About

Like many before him, Chase Boutwell was inspired to start in mixed martial arts by a trip to the movies to see a martial arts film, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“Right after the movie, I told my father I wanted to learn how to do that and enrolled in kempo karate. After a year and a half of that, I started Brazilian jiu-jitsu and have never stopped training up to this day. I started striking consistently at the age of 13 and never stopped. Then, wrestling when I was 15. So the transition [to MMA] was not very hard at all.”

The driven competitor would amass a 33-3 record in wrestling under the guidance of coach Bubby Mitchell prior to a knee injury that would cut his senior season short. Still, he had his goals in mind and would sacrifice some of the commonplace things in a high school experience to achieve those goals.

“No regrets. I’m pretty anti-social when it comes to dealing with social gatherings that don’t deal with combat. I never really cared, or saw the value in attending prom or graduation, because anyone can go to those. Not everyone can fight…I feel my coach gives me the tools to do what needs to be done. Some days are rough, drilling the same thing, but I know that he’s been through it all and knows what he’s doing.”

Boutwell would then turn to MMA and take his first fight for UMMAF affiliate Valor Fights, winning by a first-round triangle choke, before immediately being introduced to UMMAF.

“I’ll never forget the first thing that came to my head after he tapped, “I’m going to be the best in the world at this”. This is not the first time I’ve said this but it was the first time I’ve said this and knew I’m gonna be a world champion one day.”

Thanks to that ambition and “anti-social” nature he discussed, he now spends five to seven hours in training several days a week. He has also taken the time to let his knee get back to 100 percent. After rehabbing his knee, he won the then-vacant Valor Fights bantamweight (135-pound) championship after becoming the UMMAF national champion.

He’s already had world championship-level experience in kickboxing, a loss, but he pressed on with each day, being inspired by his mother’s ongoing battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

“My mother is a fighter. Not every day is easy, but she fights through it. I guess it’s just in our blood. I remember each loss clearly and how it felt to lose. It sucked but I can’t thank [my opponent] enough for making me realize that not a single day at the gym needs to be wasted.”

When it comes to his success in Mixed Martial Arts, he has said, "I'm a workhorse and the thought of martial arts never leaves my mind. I’m always thinking about the guy who’s just a little bit better than me and how I want to surpass him, whoever that is".

There is no doubt that the future is bright for Mr. Boutwell. Where he goes from here is only limited by his mindset and ability to see it.