5 Nigerian MMA Fighters Dominating The UFC

Naija no dey carry last, UFC included!

Once upon a time, the USA held almost all of the major championship belts in the UFC and even when the reign of a belt holder was short, it was handed down to another American. Slowly, Brazilians took on the mantle and even when Canada’s Georges St-Pierre (GSP), Ireland’s Conor McGregor, or even Khabib Nurmagomedov of Dagestan broke through, it still felt like the USA and Brazil were the owners of MMA. That was until Nigerian boys started to pull their weight.

Here are 5 Nigerian MMA fighters in the UFC that are not only Nigerian in name, but always carry the green-white-green flag when walking into the octagon. Which of these fighters do you love to watch the most?

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1. Kamarudeen ‘Kamaru’ Usman

Born Nigerian and raised in Texas, USA, Usman is one the most dominant MMA fighters in history. The freestyle wrestler, despite a loss on record, has gone on to break GSP’s record for longest win streak in the welterweight class. The UFC welterweight champion has never been knocked out by anyone in his division and this gives us all the chills. Kamaru is known as the “Nigerian Nightmare” and trust us, he doesn’t let his opponents sleep peacefully. Usman’s most recent visit to Nigeria was in June, 2021.

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2. Israel ‘Izzy’ Adesanya

Born Nigerian and raised in New Zealand, Izzy is one of the most popular MMA fighters in the world! With deals from Puma and other huge brands, he is one of the most bankable names in the UFC. You can’t help but love him. Though the “Last Stylebender” did not start his fighting career as a mixed martial artist, his kickboxing and boxing days make him stand out. The UFC middleweight champion has never shied away from his love for his family, his dogs and anime.

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3. Sodiq Yusuff

Just like his fellow UFC fighter, Kamaru, Sodiq was born Nigerian and raised in the USA. The MMA fighter has suffered a few losses but is still one of the ranked UFC featherweight division fighters. Super Sodiq has done nothing but make his home country proud with every one of his appearances in the octagon.

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4. Kennedy Nzechukwu:

Another fast rising fighter is Kennedy the “African Savage,” a Nigerian born UFC fighter. Even with his few appearances, Kennedy, fighting out of Dallas, Texas, has always made the motherland proud. We hope to see him rise in the heavyweight rankings soon.

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5. Hakeem Dawodu:

The 29 year old MMA fighter born to a Nigerian mother and Jamaican father was raised in Canada. Nevertheless, we will still attribute his resilience and skills to his Nigerian roots because he has carried our flag with pride. Hakeem has a remarkable story and though he has a couple of losses in his career, he has shown the makings of a champion. We’ll keep rooting for him.

#Unsolicited is a segment for reviews, opinion pieces and industry perspectives that we know you’ll love. In this edition, we discuss the Nigerians making waves in the UFC.