Tywan Claxton (born November 25, 1992) 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 ...

and former

amateur wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic, collegiate, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the worl ...

. He most notably competed in

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

at featherweight.

Early life

Claxton was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, where he went to Frank L. Wiley Middle School. Claxton formerly wrestled at

King University King University is a Presbyterian-affiliated private university in Bristol, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1867, King is independently governed with covenant affiliations to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Ch ...

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary be ...

, where he studied medicine. He also wrestled and gained All-American status in NCAA Division II at the 141-pound weight class. In 2015, Claxton transferred to

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

. He wrestled for two years for the

Ohio Bobcats The Ohio Bobcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I Intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio University, located in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio University is a charter member (1946 ...

and was a two-time NCAA Division I national qualifier; Claxton was set to compete his senior year, however, days before the season was scheduled to start, Claxton was deemed ineligible to wrestle because of a transfer rule set by the NCAA. Claxton graduated with a degree in Healthcare Marketing. Claxton taught himself how to code and spends his spare time on the computer. Claxton compiled a 6–0 amateur MMA record after deciding to train in MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Claxton began training in

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

after not being able to compete in wrestling his senior year at Ohio University. Although he dabbled in the sport in college, he ultimately started real training once he received an invitation to move to Florida to train with the Blackzilians from wrestling coach Greg Jones. Claxton trained among the best fighters in the world, with teammates in both

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 Bellator MMA.

Bellator MMA

It was announced that Claxton had signed with Bellator MMA in August 2017. Claxton made his professional MMA debut at Bellator 186 in

University Park, Pennsylvania Penn State University Park, also referred to as University Park, is the main campus of Pennsylvania State University, located in both State College and College Township, both in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post off ...

, vs Johnny Bonilla-Bowman. Claxton successfully made his debut with an emphatic flying knee to knock out his opponent in the first round. It was deemed as a knockout of the year contender. Claxton had his second professional fight at Bellator 194 in

Uncasville Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the e ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, vs Jose Perez. Claxton used his wrestling and top game to dominate his opponent and ultimately won the fight by second round tko. On the 18th of August 2018, Claxton had his third professional bout at Bellator 204 in

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, vs Cris Lencioni, who gave up a percentage of his fight purse by missing weight by 2.4 pounds. Claxton used his superior striking and ultimately using his wrestling to win a clear decision over three rounds. Tywan then had his fourth fight against Kaeo Meyer at Bellator 212, in Bellator's debut in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. Claxton would win the fight by TKO in the second round. Claxton's fifth fight came against James Bennett at Bellator 221 in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

on May 11, 2019. He won the bout by TKO in the third round. Claxton infamously began speaking to

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

, seated near the cage, during the fight while engaging with Bennett on the ground. Claxton next faced Emmanuel Sanchez in the opening round of the Bellator featherweight world grand prix at Bellator 226 on September 7, 2019. He lost the bout via second round submission. Claxton faced Braydon Akeo at Bellator 235 on December 20, 2019. After largely winning the striking exchanges and taking Akeo down, Claxton won the bout via unanimous decision. Claxton faced former Legacy Fighting Alliance Featherweight Champion Justin Gonzales at

Bellator 260 Bellator 260: Lima vs. Amosov was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on June 11, 2021, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was the first Bellator event with fans in attendance since Bellato ...

on June 11, 2021. He lost the fight by split decision. On July 10, 2021, it was announced that he was no longer under contract with Bellator.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Tynchtykbek Kanybek Uulu , Decision (unanimous) , Tuff-N-Uff 142 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 , Justin Gonzales , Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Jay Jay Wilson , Decision (split) , Bellator 242 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Emmanuel Sanchez , Submission (triangle choke) , Bellator 226 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:11 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

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Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located immediately northwest of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 3,952. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Cris Lencioni , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 204 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jonny Bonilla-Bowman , KO (flying knee) , Bellator 186 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

, United States ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claxton, Tywan 1992 births Living people Sportspeople from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mixed martial artists from Florida American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing jujutsu American male Muay Thai practitioners 21st-century American sportsmen