Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua (; born April 18, 1984), mostly billed simply as Sokoudjou, is a Cameroonian professional

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 ...

. A professional competitor since 2006, Sokoudjou is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion, and has also competed for

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

, the UFC, WEC, Affliction, Strikeforce,

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, al ...

and

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...

Background

Born and raised in Cameroon, Sokoudjou began training in

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

at the age of five and was talented, winning three consecutive junior national championships from 1997 to 1999 in his home country. Growing up, he had actually wanted to get involved with

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, gen ...

but his parents would not allow it because they thought the competition was too violent. Sokoudjou moved to the United States in 2001 to pursue his career in judo.

Mixed martial arts career

PRIDE Fighting Championships

In his

debut at PRIDE 33, Sokoudjou fought Brazilian fighter

Antônio Rogério Nogueira Antônio Rogério Nogueira (; born 2 June 1976), also known as Minotouro or Lil Nog, is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the UFC. He is the twin brother of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, the "Minotauro ...

, and the much-less experienced Sokoudjou was a 16-1 underdog. To start the match, the Cameroonian threw a series of high kicks before landing an excellent combination that knocked out "Lil Nog" at just 23 seconds into the first round in a shocking upset. This made Sokoudjou the first fighter to finish the younger Nogueira brother. Sokoudjou's victory is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history, as well as arguably the biggest win of Sokoudjou's career to date.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Sokoudjou was released from the UFC on November 28, 2008.

Independent Promotions

Sokoudjou defeated the South-African kickboxer Jan Nortje at Dream 9 by TKO (strikes) in round 1 of the Dream Super Hulk Tournament. Sokoudjou was heavily criticized for his post-fight actions where he landed a barrage of extra punches after the referee had already stepped in to stop the fight. Sokoudjou did, however, express remorse for his actions, and apologized to Nortje for the incident. Sokoudjou was slated to face Gegard Mousasi in the semifinals at Dream 11, however, due to an injury,

Super heavyweight Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and competitive bodybuilding. Boxing In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Introduced for ...

Bob Sapp Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combined ...

stood in for Mousasi. Sokoudjou fought

Ryan Jimmo Ryan Jimmo (November 27, 1981 – June 26, 2016) was a Canadian mixed martial artist who competed in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He mostly fought in Canada and competed on the eighth season of ''The Ult ...

for the MFC Light Heavyweight Championship at

MFC 31 ''MFC 31: Rundown'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on October 7, 2011 at the Mayfield Inn Trade and Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The event was broadcast live on HDNet. Background Antoni ...

on October 7 at the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, losing by a controversial unanimous decision. Sokoudjou fought Heavyweight prospect Konstantin Erokhin at Fight Nights: Battle Of Moscow 14, on December 7, 2013. He lost via KO in the first round.

Strikeforce

Sokoudjou was defeated by former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi via second-round TKO due to ground and pound on November 7, 2009, at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.

KSW and others

Sokoudjou faced European prospect

Jan Błachowicz Jan Maciej Błachowicz (; born 24 February 1983) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Cham ...

at KSW XV for the KSW Light Heavyweight Championship, After two rounds Sokoudjou landed 12 leg kicks, making Błachowicz unable to continue the fight.

Bellator MMA

In June 2015, it was revealed that Sokoudjou was released from the promotion.

Kickboxing career

Sokoudjou faced Maxim Grishin in a kickboxing match on February 23, 2013, at Fight Nights 10 in Moscow, Russia. He lost via split decision(29–28, 28–29, 28–29).

Personal life

Sokoudjou speaks French, as well as a few dialects in his home country of Cameroon. He currently lives in Southern California and has a brother. Before becoming a professional mixed martial arts fighter, Sokoudjou worked as a bouncer.

Championships and accomplishments

Grappling

**Winter National Championship (+100 kg) – 2009 **Grappler's Quest – BJJ – 2003 **Golden State Championship – 2003 **San Jose Buddhist Tournament – 2003 **California State Championship – 2002 **Tenri 40th Anniversary Championship – 2002 **San Jose Buddhist Tournament – 2001 **US Open 2001 Las Vegas – Absolute **Silver State Championship – 2001 **Gardena Tournament – 2001 **Golden State Championship – 2001 **Senior National Champion – 2000 **Tournoi International de la ville de Yaounde – 2000 **Cameroon Junior National Champion – 1999 **Cameroon Junior National Champion – 1998 **Cameroon Junior National Champion – 1997 **Golden gi Champion – 1997

Mixed martial arts

*ADFC **2010 ADFC Openweight Grand Prix Semifinalist *

** DREAM Super Hulk Grand Prix Runner-Up *

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation'') better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. History Martin Lewandowsk ...

** KSW Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) **Fight of the Night (One Time) *

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having UFC veterans Jorge Masvidal, Keith Jardi ...

**Fight of the Night (One Time) *

Australian Fighting Championship Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) is an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation based in Melbourne. In 2013 AFC was described as Australia's leading MMA organisation by MMA Kanvas and is part of Sherdog's list of top 50 global M ...

** AFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time, current)

Mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, 19–18 , Jamie Abdullah , TKO (punches) , AFC / Kunlun Fight - Kunlun Fight MMA 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, Australia , Won the AFC Light Heavyweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 18–18 , Sergei Kharitonov , KO (punch) , M-1 Challenge 80: Kharitonov vs. Sokoudjou , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 , Harbin, Heilongjiang, China ,

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 18–17 , Łukasz Jurkowski , Decision (majority) , KSW 39: Colosseum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

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Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–16 ,

Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known ...

, TKO (punches) , F2N: Fight2Night , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:37 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, Brazil , , - , - , Loss , align=center, 17–15 ,

Tomasz Narkun Tomasz "Giraffe" Narkun (born December 3, 1989) is a Polish mixed martial artist currently competing for KSW. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, he is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion and has also competed for M-1 Global, wher ...

, TKO (punches) , KSW 36: Materla vs. Palhares , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

Zielona Góra Zielona Góra is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (2021). Zielona Góra has a favourable geographical position, being close to the Polish-German border and on several international road ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 17–14 , Matt Hamill , KO (punches) , Venator FC 3: Palhares vs. Meek , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:37 ,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, Italy , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–14 , Paul Buentello , KO (punches) , Abu Dhabi Warriors 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:21 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ,

bout. , - , Loss , align=center, 16–13 , Linton Vassell , TKO (punches) , Bellator 134 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:18 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–12 , Malik Merad , TKO (elbows) , Bellator 127 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:04 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–12 , Terry Davinney , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

Bellator 121 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–12 , Konstantin Erokhin , KO (punches) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–11 , Evgeny Erokhin , TKO (knees) , Pankration: Mayor Cup 2013 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:40 ,

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of th ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–10 , Seung Bae Whi , Decision (unanimous) , Road FC 011 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 13–10 , Denis Komkin , KO (head kick) , Pankration: Battle Of Empires 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–10 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , KSW 17: Revenge , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lódz, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 12–8 , Roy Boughton , Decision (unanimous) , Score Fighting Series 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popu ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–8 ,

, TKO (leg injury) , KSW 15: Contemporary Gladiators , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 10–8 , Valdas Pocevicius , Decision (unanimous) , Israel FC: Genesis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, Israel , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–8 , Shamil Abdurakhimov , TKO (punches) , ADFC: Round 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:17 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–7 , Houston Alexander , TKO (punches) , Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs Prangley , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:31 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 , Joaquim Ferreira , TKO (punches) ,

Impact FC 1 Impact Fighting Championships (Impact FC) was an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. The promotion held two of three planned events in July 2010 featuring veteran fighters of Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Champio ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

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, Australia , Return to

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

. , - , Win , align=center, 8–6 , Dave Herman , DQ (illegal knees) , ADFC: Round 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Abu Dhabi, UAE , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–6 , Ikuhisa Minowa , KO (punch) , Dynamite!! 2009 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:29 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–5 , Gegard Mousasi , TKO (punches) , Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:43 ,

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, United States ,

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , DREAM 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

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, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , Jan Nortje , TKO (punches) , DREAM 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 ,

Renato Sobral Renato da Cunha Sobral (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the Ul ...

, Submission (D'Arce choke) , Affliction: Day of Reckoning , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:38 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , Luiz Cané , TKO (punches) , UFC 89 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:15 ,

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, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Kazuhiro Nakamura , TKO (leg injury) , UFC 84 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Lyoto Machida , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC 79 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:20 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Ricardo Arona , KO (punch) , PRIDE 34 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 ,

, KO (punch) , PRIDE 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Glover Teixeira , KO (punches) , WEC 24: Full Force , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Paul Weremecki , TKO (head kick and punches) , SF 17: Hot Zone , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Gary Padilla , Decision (split) , Total Combat 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States ,

Kickboxing record

''Legend'':

Bare-Knuckle Boxing

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Mighty Mo , TKO (punches) , VKB-Valor Bare Knuckle 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:26 ,

New Town, ND New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota, Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, 18th largest city in North Dako ...

, USA, 4 Bears Casino and Lodge , Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Finals

References

External links

* *
U.S. Open Judo Championships Historical Results

Sokoudjou "African Assassin" - PRIDE FC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sokoudjou, Rameau Thierry Living people 1984 births Cameroonian male mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Cameroonian male kickboxers Cameroonian male judoka Cameroonian Muay Thai practitioners Cameroonian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Cameroonian emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from Oceanside, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters