Tywan Claxton

Tywan Claxton (born November 25, 1992 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler.[4] He most notably competed in Bellator MMA at featherweight.[5]

Tywan Claxton
BornTywan Claxton
(1992-11-25) November 25, 1992
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Other namesAir
ResidenceCleveland, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
DivisionFeatherweight
Reach74 in (188 cm)
StyleWrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai, Jujitsu
Fighting out ofCleveland, Ohio, United States
TeamWarehouse warriors
Blackzilians (formerly)[1]
Elevation Fight Team (2020–present)[2]
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling[3]
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total9
Wins6
By knockout4
By decision2
Losses3
By submission1
By decision2

Early life

Claxton was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where he went to Frank L Wiley Middle School.[6] Claxton formerly wrestled at King University in Bristol, Tennessee where he studied medicine. He also wrestled and gained All-American status in Division 2 at the 141-pound weight class.[7] In a 2014 dual against Kent State, Claxton defeated Kyle Bauer via 8-2 decision. Bauer, wrestling up a weight class, has been hailed for his gutsy performance. In 2015, Claxton moved to the University of Ohio, Claxton wrestled for two years for the Ohio Bobcats and was a two time division 1 national qualifier ; Claxton was set to compete his senior year however, days before the season was scheduled to start, Claxton was deemed ineligible to wrestle because of a transfer rule set by the NCAA. Claxton graduated with a degree in Healthcare Marketing.[8] Claxton taught himself how to code and spends his spare time on the computer. Claxton compiled a 8–0 amateur MMA record after deciding to train in MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Claxton began training in mixed martial arts after not being able to compete in wrestling his senior year at Ohio University. Although he dabbled in the sport in college, he ultimately started real training once he received an invitation to move to Florida to train with the Blackzilians from wrestling coach Greg Jones. Claxton trained among the best fighters in the world, with teammates in both Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA.[9]

Bellator MMA

It was announced that Claxton had signed with Bellator MMA in August 2017.[10]

Claxton made his professional MMA debut at Bellator 186 in University Park, Pennsylvania vs Johnny Bonilla-Bowman. Claxton successfully made his debut with an emphatic flying knee to knock out his opponent in the first round. It was deemed as a knockout of the year contender.[11]

Claxton had his second professional fight at Bellator 194 in Uncasville, Connecticut vs Jose Perez. Claxton used his wrestling and top game to dominate his opponent and ultimately won the fight by second round tko.[12]

On the 18th of August 2018, Claxton had his third professional bout at Bellator 204 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota vs Cris Lencioni, who gave up a percentage of his fight purse by missing weight by 2.4 pounds.[13][14] Claxton used his superior striking and ultimately using his wrestling to win a clear decision over three rounds.[15]

Tywan then had his fourth fight against Kaeo Meyer at Bellator 212, in Bellator's debut in Hawaii, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. Claxton would win the fight by TKO in the second round.

Claxton's fifth fight came against James Bennett at Bellator 221 in Chicago on May 11, 2019. He won the bout by TKO in the third round.[16] Claxton infamously began speaking to 50 Cent, seated near the cage, during the fight while engaging with Bennett on the ground.

Claxton next faced Emmanuel Sanchez in the opening round of the Bellator featherweight world grand prix at Bellator 226 on September 7, 2019. He lost the bout via second round submission.[17]

Claxton faced Braydon Akeo at Bellator 235 on December 20, 2019. After largely winning the striking exchanges and taking Akeo down, Claxton won the bout via unanimous decision.[18]

Claxton faced former Legacy Fighting Alliance Featherweight Champion Justin Gonzales at Bellator 260 on June 11, 2021.[19] He lost the fight by split decision.[20]

