Josiah Harrell

Josiah Harrell
Born (1998-11-13) November 13, 1998 (age 27)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Other namesMuscle Hamster
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Reach68 in (173 cm)
Fighting out of
Grove City, Ohio, U.S.
TeamGrove City BJJ Academy
RankBrown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Years active2018–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins11
By knockout6
By submission4
By decision1
Losses2
By knockout2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Josiah Harrell (born November 13, 1998) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Early life and education

Harrell was born on November 13, 1998 in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Licking Heights High School in 2017, where he played football and collegiate wrestling. He initially intended to play football at the University of Cincinnati, but did not do so due to financial constraints. He would go on to start competing in mixed martial arts at the advice of a former wrestling coach. His nickname, the "Muscle Hamster", came from a joke made by his football coach and was inspired by Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin.

Mixed martial arts career

Early and professional career

Harrell made his MMA debut in 2018, drawing against Jerald Spohn at a BCM Promotions event in Mansfield, Ohio. He fought multiple matches at events by various organizers, including BCM Promotions, the Ohio Combat League, Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC), and the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA). During this time, he initially fought in the Welterweight class.

Harrell won by unanimous decision against Ashton Kirby as part of Ohio Combat League 3 in Columbus in 2019. He later won numerous fights, both in amateur MMA and in professional matches, primarily with the Ohio Combat League.

Harrell was initially slated to face Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada in 2023 after Della Maddalena's previous opponent, Sean Brady, withdrew due to a Streptococcus pyogenes infection on his elbow. However, during pre-medical screenings, it was discovered that Harrell had Moyamoya disease, a rare disease that constricts some arteries in the brain. He withdrew the day before the match as a result.

By 2025, he returned to fighting MMA, returning to fight matches in the Ohio Combat League, winning by TKO against Quinton Parks Jr. at Ohio Combat League 36 on March 1, 2025.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Harrell made his debut at UFC at UFC Fight Night 267 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas against Jacobe Smith. Smith was slated to face Ko Seok-hyeon, but Ko withdrew due to injuries. Harrell replaced Ko for the match against Smith. Harrell lost to Smith by KO.

Harrell later faced Elves Brener at UFC Vegas 121 on September 26, 2026, at the Meta Apex in Enterprise, Nevada. Harrell moved down from Welterweight class to Lightweight class for this match. He was defeated by Brener by TKO.

Personal life

In 2023, while doing routine medical exams for his planned debut fight with Della Maddalena, it was discovered Harrell had Moyamoya disease, a rare disease that constricts certain arteries in the brain. He underwent brain surgery at Stanford Medical Center in Stanford, California to treat the disease in 2024. After experiencing complications in the recovery process, including seizures, Harrell began to recover from the surgery. He received support from fellow MMA fighter Vince Murdock, who similarly was diagnosed with Moyamoya during his MMA career. By 2025, he had recovered sufficiently enough from the surgery to return to fighting MMA.

