UFC 300 star Sodiq Yusuff reiterates his EPIC journey of ending up in a Disney show before the landmark card

Disney's animated mini-series Iwájú stars Nigerian UFC fighter Sodiq Yusuff. He recounts how he landed such a voice over role.

UFC 300 star Sodiq Yusuff reiterates his EPIC journey of ending up in a Disney show before the landmark card

Sodiq Yusuff talks about how he landed his Disney role (Source: Instagram)

Sodiq Yusuff faces rising newcomer Diego Lopes at UFC 300. One of the many Nigerian-born staples of the promotion’s roster, Yusuff has a lively and friendly demeanor. The fighter iterates this landed him a big reel role before the epic card. Sodiq ‘Super’ Yusuff landed a voice role in the new Disney series Iwájú.

The mini-series by Kugali Media is about two best friends, Tola and Kole. It is based on the Afro-futurist approach to the culture of Lagos, Nigeria, and has cool sci-fi stuff in it. Yusuff loved the showcasing of Nigerian culture but he initially believed the offer to star in the series was a troll played by someone. 

[On keeping his DMs open] As long as it’s cool – you’re not, like, a troll – I’ll hold a conversation if I have the time...I tell people all the time, especially athletes growing up, people don’t realize how many no’s you get, You only need one good yes for it to mean something...He [owner of the company] was a Nigerian UFC fan, so I checked off all the boxes.
Sodiq Yusuff via The MMA Hour (for MMAFighting on SBN)
YouTube video

Cooking a post-fight meal, the self-proclaimed “nerd” told Ariel Helwani that his openness paid off. His tending to be open-ended and engage in DMs on social media led him to connect with the owner of the animation company (@KugaliMedia). In his native tongue, Yoruba, Iwájú means ‘in the future,’ and he plays a role called “Sunday Adelekan.”

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He enjoyed working on the mini-series and has been posting snippets on it. It debuted on Disney+ this Feb. 28. Yusuff is training hard to make his mark on the historic April 13 card. However, given the present opportunities, he keeps his social media open-ended in hopes of garnering similar offers like Iwájú.

What does Sodiq Yusuff think of his acting experience?

Featherweight Sodiq Yusuff hopes to make his mark this weekend at UFC 300. Accordingly, the 13-3-0 out of Team Lloyd Irvin is prepping hard for his showdown. 2-2 in his last four scraps, ‘Super’ hopes to rebound from his decision loss to Edson Barboza last October.

UFC 300 featherweight contender Sodiq Yusuff talks about his voiceover acting experience
UFC 300 featherweight contender Sodiq Yusuff talks about his voiceover acting experience (Source: UFC.go.com)

The Titan FC alum is a multi-faceted “nerd”. Much like Nigerian peer Israel Adesanya, he is an avid anime fan. He also advocates for Women’s right to personal carry PDW and defense and promotes cultural and sociopolitical issues in Nigeria. More recently, though, he has taken the MMA community by storm, starring in a voiceover role on Disney+.

Now I’m in a Disney show, My DMs are full of me shooting my shot at a million different things...I fight people in my underwear for a living, Even when I was in acting classes, people would be getting nervous. I feel like I’ve broken my nervous-meter...
Sodiq Yusuff via The MMA Hour (for MMAFighting on SBN)

Contrarily, hardcore combatants aren’t exactly known for their easy mettle in front of a camera. Paul Felder‘s role on the HBO series Hacks, to Georges St-Pierre and Valentina Shevchenko in short combat-centric roles have impressed the fanbase. In recent times, Conor McGregor’s debut role in Road House is the only success story that has gone well beyond limits.

Hence, Yusuff mentions taking it in stride with his new voiceover role. Despite that, the project has garnered him much support from his fanbase. Here’s hoping the fighter finds similar success in and out of the octagon in the future.

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