Nationality Brazilian Name Rani Yahya Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Role Mixed martial artist | Reach 68 in (170 cm) Wins by knockout 2 Fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil Number of contests 1 | |
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Born September 12, 1984 (age 39)
Brasilia, Brazil ( 1984-09-12 ) Weight 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) Division Bantamweight
Featherweight
Lightweight TV shows World Extreme Cagefighting | ||
Rani yahya talks return to the ufc octagon constrictor team mcgregor vs aldo and more
Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. Yahya was born to a Syrian father and Brazilian mother. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Contents
- Rani yahya talks return to the ufc octagon constrictor team mcgregor vs aldo and more
- Fight night sioux falls rani yahya octagon interview
- World Extreme Cagefighting
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Grappling credentials
- Championships and Accomplishments
- References
Fight night sioux falls rani yahya octagon interview
World Extreme Cagefighting
Yahya made his WEC debut against former TKO Major League MMA featherweight champion Mark Hominick at WEC 28 on May 3, 2007. Yahya defeated Hominick in the first round with a rear naked choke.
He fought and lost to Chase Beebe via unanimous decision for the WEC bantamweight championship at WEC 30 on September 5, 2007.
Yahya rebounded from his loss to Beebe with a first round submission victory over former WEC Bantamweight Champion Eddie Wineland on the undercard of WEC 40 on April 5, 2009.
Yahya was scheduled to fight Kenji Osawa on August 9, 2009 at WEC 42, but due to a foot injury suffered by Osawa, he was replaced by John Hosman. Yahya submitted Hosman with a north–south choke in the first round and earned his third consecutive Submission of the Night bonus.
Yahya fought Joseph Benavidez on December 19, 2009 at WEC 45. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Yahya faced Takeya Mizugaki on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were brought over to compete in the 2 new weight divisions.
Yahya was expected to face Chan Sung Jung on January 22, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 23. However, Jung was forced from the card with an injury. and replaced by Mike Brown. Yahya won the fight via unanimous decision.
Yahya was expected to face Dustin Poirier on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131, but had to pull out of the bout due to injury.
Yahya next faced Chad Mendes on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Yahya was expected to face Jonathan Brookins on February 15, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 1, but was forced out of the bout with an injury.
Yahya fought Josh Grispi on August 4, 2012 at UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera, replacing an injured Pablo Garza. Yahya was victorious, defeating Grispi in the first round with a north-south choke.
Yahya faced promotional newcomer Mizuto Hirota on March 3, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 8. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Yahya next faced Josh Clopton on August 3, 2013 at UFC 163. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Yahya faced promotional newcomer Tom Niinimäki on November 30, 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale. He lost the fight via split decision.
Yahya faced Johnny Bedford in a bantamweight bout on April 11, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 39. The bout ended in a No Contest as an accidental clash of heads rendered Yahya unable to protect himself, forcing a referee stoppage at 0:39 of round 1.
A rematch with Bedford was expected to take place on June 28, 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens. However, Yahya was forced out of the bout and replaced by Cody Gibson.
The rescheduled rematch with Bedford eventually took place on September 13, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 51. Yahya won via submission in the second round.
Yahya was expected to face Masanori Kanehara on June 27, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 70. However, as the event approached, several international fighters experienced travel restrictions due to technical issues within the Bureau of Consular Affairs division of the U.S. State Department which produces travel visas. The issue lead to a major altering of the card as multiple fights were postponed. Yahya/Kanehara eventually took place on July 15, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 71. Yahya won the fight by split decision.
Yahya next faced touted promotional newcomer Matthew Lopez on July 13, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91. Yahya won the fight via submission in the third round.
Yahya faced Michinori Tanaka on September 24, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 95. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Yahya faced Joe Soto on March 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106. He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.
Yahya faced Henry Briones on August 5, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. Moreno. He won the fight via a kimura submission in the first round.
Grappling credentials
ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships
ADCC 2007 –65 kg: 1st Place
ADCC 2005 –65 kg: 2nd Place
ADCC 2003 –65 kg: Quarter finals.
Record of opponents:
CBJJ World Championships
2003 Brown Belt Pena: 1st Place
2002 Purple Belt Pluma: 1st Place
1999 Pan-Ams + World