Sidney Outlaw Record: 23-6-0

Building a contender's resume

Outlaw answered that loss by going on a tear. In July 2017 he earned a decision over Michael Cora on Dana White's Contender Series, the kind of stage that announces a fighter to the wider MMA world. He kept climbing on the regional circuit, mixing decisions with submission finishes, before landing in Bellator for good. There, in November 2019, he out-worked veteran Roger Huerta over three rounds at Bellator 234, banking a signature win over a recognizable name. The momentum hit a wall a month later at Bellator 237, where former champion Michael Chandler caught him with a first-round right cross – a reminder of the punching power that lives at the top of the lightweight division.

Bellator run and grappling crossover

Outlaw rebounded the way he always has: by getting back to his grappling. His standout Bellator performance came in June 2021, when he submitted former UFC contender Myles Jury by third-round rear-naked choke at Bellator 261, a statement win that reaffirmed his place among the promotion's lightweight contenders. As his cage career matured, Outlaw also leaned into elite grappling competition, scoring a first-round crossface finish over UFC veteran Terrance McKinney at ADXC 2 in January 2024 – further proof that the mat is where he is most dangerous.

Fighting style

Outlaw is a grappling-first lightweight whose game is built on the wrestling base he developed as a teenager and the no-gi submission skills he honed under Dante Rivera. Of his 17 wins, eight have come by submission – most often the rear-naked choke – with another eight by decision, giving him a finish rate of roughly 53 percent and a clear identity as a fighter who controls position and hunts the neck. His chain wrestling and top pressure let him dictate where fights happen, and his durability has kept him in deep waters against quality opposition. The honest knock is on the feet: his losses to Chandler and Tofiq Musayev show that elite punchers can catch him early, which makes closing distance and getting to his grappling the priority every time out.

Career highlights

• Submitted Myles Jury at Bellator 261 — a third-round rear-naked choke over a former UFC contender that stands as the signature win of his Bellator run.
• Contender Series victory over Michael Cora — a 2017 decision on Dana White's Contender Series that put him on the national radar.
• Grappling finish of Terrance McKinney — a first-round crossface submission at ADXC 2 that showcased the mat skills at the heart of his game.