Hakeem Dawodu is disappointed his next fight won’t be in the UFC. But there’s relief that the limbo is over.
From 2017 to 2021, Dawodu (13-4-1) was on quite the run in the UFC. At one point, he won five fights in a row. That was before he hit some bumps with three losses in four fights – including a controversial unanimous decision defeat to Cub Swanson. That bout is still his most recent outing, and it was in August 2023.
For nearly two years, Dawodu says he was in limbo, between two promotional agreements. Dawodu recently told MMA Junkie that it was indicated to him and his management that another fight would come, and with it a new contract. However, he said he found out in June 2025 that the promotion would not be offering another fight – and said that news came to him via the internet.
“They kept saying they were going to find me a fight,” Dawodu said. “I was on Sean Shelby almost every day. That’s what the confusion and the delay was. They kept telling me, ‘Oh don’t worry. We’re going to get you on the next card. We’re going to get you on the Vancouver card.’ Then, we find out I got released out of the blue. I think it’s because I have back-to-back losses because I got robbed in that Cub Swanson fight, which is kind of weird because I know plenty of other guys that are coming off that have lost twice in a row that got finished on the Canadian scene and they still have them. I couldn’t really tell you what was going on, man. It was frustrating. They were playing with me and my career, particularly me in my prime. Yeah, it was a really bad situation and I feel like I got played a little bit.”
Dawodu, 34, has not been deterred from reestablishing the relationship with the UFC. He said the promotion indicated to him that the reason they would not give him another fight was because of consecutive losses. With a win or two back on the regional scene in Canada, Dawodu thinks he’ll prove to the promotion that the UFC is where he belongs.
“Yeah, I definitely got stuff to prove,” Dawodu said. “I truly, honestly believe I’m the best 145er in Canada. I don’t think anyone can beat me. It was hard to try to find me a fight because no one wanted to fight me the first time. It’s just frustrating seeing all these other guys at 145 in the UFC that I’m clearly a lot better than. I definitely feel like I’ve got a fire under my ass and something to prove. It was so tough for me. They like to promote other guys that I’ve beaten in the past. … I’ve done it before and I can do it again. I definitely believe a win for the Unified title will set my career back on the path I want it to be on.”
Furthering the discomfort of the past two years has been his most recent competition. The loss to Swanson still irks him. MMA Decisions had 11 of 13 media members scoring the bout for Dawodu, while over 65 percent of fans did the same. In Dawodu’s mind, there’s no question the judges got it wrong.
Dawodu will have the opportunity to get back in the win column Oct. 3 at Unified MMA 64 in Enoch, Alberta, Canada. He takes on Jake Geauvreau (6-1) in a featherweight bout that will stream on UFC Fight Pass and hopes a victory will align him nicely for a UFC return Oct. 18 in Vancouver if a short-notice replacement is needed.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen that fight, but it was one of the biggest robberies, I felt,” Dawodu said. “I doubled him in significant strikes every round. It was definitely frustrating, but I think everything happens for a reason. I got a Unified title fight coming up. Who knows? Maybe I put this kid away in the first round and I maybe get back on that Vancouver card or get in the PFL. Who knows? We’ll see what happens and see where I go from here. But I think a lot of people are going to be reminded and impressed with my performance.”
