Fighter profile

Kennedy Nzechukwu

“Chosen”

Heavyweight · UFC record 8-7-1 · 16 detailed UFC fights · Last fight Sat 22 Aug 2026

Balanced / Hybrid

Fighter ratings

Ratings V2Rated

Striking (offense)78

Power75

Striking defense69

Takedown defense86

WrestlingProvisional measure69

Ratings V2 descriptive 0–100 scores (16 detailed fights; as of Sat 22 Aug 2026). Not win probabilities or rankings. Missing values stay unavailable.

Chin and Cardio · Frozen through October 17, 2026

R1 research scale

ChinEvidence: ESTABLISHED76.8

CardioEvidence: DEVELOPING93.8

Source: R1 public_candidate_display · status: Research candidate · as of Sat 17 Oct 2026. Separate frozen research scale; fights after October 17, 2026 are not reflected.

About these ratings

Ratings are domain-specific descriptive scales. Equal point differences across different domains do not imply equal absolute skill differences.

Striking (offense) · Ratings V2: Ratings V2 striking-offense score built from recorded significant strikes landed per round, significant-strike accuracy and significant-strike differential.
Power · Ratings V2: Recorded knockdown and KO/TKO-win threat under the Ratings V2 contract (knockdowns per round, KO/TKO win rate); not literal measured punching force.
Striking defense · Ratings V2: Recorded strike avoidance (striking defense) and bounded absorption (strikes absorbed per round) under the Ratings V2 contract.
Takedown defense · Ratings V2: Recorded defense against incoming takedown attempts (takedown defense rate) under the Ratings V2 contract.
Wrestling · Ratings V2: Ratings V2 wrestling-offense score: recorded takedowns landed per round and takedown accuracy. Not ground control or complete grappling.
Chin · R1 research scale: Exposure-adjusted recorded knockdown resistance. This is not a direct biological measurement of chin, recovery, or injury resistance.
Cardio · R1 research scale: Recorded later-round striking activity and effectiveness retention. This is not a direct physiological fitness measurement.

Ratings V2 scores follow each fighter's latest recorded state; R1 research-scale scores are frozen through 17 Oct 2026. Recovery is separate metadata, not a rating. No combined rating exists.

Profile

Height: 196 cm (6'5")
Reach: 211 cm (6'11")
Stance: Southpaw
Age: 34

Last 3: W L D (most recent last)

Career statistics

Descriptive

16 detailed UFC fights · 33 rounds of recorded statistics. Exact totals from recorded UFC fights through Sat 22 Aug 2026; not opponent-adjusted and not model inputs.

Strikes landed19.0significant, per round

Strikes absorbed18.3per round

Striking differential+0.7per round

Takedown attempts0.33per round

Takedown defense80.8%of attempts stopped

Finish rate87.5%of UFC wins

Striking

Significant strikes landed per round: 19.0
Significant strikes absorbed per round: 18.3
Differential per round (landed − absorbed): +0.7
Striking accuracy: 49.6%
Striking defense (opponent strikes avoided): 51.2%
Knockdowns per round: 0.09
Target: head / body / leg: 81.8% / 17.2% / 1.0%
Position: distance / clinch / ground: 75.8% / 12.9% / 11.3%

Per-round figures divide recorded totals by rounds with statistics. Shares are of significant strikes landed.

Wrestling and grappling

Takedown attempts per round: 0.33
Takedowns landed per round: 0.15
Takedown accuracy: 45.5%
Takedown defense: 80.8%
Control time per round: 0:44
Submission attempts per round: 0.06
Reversals per round: 0.00

Attempts and landed takedowns are counted separately; accuracy is landed ÷ attempted.

Outcomes and durability

UFC record (W-L-D, NC): 8-7-1
Finish rate (wins by KO/TKO or submission): 87.5%
Wins by KO/TKO · submission · decision: 6 · 1 · 1
Losses by KO/TKO · submission · decision: 3 · 2 · 2
Knockdowns scored / suffered: 3 / 4
Average fight time: 8:00 (over 14 bouts)

Results as recorded by UFCStats. Fight time is elapsed time (completed rounds plus ending time) and includes draws and no-contests. These are outcomes, not biological measurements.

UFC fight history

Kennedy Nzechukwu — most recent UFC fights
Date	Opponent	Result	Method	End	Event
Sat 22 Aug 2026	Shamil Gaziev	L	KO/TKO Punch	R1 1:20	UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues
Sat 13 Dec 2025	Marcus Buchecha	D	U-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape
Sat 12 Jul 2025	Valter Walker	L	SUB Heel Hook	R1 0:54	UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Teixeira
Sat 7 Dec 2024	Lukasz Brzeski	W	KO/TKO Punch	R1 4:51	UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura
Sat 26 Oct 2024	Chris Barnett	W	KO/TKO Knee	R1 4:27	UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway

Show all 16 UFC fights

Kennedy Nzechukwu — earlier UFC fights
Date	Opponent	Result	Method	End	Event
Sat 16 Mar 2024	Ovince Saint Preux	L	S-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura
Sat 5 Aug 2023	Dustin Jacoby	L	KO/TKO Punch	R1 1:22	UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font
Sat 6 May 2023	Devin Clark	W	SUB Guillotine Choke	R2 2:28	UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo
Sat 19 Nov 2022	Ion Cutelaba	W	KO/TKO Knee	R2 1:02	UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba
Sat 9 Jul 2022	Karl Roberson	W	KO/TKO Elbows	R3 2:19	UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev
Sat 5 Mar 2022	Nicolae Negumereanu	L	S-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal
Sat 13 Nov 2021	Da Woon Jung	L	KO/TKO Elbows	R1 3:04	UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez
Sat 26 Jun 2021	Danilo Marques	W	KO/TKO Punches	R3 0:20	UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov
Sat 6 Mar 2021	Carlos Ulberg	W	KO/TKO Punch	R2 3:19	UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya
Sat 3 Aug 2019	Darko Stosic	W	U-DEC	R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Lawler
Sat 30 Mar 2019	Paul Craig	L	SUB Triangle Choke	R3 4:20	UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Gaethje

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