Charles Dion McDowell, the ‘Neck Guy,’ Training to Become MMA Fighter

Charles Dion McDowell, who has become known online as the “neck guy,” was recently offered a chance to compete at an upcoming Island Fights boxing or mixed martial arts event according to Island Fights CEO Dean Toole.

McDowell, who’s never fought competitively and thus would be in an amateur bout, has an offer from Toole to train at the organization’s Pensacola facilities for a potential bout in February or April 2019, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

“He hasn’t made some of the best choices in life in his past so maybe something like this will be a good step in the right direction towards something positive,” Toole said.

Island Fights is a Pensacola-based boxing and MMA event hosted at the Pensacola Bay Center. Past cards have featured Roy Jones Jr. fights and the upcoming Island Fights 51 is expected to have UFC CEO Dana White in attendance with former NFL player Greg Hardy on the fight card, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

“Even if he doesn’t compete maybe this will all work out for the better for him and he won’t make those same choices again,” Toole added.

A Charles McDowell Facebook page showed a picture of McDowell holding an Island Fights belt, captioned: “For all you people that didn’t know, I’ve been training MMA and will be making my debut real soon!” The post has since been removed.

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McDowell Became a Viral Sensation After His Mugshot Was Posted on Facebook Following His Florida Arrest

McDowell recently rose to internet fame after his mugshot went viral, following an arrest in Florida earlier this month. McDowell’s mugshot was posted on the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, and the photo went viral almost immediately due to McDowell’s unusually thick neck.

The post has been shared hundreds of thousands of times, with over 300 thousand comments, most of which involved a series of puns and jokes surrounding McDowell’s neck. His mugshot spawned thousands of memes and neck puns, which are still going strong weeks after his photo went viral. Check out some of the top “liked” comments on the original Facebook post below:

• Ramon Ross: You people should be ashamed of yourselves, all this neckativity isn’t right at all.
• Noble Mcgregor: They gonna put him in jail and throat away the key.
• Dustin Gilland: Dude up to his neck in charges..
• Barry Jacobs: His neck is still at LARGE!!!
• Keidra Brewer: What they charge this guy with? Neckless Endangerment? Shat!
• Clint Freeman: My neck, my back, they took my meth and my crack.
• Carlos Levario: That boy got a chest tattoo on his neck…
• Diamond Duchess: Y’all come on he gotta lotta weight on his shoulders right now.
• Hannibal Hasan: All of his shirts are neckstra large.
• AJ Powell: Dat boy can drink peanut butter 
• Brian White: That neck tattoo cost $6000. They charge per square foot

McDowell was arrested again shortly after in Lee County, Alabama, and booked into the Lee County Detention Center in Opelika, according to the Auburn Plainsman.

According to jail records, McDowell was booked on charges of attempting to elude, second-degree marijuana possession, driving with a revoked license, reckless driving and improper lane usage. He was arrested in the early hours of the morning around 3:37 a.m. and was being held on $5,400 in bonds, but made bail the same morning.

Investigators said McDowell led Montgomery Police on a chase along Interstate 85. Deputies in Lee County said they deployed spike strips, disabling the vehicle and leading to his arrest.

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McDowell’s Neck Also Inspired Thousands of Memes & Neck Jokes, Most of Which Compared Him to Cartoons & Video Game Characters

The comments were just the beginning of this viral trend. Thousands of the comments on the page (that didn’t involve neck puns) were other users tagging their friends on the post just to read and laugh at the comments, which fueled the 260 thousand shares. The post was also shared on Twitter, where industrious tweeters also deployed a number of hilarious, top-shelf memes surrounding McDowell’s muscular neck.

“Why Charles Dion McDowell look like the bully from SpongeBob?” Isaac Phillips wrote on Twitter beneath a picture of McDowell and the bully. Another user compared his mugshot to a picture of Godzilla, asking McDowell to “give Godzilla his neck back.”

Stephanie Conner wrote: “I refuse to believe that Charles Dion McDowell’s mugshot isn’t photoshopped. He looks like the alien from MIB that would grow a new head when the old one was shot off, he is just about full grown in this pic.”

One incredibly popular meme turned McDowell into every member of the band “Neckleback,” while others produced a plethora of sports memes, such as Odell “Neckham” Jr.

Somebody even dedicated a street painting to McDowell’s neck.

Others took the time to compare him to movie characters, video game favorites and anime characters. Literally thousands of memes spawned from McDowell’s mugshot, who found instant internet fame following his release from jail. Check out a roundup of the best comments, memes and reactions here.

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McDowell Responded to His Newfound Internet Fame After He Was Released From Jail

After McDowell’s picture made its rounds on social media, a video of him responding to his overnight rise to viral fame is circulating social media as he responds to everyone who turned his mugshots into a meme. McDowell gave a “shout out to every female that gave [him] a chance,” and said that he can’t thank them all because there were so many.

Caution: the video uses some harsh language that some viewers may find offensive.

There has been some backlash toward the explosion of neck memes, with some commenters scolding others for turning McDowell’s unusually large neck into a joke and “body-shaming” him.

McDowell however, seems to be taking his new viral fame in good humor judging by the video he released thanking his fans for reaching out to him.

Although many believe the picture was photoshopped, several old mugshots of McDowell also surfaced after his picture went viral, proving that it wasn’t altered, and that McDowell just has an unusually muscular neck. The video above also proves that the picture wasn’t altered.

READ NEXT: Charles Dion McDowell’s Neck: Best Memes, Comments & Reactions

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