It was a busy weekend in combat sports including all the action here on FloCombat. But lost in the shuffle was undefeated featherweight Hakeem "Mean" Dawodu solidifying his spot as the best Canadian prospect outside the UFC when he defeated Steven Siler at WSOF 35 this past Saturday.  

You may have missed this three-round featherweight war as it was placed on the undercard of WSOF 35. Dawodu (7-0-1) earned a unanimous decision over Siler (29-16), who had won six of his last seven bouts heading into matchup. Dawodu's superior striking and takedown defense earned him the victory over the former Titan FC title challenger. Mentioned previously on FloCombat as one of the "Five Canadian Fighters To Watch In 2017," the 25-year-old fighter boasts six stoppage victories in eight career fights. Dawodu can comfortably take his billing as a top Canadian prospect due to his unblemished record and impressive resume of opponents (who have a combined record of 61-23).

His critics may point to the majority draw he had in 2015 against Marat Magomedov at WSOF 26, however Dawodu knocked out the Russian just one fight later in the rematch at WSOF 32. With this victory over Siler, the Calgary, Alberta, native becomes the most likely challenger to newly crowned WSOF 145-pound champion Andre Harrison. However, it's unclear who he will fight next.

His manager revealed on Twitter this past weekend the Champion's Creed Martial Arts product was offered a featherweight title shot at WSOF 35 prior to the Siler matchup, but contractual issues prevented this matchup coming to fruition.

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Saturday's performance against Siler made an even stronger case for a WSOF championship fight. Add in the fact former featherweight champion Lance Palmer broke his hand in the loss to Harrison Saturday, and it's unlikely the promotion would favor a rematch over a new challenger in Dawodu.

There is also some history involved here in a potential championship matchup. Only three Canadian fighters have ever won a major North American title outside the UFC. Sarah Kaufman earned the Strikeforce women's' bantamweight title in 2010, Smealinho Rama won the WSOF heavyweight title in 2014 and Julia Budd recently won the Bellator women's featherweight title earlier this month. Dawodu could join Rama as only one of two Canadian fighters to capture a WSOF championship.

Bantamweight Josh Hill had two opportunities for WSOF gold, however lost twice to 135-pound kingpin Marlon Moraes.


A potential matchup with Harrison would pit two undefeated fighters against each other in one of the best title fights in the promotions' history. This championship bout could also have a greater impact for Canadian MMA, as it would give WSOF incentive to host another event in the "Great White North." WSOF hasn't held an event in Canada since June 2015.

You may have not heard about him this weekend, but Hakeem Dawodu is a name that combat sports fans will soon be hearing plenty of in the near future.