Sodiq Olamide Yusuff (born May 19, 1993) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

–American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

(UFC) in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division. As of December 13, 2022, he is #12 in the UFC featherweight rankings.

Background

Being born in

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

, his father is from

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

while his mother was born in Lagos. He grew up in a

polygamist Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

community, with his father having four wives, and the four of them lived together as a unit. Yusuff claims he is one of 16 children in the family, with four siblings with his birth mother. When he was nine years old, his mother took him and his younger brother to the United States. His extended family has never visited the United States and is still living in Nigeria, having a hard time getting visas. Yusuff attributed his fascination in battle during his formative years to

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

, which led to his MMA career.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

At Shogun Fights 14, where he made his MMA debut, he defeated Alvin Mercer by second-round TKO. Yusuff won against his next three opponents, including Chuka Willis and John Ramirez. Then, in round one of CFFC 66, he eliminated Vladim Ogar. At Titan FC 47, he competed against Luis Gomez for the Featherweight Championship and was defeated in the opening frame. At Brave CF 10, Yusuff won his lone fight with Brave Combat Federation by first-round TKO over Ireland's Dylan Tuke.

Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series

Yusuff appeared on Dana White's Contender Series 14 on July 24, 2018, facing Mike Davis. He won the fight via unanimous decision. With this win, Yusuff was awarded a contract by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Yusuff made his UFC debut on December 2, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa against Suman Mokhtarian. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. Yusuff's second fight came on March 30, 2019 at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, facing

Sheymon Moraes Sheymon da Silva Moraes (born October 11, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist (MMA) who competes in the Featherweight division of Professional Fighters League. A professional mixed martial artist since 2012, Moraes has also competed in the ...

, 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 won the fight via unanimous decision. Yusuff faced

Gabriel Benítez Gabriel Apolinar Benítez (born June 15, 1988) is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He was a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1'', and he competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Ba ...

on August 17, 2019 at

UFC 241 ''UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 17, 2019 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship rematch betw ...

. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Yusuff faced

Andre Fili Andre Riley Givens (born June 25, 1990) better known by the name Andre Fili is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. Fili is of Samoan and Native Hawaiian descent and is currently signed with the Ultimate ...

on January 18, 2020 at

UFC 246 ''UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 18, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Yusuff was expected to face

Edson Barboza Edson Barboza Jr. (born January 21, 1986) is a Brazilian-American professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer who competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has formerly competed at li ...

on October 11, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 179 ''UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 179'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 37'' and ''UFC Fight Island 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 11, 2020 at ...

. However, Yusuff pulled out of the fight on September 22 for undisclosed reasons. Yusuff faced Arnold Allen on April 10, 2021 at

UFC on ABC 2 ''UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 2'' and ''UFC Vegas 23'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 10, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, N ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Yusuff faced

Alex Caceres Alex Caceres (born June 20, 1988) is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Cacer ...

on March 12, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 203 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 203'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 61'' or ''UFC Vegas 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 12, 2022 at the UF ...

. Utilizing leg kicks throughout the bout, Yusuff won the bout via unanimous decision. Yusuff was scheduled to face

Giga Chikadze Giga Chikadze ( Georgian: გიგა ჭიკაძე, born 25 August 1988) is a Georgian mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chikadze fo ...

on September 17, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 210 ''UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 210'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 68'' and ''UFC Vegas 60'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 17, 2022, at the ...

. However, the week before the event, Chikadze withdrew for due to injury and the bout was cancelled. Sodiq Yusuff faced Don Shainis October 1, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 211 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 211'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 69'' and ''UFC Vegas 61'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 1, 2022, at the UFC Apex ...

. He submitted Shainis via guillotine choke 30 seconds into the bout.

Personal life

Yusuff became a

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

during the training camp for his fight at

against

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Don Shainis , Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 , Arnold Allen , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Suman Mokhtarian , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Mike Davis , Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Dylan Tuke , TKO (punches) , Brave 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

, Jordan , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Luis Gomez , KO (punches) , Titan FC 47 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Vadim Ogar , KO (punch) , CFFC 66 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Chuka Willis , Decision (unanimous) , VFC 56 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Devin Turner , TKO (punches) , VFC 54 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , John Ramirez , Decision (unanimous) , VFC 52 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Alvin Mercer , TKO (punches) , Shogun Fights 14 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yusuff, Sodiq 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Lagos Nigerian male mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Naturalized citizens of the United States American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Nigerian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu