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Tafon Nchukwi (born 14 October 1994) is a Cameroonian mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division and competed in the UFC.
| Tafon Nchukwi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 October 1994 Bamenda, Cameroon |
| Other names | Cameroon Express |
| Residence | Temple Hills, Maryland, United States |
| Nationality | Cameroonian American[1] |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Light Heavyweight (2020; 2021–present) Middleweight (2020–2021) Heavyweight (2019–2020) |
| Reach | 77 in (196 cm) |
| Team | Crazy 88 MMA (previously)[2] Team Lloyd Irvin[2] |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3] |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 11 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Born in Bamenda, Cameroon, Nchukwi's family moved to the United States in 2005.[4] He played soccer in his youth, changing to football, baseball and wrestling during his high school years.[5] He attended college, but dropped out after discovering mixed martial arts.[6]
Nchukwi is a WKA ×2 2016 National champion, WKA ×2 2017 national champion, WKA ×2 2016 World champion. He is also a Jiu-jitsu blue belt and a 2017 IBJJF PAN Silver medalist.[7]
Nchukwi flies the flag of the separatist banner of the Republic of Ambazonia.[8]
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Early career
Making his MMA debut at CFFC 73, Nchukwi faced Alex Meyers and went on to defeat him via TKO in the second round. In his sophomore performance, Tafon defeated A.T. McCowin via TKO in round one at Shogun Fights 23. Returning to Cage Fury Fighting Championships at CFFC 80, he defeated William Knight via TKO in the first round.[9] The win was controversial as the ref thought Knight was knocked out when covering up, for which the ref apologized afterwards.[10]
In the main event of Dana White's Contender Series 32, Nchukwi knocked out Al Matavao in the second round. The victory earned Nchukwi a contract from the UFC in the process.[11]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In his promotional debut, Nchukwi faced Jamie Pickett at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal on December 19, 2020.[12] After knocking down Pickett in the third round, Nchukwi won the fight via unanimous decision.[13]
In his sophomore appearance, Nchukwi faced Jun Yong Park on May 8, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson.[14] He lost the fight via majority decision after being deducted a point due to repeated groin strikes.[15]
Nchukwi faced Mike Rodríguez at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann on September 18, 2021.[16] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[17]
Nchukwi faced Azamat Murzakanov on March 12, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 203[18] Despite winning most of the bout, Nchukwi lost the bout after getting knocked out by a flying knee in round three.[19]
Nchukwi faced Carlos Ulberg on June 25, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 38[20] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[21]
Nchukwi was scheduled to face Jamal Pogues on December 17, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 216.[22] However, Pogues pull out from the bout due to undisclosed reason and was replaced by Vitor Petrino.[23] Nchukwi eventually pulled out of the bout himself due to undisclosed reasons and the bout was scrapped.[24]
Nchukwi faced A.J. Dobson at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos on August 12, 2023.[25] At the weigh-ins, Nchukwi came in at 189.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the middleweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Nchukwi was fined an undisclosed percentage of his purse, which went to Dobson.[26] Nchukwi lost the fight via unanimous decision.[27]
After the loss, it was announced that Nchukwi was no longer on the UFC roster.[28]
Post-UFC
Nchukwi faced Chris Daukaus in a heavyweight bout on August 16, 2024 at CFFC 134.[29] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[30]
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| 11 matches | 7 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 2 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 7–4 | Chris Daukaus | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Fury FC 134 | August 16, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 6–4 | A.J. Dobson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. dos Anjos | August 12, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Middleweight bout; Nchukwi missed weight (189 lb). |
| Loss | 6–3 | Carlos Ulberg | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot | June 25, 2022 | 1 | 1:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Azamat Murzakanov | KO (flying knee) | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev | March 12, 2022 | 3 | 0:44 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Mike Rodríguez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann | September 18, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 5–1 | Park Jun-yong | Decision (majority) | UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson | May 8, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Nchukwi was deducted one point in round 2 due to repeated groin strikes. |
| Win | 5–0 | Jamie Pickett | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal | December 19, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Win | 4–0 | Al Matavao | KO (head kick) | Dana White's Contender Series 32 | September 8, 2020 | 2 | 2:01 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 3–0 | William Knight | TKO (punches) | CFFC 80 | November 22, 2019 | 1 | 2:30 | Hampton, Virginia, United States | Catchweight (225 lb) bout. |
| Win | 2–0 | A.T. McCowin | TKO (strikes) | Shogun Fights 23 | November 2, 2019 | 1 | 2:27 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Alex Meyers | TKO | CFFC 73 | March 2, 2019 | 2 | 2:15 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Heavyweight debut. |
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