Steve Carl began training in MMA in 2004 and while he doesn't come from any particular background, he's a mature, hard working fighter who understands the importance in being a well rounded fighter in MMA today. An M-1 and Bellator FC veteran, Carl showed tremendous perseverance and dedication to his craft when he came back from a horrific accident that had sidelined him for sixteen months to resume his fighting career.

While Carl definitely appreciates the importance of being well rounded, he likes to control the pace of the fight and does make a concerted effort to take his opponents to the ground. He possesses nice wrestling and raw power showing the ability to get the fight to the ground with powerful takedowns and big slams. Carl is a hard working grappler from the top who looks to improve positions while keeping his ground and pound game constant. If he's given time and space to manoeuvre, he can be unrelenting with his punches and ground and pound from the top. Carl shows excellent top control - effortlessly transitioning between his opponents mount and back, and is a patient grappler who bides his time and waits for openings on the mat. A competent technical grappler, Carl's equipped with a good "power" submission game which has been responsible for the majority of the wins in his early career. Although he is much more effective from the top, Carl is comfortable fighting off his back where he'll open up his guard and work.

Carl was involved in a very bad car accident in 2006 that shattered his right leg and left doctors doubting whether he'd ever be able to walk again. Although he did make a miraculous recover, he suffered considerable trauma to his right leg (competing for much of his career with a titanium rod implanted in his right leg) and is understandably a little heavy and slow on his feet. While his footwork and head movement require work, Carl is an aggressive striker who isn't afraid of letting his hands go. Carl doesn't have great natural hand speed but he's powerful athlete who hits hard, and makes good use of his jab and cross while also mixing good high kicks and body kicks into his striking repertoire. Carl prefers to be the aggressor and doesn't like giving his opponents much space on his feet, but he does have a penchant for keeping his hands low and (at times) getting wild with his punches and will need to continue refining his defensive skills and technique.