submitted in the first round via guillotine choke.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Despite being eliminated early on the show, Beal was signed by the UFC. He made his promotional debut on April 26, 2014, at

UFC 172 ''UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 26, 2014, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The event was released on DVD on July 29, 2014. The DVD was distr ...

taking on fellow newcomer Patrick Williams. Beal won the fight via knockout due to a flying knee in the second round, which earned ''Performance of the Night'' honors. For his second bout with the promotion, Beal was expected to face

Rob Font Robert Spencer Font (born June 25, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2011, Font formerly competed for CES ...

on September 5, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 50. However, Font pulled out of the bout citing an injury. Subsequently, Beal was briefly paired with Dustin Kimura at the event. In turn, Kimura also pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Tateki Matsuda. Beal defeated Matsuda via unanimous decision. Beal faced

Neil Seery Neil Seery (born 30 August 1979) is a retired Irish professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Flyweight (MMA), flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC. Beginning his career in 2005, Seery also co ...

in a flyweight bout on January 24, 2015, at

UFC on Fox 14 ''UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 14'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 24, 2015, at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Background This was the fourth event that the UFC has held in Sweden and th ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. Beal next faced Chris Kelades on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74. He lost the fight via split decision. Beal was expected to face

Norifumi Yamamoto was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to ...

in a bantamweight bout on June 18, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89. However, Yamamoto was scratched from the bout on May 26 for an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by

Joe Soto Joseph Angel Soto (born March 22, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2006, Soto has also for ...

. He lost the back and forth fight via submission in the third round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post UFC

After losing to Alfred Khashakyan via TKO stoppage in the first round at CXF 5, Beal faced John Castañeda, losing via TKO in the second round at Combate Americas 14. After going 1-1 on the regional scene, Beal faced Josh Rettinghouse at XMMA 5 on July 23, 2022. He lost the fight in the first round after being knocked out.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2014: Ranked #2 Knockout of the Year *

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

**2014 Knockout of the Year vs. Patrick Williams at

* MMAJunkie.com **2014 April Knockout of the Month vs. Patrick Williams

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–7 , Josh Rettinghouse , KO (punches) , XMMA 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 , James Acosta , Decision (unanimous) , WFC 136 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled ''Santa Inés'') is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–6 , George Garcia , Decision (majority) , CXF 12: Burbank Beatdown , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 , John Castañeda , TKO (punches) , Combate 14: Cinco de Mayo , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:42 ,

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Alfred Khashakyan , TKO (punches) , CXF 5: Night of Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 ,

Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1 ...

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 , Chris Kelades , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Tateki Matsuda , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeastern part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Re ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Patrick Williams , KO (flying knee) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:51 ,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Keith Carson , TKO (punches) , BAMMA USA - Badbeat 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:37 ,

Commerce, California Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Shad Smith , Decision (unanimous) , BAMMA USA - Badbeat 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Kana Hyatt , Decision (unanimous) , BAMMA USA - Badbeat 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jose Morales , TKO (elbows) , BAMMA USA - Badbeat 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jimmy Jones , Decision (split) , BAMMA USA - Badbeat 4 & the ALFA League 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Evan Esguerra , Decision (split) , BAMMA USA - Badbeat 3 & the ALFA League 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Vincent Martinez , Decision (unanimous) , CA Fight Syndicate - Throwdown at the Showdown 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Andrew Dominquez , Decision (unanimous) , CA Fight Syndicate - Throwdown at the Showdown 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Sirwan Kakai , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,