Kennedy Nzechukwu
“Chosen”
Professional record
Last 5: LDLWW
Profile
- Age
- 34 (born June 13, 1992)
- Born in
- Imo State
- Height
- 6' 5"
- Weight
- 236 lbs.
- Reach
- 83"
- Stance
- Southpaw
- UFC record
- 8-7-1
How the fights ended
Wins in the UFC8
- KO/TKO 6
- Submission 1
- Decision 1
Losses in the UFC7
- KO/TKO 3
- Submission 2
- Decision 2
UFC career stats
Striking
- Significant strikes landed per minute
- 4.65 top 13%
- Significant strikes absorbed per minute
- 4.49
Grappling
- Takedowns per 15 minutes
- 0.56 top 68%
- Submission attempts per 15 minutes
- 0.2
Next fight
In the record book
About Kennedy Nzechukwu
Kennedy Nzechukwu "Chosen", born in Imo State, Nigeria on June 13, 1992, is a heavyweight mixed martial artist. At 6' 5", Nzechukwu has an 83" reach, long for that height, and fights out of a southpaw stance.
Nzechukwu turned professional in 2016, debuting with Xtreme Knockout. Nzechukwu arrived in the UFC with a 6-0 record. Nzechukwu first fought in the UFC at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Gaethje in March 2019 and lost to Paul Craig by triangle choke from bottom guard. Across 16 fights in the UFC, Nzechukwu is 8-7-1.
Knockouts define Nzechukwu's UFC career: 6 of 8 wins came by KO or TKO. By the numbers, Nzechukwu lands more significant strikes per minute than 87% of heavyweights and defends takedowns better than 80% of heavyweights. A notable win came against Carlos Ulberg, a UFC title-fight winner. Nzechukwu ranks #5 in UFC history for most knee knockouts.
After 19 months away, Nzechukwu returned at UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya in March 2021 and beat Carlos Ulberg. Nzechukwu's record outside the UFC includes 3-0 in Xtreme Knockout and 2-0 in Dana White's Contender Series.
Nzechukwu's latest fight was at UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues in August 2026, where Nzechukwu lost to Shamil Gaziev by KO/TKO.
UFC fight history
-
L
KO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R1 1:20
UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues
Aug 22, 2026
3Str 0TD 0KD -
D
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape
Dec 13, 2025
24Str 0TD 0KD -
L
Submission · Heel Hook After Drop to Ground · R1 0:54
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Teixeira
Jul 12, 2025
0Str 0TD 0KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R1 4:51
Dec 7, 2024
29Str 0TD 1KD -
W
KO/TKO · Knee to Body At Distance · R1 4:27
Oct 26, 2024
51Str 0TD 0KD -
L
Decision - Split · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura
Mar 16, 2024
106Str 0TD 0KD -
L
KO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R1 1:22
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font
Aug 5, 2023
4Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Submission · Guillotine Choke Standing · R2 2:28
May 6, 2023
62Str 0TD 0KD -
W
KO/TKO · Knee to Head At Distance · R2 1:02
UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba
Nov 19, 2022
24Str 0TD 1KD -
W
KO/TKO · Elbows to Head From Back Control · R3 2:19
UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev
Jul 9, 2022
20Str 5TD 0KD -
L
Decision - Split · R3 5:00
UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal
Mar 5, 2022
95Str 0TD 0KD -
L
KO/TKO · Elbows to Head In Clinch · R1 3:04
UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez
Nov 13, 2021
6Str 0TD 0KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punches to Head At Distance · R3 0:20
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov
Jun 26, 2021
31Str 0TD 0KD -
W
KO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R2 3:19
UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya
Mar 6, 2021
82Str 0TD 1KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Lawler
Aug 3, 2019
50Str 0TD 0KD -
L
Submission · Triangle Choke From Bottom Guard · R3 4:20
UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Gaethje
Mar 30, 2019
40Str 0TD 0KD
Full MMA career
Kennedy Nzechukwu is 14-7-1 across 22 professional fights in 4 promotions, since a pro debut on November 5, 2016 (Xtreme Knockout). 6 of those fights were outside the UFC.
Pro wins14
- KO/TKO 10
- Submission 1
- Decision 3
Pro losses7
- KO/TKO 3
- Submission 2
- Decision 2
- Finish rate
- 79% of wins
- Longest win streak
- 6
Fights by promotion
| Promotion | Record | First fight |
|---|---|---|
| UFC | 8-7-1 | 2019 |
| Xtreme Knockout | 3-0 | 2016 |
| Dana White's Contender Series | 2-0 | 2017 |
| LFA | 1-0 | 2018 |
All professional fights
| Result | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|
| L | Shamil Gaziev | Aug 22, 2026 |
| D | Marcus Buchecha | Dec 13, 2025 |
| L | Valter Walker | Jul 12, 2025 |
| W | Łukasz Brzeski | Dec 7, 2024 |
| W | Chris Barnett | Oct 26, 2024 |
| L | Ovince Saint Preux | Mar 16, 2024 |
| L | Dustin Jacoby | Aug 5, 2023 |
| W | Devin Clark | May 6, 2023 |
| W | Ion Cuțelaba | Nov 19, 2022 |
| W | Karl Roberson | Jul 9, 2022 |
| L | Nicolae Negumereanu | Mar 5, 2022 |
| L | Jung Da-un | Nov 13, 2021 |
| W | Danilo Marques | Jun 26, 2021 |
| W | Carlos Ulberg | Mar 6, 2021 |
| W | Darko Stošić | Aug 3, 2019 |
| L | Paul Craig | Mar 30, 2019 |
| W | Dennis Bryant | Aug 7, 2018 |
| W | Corey Johnson | May 25, 2018 |
| W | Andre Kavanaugh | Mar 10, 2018 |
| W | Anton Berzin | Aug 22, 2017 |
| W | Thai Walwyn | Jan 28, 2017 |
| W | Matt Foster | Nov 5, 2016 |
Full professional record from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Quick answers
What is Kennedy Nzechukwu's record?
Kennedy Nzechukwu's professional MMA record is 14 wins, 7 losses and 1 draws.
How old is Kennedy Nzechukwu?
Kennedy Nzechukwu is 34 years old, born on June 13, 1992.
How tall is Kennedy Nzechukwu and what is their reach?
Kennedy Nzechukwu stands 6' 5" with a 83" reach.
Who did Kennedy Nzechukwu fight last?
Kennedy Nzechukwu lost to Shamil Gaziev by KO/TKO at UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues on Aug 22, 2026.