Nigerian-Canadian mixed martial art fighter Hakeem Dawodu earned his fifth straight win on Sunday after edging out Russian Zubaira Tukhugov at the UFC253 held at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Dawodu’s victory came before the more popular Israel Adesanya knocked out his opponent in the second round.
Dawodu won the game after three rounds. “I thought it was going to be a good fight but as everybody can see, he was running,” he shouted after the win. “I promise the next fight, give me somebody that ain’t gonna run.”
Flying the Nigerian flag after his victory, Dawodu said: “They only allowed me to bring one flag, so I’m really sorry for not bringing the Jamaican and Canadian flags but you know what I represent.”
The 29-year-old said this was one of the fights he pulled off for “something bigger than myself – all my black people, all my African people, everybody that’s getting oppressed”.
With his victory, Dawodu moves to 5-1 overall in the UFC while making a steady climb towards the featherweight top 15 rankings.
Celebrating Dawodu on Twitter, Minster of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare wrote: “I also congratulate and celebrate Hakeem Dawodu. Another Nigerian who won his fight this morning before Isreal.”
Born in Canada to a Nigerian mother and a Jamaican father, Mean Hakeem as he is widely called identifies with all of his roots.
Other Nigerians in the UFC are Kamaru Usman (welterweight), Sodiq Yusuff (featherweight) and Kennedy Nzechukwu (heavyweight).
