Joshua Culibao
Joshua Alvin Culibao[1] (born May 24, 1994) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Joshua Culibao | |
---|---|
Born | Joshua Alvin Culibao[1] May 24, 1994 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Other names | Kuya |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
Division | Lightweight Featherweight |
Reach | 73.0 in (185 cm)[2] |
Fighting out of | Sydney, New South Wales |
Team | Igor MMA |
Rank | Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3] |
Years active | 2016–present |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 14 |
Wins | 11 |
By knockout | 5 |
By submission | 1 |
By decision | 5 |
Losses | 2 |
By knockout | 1 |
By decision | 1 |
Draws | 1 |
Other information | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Background
The youngest of 4 siblings in a Filipino family, with his mother from Boracay while his father is from Pampanga,[4][5] he was given the nickname "Kuya", a familial term used in a respectful manner to address an older male relative, brother, or friend, by his teammates at the Sydney-based Igor MMA, since he calls everyone in the gym by the Filipino kin endearment.[6] Having practised taekwondo in his childhood, Culibao eventually started training mixed martial arts in order to lose weight in his adolescent years.[3][7][8]
Before signing with the UFC, Culibao was a full-time electrician doing 40-plus-hour workweeks with training on top.[9]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Starting his professional MMA career in 2016, Culibao compiled a perfect 8-0 record on the regional Australian scene, capturing three titles during this time. He won his debut at Superfight MMA 2 on February 19, 2016 by stopping Paul Traish in the first round via TKO.[10] He would win his next two fights in the Urban Fight Night promotion; winning via majority decision against Brad Shortland at UFN 7 on May 7, 2016[11] and via TKO against Simon Arentz at UFN 8 on August 27, 2016.[12] Culibao would fight his next two bouts in the Hex Fight Series promotion, winning the HEX Featherweight Championship against Raphael Berthet at HFS 7 after dropping his with a body shot and finishing him with soccer kicks.[13] He defended this title at HFS 8 against Jordan Cameron, who he beat in a close bout via split decision.[14] After returning to Urban Fight Nights for one bout which he won via majority decision against James McGlashan,[15] Culibao won the DFC Featherweight Championship against Rodolfo Marques at DFC 7 on November 10, 2018 via head kick and ground and pound.[16] He would then capture the Superfight MMA Featherweight championship against Josh Payne at Superfight MMA 10 on March 1, 2019, winning the bout via TKO in the first round.[17]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Culibao signed with the UFC in February 2020 to replace Jamie Mullarkey on short notice against Jalin Turner at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker on February 23, 2020.[18] He lost the fight via second-round knockout.[19]
He made his sophomore appearance against Charles Jourdain at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana on October 4, 2020. The bout ended in a split draw, which drew ire with most of the media scoring it for Jourdain.[20][21][22]
Culibao faced Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt on May 22, 2021.[23] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[24]
Culibao was scheduled to face Damon Jackson on March 12, 2022 UFC Fight Night 203.[25] However, Culibao was pulled from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Kamuela Kirk.[26]
Culibao faced Seung Woo Choi on June 11, 2022 at UFC 275.[27] After knocking his opponent down multiple times during the fight, Culibao won the bout via split decision.[28]
Culibao faced Melsik Baghdasaryan on February 12, 2023, at UFC 284.[29] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round.[30]
Culibao faced Lerone Murphy on July 22, 2023 at UFC on ESPN+ 82.[31] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[32]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts record
14 matches | 11 wins | 2 losses |
By knockout | 5 | 1 |
By submission | 1 | 0 |
By decision | 5 | 1 |
Draws | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 11–2–1 | Lerone Murphy | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura | July 22, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
Win | 11–1–1 | Melsik Baghdasaryan | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 284 | February 12, 2023 | 2 | 2:02 | Perth, Australia | |
Win | 10–1–1 | Choi Seung-woo | Decision (split) | UFC 275 | June 11, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
Win | 9–1–1 | Shayilan Nuerdanbieke | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt | May 22, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Draw | 8–1–1 | Charles Jourdain | Draw (split) | UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana | October 4, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Return to Featherweight. |
Loss | 8–1 | Jalin Turner | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker | February 23, 2020 | 2 | 3:01 | Auckland, New Zealand | Lightweight debut. |
Win | 8–0 | Josh Payne | TKO (punches) | Superfight MMA 10 | March 1, 2019 | 1 | 3:02 | Punchbowl, Australia | Won the vacant Superfight MMA Featherweight Championship. |
