Shamar Bailey is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division.
The son of a devoted pastor father, Shamar Bailey was raised in a strict Christian household which moved him across state lines six times before his 20th birthday.
During his senior season at Center Grove High School, Bailey excelled on the varsity wrestling team, going undefeated over the course of the year.
[2][3] Building on his impressive senior year at Center Grove, Bailey entered Division III Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Wisconsin where he continued to thrive on the mats, earning All-Conference three times and being named NCAA National Qualifier.
For the past four years, Bailey has trained with Integrated Fighting Academy while also working part-time for the Indianapolis Fire Department with Chris Lytle.
Bailey then replaced an injured Bryan Travers, as he fought Justin Wilcox at Strikeforce Challengers 7 on March 26, 2010.
He made his official UFC debut June 4, 2011 on The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale card, fighting against fellow quarterfinalist and teammate, Ryan McGillivray.
[9] Bailey dropped to Lightweight in order to face Evan Dunham at UFC Fight Night 25.