On July 10, 2021, it was announced that he was no longer under contract with Bellator.[21]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
9 matches 6 wins 3 losses
By knockout 4 0
By submission 0 1
By decision 2 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 6–3 Justin Gonzales Decision (split) Bellator 260 June 11, 2021 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Loss 6–2 Jay Jay Wilson Decision (split) Bellator 242 July 24, 2020 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Catchweight (147.9 lbs) bout; Wilson missed weight.
Win 6–1 Braydon Akeo Decision (unanimous) Bellator 235 December 20, 2019 3 5:00 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Loss 5–1 Emmanuel Sanchez Submission (triangle choke) Bellator 226 September 7, 2019 2 4:11 San Jose, California, United States Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Opening Round.
Win 5–0 James Bennett TKO (punches) Bellator 221 May 11, 2019 3 2:09 Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Win 4–0 Kaeo Meyer TKO (punches) Bellator 212 December 14, 2018 1 2:56 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 3–0 Cris Lencioni Decision (unanimous) Bellator 204 August 18, 2018 3 5:00 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win 2–0 Jose Perez TKO (elbows and punches) Bellator 194 February 16, 2018 2 3:39 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 1–0 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman KO (flying knee) Bellator 186 November 3, 2017 1 1:29 University Park, Pennsylvania, United States MMA Debut.

References
  1. Tristen Critchfield (May 2, 2020). "Tywan Claxton Working on Rebrand, Wants to Be 'One of the Highest-Paid Athletes Ever'". sherdog.com.
  2. Joe McDonagh (July 22, 2021). "Bellator 242's Tywan Claxton Irked by Wilson's Dismissal of His BJJ Skills: "I'm a White Belt That's About to Whoop Your A**"". cagesidepress.com.
  3. Jay Anderson (November 2, 2017). "Bellator 186's Tywan Claxton Talks His Pro Debut, NCAA, and Meeting Rumble Johnson". cagesidepress.com.
  4. "Tywan Claxton Biography". Dodoodad. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  5. "Tywan Claxton - MMA Fighter Profile | Bellator.com". Spike.com. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  6. "Tywan "Air Claxton" on Instagram: "I've been about numbers come November third imma collect that check #bellator186 #mma #blackzilians #bjj #wrestling #muaythai…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  7. "OU wrestling grapples with Claxton's ineligibility | Court Street Stories". courtstreetstories.com. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  8. "Tywan Claxton Biography". Dodoodad. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  9. Anderson, Jay (2017-11-02). "Bellator 186's Tywan Claxton Talks His Pro Debut, NCAA, and Meeting Rumble Johnson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  10. "Tywan Claxton Signs With Bellator MMA, Calls Out Aaron Pico". Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  11. "WATCH: Bellator fighter makes thunderous debut with vicious flying knee knockout". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  12. "Bellator 194 results: No flying knee highlight, but Tywan Claxton picks up win No. 2". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  13. "Bellator 204 ceremonial weigh-ins video, photos: Claxton, Lencioni bring serious heat". MMAjunkie. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  14. "Video: Tywan Claxton says Bellator 204 opponent 'broke' when he missed weight". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  15. Anderson, Jay (2018-08-17). "Bellator 204 Results: 'Air' Claxton Proves Versatile on Ground, Scores Decision Win Over Cris Lencioni". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  16. "Bellator 221 Results: Tywan Claxton Interrupts Beatdown of James Bennett to Greet 50 Cent". Cagesidepress.com. 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  17. "Bellator 226 Results: Bader vs. Kongo". MMA Fighting. September 8, 2019.
  18. Mike Bohn (December 20, 2019). "Bellator 235 results: Tywan Claxton overwhelms Braydon Akeo to rebound from first loss". mmajunkie.com.
  19. "Bellator 260: Welterweight Title Challenge". 10 play. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  20. "Bellator 260: Douglas Lima vs. Yaroslav Amosov live results and highlights". FanSided. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  21. "Bellator parts ways with 18 fighters: Daniel Straus, Tywan Claxton, Liam McGeary included". MMA Junkie. 2021-07-10. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
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