Born: Jackiel Ayana, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Nickname: Smiling Assassin
Date of Birth:2001
Weight:145LBS/65.77kgs
Division: Featherweight
PRO MMA RECORD: [6-2-0]
EARLY LIFE
The young upcoming fighterJackiel Ayana is a Port Harcourt indigene who began his MMA journey at a young age. He was constantly bullied by older boys and this frequent abuse led him to seek a way to defend himself. Ayana soon found reprieve after watching a Muay Thai movie that made him decide to learn how to fight. He found a coach to help him achieve this and began training.
Shortly afterwards, his coach saw potential in him and recommended he compete in tournaments for money and fame. His decision to train in MMA came as a shock to his parents, who wanted him to go to school abroad. However, due to the insistent bullying, his mom supported his decision and has stood by him every step of the way.
Ayana’s playful but outstanding skillset comes from his love of comic book characters. He got his nickname “the Smiling Assassin” from the Marvel character Deadpool, known for his playful but deadly charm. The fighter had his MMA debut at the Nigerian’s mini Olympics, National Sports Festival. Unfortunately, he was beaten in the first round at the kickboxing event. He has been in seven professional MMA fights since then.
MMA CAREER
Since his early rise into MMA, the fighter has been tenacious and persistent in his career. His defeat at the National Sports Festival spurred him to work harder. He has competed in many MMA tournaments, such as WSC, OFU Fight Night, FOFN, Spirit of the Warrior, and Benin FC. Ayana faced off Godwin Friday three years later at the same competition and won the fight, earning a gold medal for Delta state.
He battled Sodiq Mohammed in his professional debut, and won the fight after a leg kick took Mohammed to the floor. He landed a deadly ground pound, leading to Mohammed’s submission and Ayana’s win in the first round.
Next, he faced Gideon Emmanuel, and both opponents exchanged leg kicks. Gideon soon took down Ayana and went for an unsuccessful headlock. After slipping out, Ayana came on the offense with high leg kicks and a tight defense while seeking an opening before the second round ended. The third round began with Ayana’s beautiful takedown, and he locked his opponent in a rear naked choke that led to his submission.
After this win, Ayana faced off Ebale Mohamed in his next fight, where both opponents exchanged high leg kicks and circled each other, seeking an opening. Mohamed soon went for a takedown and tried to wrestle Ayana to the ground, but he escaped. The two soon connected with swinging blows and leg kicks. Mohamed grappled Ayana to the ground again, but he broke through to deliver some deadly blows. After a flurry of blows and punches, the match ended with Ayana victorious via split decision.
Following this, He fought Emmanuel Bernard and lost the fight in the opening round after being locked in a guillotine choke. Next, he faced off Ghanaian fighter Edmond Akhator, who he defeated in round one via TKO.
Soon after, he faced Benin kickboxer Pascal Akogbeto. Both rivals brought their A-game with explosive blows and kicks in the opening round. Akogbeto was gunning for a takedown and soon tried to put Ayana in a headlock, which he slipped through. He went for a takedown again, and this time, he had Ayana on the canvas, where he attempted a ground pound. Ayana delivered a nice left and right jab combo that toppled Akpgbeto, leading to his victory in the match.
Later, he fought against Congolese fighter Jean-Jacques Lubaya. Sadly, he was defeated in the third round via split decision. He soon went up against Brian Bernard Seret at the AKO Show and won the fight after landing a head that led to a TKO win in round two.
MMA RECORD
| W/L/D [NC] | RECORD AFTER FIGHT | OPPONENT | FIGHT LIBRARY |
| W | 7-2-0 | BRIAN BERNARD SERET | |
| L | 6-2-0 | JEAN JACQUES LUBAYA | https://youtu.be/jONMcqySxj8?si=_QQoZhGgcRWthoQW https://youtu.be/t62RLeD4PwU?si=UFcjPxUWfR-9IMwL |
| W | 5-2-0 | RANDY EKULI | |
| W | 5-1-0 | PASCAL AKOGBETO | https://youtu.be/34UWrnqhhsE?si=zVQ4Z9uV7MHHXmMe |
| W | 4-1-0 | EDMOND AKHATOR | https://youtu.be/rPXhwfCm7lw?si=ZAWoVMfucU1ESONM |
| L | 3-1-0 | EMMANUEL BERNARD | https://youtu.be/ov6tpIgKfEs?si=5Y-ZBqtpRdvzolKM |
| W | 3-0-0 | EBALE MOHAMMED | https://youtu.be/EjxNSs0PdTM?si=Ts5fsGthvCoIOnsC |
| W | 2-0-0 | GIDEON EMMANUEL | https://youtu.be/LT9kABxha3U?si=AVGcn6_zauUJLSt1 |
| W | 1-0-0 | SADIQ MOHAMMED | https://youtu.be/3rt9m9V7MAA?si=XbpTmV5e9qK8-u7A |
