Chris Barnett was born in Zaragoza, Spain but he is of American lineage.
Barnett’s father was stationed in Zaragoza, Spain as a United States Air Force captain at that time.
The family returned to the United States when Chris was 4 years old and after moving around they settled in Georgia.
The American mixed martial artist Chris Barnett competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Barnett went to Campbellsville University and transferred to the University of South Florida, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree.
At Campbellsville, Barnett competed in wrestling on a scholarship and began training in judo.
Barnett received an invitation to try out mixed martial arts after showing his moves in a dance battle and commenced training immediately.
Barnett fought primarily in Xtreme Fighting Championships and started 5–0 with four knockouts at the inception of his professional career in 2009. He also fought in other notable Japanese organizations, such as the Rizin Fighting Federation, Road Fighting Championship, and Inoki Genome Federation.
After 12 years, Barnett finally got a call from the UFC to replace Askar Mozharov on short notice against Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 188 on May 22, 2021. He has since fought four times in the promotion.