Carlston Harris

Carlston Harris (born July 9, 1987) is a Guyanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background
Having left Guyana in 2007 in search of better job prospects, Harris moved to Manaus, Brazil, working as a mechanic. Treating boxing and luta livre as a hobby, he decided to make martial arts his full time job after buying a pirated DVD of the first B.J. Penn and Diego Sanchez bout. Soon after, his coach, Junior Lopes, suggested that Harris move to Rio de Janeiro and continue his training at Renovação Fight Team (RFT) under Marcio "Cromado" Ramos Barbosa.

He is the first Guyanese fighter in the UFC.

Early career
Making his MMA debut in 2011, Harris started his MMA career losing a split decision to Christiano Marques. Two months later, Harris scored his first MMA victory submitting Bruno Renascer in the first round, followed by another decision loss in March 2012. Turning his career around, he put on a winning streak after his 1-2 start and defeated the likes of Michel Pereira, Joilton Lutterbach, and Wellington Turman to get noticed by Brave Combat Federation.

Brave Combat Federation
Making his debut on the Brave CF 3 card on March 18, 2017 against Thiago Vieira, Harris won the bout via TKO stoppage in the second round. In his sophomore performance, Harris would go on to defeat Carl Booth via unanimous decision at Brave CF 8 on August 12, 2017 to win the BRAVE CF Welterweight Championship.

In his first defence off the title, Harris faced Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi at Brave CF 16 on September 21, 2018. He lost the bout and the title via TKO in the first round.

Return to regional scene
Winning his first bout back in Brazil with the promotion Shooto Brazil against Claudio Rocha via stoppage in the first round. Harris faced Alex Santos at Shooto Brazil 101 on September 27, 2020, Harris winning the bout after knocking out his opponent in the second round.

After his victory against Saygid Izagakhmaev at UAE Warriors 15 with Dana White in attendance, he was signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Harris made his UFC debut against Christian Aguilera on May 8, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson. He won the bout via technical submission due to an anaconda choke as he choked Aguilera in the first round. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Harris faced Impa Kasanganay on September 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 192. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

In this third fight with the promotion, Harris faced Shavkat Rakhmonov on February 5, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland. He lost the fight via knockout in round one.

Harris was scheduled to face Ramiz Brahimaj on February 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 219. However, Brahimaj was pulled from the event citing neck injury.

Harris was scheduled to face Abubakar Nurmagomedov on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. However, Nurmagomedov withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Jared Gooden. At the weigh-ins, Gooden weighed in at 177 pounds, six pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Gooden was fined 30% of his purse, which went to Harris. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Harris faced Jeremiah Wells on August 5, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 50. He won the bout in the third round, choking out Wells via anaconda choke. This win earned Harris his second Performance of the Night bonus.

Harris faced Khaos Williams on May 18, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 241. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Christian Aguilera and Jeremiah Wells
 * Brave Combat Federation
 * Brave CF Welterweight Championship (One time)