Siyar Bahadurzada (; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch

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 competed 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 of the

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 ( ...

, making him the first Afghan to compete in the promotion. He currently works as an instructor for Evolve MMA in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. A professional competitor since 2001, he had also competed for

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) was a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in conjunct ...

, RINGS, and for

Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a ...

, in which he held the title of Shooto Middleweight Champion.

Background

Bahadurzada was born in

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, Afghanistan, on 17 April 1984.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Bahadurzada trained under the Golden Glory association based in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Siyar then signed a 4-fight contract with Strikeforce, but like many of the Golden Glory team signed to the organization, his promotional debut was delayed. Siyar gave an interview for Strikeforce, which can be heard on his Facebook profile. Bahadurzada waited for a fight from Strikeforce but never acquired a visa. He later commented in January 2011 on the scenario and expressed displeasure, saying he would never fight for the promotion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On 30 September 2011 Siyar announced he had signed with the UFC. He was expected to face Erick Silva on 14 January 2012 at UFC 142. However, Bahadurzada pulled out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Carlo Prater. Bahadurzada fought

Paulo Thiago Paulo Thiago Alencar Antunes (; born January 25, 1981) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight division of KSW. A professional competitor since 2005, he has also competed for the UFC and Jungle Fight ...

on 14 April 2012 at

UFC on Fuel TV 2 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 2'' or ''UFC: Sweden'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 14, 2012, at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Back ...

and won by KO at 42 seconds of the first round, earning him ''Knockout of the Night'' honors, he became the first man to knock out Thiago. Bahadurzada was expected to face Thiago Alves on 21 July 2012 at UFC 149, replacing an injured Yoshihiro Akiyama. However, on 1 June Alves pulled out of the bout citing an injury and was replaced by Chris Clements. Bahadurzada then himself had to withdraw from the fight due to a hand injury, and was replaced with Matthew Riddle. Bahadurzada faced

Dong Hyun Kim Kim Dong-hyun (; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a South Korean retired mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion ...

on 3 March 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 8. He lost a lopsided decision after he was dominated by the grappling offense and ground and pound of Kim for all three rounds. Bahadurzada was expected to face

Robbie Lawler Robert Glenn Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed between 2001 and 2023. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in ...

on 27 July 2013 at UFC on Fox 8, replacing an injured Tarec Saffiedine. However, on 11 July it was announced that Bahadurzada also pulled out of the bout and was replaced by

Bobby Voelker Robert "Bobby" James Voelker (born April 26, 1979) is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in their Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Voelker has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Strikefor ...

. Bahadurzada faced

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

on 28 December 2013 at

UFC 168 ''UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on December 28, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship rematch between current champion ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. After over two years away from the sport, Bahadurzada returned to face Brandon Thatch on 5 March 2016 at UFC 196. He won the fight by submission in the third round. Bahadurzada was scheduled to face Cláudio Silva on 30 July 2016 at

UFC 201 ''UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background This was the third event that the organization has hosted in Atl ...

. However, Silva was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Jorge Masvidal. In turn, Bahadurzada pulled out of the bout on 12 July, citing an illness. After another year away from competition Bahadurzada was expected to face Abu Azaitar on 2 September 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Struve vs. Volkov. However, Azaitar pulled out of the bout due to injury and was replaced by UFC newcomer Rob Wilkinson. Bahadurzada won the fight via TKO in the second round. Bahadurzada faced Luan Chagas on 21 April 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus. Bahadurzada faced

Curtis Millender Curtis Millender (born December 1, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2013, Millender has formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA ...

on 29 December 2018 at

UFC 232 ''UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 29, 2018, at The Forum (Inglewood, California), The Forum in Inglewood, California. Background A UFC Ligh ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Bahadurzada was scheduled to face Nordine Taleb on 4 May 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy. However, it was reported on 24 April 2019 that Bahadurzada pulled out of the bout citing injury, and he is replaced by newcomer Kyle Prepolec. Bahadurzada faced Ismail Naurdiev on 28 September 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 18. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In June 2020, Siyar announced that he was retiring.

Coaching career

On 13 January 2020 Singapore-based mixed martial arts team Evolve MMA announced that Bahadurzada had been appointed as the new head coach.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

** Knockout of the Night (One time) vs.

** Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Luan Chagas **UFC.com Awards ***2012: Ranked #5 Newcomer of the Year & Half-Year Awards: Best Newcomer of the 1HY & Ranked #4 Knockout of the Year * Professional Shooto Japan ** Shooto Middleweight Championship (One time) **Two successful title defenses * United Glory **2010/2011 World Series Welterweight Tournament Winner *Shooto Holland **2003 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner

Mixed martial arts record

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Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4–1 , Tommy Depret , TKO (knee and punches) , United Glory: 2010/2011 World Series Finals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:16 ,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 19–4–1 ,

John Alessio John Paul Alessio (born July 5, 1979) is a Canadian retired professional mixed martial artist. A former competitor in Bellator's Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1998, Alessio has also formerly competed for the UFC where h ...

, TKO (punches) , United Glory: 2010/2011 World Series Semifinals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

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Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4–1 , Carlos Alexandre Pereira , KO (punch) , Shooto Brasil 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

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, 16–4–1 , Robert Jocz , Decision (majority) , Ultimate Glory 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4–1 , Leandro Batata , TKO (punches) , Shooto Brasil 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4–1 , Jorge Santiago , Submission (heel hook) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3–1 , Evangelista Santos , TKO (arm injury) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3–1 ,

Kazuo Misaki Kazuo Misaki (, born April 25, 1976) is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2013, he was the 2006 PRIDE Welterweight (183 lbs) Grand Prix Champion, and also competed in Sengoku, Pancr ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku First Battle , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:02 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2–1 , Nathan Schouteren , TKO (submission to punches) , Ultimate Glory 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 , Ede, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2–1 , Shiko Yamashita , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Back To Our Roots 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2–1 , Kurt Verschueren , KO (punch) , Ultimate Glory 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2–1 , Rody Trost , TKO (punches) , International Mix Fight Association: Staredown City 2007 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:19 ,

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Beverwijk Beverwijk () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast. A ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2–1 , Alexander Penao , Submission (heel hook) , Shooto Holland: Next in Line , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 , Barneveld, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2–1 , Stefan Klever , Decision (unanimous) , Rings Holland: Born Invincible , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

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, Netherlands , , - , Draw , align=center, 6–0–1 , Patrick Vallee , Draw (split) , Shooto Holland: Knockout Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Culemborg Culemborg () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. The city had a population of 29,386 on 1 January 2022 and is situated just south of the Lek River, Lek ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bahadurzada, Siyar 1984 births Living people Afghan emigrants to the Netherlands Afghan male mixed martial artists Dutch male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Deventer Sportspeople from Kabul Sportspeople of Afghan descent Welterweight mixed martial artists Afghan male kickboxers Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters