Su Mudaerji (ch: 苏木达尔基 tb: བསོད་ནམས་དར་རྒྱས།, born January 20, 1996), sometimes written as Sumudaerji or Sonam Darjee is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of July 11, 2023, he is #12 in the UFC flyweight rankings.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
In his childhood, Sumudaerji used to herd cattle in the mountains. He was born with a passion for sports. When he was 14 years old, Sumudaerji joined the well-known Enbo Fight Club in Chengdu. He started practicing Sanda in 2010 and won the second place in the Sichuan Youth Sanda Championship. From 2014 to 2015, he was selected to study in the Sichuan Sanda team and then transitioned into MMA. Starting his career in 2016, Mudaerji fought mostly for the Wu Lin Feng promotion, compiling an 11–3 record.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Mudaerji made his UFC debut against Louis Smolka at UFC Fight Night 141 on November 24, 2018. He lost the fight via submission in round two.
Mudaerji next faced Andre Soukhamthath on August 31, 2019, on UFC Fight Night 157. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Mudaerji faced Malcolm Gordon on November 28, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Smith vs. Clark. He won the fight via knockout in round one. He earned a Performance of the Night bonus for the win.
Replacing Jeff Molina, Mudaerji faced Zarrukh Adashev on January 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 20. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Mudaerji was scheduled to face Tim Elliott on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 190. However, Mudaerji pulled out due to a knee injury.
Mudaerji was scheduled to face Manel Kape on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205. However, just three days before the event, Kape withdrew due to personal reasons and the bout was scrapped.
Mudaerji faced Matt Schnell on July 16, 2022, at UFC on ABC 3. Despite a triangle attempt in the first round, Mudaerji lost the bout via technical submission due to a triangle choke in the second round. This win earned both fighters the Fight of the Night bonus award.
Mudaerji is scheduled to face Allan Nascimento on December 9, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 234.
Personal life
Mudaerji is the first UFC fighter of Tibetan ethnicity.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Performance of the Night (One time) Fight of the Night (One time)