Chris Beal (born August 6, 1985) 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, incorp ...

who formerly competed in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. 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 is derived from Ba ...

division of 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 ...

Background

Beal wrestled at

Ventura High School Ventura High School (VHS) is a public high school in Ventura, California. The school is part of the Ventura Unified School District and serves students in the western portion of Ventura and surrounding unincorporated communities including Casita ...

where he placed second at the state championship for

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...

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

Moorpark College Moorpark College is a public community college in Moorpark, California. It was established in 1967 with enrollment of 2,500 students and enrolled 14,254 students in 2014. An Exotic Animal Training and Management center houses over 200 animals o ...

and one year at

Ventura College Ventura College is a 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 Ventura College ...

. 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 arts, mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champions ...

& UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion

Ronda Rousey Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women’s ...

. 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 James 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 ...

. 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 on September 5, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 50 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 ...

. However, Font pulled out of the bout citing an injury. Subsequently, Beal was briefly paired with

Dustin Kimura Dustin Kimura (born May 21, 1989) is an People of the United States, American mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Kimura went to Kalani Hi ...

at the event. In turn, Kimura also pulled out of the bout and was replaced by

Tateki Matsuda Tateki Matsuda (born February 7, 1986) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Matsuda has also formerly c ...

. 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 division of the UFC. Beginning his career in 2005, Seery also competed for BAMMA, Cage Warriors, and RINGS. He wa ...

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 t ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. Beal next faced

Chris Kelades Chris Kelades (born February 21, 1981), is a Canadian mixed martial artist and former interim M-1 Challenge Flyweight champion. He previously competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor ...

on August 23, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 74 ''UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 74'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 23, 2015, at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Background The event was the first that the organi ...

. 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 K ...

in a bantamweight bout on June 18, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 89 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 89'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 18, 2016 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the first that the promotion has hosted ...

. 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 form ...

. 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 John Anthony Castañeda (born December 18, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, he formerly competed for Combate Gl ...

, 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 UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) *

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

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

MMAJunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Ma ...

**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 capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

, 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") 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 , , - , 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 has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 ,

, 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 on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

, 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 the city of Los Angeles, California, 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 1927, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

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

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

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

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the 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 Yellowhead Highway, and has served as t ...

, 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, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

, 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 northeast 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 is in the northeast ...

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

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

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, 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 the ...

, 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 ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") 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 Coas ...

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