These are always the worst things to write. It’s usually difficult to know where to start when somebody you’ve covered for more than a decade passes away.
Chapman, who was 30, was shot in Akron on Tuesday and died shortly thereafter. The suspect has been arrested and is currently in jail charged with murder.
Nicknamed “The Beast,” Chapman was perhaps the best amateur mixed martial arts prospect in Ohio when I began covering the sport for GatewayMMA in 2010. He won the NAAFS title in 2010, and went on to defend it in 2011 when he defeated Tyler Saltsman at Night of Champions.
What I remember the most about Chapman is that he was very soft-spoken and always gracious with his time. There was a lot of hype surrounding him as a 21-year-old with all of the skills to make the big show, but he remained humble and never seemed to let it faze him.
The thing I remember that he loved talking about most was his family. He became a young father and was involved in MMA to try to make a better life for his children.
Isaiah turned pro in 2012 and seemed to take the next step in his career. He finished Joe Wagner with a memorable head kick knockout in his second pro fight, and submitted Dustin Kempf in a bloody battle at Night of Champions in 2012.
But the fight that I’ll probably remember him most for is one that he lost. Chapman was 4-0 heading into a title fight against 31-fight Bellator veteran Bryan Goldsby for the first-ever NAAFS pro bantamweight title in 2013. His shoulder was dislocated when Goldsby slammed him near the end of the first round, but he refused to quit. He could barely raise his arm but he continued to battle. Those of us who were cageside saw how much pain he appeared to be in, but he made it all the way to the end of the fourth round before the fight was stopped.
He fought three total times in 2014 after a yearlong layoff, but then competed just three times from 2015-2019. During that time he made his World Series of Fighting debut, and also lost a decision in a memorable fight against Jerrell Hodge at Caged Madness 43.
“Being a fighter at heart you never lose the drive and the want to reach higher platforms,” Chapman told me in 2018.
He seemed to have a renewed focus heading into 2019 as he tried to make one last go at the big show. He started off the year with a submission over the red hot Donnie Ballou, and then topped Tobiaus Taylor in yet another great fight to win the bantamweight title at Honor FC 10 in August at Nautica Pavilion in Downtown Cleveland. He showed the warrior spirit that he had so many times early in his career in that fight, and it parlayed into a late notice opportunity to replace Dominic Mazzotta and make his Bellator debut in October. He was submitted by undefeated rising star Patrick Mix, but he finally made it to the big show at what turned out to be the end of his career.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support funeral costs for Chapman’s family.