Kennedy Nzechukwu
Kennedy Nzechukwu | |
---|---|
Born | Kennedy Nzechukwu (1992-06-13) June 13, 1992 (age 32) Imo State, Nigeria |
Other names | African Savage |
Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
Division | Light Heavyweight (2017–present) Heavyweight (2015–2016) |
Reach | 83 in (211 cm)[1] |
Fighting out of | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
Team | Fortis MMA (2015–present)[2] |
Years active | 2016–present |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 17 |
Wins | 12 |
By knockout | 8 |
By submission | 1 |
By decision | 3 |
Losses | 5 |
By knockout | 2 |
By submission | 1 |
By decision | 2 |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Kennedy Nzechukwu // ⓘ (born June 13, 1992) is a Nigerian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Nzechukwu moved from Nigeria to the United States with his family in 2010.[3] He started training in mixed martial arts when his mother brought him to Fortis MMA in 2015 to learn some discipline.[3] He attended college but dropped out in order to pursue a career in mixed martial arts and [2] after his mother was diagnosed with ALS.[4]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
After his amateur career, Nzechukwu turned professional, racking two straight victories in the Xtreme Knockout organization. He was then invited to compete in the Dana White's Contender Series. His bout took place on August 22, 2017, at Dana White's Contender Series 7 against Anton Berzin. He won the bout via split decision but did not receive a contract to the UFC.[5]
He then returned to the regional circuit and notched two knockout victories in XKO and Legacy Fighting Alliance.[6]
Dana White's Contender Series
Nzechukwu was then invited a second time to Dana White's Contender Series, this time facing Dennis Bryant at Dana White's Contender Series 16 on August 7, 2018. He won the bout via first-round knockout and received a UFC contract.[7]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Nzechukwu made his UFC debut against Paul Craig on March 30, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 2.[8] He lost the fight via triangle choke in the third round.[9]
Nzechukwu faced Darko Stošić on August 3, 2019, at UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler.[10] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[11]
Nzechukwu faced Carlos Ulberg on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259.[12] Ulberg started strong, hurting Nzechukwu badly with strikes and kicks, but quickly became exhausted, resulting in Nzechukwu winning the fight via knockout in round two.[13] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[14]
Nzechukwu faced Danilo Marques, replacing Ed Herman on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 190.[15] After largely being controlled for most of the bout, he rallied and won the fight via TKO in the third round.[16] This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.[17]
Nzechukwu was scheduled to face Da Un Jung on October 16, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 195.[18] However, the bout was postponed to UFC Fight Night 197 on November 13, 2021, for unknown reasons.[19] Nzechukwu lost the fight via knockout in round one.[20]
Nzechukwu, as a replacement for Ihor Potieria, faced Nicolae Negumereanu on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272.[21] He lost the fight via split decision.[22] 8 out of 15 media scores gave it to Nzechukwu, while 6 scored it a draw, with only one giving it to Negumereanu.[23]
Nzechukw faced Karl Roberson on July 9, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 39.[24] He won the fight via technical knockout in round three.[25]
Nzechukwu faced Ion Cuțelaba on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215.[26] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[27] With this win, Nzechukwu earned the Performance of the Night award.[28]
Nzechukwu faced Devin Clark on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288.[29] He won the fight via technical submission in the second round.[30]
Nzechukwu faced Dustin Jacoby on August 5, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 225.[31] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[32]
Nzechukwu faced Ovince Saint Preux on March 16, 2024 at, UFC Fight Night 239.[33] He lost the bout by split decision.[34]
Nzechukwu is scheduled to face Marcos Rogério de Lima in a heavyweight bout on October 26, 2024 at UFC 308.[35]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championships
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Carlos Ulberg[14]
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Danilo Marques and Ion Cuțelaba[17][28]
Mixed martial arts record
17 matches | 12 wins | 5 losses |
By knockout | 8 | 2 |
By submission | 1 | 1 |
By decision | 3 | 2 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 12–5 | Ovince Saint Preux | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura | March 16, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Loss | 12–4 | Dustin Jacoby | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Font | August 5, 2023 | 1 | 1:22 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
Win | 12–3 | Devin Clark | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 288 | May 6, 2023 | 2 | 2:28 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
Win | 11–3 | Ion Cuțelaba | TKO (flying knee and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba | November 19, 2022 | 2 | 1:02 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
Win | 10–3 | Karl Roberson | TKO (elbows) | UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev | July 9, 2022 | 3 | 2:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Loss | 9–3 | Nicolae Negumereanu | Decision (split) | UFC 272 | March 5, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Nzechukwu was deducted one point in round 3 due to repeated eye pokes. |
Loss | 9–2 | Jung Da-un | KO (elbows) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez | November 13, 2021 | 1 | 3:04 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 9–1 | Danilo Marques | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov | June 26, 2021 | 3 | 0:20 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
Win | 8–1 | Carlos Ulberg | KO (punches) | UFC 259 | March 6, 2021 | 2 | 3:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
Win | 7–1 | Darko Stošić | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler | August 3, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Stošić was deducted two points, one in round 2 and one in round 3, both due to repeated groin strikes. |
Loss | 6–1 | Paul Craig | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje | March 30, 2019 | 3 | 4:20 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Nzechukwu was deducted one point in round 3 due to repeated eye pokes. |
Win | 6–0 | Dennis Bryant | TKO (head kick and punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 16 | August 7, 2018 | 1 | 1:48 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 5–0 | Corey Johnson | TKO (punches) | LFA 40 | May 25, 2018 | 2 | 1:18 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
Win | 4–0 | Andre Kavanaugh | TKO (punches) | XKO 40 | March 10, 2018 | 1 | 2:40 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Heavyweight bout. |
Win | 3–0 | Anton Berzin | Decision (split) | Dana White's Contender Series 7 | August 22, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Win | 2–0 | Thai Walwyn | Decision (unanimous) | XKO 34 | January 28, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. |
Win | 1–0 | Matt Foster | TKO (punches) | XKO 33 | November 5, 2016 | 1 | 2:06 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Heavyweight debut. |
[36]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
- ^ a b Blaine Henry (March 24, 2019). "UFC Philadelphia: Kennedy Nzechukwu on Aspirations, Kamaru Usman, and More". cagesidepress.com.
