Papy Abedi

Mwimbi Papy Abedi
Mwimbi Papy Abedi
Born	June 30, 1978 (age 48); Kinshasa, Zaire
Occupation	Mixed martial artist
Years active	2006–2017
Known for	Competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Mwimbi Papy Abedi (born June 30, 1978) is a Congolese-Swedish mixed martial artist who last competed professionally in 2017. Having turned pro in 2006, he previously fought under the UFC banner.

Biography

Abedi entered the world in 1978 in Kinshasa, Zaire (currently known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). He earned the nickname "Makambo," which translates to "trouble" in Lingala, due to his early propensity for fighting. His journey took him from France and Belgium before he ultimately settled in Sweden in 1997. His martial arts training began with judo at the age of seven.

Mixed martial arts career

Making his professional MMA debut in December 2006, Abedi secured finishes in all but one of his fights, including five victories by knockout and two via submission. Recognized by several prominent MMA media outlets as one of Europe’s leading middleweights, he was viewed as having considerable promise for advancement.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In June 2011, Papy inked a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, opting to compete at welterweight for his inaugural UFC appearance.

His UFC debut took place on November 5, 2011, at UFC 138 against former title contender Thiago Alves. Alves managed to drop Abedi in the opening round and secured a submission win via a rear naked choke, handing Abedi his first professional defeat. Despite this loss, Abedi was acknowledged for stepping up against a top-10 adversary in his debut.

On April 14, 2012, Abedi faced James Head at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva. Head overwhelmed Abedi with strikes and finished him using a rear naked choke submission.

Abedi was briefly slated to replace an injured fighter against Rick Story on June 22, 2012, at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida, but withdrew due to injury and was supplanted by Brock Jardine.

In his third UFC bout, Abedi competed against fellow Swede Besam Yousef at UFC on Fuel TV 9, earning his first UFC victory through a split decision.

Returning to the middleweight division, Abedi battled Dylan Andrews on August 28, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 27. Although he won the initial two rounds, he was knocked out in the third round and was subsequently released from the UFC roster.

Post UFC

Following his departure from the UFC, Abedi resumed competition within Sweden. He was scheduled to challenge Daniel Acácio for the Superior Challenge welterweight title on May 3, 2014, during Superior Challenge 10 but withdrew due to injury; Alan Carlos replaced him.

After a three-year break from fighting, Abedi returned to action initially planned for April 9, 2016, but postponed until October 8, 2016. He faced Bruno Carvalho in a middleweight contest at Superior Challenge 14 and secured a first-round TKO victory.

On April 1, 2017, Abedi challenged Dylan Andrews once more—this being their second encounter after their UFC meeting—for the Superior Challenge Middleweight Championship at Superior Challenge 15. He was defeated by knockout from a head kick in the second round.

Mixed martial arts record

External links

Official website