Ryan Benoit (born August 25, 1989) 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 bare knuckle boxer who competes in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division. A professional competitor since 2009, he is currently signed to the BKFC and has competed for the

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 ( ...

(UFC),

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having past and present UFC fighters Jorge Masv ...

, and the MFC.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Benoit began training in 2007 and made his professional MMA debut in May 2009. He fought extensively in his native United States and amassed a record of 7-2 before joining the

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Benoit made his promotional debut against fellow newcomer Josh Sampo on November 30, 2013 at

The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 18'') is the eighteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Th ...

. He lost the back-and-forth fight via rear-naked choke submission late in the second round. Despite the loss, Benoit won a ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award for the bout. Benoit was expected to face

Ray Borg Ray Borg (born August 4, 1993), is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor until 2023, Borg is best known for his 12–fight tenure in the Ultima ...

on June 28, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 44. However, due to an injury, Benoit was replaced by promotional newcomer Shane Howell. Benoit faced Sergio Pettis on March 14, 2015 at UFC 185. After a first round in which Pettis seemed to have the upper hand, Benoit dropped Pettis with a left hook and finished him off with a flurry of ground and pound in the second round. Benoit received criticism from fans for kicking Pettis after the referee had separated the two fighters. Benoit immediately apologized for his behavior, claiming he had let his emotions get the better of him. Dana White later stated in the UFC 185 post fight press conference that the UFC wouldn't take any disciplinary actions towards Benoit, due to his immediate regret shown regarding the incident. Benoit faced Ben Nguyen on November 15, 2015 at

UFC 193 ''UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm'' was a mixed martial arts event held on November 14, 2015, at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. It was the most attended UFC event in the history of the company at the time, with 56,214 people filling the stadiu ...

. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. Benoit next faced Fredy Serrano on July 30, 2016 at

UFC 201 ''UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background This was the third event that the organization has hosted in Atl ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Benoit faced Brandon Moreno on December 3, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale. He lost the fight via split decision. Benoit faced

Ashkan Mokhtarian Ashkan Mokhtarian (, born 18 September 1985 Tehran, Iran), is an Iranian-born Australian mixed martial artist formerly competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Mokhtarian's parents fled Iran during the Iran–Iraq War in ...

on November 19, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura. At the weight-ins, Benoit weight in at 129 pounds, 3 pounds over the flyweight upper limit of 126 pounds. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Benoit forfeited 20% of his purse to Mokhtarian. Benoit won the fight via knockout due to a head kick in the third round. On January 5, 2018 it was announced that Benoit had signed a new, four-fight contract with UFC. Benoit was expected to face Roberto Sanchez on September 8, 2018 at UFC 228. However, Benoit pulled out of the fight in late August for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by

Jarred Brooks Jarred Brooks Ford (born May 2, 1993) known professionally as Jarred Brooks, is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Strawweight World Champion and former Interim ONE ...

. Benoit faced Alateng Heili in a bantamweight bout on December 21, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 165. He lost the fight via split decision. Benoit was expected to face Tyson Nam on June 13, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Eye vs. Calvillo. However, Benoit withdrew from the event for an unknown reason and was replaced by

Zarrukh Adashev Zarrukh Adashev (born July 29, 1992) is an Uzbek professional kickboxer and professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division and formerly in the Bantamweight division. He has previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Ch ...

. Benoit faced

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Competing professionally since 2009, Elliott is the former Titan FC Flyweig ...

on July 16, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Ige. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. On September 3, 2020, Benoit along with Roman Dolidze, were granted temporary licenses following special hearings by the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxer ...

after they had recurring issues with the long-term metabolite of

Turinabol Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone (CDMT; brand name Oral Turinabol), also known as 4-chloro-17β-hydroxy17α-methylandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one, is an anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS). It is the 4-chloro-substituted derivative of metandienone (dehyd ...

pulsing in their system in trace amounts, long after ingestion. Both Benoit and Dolidze have already been suspended by USADA, the UFC's anti-doping partner. Neither were facing a violation in Nevada, but the UFC wanted to get ahead of a potential issue. This was after USADA added a threshold for the presence of the M3 metabolite of DHCMT. If a test result is below 100 picograms per milliliter of the substance, it is no longer considered a violation, but an atypical finding -- provided there is no evidence of new ingestion or performance-enhancing effects. Benoit and Dolidze were granted temporary licenses to compete beginning Dec. 1 following a six-month period of bimonthly testing by USADA. For Benoit, the process already cost him more than one year of his career after he originally tested positive for low levels of DHCMT (oral turinabol) starting on Nov. 11, 2018. At the time, Benoit tested positive for 30 picograms per mL at the time. Benoit was scheduled to face

on May 8, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 24 ''UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 24'' and ''UFC Vegas 26'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 8, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. At the weigh-ins, Benoit weighed in at 129 pounds, three pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. His bout with Adashev was cancelled by the

due to health concerns. The pair was rebooked at UFC on ESPN 28 on July 31, 2021. Benoit lost the fight via unanimous decision. On August 21, 2021, it was announced Benoit was released by the UFC. On October 20, 2021, The

Nevada Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxing, boxers, kic ...

suspended Benoit nine months retroactive to a positive urine sample collected on July 31. Benoit was flagged for

modafinil Modafinil, sold under the brand name Provigil among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and wakefulness-promoting agent, eugeroic (wakefulness promoter) medication used primarily to treat narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characteri ...

, more commonly known as provigil. In addition to his suspension, Benoit faces a total of $3,445.36 in fines and legal fees. He will be eligible to return on April 1, 2022.

Championships and achievements

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Josh Sampo **UFC.com Awards ***2015: Ranked #3 Upset of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

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Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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Bare knuckle boxing record

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Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benoit, Ryan Living people 1989 births Boxers from Dallas American male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu