Mehdi Baghdad (born 13 April 1985) is a French mixed martial artist who fights out of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He previously fought for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

in the lightweight division. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 22: Team McGregor vs Team Faber.

Mixed martial arts career

Baghdad started training at the age of 16 and had his first fight at the age of 20. He went on to become a world champion in Muay Thai, WKBC also lightweight champion in RFA MMA. Baghdad is inspired by his father who died when he was young, and former world champion boxer Prince Naseem Hamed. Baghdad's first loss was handed to him by UFC competitor

Charles Oliveira Charles Oliveira da Silvahttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2014_Results/12-12-14MMA.pdf (born October 17, 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. He currently comp ...

. Baghdad's nickname is Sultan, which in Arabic means High King / Emperor.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Baghdad joined '' the Ultimate Fighter 22: Team McGregor vs Team Faber''. Baghdad defeated Artem Lobov via majority decision after two rounds. He then joined McGregor's team (European team). Unfortunately

Julian Erosa Julian Ricardo Dulican Erosa (born July 31, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Erosa is also a former CageSport Featherweight and Lightweight Champ ...

defeated Mehdi Baghdad via majority decision after two rounds in the preliminary fights, this would eliminate him from the tournament.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Despite losing TUF 22 Baghdad would still be signed by the promotion and would have his first match against Chris Wade on

UFC Fight Night 81 ''UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 81'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 17, 2016, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between defending ...

on 17 January 2016. Baghdad would lose 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the first round by tapping out to the rear - naked choke. Baghdad was expected to face

John Makdessi John Makdessi (born May 3, 1985) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Makdessi was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on May 3, 1985, ...

on 4 June 2016 at

UFC 199 ''UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 4, 2016, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Background While this was the first time the organization has held an event at the venue, it was the fifth time that U ...

but was rescheduled to 7 July 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 90 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 90'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 7, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was the first of three events in as man ...

. Makdessi was awarded a split decision victory. Baghdad was scheduled to face

Jon Tuck Jonathan Cruz Tuck (born August 28, 1984) is a Chamorro professional mixed martial artist. Tuck is the first Chamorro native from Guam to be signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and competes at the Lightweight division. His offi ...

on 15 October 2016 at UFC Fight Night 97. However, Baghdad pulled out of the fight in mid-September citing injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer

Alex Volkanovski Alexander Volkanovski (born 29 September 1988) is an Australian mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Featherweight Champion. He is a ...

. In turn, Baghdad was released from the promotion.

''The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''

In February 2017, it was revealed that Baghdad would again compete on the UFC's reality show in the 25th season on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''. Baghdad was the second pick overall for Team Garbrandt. He faced

Jesse Taylor Jesse Marcus Taylor (born January 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was ...

in the opening round and lost via unanimous decision.

Post UFC

Baghdad faced

Thibault Gouti Thibault Gouti (born February 27, 1987) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional since 2011, he has also competed in the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Early career Gouti was amas ...

for the LTDE Super Lightweight belt on 2 July 2021 at Trophee des Etoiles 15. Baghdad lost the bout via TKO in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 ,

, TKO (punches) , Trophee des Etoiles 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 12–6 , Erivan Pereira , Decision (split) , Brave 25 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–6 , Pawel Kielek , Decision (unanimous) , Brave 12 - KHK Legacy , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, Indonesia , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 , Chris Wade , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Zach Juusola , TKO (punches) , RFA 21 - Juusola vs. Baghdad , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:37 ,

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Evan Delong , TKO (punches) , RFA 18 - Manzanares vs. Pantoja , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Nicholas Christy , Submission (choke) , West Coast FC 7: Griffin vs. Gonzalez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:57 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Dionisio Ramirez , Submission (choke) , BAMMA USA: Badbeat 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:53 ,

Commerce, California Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Tom Douglas , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: Summer Heat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Dominic Gutierrez , Submission (anaconda choke) , All Star Boxing , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:31 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Mike Sandez , KO (punch) , Marconi Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Tustin, California Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated community ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Yves Landu , Decision (unanimous) , 100% Fight 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Randall Jimenez , TKO (soccer kicks and punches) , Xtreme Vale Todo 5: Franca vs. Kheder , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 , Cartago, Costa Rica , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Jeffry Lopez Madrigal , TKO (punches) , Xtreme Vale Todo 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 , Guanacaste, Costa Rica , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 , Juan Puig , TKO (punches) , Panama Fight League: Ultimate Combat Challenge 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

, Panama , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Rudy Saoudi , TKO (leg kicks) , 100% Fight: Contenders 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, France , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Kawai Arena 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Unknown Fighter , TKO (knees and punches) , Rio Recreio Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , -

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 ,

, Decision (Unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Garbrandt vs Team Dillashaw , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , Eliminated from the TUF 25 tournament , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, Decision (majority) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , Eliminated from the TUF 22 tournament , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

Artem Lobov Artem Lobov (russian: Артём Лобов; born August 11, 1986) is a Russian, former professional mixed martial artist and boxer based in Ireland. He previously competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

, Decision (majority) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , Entered in the TUF 22 tournament , -

References

External links

Mehdi Baghdad
at Brave CF * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baghdad, Mehdi 1985 births Living people French male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai French male kickboxers French Muay Thai practitioners French practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters People from La Seyne-sur-Mer French sportspeople of Algerian descent Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Var (department)