Mehdi Baghdad (born 13 April 1985) is a French mixed martial artist who fights out of Los Angeles, California. He previously fought for the UFC in the lightweight division. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 22: Team McGregor vs Team Faber.

Mehdi Baghdad
Born (1985-04-13) 13 April 1985 (age 39)
La Seyne-sur-Mer, France
Other namesSultan[1]
NationalityAlgerian and French
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
DivisionWelterweight(2016-17) Lightweight (2007–13,2018-present)

Featherweight(2013)

[2]
Reach75 in (190 cm)
StyleBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofLos Angeles, California, United States
TeamBlack house
RankPurple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antônio "Nino" Schembri[1]
Years active2007–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins12
By knockout8
By submission3
By decision1
Losses7
By knockout3
By submission1
By decision3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: 25 May 2016

Mixed martial arts career

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Baghdad started training at the age of 16 and had his first fight at the age of 20. He went on to become a world champion in Muay Thai, WKBC also lightweight champion in RFA MMA. Baghdad is inspired by his father who died when he was young, and former world champion boxer Prince Naseem Hamed. Baghdad's first loss was handed to him by UFC competitor Charles Oliveira. Baghdad's nickname is Sultan, which in Arabic means High King / Emperor.

The Ultimate Fighter

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Baghdad joined the Ultimate Fighter 22: Team McGregor vs Team Faber. Baghdad defeated Artem Lobov via majority decision after two rounds. He then joined McGregor's team (European team). Unfortunately Julian Erosa defeated Mehdi Baghdad via majority decision after two rounds in the preliminary fights, this would eliminate him from the tournament.[3]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Despite losing TUF 22 Baghdad would still be signed by the promotion and would have his first match against Chris Wade on UFC Fight Night 81 on 17 January 2016. Baghdad would lose 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the first round by tapping out to the rear - naked choke.[4]

Baghdad was expected to face John Makdessi on 4 June 2016 at UFC 199[5] but was rescheduled to 7 July 2016 at UFC Fight Night 90.[6] Makdessi was awarded a split decision victory.[7]

Baghdad was scheduled to face Jon Tuck on 15 October 2016 at UFC Fight Night 97.[8] However, Baghdad pulled out of the fight in mid-September citing injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Alex Volkanovski.[9] In turn, Baghdad was released from the promotion.[10]

The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption

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In February 2017, it was revealed that Baghdad would again compete on the UFC's reality show in the 25th season on The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption.[11] Baghdad was the second pick overall for Team Garbrandt. He faced Jesse Taylor in the opening round and lost via unanimous decision.[12]

