Khalid Taha (born February 15, 1992) is a German mixed martial artist currently competing in the bantamweight division. A professional since 2013, he has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Rizin Fighting Federation.

Khalid Taha
Born (1992-02-15) February 15, 1992 (age 32)
Dortmund, Germany[1]
Other namesThe Warrior
NationalityGerman
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Featherweight
Bantamweight
Reach69[1] in (175 cm)
Fighting out ofWarendorf, Germany[1]
TeamArena Dortmund
RankGreen belt in Taekwondo[2]
Years active2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total20
Wins14
By knockout10
By submission2
By decision2
Losses5
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision3
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Taha started fighting MMA professionally in 2013. He has fought under numerous organizations, notably German MMA Championship, Fair Fighting Championship and Rizin Fighting Federation.[3]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Taha made his UFC debut on July 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith against Nad Narimani.[4] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[5]

Taha was scheduled to face Boston Salmon on November 30, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters#The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale.[6] However Taha was pulled from the event due to a torn ACL and the bout was cancelled.[7] The pairing was rescheduled at UFC 236 on April 13, 2019.[7] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[8]

Taha was scheduled to face Bruno Gustavo da Silva on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242.[9] However, on August 21, it was reported that the bout was moved to UFC 243.[10] Taha won the fight via a submission in round three.[11] On December 23, 2019, Taha received one year USADA suspension for tested positive for furosemide (diuretics) in an in-competition urine sample provided on Oct. 6 2019 where Taha took a medicine for reducing inflammation and swelling in his eyes which contained furosemide.[12] He became eligible to compete again on October 6, 2020.[13]

Taha was expected to face Jack Shore on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira.[14] However, Shore was removed from the bout in late-October due to undisclosed reasons and replaced by Raoni Barcelos.[15] Taha lost the fight via unanimous decision.[16] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[17]

Taha faced Sergey Morozov on July 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 26.[18] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[19]

Taha was scheduled to face Mario Bautista on February 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 201.[20] However, Taha had to pull out off the bout due to undisclosed reasons.[21]

Taha was scheduled to face Taylor Lapilus on September 3, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 209.;[22] but on August 23, Lapilus forfeited from the event due to a broken hand,[23] and he was replaced by Cristian Quiñónez.[24] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[25]

After the loss, it was announced that Taha was no longer on the UFC roster.[26]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts

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Personal life

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Taha is of Lebanese descent.[27][28]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
20 matches 14 wins 5 losses
By knockout 10 1
By submission 2 1
By decision 2 3
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 14–5 (1) William Valentim TKO (punches) NFC 13 March 25, 2023 1 2:26 Dortmund, Germany Return to Featherweight.
Loss 13–5 (1) Cristian Quiñónez TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa September 3, 2022 1 3:15 Paris, France
Loss 13–4 (1) Sergey Morozov Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés July 17, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 13–3 (1) Raoni Barcelos Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira November 7, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
NC 13–2 (1) Bruno Gustavo da Silva NC (overturned) UFC 243 October 6, 2019 3 3:00 Melbourne, Australia Catchweight (137 lb) bout; Taha missed weight. Originally a submission (arm-triangle choke) win for Taha; overturned after he tested positive for furosemide.
Win 13–2 Boston Salmon TKO (punches) UFC 236 April 13, 2019 1 0:25 Atlanta, Georgia, United States Return to Bantamweight.
Loss 12–2 Nad Narimani Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith July 22, 2018 3 5:00 Hamburg, Germany
Win 12–1 Hamza Kooheji Submission (rear-naked choke) Brave 12 May 11, 2017 2 N/A Jakarta, Indonesia Return to Featherweight.
Loss 11–1 Takafumi Otsuka Submission (guillotine choke) Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round December 29, 2017 3 3:23 Saitama, Japan 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal.
Win 11–0 Keita Ishibashi KO (knees and punches) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 1 July 30, 2017 1 4:52 Saitama, Japan 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix First round.
Win 10–0 Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas Decision (split) German MMA Championship 9 November 19, 2016 3 5:00 Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
Win 9–0 Michail Chrisopoulos KO (punch) Fair FC 5 November 19, 2016 1 1:20 Eindhoven, Netherlands
Win 8–0 Nijat Valujev TKO (punches) Fair FC: Top Ten Champions March 12, 2016 1 2:26 Herne, Germany
Win 7–0 Daniel Makin TKO (punches) Fair FC 4 November 28, 2015 1 2:20 Eindhoven, Netherlands
Win 6–0 Omer Cankardesler Decision (unanimous) Fair FC 3 March 28, 2015 3 5:00 Rheinberg, Germany Won the Fair FC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 5–0 Ali Selcuk Ayin TKO (submission to punches) German MMA Championship 5 September 13, 2014 1 4:59 Herne, Germany
Win 4–0 Manuel Bilić Submission (rear-naked choke) Fair FC 1 February 8, 2014 2 4:24 Herne, Germany Bantamweight debut.
Win 3–0 Florin Gârdan TKO (knees) RNC: Martial Arts Gala November 30, 2013 2 4:43 Frankenthal, Germany Featherweight debut.
Win 2–0 John Isac TKO (punches) GMC 4 July 6, 2013 2 0:20 Herne, Germany
Win 1–0 Muhammed Celebi TKO (punches) MMA Bundesliga 2 April 6, 2013 2 2:43 Herne, Germany

