Chris Vincent Cariaso (born May 27, 1981) is a retired Filipino-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, incorp ...

who competed as a

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

in the

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 ...

Personal

Cariaso is of

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

descent.

Mixed martial arts career

Since turning professional in 2006, Cariaso has competed in several organizations, obtaining wins in large

MMA 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 strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

promotions such as

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

and

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

, with all of his fights taking place in his native

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

ISCF - International Sport Combat Federation

Cariaso won the ISCF Bantamweight Title on October 24, 2009 when he defeated Rolando Velasco by TKO at 3:17 of round 2 due to strikes.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Cariaso made his WEC debut against

Rafael Rebello Rafael Rebello (born October 16, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the bantamweight division for the World Extreme Cagefighting, and now currently competes in the bantamweight division of Fight Time Promotions. R ...

on June 20, 2010 at

WEC 49 ''WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 20, 2010 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background WEC 49 was the only event the organization had held outsi ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Cariaso next faced

Renan Barão Renan Mota do Nascimento Pegado (born 31 January 1987), better known as Renan Barão, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the former UFC Bantamweight Champion. He held one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history - follo ...

on December 16, 2010 at

WEC 53 ''WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on December 16, 2010 at Jobing.com Arena in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. The event was the first time that Zuffa has h ...

. He lost via submission in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On October 28, 2010,

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

merged with the

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. In his first UFC fight, Cariaso faced

Will Campuzano William Campuzano (born May 27, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2008, Campuzano has also formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, Vale Tud ...

on January 22, 2011 at

UFC Fight Night 23 ''UFC: Fight for the Troops 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 23'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 22, 2011 at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. The event was the third that the UFC has ho ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Cariaso 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 ...

on May 28, 2011 at

UFC 130 ''UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background This event was to be the third meeting between Frankie Edgar ...

. However, Yamamoto was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Michael McDonald. Cariaso lost a hard fought split decision to McDonald in a closely contested fight. Cariaso faced UFC newcomer Vaughan Lee on November 5, 2011 at

UFC 138 ''UFC 138: Leben vs. Muñoz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 5, 2011 at LG Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the United S ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Cariaso faced

Takeya Mizugaki (born December 16, 1983) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2005 to 2020, Mizugaki also competed for Absolute ...

on February 26, 2012 at

UFC 144 ''UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Venue UFC 144 was held at the Saitama Super Arena in the ...

. Cariaso defeated Mizugaki via unanimous decision. Cariaso decided to drop to the flyweight division where he faced Josh Ferguson at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Cariaso fought

John Moraga John Anthony Moraga (born March 20, 1984) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes as a flyweight and featherweight in MMA and boxing, respectively. He is best known for his lengthy career Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

on December 29, 2012 at

UFC 155 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 ...

. He was submitted in the third round with a guillotine choke. Cariaso faced

Jussier Formiga Jussier da Silva Viera Formiga (born April 14, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Formiga most notably competed in the UFC and is the former Shooto South Ameri ...

on May 18, 2013 at UFC on FX 8. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Cariaso next faced

Iliarde Santos Iliarde Santos (born September 25, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, and Jungle Fight. Mixed martial arts career ...

on October 9, 2013 at

UFC Fight Night 29 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 29'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 9, 2013, at the Ginásio José Corrêa in Barueri, Brazil. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Background The e ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Cariaso was expected to face

Kyoji Horiguchi is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA and Rizin FF in the Flyweight division. He is the former bantamweight champion in both organizations. As of December 13, 2022, he is #6 in the Bellator Bantamweight Rankings ...

on February 1, 2014 at

UFC 169 ''UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 1, 2014, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The event was released on DVD on May 6, 2014. The DVD was distributed by the label ''Anchor Bay Entertainment ...

. However, Horoguchi pulled out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by WEC veteran

Danny Martinez Daniel Eugene Martinez (born June 14, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight division of Taura MMA. A professional mixed martial artist since 2006, Martinez has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

. Cariaso won the fight via unanimous decision. Cariaso faced

Louis Smolka Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, California Xtreme Fighting, Kin ...

on May 10, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 40 ''UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 40'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 10, 2014, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Background The event was the second time that the organization has held ...

. He won the fight via split decision. A rescheduled bout with

was expected to take place on September 20, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 52 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 52'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 20, 2014, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The event was the third time that the organization hoste ...

. However, on July 15, 2014 it was announced that Cariaso would receive a title shot against UFC Flyweight champion

Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Johnson (born August 13, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Flyweight Champion (135 lb). He is the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight Champion. Known fo ...

in the co-main event of

UFC 177 ''UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Soto'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 30, 2014, at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. Background The event was originally planned to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev ...

. On August 12, the Johnson/Cariaso bout was moved to the main event of

UFC 178 ''UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso'' was a mixed martial arts event held on September 27, 2014, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was supposed to be headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship rematch bet ...

. Cariaso lost the bout via submission due to a kimura in the second round. Cariaso faced

Henry Cejudo Henry Cejudo (born February 9, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion. He is the fourth UFC fighter to h ...

on March 14, 2015 at

UFC 185 ''UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos'' was a mixed martial arts event held on March 14, 2015, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the third that the UFC has hosted in Dallas, Texas. The event was headlined by a ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Cariaso faced

Sergio Pettis Sergio Jerome Pettis (born August 18, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed with Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Bantamweight Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Pettis competed in the Ultimate Fi ...

on October 3, 2015 at

UFC 192 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 ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. On February 2, 2016, Cariaso announced that he is retiring from active competition.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 ,

, Submission (kimura) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 ,

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

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Iliarde Santos Iliarde Santos (born September 25, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, and Jungle Fight. Mixed martial arts career ...

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Barueri Barueri ( or ) is a Brazilian municipality in the State of São Paulo located in the northwestern part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 276,982 (2020 est.) in an area of . Its boundaries are Santana de Parnaíba to th ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city was originally named jus ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Josh Ferguson , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Vaughan Lee , Decision (split) ,

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

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Michael McDonald , Decision (split) ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

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Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the la ...

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

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Rolando Velasco , TKO (punches) , LTD: Rumble in Richmond , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Alvin Cacdac , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WCSC: The Awakening , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 ,

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Anthony Figueroa , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:34 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Mark Oshiro , TKO (punches) , ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

Friant, California Friant (formerly, Converse Ferry, Jones Ferry, Hamptonville, and Pollasky) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census, down from 778 at the 2000 census. Friant is locat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Rick McCorkell , Decision (unanimous) , ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez (; Spanish for "St. Agnes") is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities of the Santa Ynez Valley. It features the Santa Ynez Airport ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Anthony Figueroa , Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , David Barrios , KO (head kick) , CCFC: Total Elimination , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:34 ,

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Andrew Valladerez , Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Young Guns , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Walt Hughes , Decision (unanimous) , Warrior Cup 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ralph Alvarado , Decision (unanimous) , ICFO 1: Stockton , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

*
Official UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cariaso, Chris Living people American male mixed martial artists American mixed martial artists of Filipino descent Mixed martial artists from California Bantamweight mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1981 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Personal

Mixed martial arts career

ISCF - International Sport Combat Federation

World Extreme Cagefighting

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links