Sodiq Yusuff will be taking on Diego Lopes at the prelims for the historic UFC 300 card! ‘Super Sodiq’, as he’s also known, is currently ranked number 13 in the UFC featherweight division. Coming into this matchup, Yusuff is aiming to bounce back from his loss against Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza which took place in October 2023.

While he put forth a ‘Fight of the Night’ worthy performance, he ultimately lost the bout via a unanimous decision. Now, as he gears up to get back to his winning ways against Lopes, let’s take a look and learn all we know about his gym, teammates, and his coach, Lloyd Irvin.

Sodiq Yusuff’s gym, teammates, and MMA journey

Sodiq Yusuff was born on May 19, 1993, and hails from Lagos, Nigeria. In a past interview, he stated that his love of anime in his youth led to his fascination with fighting and eventually helped him find his way into MMA. In fact, when Akira Toriyama, creator of the ‘Dragon Ball’ series passed away in March, Yusuff shared a heartfelt message on his Instagram where he stated, “RIP to a legend”.

The Nigerian fighter made his way to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series 14 and made his debut for the promotion in 2018 against Suman Mokhtarian. According to information available on Tapology, Yusuff trains out of Team Lloyd Irvin, which is based out of Camp Springs, Maryland.

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His teammates in the gym include names like James Vick, Mike Easton, Shelton Graves, Sam Kilmer and Timothy Woods, amongst others.

Yusuff holds notable victories in the UFC over names like Andre Fili, Gabriel Benitez, and Alex Caceres. While he was unable to secure a win in his last outing against the veteran, Edson Barboza, he made an honest statement after the loss on his YouTube channel.

He stated, “It hurts a lot right now, but I know at the end of the day I’m going to get past it… For now, I’ve got to eat my ‘L.’ But I’m going to do it with my chin up and continue to be a good nail until I’m eventually a hammer again.”

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As he prepares to step into the Octagon once more at UFC 300, Yusuff’s dedication and resilience serve as a testament to his fighting spirit.

Yusuff’s coach, Lloyd Irvin, and his controversial past

Sodiq Yusuff’s coach is Lloyd Irvin, the founder of Team Lloyd Irvin, and was renowned for being the first non-Brazilian team to win a world team title in BJJ. In the past, notable names such as Mike Fowler and Ryan Hall, had also attended the academy.

However, in January 2013, Irvin was faced with controversy as there were serious allegations leveled against two of his students. In the wake of the information, there were reports made that highlighted allegations against Irvin as well, for questionable conduct by his former students.

A report in the Miami New Times by Jake Rossen was published later in 2013 that dove deeper into the murky situation surrounding Irvin and his gym. As a result of the controversy, Team Alliance, which featured notable names like Brandon Vera and Dominick Cruz, cut all ties with TLI (Team Lloyd Irvin).

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