Christian Morecraft (born September 8, 1986) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

division.

Background

Morecraft is from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, 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 Ro ...

taking on 6'11

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

. 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 Matthew Steven Mitrione (born July 15, 1978) is an American 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 MM ...

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, Pennsylvania. The event was broadcast on Versus ...

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) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** 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

, - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Randy Smith , Submission (armbar) , CFX 23: Summer Slam , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 ,

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known a ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–3 , Pat Barry , KO (punches) , UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:28 ,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Technical Submission (standing guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:10 ,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Lee Beane , TKO (submission to punches) , CFX 9: Finally , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jason Dolloff , TKO (punches) , CFX 8: Rumble in the Jungle 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 ,

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 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , John Curtis , TKO (punches) , Reality Fighting-Nightmare , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:41 ,

, United States ,

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