Sodiq Yusuff Record: 13-5-0

UFC rise

Yusuff made his Octagon debut in December 2018 with a first-round TKO of the undefeated Suman Mokhtarian, then followed with a unanimous-decision win over Sheymon Moraes in March 2019. He continued climbing the featherweight ladder with a first-round TKO of veteran Gabriel Benítez at UFC 241 in August 2019, and opened 2020 with a decision victory over Andre Fili on the marquee UFC 246 card. That four-fight UFC win streak pushed him toward the division's rankings.

Contender stretch and recent setbacks

His momentum stalled in April 2021, when contender Arnold Allen handed him a unanimous-decision loss. Yusuff rebounded with back-to-back wins in 2022 – a decision over Alex Caceres and a first-round guillotine submission of Don Shainis. The most recent chapter has been the toughest of his career. He dropped a five-round decision to veteran Edson Barboza in October 2023, was stopped in the first round by surging contender Diego Lopes at UFC 300 in April 2024, and lost a unanimous decision to Mairon Santos in May 2025.

Fighting style

Yusuff is a pressure-oriented striker whose game is built on heavy hands and a willingness to trade. Six of his 13 wins have come by knockout and another by submission, giving him a finish rate around 54 percent. His boxing-forward attack, crisp counters and durable chin made him one of the more exciting featherweight risers of his era, though his career also shows the downside of his aggression: all five of his losses, including two knockouts, have come against ranked or elite competition. When he controls range and dictates the exchanges he is dangerous in every round, but high-level opponents have at times exploited his readiness to engage.

Career highlights

• Contender Series breakthrough — beat the unbeaten Mike Davis in 2018 to earn his UFC contract and launch his Octagon career.
• Four-fight UFC win streak — opened his promotional run with finishes of Suman Mokhtarian and Gabriel Benítez plus decisions over Sheymon Moraes and Andre Fili to enter the rankings.
• Knockout pedigree — six of his 13 wins have come by KO/TKO, marking him as one of featherweight's most aggressive finishers.