- ^ a b E. Spencer Kyte (March 25, 2019). "Nzechukwu Hopes To Bring A Victory Home To Mom". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- ^ Henry, Blaine (24 March 2019). "UFC Philadelphia: Kennedy Nzechukwu on Aspirations, Kamaru Usman, and More". Cageside Press. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Danny Segura (2017-08-22). "Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series 7 results: Joby Sanchez, Benito Lopez earn UFC contracts". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ Rob Tatum (May 25, 2018). "LFA 40 Results: Aguilar Crushes Le, Unifies Featherweight Belt". combatpress.com.
- ^ Dave Doyle (2018-08-07). "DWTNCS results: Greg Hardy scores 17-second knockout of Taboris Gordon". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ Amy MacBeath (2019-01-23). "UPaul Craig: UFC Scot to fight Kennedy Nzechukwu in Philadelphia". bbc.com. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "UFC Philadelphia: Paul Craig subs Kennedy Nzechukwu despite repeated eyepokes". MMA Junkie. 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
- ^ Fortune, Ryan (2019-08-02). "UFC on ESPN 5 Main Card Preview". MMASucka.com. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ Fern, Julio; Navas, o (2019-08-03). "Kennedy Nzechukwu supera a Darko Stošić en UFC Newark". MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ Redactie (2021-01-28). "Carlos Ulberg makes UFC debut against Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 259". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2021-01-28. (in Dutch)
- ^ Bitter, Shawn (2021-03-06). "UFC 259 Results: Carlos Ulberg Gets Rude Welcome from Kennedy Nzechukwu". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
- ^ a b Lee, Alexander K. (7 March 2021). "UFC 259 bonuses: Kennedy Nzechukwu and Carlos Ulberg earn Fight of the Night for back-and-forth scrap". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ Nolan King (2021-06-14). "Kennedy Nzechukwu replaces Ed Herman, meets Danilo Marques at UFC Fight Night 190". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
- ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-06-26). "UFC Vegas 30 Results: Kennedy Nzechukwu Mounts Third-Round Comeback, Stops Danilo Marques". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
- ^ a b Marrocco, Steven (2021-06-26). "UFC Vegas 30 bonuses: Raoni Barcelos vs. Timur Valiev wins 'Fight of the Night'". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
- ^ DNA, MMA (2021-08-31). "Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Da Un Jung toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 16 oktober". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ Staff (2021-10-07). "Fight pushed back". rotowire.com. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-11-13). "UFC Vegas 42: Da Un Jung Batters Kennedy Nzechukwu with Elbows". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ Wannan, Jack (2022-02-04). "Kennedy Nzechukwu Steps In To Face Nick Negumereanu At UFC 272". Knockdown News. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ McClory, Mike (2022-03-05). "UFC 272: Nicolae Negumereanu Survives Eye Pokes, Wins Split Decision Against Kennedy Nzechukwu". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- ^ "Nicolae Negumereanu def. Kennedy Nzechukwu :: UFC 272 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-06-06). "Karl Roberson vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu Booked for UFC's July 9 Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
- ^ Law, Eddie (2022-07-09). "UFC Vegas 58: Kennedy Nzechukwu Dominates Roberson From Start To Finish, Gets R3 TKO". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
- ^ Mike Bohn and Nolan King (2022-10-28). "Ion Cutelaba vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu added to UFC Fight Night 215 on Nov. 19". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ Dewar, Val (2022-11-19). "UFC Vegas 65: Kennedy Nzechukwu Finishes Ion Cutelaba in Impromptu Main Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
- ^ a b Staff (2022-11-19). "UFC Fight Night 215 bonuses: Jack Della Maddalena's first-round blitz among four POTN winners". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
- ^ Arshad (2023-03-01). "Devin Clark vs Kennedy Nzechukwu Reportedly Set for UFC 288". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-05-06). "UFC 288: Kennedy Nzechukwu Chokes Out Devin Clark in Wild Scrap". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ "UFC light heavyweights Dustin Jacoby, Kennedy Nzechukwu to collide Aug. 5". MMA Junkie. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
- ^ Dewar, Val (2023-08-05). "Dustin Jacoby Drops Nzechukwu with Counter Right Hand, Earns First Round TKO". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "UFC books Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Ovince Saint Preux". MMA Junkie. 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ Dewar, Val (2024-03-17). "UFC Vegas 88: Ovince St. Preux Upsets Seven-to-One Favorite Kennedy Nzechukwu". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ^ Sayan Nag (2024-08-03). "Marcos Rogerio de Lima to Face Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308 on Oct. 26". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Kennedy". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-03-07.