An Akron man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a professional mixed martial arts fighter.

Isaiah Chapman, a 30-year-old MMA competitor who lives in Akron, was fatally shot Tuesday night, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Christopher Blouir, 29, was arrested Wednesday by the U.S. Marshal’s Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force and Akron police near East Market Street and Brittain Road.

Police said Blouir was interviewed by investigators and charged with murder. He is being held in the Summit County Jail.

Akron police responding to a call about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday found Chapman with gunshot wounds in the street near his home, Lt. Michael Miller said. Chapman was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Chapman was known throughout his Kenmore neighborhood both for his participation in MMA fighting and for his time as a wrestler and football player at Kenmore High School. Bryan Clark, his MMA coach, said Chapman had become a local legend.

Even though fighting was Chapman’s profession, Clark said, he was nothing but nice to everyone he met.

"If you didn’t know his background, you would never think he was a fighter," Clark said. "He didn't have any anger or animosity toward anybody."

Chapman also was, above all else, a family man. He is survived by two daughters and a son. Clark said he would regularly bring his children into the gym with him. Throughout the years as his career evolved, Clark said, Chapman didn’t do anything that didn’t involve his children.

Joseph Martin, an uncle to Chapman’s two daughters, said the one thing that stuck out about Chapman was how much he loved his kids. To him, they were his whole world.

"Some people say that as cliché, but for him it was just the truth and everyone knew that," Chapman said.

Martin said Chapman made sure to show up to everything for his children, and at every family gathering, he had the same ritual. Martin said Chapman hugged "every single person" before he sat down. Even though he was a quiet, soft-spoken type, he made sure to ask each person how they were.

Chapman had the same ritual when he left, Martin said, except after hugging everyone goodbye, he’d make a big plate of food before walking out, which Martin said they would joke about every time.

"Here’s Isaiah to give everybody a hug and take all the food and leave," Martin said.

Martin said Chapman was continuing to work hard, at both a full-time job and fighting professionally. But Chapman still kept family first.

"It just didn’t matter what was going on," Martin said. "He was always making his kids No. 1, even though he was still literally fighting for his own dream at the same time. But he never let his dreams come in the way of his kids."

Not long before his death, Chapman had signed a deal with Bellator, one of the largest mixed martial arts promoters in the country. He had fought at Bellator 232 in October, and was getting back into training for another fight, Clark said.

Clark said Chapman was transitioning to fighting full time. On top of his job, Clark said Chapman would regularly spend five- to six-hour sessions in the gym.

Chapman transitioned into MMA after high school, looking for a way to still compete, Clark said. He went on to have a 12 -1 record as an amateur before turning professional, and had a 9-4 record as a pro before he died. passed Clark said even from the beginning, Chapman didn’t miss a beat.

"It was just unbelievable," Scott Corbin, an Ohio matchmaker, said after watching Chapman’s second-ever fight. "This kid has so much talent. You wouldn't believe it was his second fight."

Corbin was a matchmaker for several of Chapman’s local events. He said Chapman was a local standout, and always had larger promotions keeping an eye on him.

Chapman’s personality rubbed off on a lot of people along the way. Jason Adams first reported on fights about 10 years ago, and Chapman was one of the first people he covered. In what could be an overwhelming place, he said, Chapman was one of the first people to make him feel comfortable.

"Even on days he was fighting, if he saw you, he’d come up and talk for a few minutes," Adams said.

Adams eventually moved on to managing fighters and didn’t see Chapman for a few years. But when they saw each other again, he said, Chapman walked up to him and started talking, like he was continuing their last conversation.

Josh Sines, an MMA ring announcer and co-owner of Bob’s Hamburg, had met Chapman through work. The restaurant has a sandwich named "The Beast" in honor of Chapman, and the fighter had come in and posed for photos in the restaurant with his championship belt.

When Sines first formed Honor Fighting Championship, a local promotion, Chapman was the main event of their first fight. When Sines was still learning about MMA, he said he’d stop by the gym, and Chapman would take time to explain the intricacies of the sport.

Clark said Chapman made plenty of friendships this way, always trying to help other people up. He said outside of the ring, Chapman never wanted to be in the spotlight, but would often be the person everyone was excited to see, and became the center of attention.

He had seen Chapman’s career grow long before he started his own gym. Even though Chapman was sought after, Clark said loyalty was why Chapman trained with him.

"He could have left and went anywhere, but because I stuck by him, he stuck by me," Clark said.

Martin said funeral arrangements, which have become more difficult to coordinate because of coronavirus restrictions, are still being worked out. He said the general idea is to have a small funeral and a larger memorial later.

Right now, Martin said, everyone is still trying to come to terms with what they’ve lost.

"You just can't replace someone like that," Martin said.

A GoFundMe page was started for Chapman’s family.

Reach Akron Beacon Journal reporter Sean McDonnell at smcdonnell@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3186.