Post UFC

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Baghdad faced Thibault Gouti for the LTDE Super Lightweight belt on 2 July 2021 at Trophee des Etoiles 15.[13] Baghdad lost the bout via TKO in the first round.[14]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
19 matches 12 wins 7 losses
By knockout 8 3
By submission 3 1
By decision 1 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 12–7 Thibault Gouti TKO (punches) Trophee des Etoiles 15 2 July 2021 1 N/A Aix-en-Provence, France For the LTDE Super Lightweight Championship.
Win 12–6 Erivan Pereira Decision (split) Brave 25 30 August 2019 3 5:00 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Loss 11–6 Pawel Kielek Decision (unanimous) Brave 12 - KHK Legacy 11 May 2018 3 5:00 Jakarta, Indonesia
Loss 11–5 John Makdessi Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez 7 July 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–4 Chris Wade Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz 17 January 2016 1 4:30 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Win 11–3 Zach Juusola TKO (punches) RFA 21 - Juusola vs. Baghdad 5 December 2014 4 2:37 Costa Mesa, California, United States Won the vacant RFA Lightweight Championship.
Win 10–3 Evan Delong TKO (punches) RFA 18 - Manzanares vs. Pantoja 12 September 2014 1 1:55 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Return to Lightweight.
Win 9–3 Nicholas Christy Submission (choke) West Coast FC 7: Griffin vs. Gonzalez 16 November 2013 2 4:57 Sacramento, California, United States Featherweight debut.
Win 8–3 Dionisio Ramirez Submission (choke) BAMMA USA: Badbeat 11 25 October 2013 2 1:53 Commerce, California, United States Won the BAMMA USA Lightweight Championship.
Win 7–3 Tom Douglas TKO (punches) Gladiator Challenge: Summer Heat 30 June 2013 1 0:42 San Jacinto, California, United States
Win 6–3 Dominic Gutierrez Submission (anaconda choke) All Star Boxing 21 September 2012 2 2:31 Oceanside, California, United States
Win 5–3 Mike Sandez KO (punch) Marconi Fight Night 9 March 2012 1 2:30 Tustin, California, United States
Loss 4–3 Yves Landu Decision (unanimous) 100% Fight 5 28 May 2011 2 5:00 Paris, France
Win 4–2 Randall Jimenez TKO (soccer kicks and punches) Xtreme Vale Todo 5: Franca vs. Kheder 19 December 2010 1 0:37 Cartago, Costa Rica
Win 3–2 Jeffry Lopez Madrigal TKO (punches) Xtreme Vale Todo 4 26 June 2010 1 3:45 Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Loss 2–2 Juan Puig TKO (punches) Panama Fight League: Ultimate Combat Challenge 5 22 May 2010 2 3:37 Panama City, Panama
Win 2–1 Rudy Saoudi TKO (leg kicks) 100% Fight: Contenders 4 10 October 2009 2 1:43 Paris, France
Loss 1–1 Charles Oliveira TKO (punches) Kawai Arena 1 13 December 2008 1 1:01 São Paulo, Brazil
Win 1–0 Unknown Fighter TKO (knees and punches) Rio Recreio Fighting 14 March 2007 1 2:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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Professional record breakdown
3 matches 1 win 2 losses
By decision 1 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–2 Jesse Taylor Decision (Unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Garbrandt vs Team Dillashaw 3 May 2017 2 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Eliminated from the TUF 25 tournament
Loss 1–1 Julian Erosa Decision (majority) The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber 21 October 2015 2 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Eliminated from the TUF 22 tournament
Win 1–0 Artem Lobov Decision (majority) The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs Team Faber 9 September 2015 2 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Entered in the TUF 22 tournament

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Mehdi Baghdad - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. ^ Sherdog.com. "Mehdi". sherdog.com. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Episode No. 6 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 22: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber'". MMA Junkie. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  4. ^ "UFC Fight Night 81 results: Chris Wade runs through Mehdi Baghdad in first round". mmajunkie.com. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  5. ^ "John Makdessi vs. Mehdi Baghdad joins UFC 199 lineup". mmajunkie.com. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Mehdi Baghdad vs. John Makdessi Results and News - UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez - MMA Fighting". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  7. ^ Ben Fowlkes (7 July 2016). "UFC Fight Night 90 results: John Makdessi gets past Mehdi Baghdad with narrow split-decision win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  8. ^ Staff (2 September 2016). "Jon Tuck vs. Mehdi Baghdad added to UFC Fight Night 97 in Philippines". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  9. ^ Chris (15 September 2016). "Alex Volkanovski set to face Jon Tuck at UFC Fight Night 97". fightnewsaustralia.com. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  10. ^ Baldwin, Nick (23 October 2016). "Baghdad had to choose UFC release or fighting hurt: 'It's just the ego of Joe Silva'". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  11. ^ Marc Raimondi (15 February 2017). "Joe Stevenson, James Krause, Jesse Taylor among TUF: Redemption cast members". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  12. ^ Bohn, Mike (3 May 2017). "Episode No. 3 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 25: Redemption'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Trophee des Etoiles 15: Arena Goliath MMA | MMA Event". Tapology. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Trophee des Etoiles 15: Arena Goliath MMA | MMA Event". Tapology. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
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