MMA
Kurdish MMA fighters
Wrestling was the first combat sport in Kurdish life. The cage is where that tradition ended up, by way of gyms in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany and California.
The wrestling thread
Makwan Amirkhani wrestled for the Finnish national team before he ever fought professionally, and it shows in his record: fourteen of his twenty wins came by submission (Wikipedia, 2026). The same route repeats across the register. Wrestling clubs in the diaspora took in Kurdish families, and two decades later those children are on international cards.
Where they compete now
Amirkhani spent eight years on the UFC roster and now holds the Ice Cage lightweight title. Namo Fazil moved from the Middle East Fighting Championship, UAE Warriors and a Netflix broadcast card to Dana White’s Contender Series on 18 August 2026, where he meets Kaik Brito with a UFC contract on the line. Mohamed Zarey is five wins into a run in the PFL season format, and Seyamand Rida is two and zero in MEFC (Kurdistan Chronicle, 2026).
What the records show
Our own count across the profiles we have verified: the finishing rates are high. Fazil has ended eight of his ten wins early, Amirkhani seventy percent of his by submission. This is not a group that wins on the judges’ cards.
MMA fighters in the register
| Name | Sport | Record | Roots | Based in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makwan Amirkhani Mr. Finland | MMA | 20-11 | Kirmaşan, Rojhilat | Turku, Finland | @makwanufc |
| Cihad Akipa The Punisher | Kickboxing, MMA | 12-2 | Mêrdîn, Bakur | Germany | @cihadakipa |
| Namo Fazil Grandson of Saladin | MMA | 10-1 | n.a. | California, United States | @namo.fazil |
| Harda Karim Hi-Tech | MMA | 5-3 | n.a. | n.a. | @harda.karim.1 |
| Mohamed Talabani | MMA | 6-3 | n.a. | n.a. | @warriorfromdeath |
| Ruslan Amuev Kurdish Eagle | MMA | 11-0 | n.a. | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan | @amuev__mma |
| Seyamand Rida | MMA | 5-0 | Kelar, Basur | Norway | @king_rida1 |
| Saad Kawa | MMA | 4-3 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Bajad Damarkani The Kurdish Lion | MMA | 3-0 | n.a. | Gothenburg, Sweden | @bajad_damarkani |
| Mohammed Walid No Mercy | MMA | 8-6 | n.a. | n.a. | @mohammedwalid_promma |
| Mohammed Saleh | MMA | 5-1 | n.a. | n.a. | @mohammed_saleh_mma |
| Ahmad Anwar | MMA | 1-0 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Bilal Jalal | MMA | 1-3 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Milad Shahram | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Raman Ismail | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Alan Omer Mr. Erbil | MMA | 25-5 | n.a. | n.a. | @alanomermma |
| Naj Parniyan | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Hakar Gardi | MMA | 0-4 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Shirzad Qadrian The Lion | MMA | 8-1 | n.a. | United Kingdom | @lion._.mma |
| Mohamed Zarey Kurdish Gorilla | MMA | 9-1 | Sinê, Rojhilat | Norway | @mohamadzarey_kurdish |
| Rostem Akman | MMA | 7-5 | Mêrdîn, Bakur | Sweden | @rostemakman |
| Gaylan Tariq | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Nuri Arslan The Warrior | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Ilkin Ragimov Kurd | MMA | 1-4 | n.a. | Azerbaijan | n.a. |
| Mario Saeed Rudeboy | MMA | 13-6 | n.a. | United Kingdom | @mariosaeedmma |
| Shad Bapir | MMA | 1-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Ahmed Hamza Barraz | MMA | 1-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Ali Qaradaghy | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Firas Daud | MMA | 6-1 | n.a. | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | @firasdaud_ |
| Ali Gündüz The Gorilla | MMA | 6-1 | n.a. | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | @alig.mma |
| Ramyar Luqman | MMA | 1-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Komar Dara | MMA | 3-2 | n.a. | Finland | @komardaramma |
| Goran Abdullah | MMA | 1-0 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Aziz Kamalov Kurd | MMA, Kickboxing | 0-0-1 | n.a. | Krasnodar, Russia | @aziz___mma |
| Hamza Hakeem Yuri | MMA | 0-0 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Adam Mahmoud | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Chyako Yosuf | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Hamza Faraidoon | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Hunar Karim | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Kuyar Kamran | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Muhammad Kaka | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Shaho Malik | MMA | 0-1 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Bari Mgoev | MMA | 0-2 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Kurdo Azadi | MMA | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
Frequently asked questions
Which Kurdish fighters have competed in the UFC?
Makwan Amirkhani was on the UFC roster from 2015 to 2023. Namo Fazil fights on Dana White’s Contender Series on 18 August 2026, one win from a UFC contract (Wikipedia, 2026; Tapology, 2026).
Who is the best Kurdish MMA fighter right now?
By record and momentum, Namo Fazil at ten wins and one loss and Mohamed Zarey at ten and one with five straight wins in the PFL. Amirkhani holds the deepest career and is the current Ice Cage lightweight champion.
Why do so many Kurdish MMA fighters come from the Nordic countries?
Because of wrestling. Several grew up in wrestling clubs in Finland, Norway and Sweden, and wrestling is the single most transferable base in mixed martial arts.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Makwan Amirkhani (2026)
- ESPN, Namo Fazil (2026)
- Kurdistan24 and Kurdistan Chronicle, Kurdish fighters in PFL and MEFC (2026)