Siyar Bahadurzada facts for kids

Siyar Bahadurzada (Dari: سییار باهادورزادا; born April 17, 1984) is a retired mixed martial artist. He was born in Afghanistan and is also a Dutch citizen. Siyar competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was the first Afghan fighter to compete in the UFC. After his fighting career, he became an instructor for Evolve MMA in Singapore. Siyar was a professional fighter from 2001 to 2020. He also fought for other organizations like World Victory Road, RINGS, and Shooto, where he was the Shooto Middleweight Champion.

About Siyar Bahadurzada

Siyar Bahadurzada was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 17, 1984.

Siyar's Mixed Martial Arts Career

Starting His Fighting Journey

Siyar Bahadurzada began his training with the Golden Glory team in the Netherlands. He signed a contract to fight four times with Strikeforce, another fighting organization. However, he faced problems getting a visa, which is a special document needed to enter a country. Because of this, he was not able to fight for Strikeforce. In 2011, Siyar said he was unhappy about the situation and would not fight for that organization.

Fighting in the UFC

On September 30, 2011, Siyar announced that he had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This was a big step in his career.

First UFC Fights

Siyar was supposed to fight Erick Silva at UFC 142 in January 2012. But Siyar got injured and had to pull out of the fight. Another fighter, Carlo Prater, took his place.

Siyar's first UFC fight was against Paulo Thiago on April 14, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV 2. Siyar won the fight by knockout (KO) in just 42 seconds of the first round. This was a very fast win! He earned the Knockout of the Night award for his amazing performance. He was also the first fighter to ever knock out Paulo Thiago.

Siyar was scheduled to fight Thiago Alves at UFC 149 in July 2012. But Thiago Alves got injured and was replaced by Chris Clements. Then, Siyar himself had to withdraw from the fight because of a hand injury. Matthew Riddle took his place.

Later UFC Matches

Siyar faced Dong Hyun Kim on March 3, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 8. Siyar lost this fight by a decision from the judges. Kim was very strong in grappling, which is a type of wrestling, and controlled the fight on the ground.

Siyar was set to fight Robbie Lawler at UFC on Fox 8 in July 2013. But Siyar pulled out of this fight too, and Bobby Voelker stepped in.

Siyar fought John Howard on December 28, 2013, at UFC 168. He lost this fight by a unanimous decision from the judges.

Returning to the Octagon

After more than two years away from fighting, Siyar returned to the UFC. He fought Brandon Thatch on March 5, 2016, at UFC 196. Siyar won this fight by submission in the third round. A submission means he made his opponent give up using a special hold.

Siyar was supposed to fight Cláudio Silva at UFC 201 in July 2016. Silva got injured and was replaced by Jorge Masvidal. However, Siyar then had to pull out of the fight himself on July 12 due to an illness.

After another year away from fighting, Siyar was scheduled to face Abu Azaitar on September 2, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Struve vs. Volkov. Azaitar got injured, and Rob Wilkinson took his place. Siyar won the fight by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the second round. A TKO happens when the referee stops the fight because one fighter can no longer defend themselves.

Siyar fought Luan Chagas on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 128. He won this fight by knockout in the second round. This impressive win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award.

Siyar's last fight in the UFC was against Curtis Millender on December 29, 2018, at UFC 232. He lost this fight by a unanimous decision.

He was scheduled to fight Nordine Taleb in May 2019, but Siyar had to withdraw due to an injury.

Siyar faced Ismail Naurdiev on September 28, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 18. He lost this fight by a unanimous decision.

In June 2020, Siyar Bahadurzada announced that he was retiring from mixed martial arts.

Coaching Career

On January 13, 2020, the mixed martial arts team Evolve MMA, based in Singapore, announced that Siyar Bahadurzada had become their new head coach.

Achievements and Awards

Mixed Martial Arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Knockout of the Night (One time) against Paulo Thiago
  • Performance of the Night (One time) against Luan Chagas
  • UFC.com Awards
    • In 2012, he was ranked as the #5 Newcomer of the Year.
    • He also received the Half-Year Award for Best Newcomer in the first half of 2012.
    • His knockout against Paulo Thiago was ranked as the #4 Knockout of the Year in 2012.
• Professional Shooto Japan
  • Shooto Middleweight Championship (One time)
  • He successfully defended his title two times.
• United Glory
  • He won the 2010/2011 World Series Welterweight Tournament.
• Shooto Holland
  • He won the 2003 Light Heavyweight Tournament.

Mixed Martial Arts Record

See also

In Spanish: Siyar Bahadurzada para niños

• List of male mixed martial artists