Sodiq Yusuff

Last updated
Sodiq Yusuff
BornSodiq Yusuff
(1993-05-19) May 19, 1993 (age 30)
Lagos, Nigeria [1]
Other namesSuper
NationalityNigerian
American [2]
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Division Featherweight
Reach71 in (180 cm) [1]
Fighting out of Camp Springs, Maryland, U.S.
TeamTeam Lloyd Irvin
RankBlue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin [1]
Years active2016–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins13
By knockout6
By submission1
By decision6
Losses4
By knockout2
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Sodiq Yusuff (born May 19, 1993) is a Nigerian and American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 13, 2024, he is #13 in the UFC featherweight rankings. [3]

Contents

Background

Being born in Lagos, Nigeria, his father is from Ibadan while his mother was born in Lagos. He grew up in a polygamist 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. [4]

Yusuff attributed his fascination in battle during his formative years to anime, which led to his MMA career. [5]

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. [6]

Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series

Yusuff appeared on Dana White's Contender Series 14 on July 24, 2018, facing Mike Davis. [7] He won the fight via unanimous decision. With this win, Yusuff was awarded a contract by the UFC. [8]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Yusuff made his UFC debut on December 2, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa against Suman Mokhtarian. [9] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. [10] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. [11]

Yusuff's second fight came on March 30, 2019 at Philadelphia, facing Sheymon Moraes, at UFC on ESPN 2. [12] He won the fight via unanimous decision. [13]

Yusuff faced Gabriel Benítez on August 17, 2019 at UFC 241. [14] He won the fight via knockout in round one. [15]

Yusuff faced Andre Fili on January 18, 2020 at UFC 246. [16] He won the fight by unanimous decision. [17]

Yusuff was expected to face Edson Barboza on October 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 179. [18] However, Yusuff pulled out of the fight on September 22 for undisclosed reasons. [19]

Yusuff faced Arnold Allen on April 10, 2021 at UFC on ABC 2. [20] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. [21]

Yusuff faced Alex Caceres on March 12, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 203. [22] Utilizing leg kicks throughout the bout, Yusuff won the bout via unanimous decision. [23]

Yusuff was scheduled to face Giga Chikadze on September 17, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 210. [24] However, the week before the event, Chikadze withdrew for due to injury and the bout was cancelled. [25]

Yusuff faced Don Shainis on October 1, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 211. [26] He submitted Shainis via guillotine choke 30 seconds into the bout. [27]

After a year-long layoff, Yusuff fought Edson Barboza on October 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230. [28] He lost the fight by unanimous decision. [29] This fight earned his Fight of the Night award. [30]

Yusuff faced Diego Lopes on April 12. 2024 at UFC 300. [31] After being knocked down twice, Yusuff lost by technical knockout in the second minute of the first round. [32]

Personal life

Yusuff became a U.S. citizen during the training camp for his fight at UFC 246 against Andre Fili. [2]

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
17 matches13 wins4 losses
By knockout62
By submission10
By decision62
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss13–4 Diego Lopes TKO (punches) UFC 300 April 13, 202411:29 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss13–3 Edson Barboza Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza October 14, 202355:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesFight of the Night.
Win13–2Don ShainisSubmission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan October 1, 202210:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win12–2 Alex Caceres Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev March 12, 202235:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss11–2 Arnold Allen Decision (unanimous) UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland April 10, 202135:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win11–1 Andre Fili Decision (unanimous) UFC 246 January 18, 202035:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win10–1 Gabriel Benítez TKO (punches) UFC 241 August 17, 201914:14 Anaheim, California, United States
Win9–1 Sheymon Moraes Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje March 30, 201935:00 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win8–1Suman MokhtarianTKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa December 2, 201812:14 Adelaide, AustraliaPerformance of the Night.
Win7–1 Mike Davis Decision (unanimous) Dana White's Contender Series 14 July 24, 201835:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win6–1Dylan TukeTKO (punches)Brave CF 10March 2, 201810:46 Amman, Jordan
Loss5–1Luis GomezKO (punches) Titan FC 47 December 15, 201714:12 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United StatesFor the Titan FC Featherweight Championship.
Win5–0Vadim OgarKO (punch)CFFC 66August 5, 201710:30 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United StatesReturn to Featherweight.
Win4–0Chuka WillisDecision (unanimous)Victory FC 56April 14, 201735:00 Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Win3–0Devin TurnerTKO (punches)Victory FC 54September 12, 201622:25 Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Win2–0John RamirezDecision (unanimous)Victory FC 52July 16, 201635:00 Omaha, Nebraska, United StatesLightweight debut.
Win1–0Alvin MercerTKO (punches)Shogun Fights 14April 16, 201620:22 Baltimore, Maryland, United StatesFeatherweight debut.

[33]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sodiq Yusuff | UFC". UFC.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Simon Head (January 21, 2020). "The keys to Sodiq Yusuff's UFC 246 victory? Oils, prayers and a new U.S. passport". mmajunkie.com.
  3. ↑ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  4. ↑ "UFC's Sodiq Yusuff discusses emotional debut win after brother's passing". ESPN.com. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  5. ↑ Young, Tunde (2022-10-17). "Born in Lagos and making waves in America; Sodiq Yusuff documents his journey exclusively with Pulse Sports". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  6. ↑ "Beltway Bruisers featuring UFC fighters Sodiq Yusuff and Dwight Grant | MMA UK". 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  7. ↑ Kontek, Riley. "Contender Series: Season 2, Episode 6 Preview and Predictions". Combat Press. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  8. ↑ "Dana White's Contender Series 14 results: Sodiq Yusuff, Jeff Hughes, Jim Crute win UFC deals". MMA Junkie. 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  9. ↑ "Report: Sodiq Yusuff Faces Suman Mokhtarian At UFC Fight Night Adelaide | Fightful MMA". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  10. ↑ "UFC Fight Night 142 Results: Sodiq Yusuff vs. Suman Mokhtarian - A controversial stoppage win for the Nigerian". www.sportskeeda.com. 2018-12-02. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  11. 1 2 Staff (2018-12-02). "Two octagon newcomers among UFC Adelaide bonus winners". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  12. ↑ Marcel Dorff (2019-01-29). "Featherweight talents Sheymon Moraes and Sodiq Yusuff fight at UFC Philadelphia" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  13. ↑ "UFC Philadelphia: Strong finish nets Sodiq Yusuff unanimous call over Sheymon Moraes". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  14. ↑ Marcel Dorff (2019-06-06). "Sodiq Yusuff & Gabriel Benitez cross the stage during UFC 241 in Anaheim" (in Dutch). mmadnanl.com. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  15. ↑ Doherty, Dan (2019-08-17). "UFC 241 Results: Sodiq Yusuff Flattens Gabriel Benitez in First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  16. ↑ "Andre Fili vs. Sodiq Yusuff slated for UFC's Jan. 18 event". MMA Junkie. 2019-11-24. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
  17. ↑ McDonagh, Joe (2020-01-18). "UFC 246 Results: Sodiq Yusuff Takes Unanimous Decision Against Andre Fili". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  18. ↑ Raphael Marinho (2020-08-17). "UFC changes plans, and Edson Barboza faces Sodiq Yusuff in October" (in Portuguese). sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  19. ↑ Staff (2020-09-22). "Sodiq Yusuff is out of the fight against Edson Barboza". globoesporte.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.(in Portuguese)
  20. ↑ Redactie (2021-02-03). "Sodiq Yusuff meets Arnold Allen on April 10". mma.dna.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  21. ↑ Doherty, Dan (2021-04-10). "UFC Vegas 23 Results: Arnold Allen Tops Sodiq Yusuff With Two Knockdowns". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  22. ↑ DNA, MMA (2022-01-03). "Alex Caceres treft Sodiq Yusuff tijdens UFC evenement op 12 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  23. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2022-03-12). "UFC Vegas 50: Leg Kicks Pave Way to Victory for Sodiq Yusuff Against Alex Caceres". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  24. ↑ "Giga Chikadze vs. Sodiq Yusuff added to UFC Fight Night on Sept. 17". MMA Junkie. 2022-07-10. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  25. ↑ Tkaczuk, Michał (2022-09-14). "Po wycofaniu się Gigi Chikadze, Sodiq Yusuff zmierzy się z nowym rywalem na UFC Vegas 61 | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  26. ↑ Tkaczuk, Michał (2022-09-14). "Po wycofaniu się Gigi Chikadze, Sodiq Yusuff zmierzy się z nowym rywalem na UFC Vegas 61 | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  27. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2022-10-01). "UFC Vegas 61: Sodiq Yusuff Makes Quick Work of Newcomer Don Shainis". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  28. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (2023-07-27). "Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff booked for UFC Vegas 82 in October". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  29. ↑ Dewar, Val (2023-10-14). "UFC Vegas 81: Edson Barboza Survives Near-Finish; Wins Decision Versus Sodiq Yusuff". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  30. 1 2 Mike Bohn (2023-10-14). "UFC Fight Night 230 bonuses: Edson Barboza sets new record". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  31. ↑ "Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff joins stacked UFC 300 lineup". MMA Junkie. 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  32. ↑ Dewar, Val (2024-04-14). "UFC 300: Diego Lopes Continues Rise, TKOs Sodiq Yusuff". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  33. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Sodiq". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
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