Sadibou Sy (born November 27, 1986) is a Swedish

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

of Senegalese origin 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 the ...

division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

Background

Sadibou Sy, a mixed martial artist with Senegalese roots, grew up in a large family with six siblings in Sweden. He initially played soccer before transitioning to martial arts when he was in his teens. Sy began training at Wasa Martial Arts Center, focusing on kickboxing and later competed in Thai boxing. From the age of 13 until February 2017, Sy only had between 20 and 40% vision. He was then fitted with contact lenses to alleviate the chronic inflammation he suffered from. The lenses gave him about 80 % vision and since then, he says his progress has been "huge". Despite his vision problems, he started competing in martial arts at the age of 15. Sy has worked various jobs throughout his career, but now focuses on training at the Martial Arts Lab in Östermalm, where he also works as a personal trainer. Sy's goal is to minimize his work commitments and concentrate on his MMA career, aiming to secure better pay and sponsorships.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before transitioning to MMA, Sy won both the World Championship and World Championship (B) in Thai boxing in 2010. He also claimed the

ISKA The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the Unite ...

(International Sport Karate & Kickboxing Association) World Championship title in 2008 and 2010. Sy began his MMA career in Stockholm-based organization IRFA (International Ring Fight Arena) and amassed a 2-1 record before joining Superior Challenge. In his debut at SC 12, he defeated Englishman Carl Booth via first-round TKO. After two fights with other organizations, Sy returned to Superior Challenge with a 6-2 record. At SC 14, he gained widespread attention for his viral head-kick KO against Welshman David Round. Sy continued his winning streak at SC 16, defeating Greek fighter Nikos Sokolis with another first-round TKO.

Professional Fighters League

2018 Season

Sadibou Sy, boasting a 6-2 record, joined the

(PFL) with an ambitious goal of winning the top prize of one million USD. He debuted against

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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and Bellator veteran

Bruno Santos Bruno Santos (born July 17, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Middleweight division of the World Series of Fighting now known as Professional Fighters League and is currently ranked as #1 contender for the bel ...

at PFL 3, ultimately losing via unanimous decision. In his second fight of the 2018 season at PFL 7, Sy defeated Brazilian Caio Magalhães with a first-round head kick KO, securing his spot in the playoffs. During the playoffs at PFL 10, he faced Santos once again, resulting in a draw but advancing due to PFL tiebreaker rules, before being eliminated by German Abusupiyan Magomedov via unanimous decision.

2019 Season

Starting the 2019 season at PFL 1, Sy began with a stunning 17-second liver kick KO victory over American

David Michaud David Michaud (born November 10, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he formerly competed for the Professional Fighters League, Legacy Fight ...

. However, he lost his next fight to Glaico França at PFL 4 via TKO in the third round. Despite the loss, Sy advanced to the playoffs at PFL 7 based on points. He faced Ray Cooper III in the quarterfinals at PFL 7 on October 11, 2019, with the fight ending in a draw with Cooper advancing, due to PFL rules where the winner of the first round advances, which led to Sy's elimination from the 2019 playoffs.

2021 Season

After the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID, Sadibou returned at PFL 2 on April 29, 2021 against Nikolay Aleksakhin, with the bout ending in a no contest after an accidental eye poke in the second round led to Aleksakhin being unable to continue. Sy faced Alexey Kunchenko at PFL 5 on June 17, 2021. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Sy, replacing João Zeferino, faced Magomed Magomedkerimov in a Semi-Final match-up at PFL 7 on August 13, 2021. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

2022 Season

Sy rematched Nikolay Aleksakhin on May 6, 2022 at PFL 3, winning the close bout via split decision. Sy faced Rory MacDonald on July 1, 2022 at PFL 6. In an upset, Sy won the bout via unanimous decision. In the semi-finals at PFL 8, Sy faced Carlos Leal, winning the bout and advancing to the finals via unanimous decision. At the finals on November 25, 2022 at PFL 10, Sy won the bout and the $1 million dollar cumulative prize via unanimous decision.

2023 Season

Sy started off the 2023 season against Jarrah Al-Silawi on April 14, 2023. Sy won the bout via TKO after knocking out Al-Silawi with knee to the body followed up with punches. Sy faced Shane Mitchell on June 23, 2023 at PFL 6. He won the fight via spinning wheel kick knockout in the third round. In the semi-finals, Sy faced Carlos Leal at PFL 9 on August 23, 2023. At weigh-ins, Carlos Leal weighed in at 172 pounds, 1 pound over the Welterweight limit. Leal was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to his opponent Sy, and started the bout with a one point subtraction. Sy won the fight via split decision to advance to the finals. In the final, Sy is scheduled to face Magomed Magomedkerimov on November 24, 2023 at PFL 10.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** 2022 PFL Welterweight Championship

Mixed martial arts record

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, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Gábor Boráros , TKO (punches) , IRFA 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:37 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Oskar Piechota , Submission (triangle choke) , IRFA 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Robert Bryczek , Decision (unanimous) , IRFA 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Stockholm, Sweden ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sy, Sadibou Swedish male mixed martial artists 1986 births Living people Welterweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters