Bryan Battle

Bryan Battle (born September 21, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Competing professionally since 2019, Battle is The Ultimate Fighter season 29 winner and is the record holder, as of May 2023, of the sixth fastest knockout in UFC history.
Early life
Battle was born in Springfield, Missouri, to Chris and Lynette Battle. He played football, basketball, baseball, and soccer before started training martial arts in 2016. Battle dropped out of college to concentrate on working as a carpenter and training MMA, which he started in 2016, In 2017 he fought his first amateur fight as a 241 lbs heavyweight. Battle faced Zac Dalen and defeated him via unanimous decision. Losing his first bout ever against Nickalas Martino at Fight For It 8, after getting submitted in the first round via armbar. Battle rebounded at Fight for it 9, submitting Aaron Chalmers in the second round via triangle choke. At Showcase MMA 13, he submitted Garett Fosdyck in the first round.
At HR MMA 116, he defeated Josh Krizan via TKO in the second round. The victory earned Battle the first knockout win of his professional career. At HR MMA 117, Battle faced Ben Fowler and submitted him in the second round via rear-naked choke. He fought Andre Petroski in the semi-finals and won the fight in the second round by submission.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Battle made his official at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze against Gilbert Urbina to determine the middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 29. Battle defeated Urbina in the second round by rear naked choke to win a UFC contract. He was originally scheduled to fight Tresean Gore, but he was out with an injury and was replaced by Urbina.
Battle faced Tresean Gore on February 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland. He beat Gore by unanimous decision.
Battle decided to go down a division and move to welterweight. His welterweight debut was against Takashi Sato. The fight took place on August 6, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Hill. Battle beat Sato by a head kick 44 seconds into the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Battle faced Rinat Fakhretdinov, replacing Michael Morales, on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland. He lost the bout by unanimous decision. Formerly known under the moniker "Pooh Bear", Battle announced having changed his nickname to "The Butcher".
Battle was scheduled to face Gabriel Green, replacing injured Jake Matthews, at UFC on ABC 4 on May 13, 2023. However, Matthews withdrew from the bout due to injury and was replaced by Bryan Battle. At the weigh-ins, Battle weighed in at 173 pounds, two pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Green. Battle won the bout via knockout just 14 seconds into the bout and became the 6th fastest knockout in the UFC history. His performance earned him the Performance of the Night award. Dana White chose to reward him with a bonus even though Battle was ineligible for it due to the weight miss.
Battle faced A.J. Fletcher on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot. He won the bout by submission in the second round.
Battle faced Ange Loosa on March 16, 2024, at UFC Fight Night:Tuivasa vs. Tybura. During the second round, Battle accidentally poked Loosa in the eye rendering him unable to continue. The fight was declared a no-contest.
Battle faced Kevin Jousset on September 28, 2024, at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis. He won the bout by TKO in the second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. Battle dropped out of college and worked as a carpenter while training to become an MMA fighter.
Championships and accomplishments
*Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (Three times)
** The Ultimate Fighter 29 Middleweight tournament winner

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See Also

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