Win | 7–0 | Rodolfo Marques | TKO (head kick and punches) | Diamondback FC 7 | November 10, 2018 | 4 | 0:00 | North Adelaide, Australia | Won the vacant DFC Featherweight Championship. |
Win | 6–0 | James McGlashan | Decision (majority) | Urban Fight Night 13 | December 2, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Liverpool, Australia | |
Win | 5–0 | Jordan Cameron | Decision (split) | Hex Fight Series 8 | March 31, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | Defended the HEX Featherweight Championship. |
Win | 4–0 | Raphael Berthet | TKO (punch to the body and soccer kicks) | Hex Fight Series 7 | December 2, 2016 | 5 | 1:35 | Melbourne, Australia | Won the HEX Featherweight Championship. |
Win | 3–0 | Simon Arentz | TKO (punches) | Urban Fight Night 8 | August 27, 2016 | 1 | 4:49 | Liverpool, Australia | Catchweight (146.2 lb) bout; Culibao missed weight. |
Win | 2–0 | Brad Shortland | Decision (majority) | Urban Fight Night 7 | May 7, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Liverpool, Australia | |
Win | 1–0 | Paul Traish | TKO (punches) | Superfight MMA 2 | February 19, 2016 | 1 | 4:28 | Sydney, Australia | Featherweight debut. |
References
- Mixed martial arts show results Date: May 22, 2021
- "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Josh Culibao". UFC.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- "Fil-Aussie Josh Culibao out to redeem self in UFC Fight Island". Spin.ph. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- Ly, Megan (24 February 2020). "Joshua Culibao The Filipino-Australian Fighter Makes His UFC Debut In Auckland". Daily Bayonet. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- Icasiano, Nissi (2 October 2020). "Josh Culibao shares why he chose 'Kuya' moniker despite being 'bunso'". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- Ben Hampson (6 April 2021). "#005 AOS UFC - Josh Culibao" (Podcast).
- Kayla Franchesca (18 November 2020). "EPISODE 3: Fighter Josh Culibao" (Podcast).
- Suntay, Anthony. "Fil-Aussie MMA fighter makes it to the UFC". Philstar.com. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Superfight 2 Results: Beau Rawiri defeats David Francis in the main event – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Urban Fight Night 7 Results: Shane Parker outpoints Ryan Robertson – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Urban Fight night 8 Recap: James Najim submits Mark Familari with twister – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Hex Fight Series 7 Recap: Joshua Culibao defeats Raphael Berthet to claim featherweight title – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Hex Fight Series 8 Recap: Callan Potter, Joshua Culibao victorious in title fights – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Urban Fight Night 13 | MMA Event". Tapology. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Still undefeated, Joshua Culibao stops Rodolfo Marques to claim Diamondback FC featherweight title – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Superfight 10 Recap and Results: Mills dethrones Nelson in the main event – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Joshua Culibao signs with UFC; set to debut at UFC Auckland". fightnewsaustralia.com. 6 February 2020.
- Shawn Bitter (22 February 2020). "UFC Auckland Results: Jalin Turner Pounds Out Newcomer Joshua Culibao in Second Round". cagesidepress.com.
- Jon Realejo (4 October 2020). "UFC on ESPN 16 Results: Charles Jourdain and Josh Culibao Fight To Draw". bloodycanvas.net.
- "Charles Jourdain drew with Joshua Culibao". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- Brendan Bradford (4 October 2020). "UFC: Josh Culibao fights to rare split draw with Charles Jourdain on Fight Island". sportingnews.com.
- Mike Heck (10 April 2021). "Joshua Culibao set to meet UFC newcomer Yilan Sha on May 22". mmafighting.com.
- Bitter, Shawn (22 May 2021). "UFC Vegas 27 Results: Josh Culibao Turns Back Debuting Sha Yilan". Cageside Press. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- "Two bouts added to UFC Fight Night event on March 12". MMA Junkie. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- Marcel Dorff (29 January 2022). "Kirk opnieuw invaller tijdens tweede UFC partij tegen Jackson". Eurosport (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 January 2022.
- Behunin, Alex (29 April 2022). "Jack Della Maddalena vs. Ramazan Emeev, Seung Woo Choi vs. Joshua Culibao Added To UFC 275". Cageside Press. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- Anderson, Jay (11 June 2022). "UFC 275: Josh Culibao Drops Seung Woo Choi Several Times, Survives Late Sub Attempts". Cageside Press. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- "UFC 284: Joshua Culibao to steal highlight off headliners Volkanovski and Whittaker". The Daily Telegraph. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
- Jay Anderson (11 February 2023). "UFC 284: Josh Culibao endures low blow, subs Melsik Baghdasaryan". Cageside Press. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- "Tom Aspinall returns from year-long injury layoff to headline UFC London vs. Marcin Tybura". MMA Junkie. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- Doherty, Dan (22 July 2023). "UFC London: Lerone Murphy Finishes Strong Against Joshua Culibao". Cageside Press. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- Sherdog.com. "Joshua Culibao". Sherdog. Retrieved 7 August 2020.