Christian Morecraft (born September 8, 1986) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 fought in the

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

in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division.

Background

Morecraft is from

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and went to an MMA school before turning pro in 2008. He also worked in construction before becoming a professional fighter.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Morecraft made his UFC debut on August 7, 2010, at

UFC 117 ''UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, United States. Background UFC President Dana White announced via ESPN on Jim R ...

taking on 6'11

Stefan Struve Stefan Struve (; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Standing at tall, he is the tallest fighter in the history of the UFC. Background Growing ...

. In round one, Morecraft took Struve down and dominated him with vicious ground and pound, but was unable to gain a stoppage. In round two, Struve came out quickly and landed hard punches on Morecraft, TKO'ing him in just 22 seconds. Morecraft fought

Sean McCorkle Sean McCorkle (born July 17, 1976) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Super Heavyweight division. A professional from 2005 until 2014, he competed for the UFC, Bellator, KSW, and King of the Cage. ...

on March 26, 2011, at

UFC Fight Night 24 ''UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 24'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 26, 2011 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. Background The event did not lead ...

for his second UFC appearance. After a closely contested first round, Morecraft dominated in the second. However, Morecraft then threw an illegal low blow, causing the referee to stop the action to allow McCorkle time to recover. Morecraft went on to win the fight after choking McCorkle unconscious from a standing guillotine choke. Morecraft faced

Matt Mitrione Matt Mitrione (born July 15, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist and former American football player, who competed for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and most recently for Bellator MMA. Prior to embarking on an MMA c ...

on June 26, 2011, at

UFC on Versus 4 ''UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry'' (also known as ''UFC on Versus 4'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 26, 2011, at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny Coun ...

for his third UFC match. Mitrione outworked Morecraft throughout the entire fight before knocking him out late in the second round. Morecraft faced Pat Barry on January 20, 2012, at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. Despite taking down Barry and locking up an armbar early in round one, he was unable to submit his opponent and lost the fight via KO. With Morecraft's performance, he was awarded ''Fight of the Night'' honors along with Barry. Morecraft announced on March 26, 2013, that he is leaving the fight business. After some time off Morecraft returned to fighting on September 14 at CFX 23, where he won the bout via armbar.

Personal life

Arrest

On the evening of September 1, 2012, Morecraft was pulled over by officers from the Barnstable (Mass.) Police Department. He subsequently was arrested on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, driving so as to endanger and speeding and driving with no license in possession.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

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 ( ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Pat Barry *Reality Fighting **Reality Fighting Heavyweight Title (One time) *Cage Fighting Xtreme **Cage Fighting Xtreme Heavyweight Title (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

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Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

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Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

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Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

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Josh Diekmann Josh Diekmann (born October 9, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2005 until 2016, Diekmann fought in Bellator MMA, the WEC, and CES MMA. Known for being an exciting heavyweight, only one bout durin ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , CFX 6: Rumble in the Jungle 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Eric Foley , Submission (armbar) , Reality Fighting-Showdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Eric Foley , KO (punches) , Reality Fighting-Final Conflict , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

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References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morecraft, Christian Living people American male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Washington, D.C. 1986 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters