Carlston Harris

Carlston Lindsay Harris (born July 9, 1987) is a Guyanese mixed martial artist who competed 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.

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 24. 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 200. 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.

Harris faced Santiago Ponzinibbio on January 11, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 249. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the third round.

Harris was scheduled to face Michael Chiesa on March 28, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 271. However, Harris withdrew due to visa issues and was replaced by Niko Price.

Replacing Muslim Salikhov on short notice, Harris faced Jake Matthews on May 30, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 277. Harris lost the fight by unanimous decision.

On June 24, 2026, it was reported that Harris was removed from the UFC roster.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Two times)