[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Khalid Taha | UFC". www.ufc.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  2. ^ "Khalid Taha - Official UFC Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Khalid". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  4. ^ "Nad Narimani победи Khalid Taha в дебюта си за UFC — MMA.BG". mma.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  5. ^ "UFC Fight Night 134 results: Nad Narimani takedown attack grinds out Khalid Taha". MMA Junkie. 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  6. ^ David Tees (2018-10-20). "Boston Salmon faces Khalid Taha at TUF 28 Finale". fightful.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  7. ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE: Boston Salmon vs Khalid Taha rescheduled for April 13". MyMMANews.com. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  8. ^ "UFC 236 results: Khalid Taha left hand earns 25-second win over Boston Salmon". MMA Junkie. 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  9. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2019-05-21). "Khalid Taha vs. Bruno Silva set for UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  10. ^ "ran FIGHTING". ranfighting.de (in German). 18 April 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  11. ^ Shillan, Keith (2019-10-05). "UFC 243 Results: Khalid Taha Beats Bruno Silva by third round submission". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  12. ^ "Khalid Taha – alles andere als ein Dopingsünder!". German Fight News (in German). 2019-12-24. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  13. ^ Sherdog.com. "USADA Suspends Khalid Taha 1 Year for Failed Drug Test at UFC 243". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  14. ^ DNA, MMA (2020-09-27). "Jack Shore en Khalid Taha treffen elkaar op 7 november". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  15. ^ Farah Hannoun (2020-10-28). "With Jack Shore out, Raoni Barcelos steps in to face Khalid Taha at UFC on ESPN+ 40". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  16. ^ Vreeland, Daniel (2020-11-07). "UFC Vegas 13 Results: Raoni Barcelos Outslugs Khalid Taha". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  17. ^ a b Hiergesell, Dan (2020-11-08). "UFC Vegas 13 Bonuses! 'King Kong' Banks $50K For Insane Forearm Submission". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  18. ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-04-09). "Khalid Taha vs. Sergey Morozov Set For July 17 UFC Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  19. ^ McClory, Mike (2021-07-17). "UFC Vegas 31 Results: Sergey Morozov Earns One-Sided Decision Against Khalid Taha". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
  20. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-11-12). "Mario Bautista treft Khalid Taha op 19 februari tijdens een UFC evenement". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  21. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-02-15). "Jay Perrin Gets Short-Notice Call to Face Mario Bautista at UFC Vegas 48". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  22. ^ "Taylor Lapilus re-signs with UFC, meets Khalid Taha on Sept. 3 in Paris". MMA Junkie. 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  23. ^ "UFC Paris. Le Français Taylor Lapilus forfait en raison d'une fracture à la main gauche". Ouest-France. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Tapilus lesionado, Cristian Quinonez enfrenta a Khalid Taha en UFC París - MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español". mma.uno (in Spanish). 2022-08-25. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  25. ^ Richardson, Andrew (2022-09-03). "UFC Paris highlights: Cristian Quinonez stops Khalid Taha in the first round for debut victory". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  26. ^ Cox, Susan (2022-09-14). "The UFC parts ways with four more fighters". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  27. ^ "Lebanese-German Khalid Taha set for Rizin FF Grand Prix". Arab's MMA. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  28. ^ Altatis, Conan (14 April 2019). "Lebanese-German Khalid Taha earns 1st UFC win at 'UFC 236' in Atlanta, Georgia". CONAN Daily. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
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