Keyword is ranked. Not someone from an underground fighting league

In the UFC

1. Israel Adesanya
2. Jimi Manuwa
3. Kamaru Usman (Edo)
4. Oluwale Bamgbose
5. Hakeem Dawodu
6. Sodiq Yusuff
7. Kennedy Nzechukwu (Igbo)

Bellator MMA
1. Mohammed Lawal (King Mo)


These are very cerebral fighting styles. Is there something in our culture that makes us better fighters? I know we are not as heavily built but fighting is more than muscle mass which sometimes works against the fighter

Yorubas are natural warrirors.

More fighters. One Yoruba, the other Igbo

Guess which one won his last fight?

Yup. Israel Adesanya is now the interim middle weight champ at UFC.

That Yoruba warrior spirit is alive. We speak softly, but carry a big stick

First of all theres selection bias. Most nigerians in the diaspora are either igbo or yoruba. Igbos have a heavier/muscular build that may be suitable for pure wrestling and weight lifting / body building. But in martial arts i reckon yorubas might fare better. Theres also the possibility that many igbos just arent into MMA.

Israel and sodiq in particular seem like they're special. Izzy vs whittaker will be dope, aussie vs kiwi. Striker vs striker. Would love to see him take the strap but the reaper is no joke. Plus when you have people like Yoel (who may actually also be yoruba) waiting for you in a division, the middleweight division is definitely looking interesting now.

You are absolutely right, wrestling is not just a muscle that sometimes works against other fighters. Fighting is much more than everyone thinks. Martial arts originated a long time ago and has a certain meaning that not everyone is able to understand. I have not been in this field for a long time, but I have already managed to love it and become an ardent fan. It all started with the fact that I once accidentally read mma blog and learned an incredible amount about martial arts. I became interested in it and that's how I learned a lot about it and realized that I wanted to be a part of it