Rivalries: Sodiq Yusuff

Flashes of brilliance interspersed with ill-timed inconsistency have marked Sodiq Yusuff’s stay in the Ultimate Fighting Championship thus far.

The 31-year-old Team Lloyd Irvin rep will toe the line against Mairon Santos in a UFC Fight Night 256 lightweight showcase on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Yusuff holds a 6-3 record across his nine appearances inside the Octagon but finds himself reeling after back-to-back losses. He last saw action at UFC 300, where he succumbed to punches from Diego Lopes just 89 seconds into their April 13, 2024 encounter.

As Yusuff makes final preparations for his upcoming battle with Santos at 145 pounds, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Mike Davis

Damaging leg kicks and crisp punching combinations carried Yusuff to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten “Beast Boy” during Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series on July 24, 2018 at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it 30-27. Davis showed off some intriguing tools but faced an uphill climb after a difficult first round. Yusuff rocked him with an overhand right, sent him to the mat with a tight left hook and swarmed for a potential finish. Worse for Davis, “Super Sodiq” tore into him with a steady stream of calf kicks to the lead leg. By the third round, he was hobbled and had no choice but to switch stances—a move that allowed him to survive but also took him out of his comfort zone. The performance earned Yusuff a UFC contract.

Gabriel Benitez

Yusuff cut down “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” semifinalist with punches in the first round of their UFC 241 featherweight feature on Aug. 17, 2019 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Califorina. Benitez bowed out 4:14 into Round 1, his modest two-fight winning streak having reached its conclusion. Yusuff hit the deck on the end of a left hook but bounced back to his feet and withstood the American Kickboxing Academy rep’s follow-up efforts. Both men suffered cuts—Benitez near his left eye, Yusuff above his right eye—and fired punches without much regard for their well-being. A counter right hook sent Benitez crashing to the canvas in a dazed state, unable to defend himself from the punches that came next. Stock in Yusuff continued to soar.

Arnold Allen

The Tristar Gym rep climbed another rung on the featherweight ladder with a unanimous decision over Yusuff in their three-round UFC on ABC 2 co-main event on April 10, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Allen, who entered the cage on a nine-fight winning streak. Yusuff was heavy on pressure and light on defense. Allen dropped him with a counter left hand in the first round, dazed him with a head kick in the second and frustrated the Nigeria native with persistent tie-ups. He was also responsible for the only two completed takedowns of the bout. Allen’s all-terrain productivity allowed him to hold off a late rally from his resilient adversary. Yusuff outlanded the Englishman by a 31-2 margin in Round 3, only to fall short on the scorecards.

Edson Barboza

The former Ring of Combat champion called upon his experience, guile and durability when he outlasted Yusuff to a five-round unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 230 headliner on Oct. 14, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Barboza carried all three scorecards: 49-46, 48-46 and 48-46. Yusuff raced out to a blistering start and flirted with multiple finishes in the first round, where he connected with 42 significant