Harrell identifies as Christian.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
13 matches 11 wins 2 losses
By knockout 6 2
By submission 4 0
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 11–2 Elves Brener TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos September 26, 2026 1 4:14 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Lightweight.
Loss 11–1 Jacobe Smith KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez February 21, 2026 1 3:01 Houston, Texas, United States
Win 11–0 Bekmyrza Dosmatov TKO (corner stoppage) LFA 224 January 16, 2026 3 3:28 Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States
Win 10–0 Kegan Gennrich Decision (unanimous) Ohio Combat League 39 August 2, 2025 3 5:00 Newport, Kentucky, United States Won the vacant OCL Welterweight Championship.
Win 9–0 Melvin Guillard Submission (rear-naked choke) Ohio Combat League 38 May 17, 2025 1 3:25 Newport, Kentucky, United States
Win 8–0 Quinton Parks Jr. TKO (punches) Ohio Combat League 36 March 1, 2025 2 3:34 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win 7–0 Michael Roberts TKO (punches) LFA 160 June 16, 2023 3 3:27 Owensboro, Kentucky, United States Catchweight (162 lb) bout.
Win 6–0 Tracey Reeder TKO (punches) Cage Fury FC 113 October 8, 2022 2 2:59 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Lightweight bout.
Win 5–0 John Ramirez TKO (punches) Ohio Combat League 18 March 5, 2022 3 2:23 Columbus, Ohio, United States Welterweight debut. Won the vacant OCL Welterweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Homer Mangram Submission (rear-naked choke) Ohio Combat League 16 November 20, 2021 1 2:59 Grove City, Ohio, United States Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win 3–0 Timothy Tyler TKO (knee injury) Ohio Combat League 14 July 14, 2021 1 5:00 Newark, Ohio, United States Catchweight (165 lb) bout.
Win 2–0 Carlos Garnett Jr. Submission (rear-naked choke) Ohio Combat League 10 March 5, 2021 2 4:56 Newark, Ohio, United States
Win 1–0 William Worley Submission (armbar) Ohio Combat League 7 March 7, 2020 2 4:25 Columbus, Ohio, United States Lightweight debut.

References

  1. ↑ "Josiah Harrell - UFC Records". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lawson, Mark (September 27, 2026). "Josiah Harrell: UFC Record, Moyamoya Story and Latest Fight". FightoMic. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  3. 1 2 King, Nolan (July 8, 2023). "Licking Heights grad Josiah Harrell removed from UFC 290 card due to brain disease". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  4. ↑ Snyder, Kurt (March 18, 2015). "State experience should help Licking Heights' Harrell". Newark Advocate. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  5. ↑ King, Nolan (October 7, 2022). "On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with October wins". USA Today Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Controlled Chaos: Spohn's Journey from the Mat to the Octagon". Kent State Sports. March 25, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  7. ↑ "BCM Promotions - Fight Night 3". Sherdog. October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ Fiedel, Michael (October 4, 2019). "Ohio Combat League Set For Weekend Of Action". FloCombat. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  9. ↑ "OCL 3 MMA Event - Results". Ohio Combat League. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  10. ↑ Thompson, Lewis (February 17, 2026). "Undefeated fighter diagnosed with rare brain disease gets last-minute call for UFC debut in sensational turnaround". talkSPORT. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  11. ↑ Behunin, Alex (June 30, 2023). "Sean Brady injured, out of UFC 290 bout against Jack Della Maddalena". mmamania.com. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  12. ↑ LW (July 8, 2023). "Josiah Harrell's UFC debut derailed by undiagnosed illness, undergoing brain surgery instead". Marca. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Schuster, Kevin (February 19, 2026). "Josiah Harrell - Unbroken". UFC. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  14. ↑ "OCL 36: Metzgar vs. Agnew". Ohio Combat League. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  15. ↑ OSEN (December 12, 2025). "Go Seok-hyeon seeks third straight UFC win against undefeated Jacoby Smith". biz.chosun.com. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  16. ↑ Staff (February 13, 2026). "Ko removed from UFC Houston for injury, Harrell to debut as replacement". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  17. ↑ Kerman, Garrett (February 21, 2026). "Unbeaten prospect Jacobe Smith demolishes Josiah Harrell in first-round stoppage at UFC Houston". ClutchPoints, via Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  18. ↑ Zuhosky, Drew (September 22, 2026). "UFC Vegas 121 Begins Fall Slate with Exciting Undercard!". MMASucka. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  19. ↑ Raimondi, Marc (July 7, 2023). "Newcomer Josiah Harrell out of UFC 290 with brain disease". ABC News. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  20. ↑ King, Nolan (March 14, 2024). "Keeping it light after darkness: UFC fighter Josiah Harrell more determined than ever after moyamoya brain surgery". USA Today Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  21. ↑ King, Nolan (February 13, 2026). "Josiah Harrell gets second UFC shot after brain scare nixed debut". USA Today Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  22. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Josiah "Muscle Hamster" Harrell MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved October 16, 2026.