Tafon Nchukwi

Tafon Nchukwi (born 14 October 1994) is a Cameroonian mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tafon Nchukwi
Born (1994-10-14) 14 October 1994
Bamenda, Cameroon
Other namesCameroon Express
ResidenceTemple Hills, Maryland, United States
NationalityCameroonian
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
DivisionMiddleweight
Reach77.0 in (196 cm)
TeamTeam Lloyd Irvin
RankBlue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu[1]
Years active2019–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total8
Wins6
By knockout4
By decision2
Losses2
By knockout1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Born in Bamenda, Cameroon, Nchukwi's family moved to the United States in 2005.[2] He played soccer in his youth, changing to football, baseball and wrestling during his high school years.[3] He attended college, but dropped out after discovering mixed martial arts.[4]

Nchukwi is a WKA ×2 2016 National champion, WKA ×2 2017 national champion, WKA ×2 2016 World champion. He is also a Jiu-jitsu blue belt and a 2017 IBJJF PAN Silver medalist.[5]

Nchukwi flies the flag of the separatist banner of the Republic of Ambazonia.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In his MMA debut at CFFC 73, he faced Alex Meyers and went on to defeat him via TKO in the second round. Nchukwi defeated AT McCowin via TKO in round one at Shogun Fights 23. Then in his second and final appearance with Cage Fury Fighting Championships at CFFC 80, he defeated William Knight via TKO in the first round to make it two in a row with Cage Fury Fighting Championships.[7] The win was controversial as the ref thought he was Knight was knocked out when covering up, for which the ref apologized afterwards.[8]

For the main event of Dana White's Contender Series 32, Nchukwi knocked out Al Matavao in the second round. The victory earned Nchukwi the fourth knockout win of his professional career. He also picked up a contract from the UFC in the process.[9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his promotional debut, Nchukwi faced Jamie Pickett at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal on December 19, 2020. After knocking down Pickett in the third round, Nchukwi won the fight via unanimous decision.[10]

In his sophomore appearance, Nchukwi faced Jun Yong Park on May 8, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson.[11] He lost the fight via majority decision after being deducted a point due to repeated groin strikes.[12]

Nchukwi faced Mike Rodríguez at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann on September 18, 2021.[13] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[14]

Nchukwi faced Azamat Murzakanov on March 12, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 203[15] Despite winning most of the bout, Nchukwi lost the bout after getting knocked out by a flying knee in round three.[16]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
8 matches 6 wins 2 losses
By knockout 4 1
By decision 2 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 6–2 Azamat Murzakanov KO (flying knee) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev March 12, 2022 3 0:44 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–1 Mike Rodríguez Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann September 18, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Light Heavyweight.
Loss 5–1 Jun Yong Park Decision (majority) UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson May 8, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Nchukwi was deducted one point in round 2 due to repeated groin strikes.
Win 5–0 Jamie Pickett Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal December 19, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Middleweight debut.
Win 4–0 Al Matavao KO (head kick) Dana White's Contender Series 32 September 8, 2020 2 2:01 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Light Heavyweight debut.
Win 3–0 William Knight TKO (punches) CFFC 80 November 22, 2019 1 2:30 Hampton, Virginia, United States Catchweight (225 lb) bout.
Win 2–0 A.T. McCowin TKO (strikes) Shogun Fights 23 November 2, 2019 1 2:27 Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win 1–0 Alex Meyers TKO CFFC 73 March 2, 2019 2 2:15 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Heavyweight debut.

[17]

See also

References
  1. "Tafon Nchukwi". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  2. Julian Kiewietz (May 8, 2021). "WATCH: Tafon Nchukwi wants to be part of UFC Africa, one way or another". IOL.
  3. Shawn Bitter (November 20, 2019). "Get to Know Light Heavyweight Prospect Tafon Nchukwi Ahead of CFFC 80". cagesidepress.com.
  4. Nolan King (September 9, 2020). "Francis Ngannou was first, but Tafon Nchukwi hopes to be Cameroon's next UFC star". MMAjunkie.com.
  5. Bitter, Shawn (2019-11-20). "Get to Know LHW Prospect Tafon Nchukwi Ahead of CFFC 80". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  6. "MMA: Tafon Nchukwi, ambassadeur du Nord-Ouest Cameroun à l'UFC". RFI (in French). 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  7. "Across The Pond Profile: UFC fighter Tafon Nchukwi | MMA UK". 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  8. kmaher@journalinquirer.com, Kyle Maher. "Knight has gone from Manchester to the upper echelon of MMA". Journal Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  9. Staff (2020-09-08). "Dana White's Contender Series Season 4, Week 6 Results". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  10. Dan Doherty (December 19, 2020). "UFC Vegas 17 Results: Tafon Nchukwi Overwhelms Jamie Pickett". cagesidepress.com.
  11. "BREAKING: Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 8 mei". MMA DNA (in Dutch). 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  12. Behunin, Alex (2021-05-08). "UFC Vegas 26 Results: Jun Yong Park Takes Tafon Nchukwi's Undefeated Record". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  13. Nolan King (June 9, 2021). "Tafon Nchukwi vs. Mike Rodriguez targeted for UFC Fight Night event Sept. 18". MMAjunkie.com.
  14. Behunin, Alex (2021-09-18). "UFC Vegas 37 Results: Tafon Nchukwi Dominates Mike Rodriguez". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  15. Behunin, Alex. "Tafon Nchukwi vs. Azamat Murzakanov Set For March 12 UFC Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  16. Bitter, Shawn (2022-03-12). "UFC Vegas 50: Azamat Murzakanov Drops Tafon Nchukwi with Flying Knee in Third". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  17. "Tafon "Cameroon Express" Nchukwi". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
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