Mounir Lazzez (born November 16, 1987) is a Tunisian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division. A professional fighter since 2012, he is the first fighter who was born and raised in an Arab country to be signed to the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Background

Born in the major port town of

Sfax Sfax ( ; , ) is a major port city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a ...

in the South East of

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, it was Mounir Lazzez highlights that lead to him being the first fighter that was born and raised in an

Arab country The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

to be signed to the

. Indeed, it was after Dana White watched Mounir Lazzez highlights whilst sitting in a restaurant that he was so impressed that he decided to sign him to the UFC. A friend of Lazzez had recognized the UFC president

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

at a restaurant in Las Vegas in the United States of America and took the opportunity to show Mounir Lazzez highlights to him, and White being immediately impressed by the footage took the next steps to sign him to the UFC as soon as possible. He started MMA classes at the age of 15 in Tunisia, when his parents decided to put him in martial arts because he was being bullied. After competing on the regional and national level, he moved to Canada to focus on his wrestling, spending from 2009 until 2011 there until a business opportunity lured him to Dubai.

Mixed martial arts career

Lazzez made his professional debut in 2012 and compiled a 9–1 record fighting for a variety of Middle Eastern promotions, most notably

Brave Combat Federation BRAVE Combat Federation is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Bahrain. The organization was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. BRAVE Combat Federation features mixed martial artists from more than ...

, where he competed for the Super Lightweight title, losing the fight unanimous decision to Eldar Eldarov.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Lazzez faced

Abdul Razak Alhassan Abdul Razak Alhassan (born August 11, 1985) is a Ghanaian mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2013, he formerly fought in Bellator and Legacy Fighting Ch ...

on July 16, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige. At the weigh-ins, Alhassan weighed in at 174 pounds, 3 pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. He was fined 20% of his purse which went to Lazzez and the bout proceeded at catchweight. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the ''Fight of the Night'' bonus. Lazzez, as a replacement for Christian Aguilera, faced

Warlley Alves Warlley Alves (born 4 January 1991) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2011, Warlley made a name for himsel ...

on January 20, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. He lost the fight via first round TKO. Lazzez was scheduled to face Niklas Stolze on July 31, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland. However, Lazzez pulled out just a few days before the event due to visa issues and was replaced by

Jared Gooden Jared Alexander Gooden (born December 5, 1993) is an American retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2015, Gooden has also competed for Legacy Fighting All ...

. Lazzez was scheduled to face

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (born November 12, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the former Jungle Fight welterweight champion in Brazil and currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...

on April 16, 2022 at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2. However, Zaleski dos Santos withdrew the week of the fight and was replaced by Ange Loosa. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Lazzez faced Gabriel Bonfim on January 21, 2023 at

UFC 283 ''UFC 283: Teixeira vs. Hill'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 21, 2023, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event marked the promotion's return ...

. He lost the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round. On June 5, 2023, news surfaced that Lazzez had fought out his contract and the organization opted not to renew it.

Championships and awards

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) * Desert Force Championship **Desert Force Welterweight Championship (One Time)

Personal life

Association with Daniel Kinahan

Lazzez is reportedly close to Irish reputed gang boss and

boxing promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...

Daniel Kinahan Daniel Joseph Kinahan (born 25 June 1977) is an Irish boxing promoter and suspected crime boss. He has been named by the High Court of Ireland as a senior figure in organised crime on a global scale. The Criminal Assets Bureau has stated he " ...

, and praised him during his post fight octagon and media interview at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2. Kinahan is from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, and is allegedly a senior figure in an international crime syndicate, the Kinahan Cartel, with criminal activities including drugs and firearm smuggling. Kinahan has been sanctioned by the United States government, who have offered a $5 million reward for key information on Kinahan and his brother and father.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Gabriel Bonfim , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Ange Loosa , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, TKO (body kicks and punches) , UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Arber Murati , TKO (knees and punches) , Probellum MMA Dubai: Lazzez vs. Murati , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Sasha Palatnikov , TKO (elbows and punches) , UAE Warriors 8 , , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:48 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Eldar Eldarov , Decision (unanimous) , Brave CF 23 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

, Jordan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Dmitrijs Homjakovs , TKO , Brave CF 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:15 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Christophe Van Dijck , Decision (unanimous) , Phoenix Fighting Championship 4: Dubai , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Mohamad Ghorabi , TKO (punches) , Desert Force 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:50 ,

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, Saudi Arabia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Amr Fathee Wahman , KO (head kick) , Desert Force 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...

, Bahrain , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Anas Siraj Mounir , KO (head kick) , Desert Force 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:15 ,

, Jordan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ashkan Mehrdadpoor , TKO (punches) , Dubai FC 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Andrew Connor , KO (punch) , Dubai FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 ,

, United Arab Emirates ,

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lazzez, Mounir Living people 1987 births Tunisian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters