Kennedy Nzechukwu (born June 13, 1992) is a Nigerian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

Nzechukwu moved from Nigeria to the United States with his family in 2010. He started training mixed martial arts when his mother brought him to Fortis MMA in 2015 to learn some discipline. He attended college but dropped out in order to pursue a career in mixed martial arts and after his mother was diagnosed with

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After his amateur career, Nzechukwu turned professional, racking two straight victories in the Xtreme Knockout organization. He was then invited to compete in the Dana White's Contender Series. His bout took place on August 22, 2017, at Dana White's Contender Series 7 against Anton Berzin. He won the bout via split decision but did not receive a contract to the UFC. He then returned to the regional circuit and notched two knockout victories in XKO and Legacy Fighting Alliance.

Dana White's Contender Series

Nzechukwu was then invited a second time to Dana White's Contender Series, this time facing Dennis Bryant at Dana White's Contender Series 16 on August 7, 2018. He won the bout via first-round knockout and received a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nzechukwu made his UFC debut against Paul Craig on March 30, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN 2 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 30, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Backgr ...

. He lost the fight via triangle choke in the third round. Nzechukwu faced Darko Stošić on August 3, 2019, at UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Nzechukwu faced

Carlos Ulberg Carlos Sao Murry Ulberg (born 17 November 1990) is a New Zealand mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight (MMA), Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Ulberg was born ...

on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. Ulberg started strong, hurting Nzechukwu badly with strikes and kicks, but quickly became exhausted, resulting in Nzechukwu winning the fight via knockout in round two. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award. Nzechukwu faced Danilo Marques, replacing Ed Herman on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 190. After largely being controlled for most of the bout, he rallied and won the fight via TKO in the third round. This fight earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award. Nzechukwu was scheduled to face Da Un Jung on October 16, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 195. However, the bout was postponed to UFC Fight Night 197 on November 13, 2021, for unknown reasons. Nzechukwu lost the fight via knockout in round one. Nzechukwu, as a replacement for Ihor Potieria, faced Nicolae Negumereanu on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272. He lost the fight via split decision. 8 out of 15 media scores gave it to Nzechukwu, while 6 scored it a draw, with only one giving it to Negumereanu. Nzechukw faced

Karl Roberson Karl William Roberson (born October 4, 1990) is an American former kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life and education Raised in Neptune Township, New Jers ...

on July 9, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 39. He won the fight via technical knockout in round three. Nzechukwu faced Ion Cuțelaba on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. With this win, Nzechukwu earned the Performance of the Night award. Nzechukwu faced Devin Clark on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288. He won the fight via technical submission in the second round. Nzechukwu faced Dustin Jacoby on August 5, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 225 ''UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 225'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 83'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 26, 2023, at the Singapore ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championships ** Fight of the Night (One time) ** Performance of the Night (Two times)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Dustin Jacoby , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Font , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 , Nashville, Tennessee, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Devin Clark , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC 288 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:28 , Newark, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Ion Cuțelaba , TKO (flying knee and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:02 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 ,

, TKO (elbows) , UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:19 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Nicolae Negumereanu , Decision (split) , UFC 272 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Jung Da-un , KO (elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Danilo Marques , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:20 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC 259 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:19 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Darko Stošić , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Newark, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Paul Craig , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:20 , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Dennis Bryant , TKO (head kick and punches) , Dana White's Contender Series 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Corey Johnson , TKO (punches) , LFA 40 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:18 , Dallas, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Andre Kavanaugh , TKO (punches) , XKO 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 , Dallas, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Anton Berzin , Decision (split) , Dana White's Contender Series 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Thai Walwyn , Decision (unanimous) , XKO 34 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Dallas, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Matt Foster , TKO (punches) , XKO 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 , Dallas, Texas, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nzechukwu, Kennedy 1992 births Living people Nigerian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Imo State Nigerian emigrants to the United States