Carlston Harris Record: 19-8-0

UFC run

Harris made an immediate impression in the Octagon. He debuted in May 2021 with a first-round anaconda-choke submission of Christian Aguilera, then knocked out Impa Kasanganay with first-round punches that September. His momentum hit a wall in February 2022 against the elite Shavkat Rakhmonov, who finished him in the first round with a spinning hook kick and follow-up strikes. Harris regrouped in 2023, grinding out a decision over Jared Gooden and submitting Jeremiah Wells with a third-round anaconda choke. The back half of his run proved tougher: he was knocked out by Khaos Williams in 2024, stopped by Santiago Ponzinibbio in early 2025, and dropped a 2026 decision to Jake Matthews.

Fighting style

Harris is a finisher built around world-class grappling. His 58 percent finish rate tells the story: of his 19 wins, six have come by submission and five by knockout, with the anaconda and D'Arce chokes as his trademark weapons. He uses his height and reach to set up takedowns and pressure opponents into his suffocating front-headlock game, where he is genuinely dangerous off a single mistake. He carries real power in his hands too, but the honest vulnerability is on the feet against high-level strikers: all four of his career knockout losses, including those to Rakhmonov and Williams, came on the feet, often early. When Harris can drag a fight into the clinch and onto the mat, few welterweights are more threatening.

Career highlights

• Trailblazer from Guyana — one of the first fighters from Guyana to compete in the UFC, reaching the sport's biggest stage after starting out as a mechanic in Brazil.
• Submission specialist — finished UFC debut opponent Christian Aguilera by first-round anaconda choke and later choked out Jeremiah Wells, showcasing his elite front-headlock game.
• Regional giant-killer — beat future contenders Michel Pereira and Wellington Turman and submitted the unbeaten Saygid Izagakhmaev before ever reaching the UFC.