This year, Dana White has been pretty serious about reshaping the UFC heavyweight division, cutting anyone who hasn’t performed up to his expectations. Back in February, the head honcho’s unforgiving axe landed on Jairzinho Rozenstruik after his flat outing against Sergei Pavlovich in Saudi Arabia, catching fans off guard. But when fan favorite Chris Barnett got released a few weeks ago following his fight with Hamdy Abdelwahab at UFC 321, fans were disappointed, even if some felt it was a necessary move. Still, it didn’t take long. ‘Beastboy’ has already found a new home. 

Popular MMA social media account ACD MMA posted on X, “Chris Barnett has already signed with another promotion, after being cut by the UFC He will make his Karate Combat debut on December 5th.”  

On December 5, Karate Combat’s 58th event will go down in Miami with Chris Barnett stepping in as the newest addition to their roster. The former UFC heavyweight is set to face Jonathan ‘Big Baby’ Miller in a highly anticipated matchup. And with the Florida native performing in front of his home crowd, the promotion will definitely try to capitalize on his popularity, which hasn’t dipped at all, even though it’s only been two weeks since Dana White released him from the UFC.

Also, for the ‘Beastboy’ fans, this might be the best news they’ve heard in a while. It’s true Barnett didn’t have the most decorated UFC run, going 2-4 with four straight canceled fights, but you can’t deny how loved he was. His fun personality and the constant hope of seeing another wheel-kick finish like the one he landed on Gian Villante at UFC 268 kept fans rooting for him every time he walked out.

Now, with Barnett finding a promotion that fits him and gives him space to build a streak and keep entertaining the crowd, fans haven’t held back. They’ve been sending him nothing but love, and some even bring up his viral “Chocolate Peppa Pig” meme again. So, let’s check out what the internet has been saying. 

Fans react to Chris Barnett joining Karate Combat after UFC release  

One fan chimed in and wrote, “KC fits him well, I hope he manages to get a belt there.” And honestly, even though Barnett never got close to a UFC title run, that doesn’t mean he won’t chase gold in Karate Combat. Plus, ‘Beastboy’ brings that UFC experience with him, so grabbing a belt isn’t out of the question at all. Another user showed nothing but respect for Barnett, making a quick turnaround, writing, “respect the grind”.

Following that, another fan added, “At least bro can say he WON 2 UFC fights. Not many guys can say they won ONE.” And that’s true, plenty of fighters would give anything to be in Barnett’s spot, where UFC fans actually know his name. Then another fan joked, “lmao imagine not really being an MMA fan and hearing a guy talk about how he won a UFC fight via spinning back kick KO and you look to see Chris Barnett 🤣🤣🤣”.

Barnett might not look like much at first glance, but he absolutely had surprising athletic ability for his size. After that reaction, another fan dropped an interesting comment, “At least let him fight dude that called him Chocolate Peppa Pig.” Here, the user was pointing to how Valter Walker gave Barnett that nickname during the UFC 321 post-fight presser after winning four straight via heel hook, a moment that instantly turned into a meme.

And lastly, another fan wrote, “Perfect for him,” suggesting that Karate Combat might be the ideal fit at this point in his career. So far, it definitely feels that way, but we’ll only know for sure once ‘Beastboy’ steps in there on December 5. That said, do you think Chris Barnett could actually become even more popular outside the UFC?

Let us know in the comments section below.