Luke Barnatt (born 13 April 1988) is an English

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 ...

, and entrepreneur, who fought as a Middleweight for 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 ...

. He was a member of FX's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen, and has also competed for

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

UCMMA Ultimate Challenge MMA (also referred to as UCMMA) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It is shown live on London Live in the UK, Fight Now TV in the US and on Viewster in several other countries. History The collap ...

and RXF. At 6' 6" Barnatt is one of the tallest fighters currently competing in his weight class. Barnatt received his nickname "Bigslow" from brothers John Maguire and Tommy Maguire, for his size and being slow in response to their jokes and insults. He is a close friend to the former four-time world kickboxing champion and internet celebrity

Andrew Tate Emory Andrew Tate III (born December 1, 1986) is an American-British social media personality, businessman and a former professional kickboxer. Following his kickboxing career, he began offering paid courses and memberships through his websit ...

Background

Barnatt was born in Redbridge, Essex and moved to Islington at the age of one and then

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It ...

at the age of ten. At the age of 17, Barnatt would move to

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. Barnatt began playing many sports from a young age, including basketball, cricket, and track and field. At the age of 15, Barnatt began training in

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

but only achieved the rank of yellow belt before giving it up. Later on, Barnatt was introduced to

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

by professional

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

fighter Jack Mason at Tsunami Shooters MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Barnatt had a record of 5-0 before being selected as a member of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen In January 2013. Barnatt defeated Nicholas Kohring by decision to qualify the TUF house. During the choosing of teams, he was the first pick of

Chael Sonnen Chael Patrick Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...

of Team Sonnen and the first pick overall. Barnatt defeated Gilbert Smith, Jr. in the preliminary round via second-round knockout, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals by

Dylan Andrews Dylan Andrews (born 15 November 1979) is a mixed martial artist from New Zealand who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Absolute Championship Berkut. A professional competitor since 2006, he has formerly competed in the UFC, ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Barnatt made his UFC debut against fellow Ultimate Fighter castmate Collin Hart on 13 April 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Barnatt faced

Andrew Craig Andrew Brandon Craig (born January 15, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, he has also competed for Bellat ...

on 26 October 2013 at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz. He won the fight via submission in the second round. The fight also earned Barnatt his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Barnatt faced promotional newcomer

Mats Nilsson Mats Nilsson (born December 5, 1983) is a Swedish grappler and retired mixed martial artist. Nilsson formerly competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the three time FILA Grappling world cha ...

at UFC Fight Night 37. He won the fight via TKO due to strikes in the first round. Barnatt faced

Sean Strickland Sean Thomas Strickland (born February 27, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2008, he is the former King of ...

on 31 May 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 41 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 ...

. Barnatt lost the fight by a split decision. Barnatt faced

Roger Narvaez Roger Narvaez (born September 9, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. Mixed martial arts career Narvaez began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2007 as a way to lose weight and to help keep in ...

on 22 November 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 57 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 57'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, on November 22, 2014. Background The event was the second that the organization had host ...

. He lost the fight via split decision. Barnatt was expected to face

Clint Hester Clint Hester (born November 21, 1986) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who last competed in 2016. A professional competitor since 2008, he fought in the UFC and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. T ...

on 4 April 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 63 ''UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 63'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 4, 2015, at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Background The event was the third that the organization hosted at the ...

. However, Hester pulled out of the fight in early March due to a broken foot. Subsequently, Barnatt was pulled from the card entirely in favor of a matchup with

Mark Muñoz Oklahoma State Cowboys Mark Kenery Muñoz (born February 9, 1978) is a Filipino-American former professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competito ...

on 16 May 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 66 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 66'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 16, 2015, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC; Independent promotions

Barnatt fought for Italian promotion Venator FC against Mattia Schiavolin on 12 December 2015 at Venator FC 2 in a fight for the promotions middleweight championship. He took the title by winning the fight by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. He was expected to face Rafael Silva on 20 February 2016 at British Challenge MMA 14. However his opponent was later changes to be Charles Andrade. He won the fight by knockout after dropping his opponent to the canvas with a right hand, 11 seconds into round 3. Barnatt was expected to defend his Venator middleweight championship against fellow UFC veteran Jason Miller on 21 May 2016 at Venator FC 3. However, Miller missed weight by an amount of 24 lbs, as a result of this Miller was removed from the matchup against Barnatt and replaced by Stefan Croitoru. Barnatt won the fight, and defended the title, by TKO in round 2. He fought Cristian Mitrea, in a light heavyweight match-up, on 19 December 2016 at RXF 25: All Stars in Romania. After stunning his opponent by punches and knees up against the fence, Barnatt landed a head kick to earn the knockout victory, 3 minutes into the first round.

Absolute Championship Berkut

Barnatt faced

Mamed Khalidov Mamed Khalidov ( rus, Мамед Магомедович Халидов, Mamied Magomedowicz Chalidow, mɐˈmʲɛt maɣɔmʲɛdɔvʲit͡ʂ xɐˈlʲidəf; pl, Mamed Chalidow ; born 17 July 1980 in Grozny) is a Polish mixed martial artist of Chech ...

on 11 March 2017 at ACB 53. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (One time) *Venator FC **VFC Middleweight Championship (One time) **One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–10 , Evgeniy Egemberdiev , KO (punch) , ACA 115: Ismailov vs. Shtyrkov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 , Karol Celiński , Decision (unanimous) , ACA 109: Strus vs. Haratyk , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 , Cory Hendricks , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ACA 102: Tumenov vs. Ushukov , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:16 , Almaty, Kazakhstan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7 , Karol Celiński , KO (punch) , ACA 96: Goncharov vs. Johnson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7 , Jorge Gonzalez , KO (punches) , ACA 92: Yagshimuradov vs. Celiński , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 , Karol Celiński , Decision (majority) , ACB 88: Barnatt vs. Celiński , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Maxim Futin , TKO (knees and punches) , , ACB 81: Saidov vs. Carneiro , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

Scott Askham Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...

, Decision (split) , ACB 70: The Battle of Britain , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Max Nunes , KO (punch) , , ACB 63: Celiński vs. Magalhaes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 , Gdańsk, Poland , , - , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, KO (punches) , , ACB 54: Supersonic , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Cristian Mitrea , KO (head kick) , RXF 25: All Stars , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commune ...

, Romania , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Stefan Croitoru , TKO (knees and punches) , Venator FC 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Charles Andrade , KO (punch) , British Challenge MMA 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:11 ,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Mattia Schiavolin , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Venator FC 2 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:46 ,

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location j ...

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

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

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 ,

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

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, TKO (head kick and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 ,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:12 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Collin Hart , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Matteo Piran , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Chris Harman , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UCMMA 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Lee Johnson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BAMMA 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ben Callum , Decision (unanimous) , UCMMA 26 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Chris Greig , TKO (punches) , Cage Fighters Championship , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:11 , Brentwood, England , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 2-1 ,

, TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:57 ,

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 Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Gilbert Smith , KO (flying knee) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Nicholas Kohring , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* *
Luke Barnatt - UFC Fans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnatt, Luke 1988 births Living people Middleweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Cambridge English male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu English male taekwondo practitioners English practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters