Rani Yahya

Rani Yahya is one of the most accomplished athletes to ever emerge from Brazil. He is an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter and a former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight champion. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1985, Yahya was raised by a single mother and developed a passion for martial arts at an early age.

At the age of 13 he began training jiu-jitsu under Fábio Andrade and Maurício “Kiko” Lima who both had competed professionally in Vale Tudo (Brazilian version of modern MMA). After four years his skills were advanced enough that he joined Team Lehman where he trained with legendary fighters like Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira and Anderson Silva among others. By 2001 Yahya had become well-known for his submission grappling prowess as evidenced by his win over Demian Maia at Copa CFE 1in Sao Paulo that year.

Yahya made his professional MMA debut in 2003, winning via submission due to armbar while fighting Tim Snyder at XFC 2: The Return Of The Champ. Since then Yahya has amassed an impressive fighting record having won 20 out of 26 bouts since turning pro including three consecutive victories during WEC’s time prior to its merger into UFC in 2010 when it went on hiatus as they shifted their focus towards lighter weight classes such as bantamweight and featherweight divisions where Rani’s talents excelled even more than before since it allowed him to showcase better all-around mma skill set which combined elements of striking , wrestling & jiu jitsu into one complete package . As well as multiple performances bonuses garnered over 4 years competing under Zuffa LLC umbrella earning him recognition from hardcore fans & media alike making him known for his technical prowess displayed each time he steps inside octagon . This success lead up to October 2016 when Rani faced Matthew Lopez at UFC Fight Night 96 which resulted in dominant finish via triangle choke awarding him Performance Of The Night bonus .

In addition being highly regarded name within MMA scene , Rani has also dedicated himself towards helping disadvantaged children reach their dream thru teaching self defense & other activities outside ring building lasting relationships with kids who are going thru difficult times this action earned respect from every day people far beyond what any career achievement could accomplish This goes hand n hand with commitment displayed when speaking out against animal cruelty something very close too heart after rescuing dog named Cindy which serves role companion & confidant whenever needed He currently lives Oregon United States alongside family wife Amanda daughter Allana running own gym / school called ‘Yahyas Jiu Jitsu ’ When not training or teaching students keeps busy chasing dreams living life fullest pushing own limits because sky limit !