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Bantamweight Division

Active

Rani Yahya

Bantamweight Division

28-12-1 (W-L-D)

21

Wins by Submission

7

Wins by Decision

Rani Yahya

athlete record

Info

Learn more about Rani Yahya's UFC history, fighter facts, and Q&A below.

Status
Active
Place of Birth
Brasilia, Brazil
Trains at
Constrictor Team Brazilia
Fighting style
MMA
Age
39
Height
66.00
Weight
145.00
Octagon Debut
Jan. 23, 2011
Reach
67.00
Leg reach
37.50
  • 4-3 in WEC, with wins over Mark Hominick, Yoshiro Maeda, Eddie Wineland, and John Hosman

     
  • Earned three Submission of the Night awards in WEC (Maeda, Wineland, Hosman)

     
  • Lost five round decision to Chase Beebe in 2007 challenge for the WEC bantamweight title

     
  • 21 of 28 wins by submission (2 kimura, heel hook, 3 north-south, 2 RNC, 2 guillotine, D’Arce, Ezekiel, triangle, 5 arm triangle, keylock, armbar, Peruvian necktie)

     
  • Fought Kid Yamamoto, Fredson Paixao, and Gesias Cavalcante in non-WEC / UFC bouts

     
  • 12-4-1, 1 NC in last 18 bouts

     
  • Has won five of his last eight (5-2-1)

UFC Fight Night (4/22/23) Yahya was knocked out by Montel Jackson at 3:42 of the first round

UFC Fight Night (11/20/21) Yahya won a three round unanimous decision over Kyung Ho Kang

UFC Fight Night (3/13/21) Yahya submitted Ray Rodriguez via arm triangle choke at 3:09 of the second round

UFC Fight Night (3/14/20) Yahya fought to a three round draw with Enrique Barzola

UFC 234 (2/10/19) Yahya lost a three round unanimous decision to Ricky Simon

UFC Fight Night (8/25/18) Yahya submitted Luke Sanders via heel hook at 1:31 of the first round

UFC on FOX (2/24/18) Yahya submitted Russell Doane via arm triangle choke at 2:32 of the third round

UFC Fight Night (8/5/17) Yahya submitted Henry Briones via kimura at 2:01 of the first round

UFC Fight Night (3/11/17) Yahya lost a three round unanimous decision to Joe Soto

UFC Fight Night (9/24/16) Yahya won a three round unanimous decision over Michinori Tanaka

UFC Fight Night (7/13/16) Yahya submitted Matthew Lopez via arm triangle choke at 4:19 of the third round

UFC Fight Night (7/15/15) Yahya won a three round split decision over Masanori Kanehara

UFC Fight Night (9/13/14) Yahya submitted Johnny Bedford via kimura at 2:04 of the second round

UFC Fight Night (4/11/14) Yahya’s bout against Johnny Bedford was ruled a no contest after an accidental clash of heads rendered Yahya unable to continue at :39 of the first round.

TUF 18 Finale (11/30/13) Yahya lost a three round split decision to Tom Niinimaki

UFC 163 (8/3/13) Yahya won a three round unanimous decision over Josh Clopton

UFC on FUEL TV (3/3/13) Yahya won a three round unanimous decision over Mizuto Hirota

UFC on FOX (8/4/12) Yahya submitted Josh Grispi via north/south choke at 3:15 of the first round

UFC 133 (8/6/11) Yahya lost a three round unanimous decision to Chad Mendes

UFC Fight for the Troops 2 (1/22/11) Yahya won a three round unanimous decision over Mike Brown.

TRAINING: I train twice a day



When and why did you start training for fighting? Because fighting is in my blood. I started when I was 10 years old.



What ranks and titles have you held? Black belt in jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. Three-time world jiu-jitsu champ, 2007 Abu-Dhabi world champion.



Do you have any heroes? Wolverine



What is your favorite technique? Chokes



What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It means all the best; I’m very happy to have this chance.



Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I went to college in Brazil for two years to study nutrition, but I did not finish in order to dedicate myself to training for MMA.



What was your job before you started fighting? Teaching Jiu-Jitsu and MMA