5 Things You Might Not Know About Sadibou Sy

Sadibou Sy now seeks entry to an exclusive pantheon.

The rangy 6-foot-3 Swede will continue his pursuit of a second straight Professional Fighters League championship—only Natan Schulte, Lance Palmer, Kayla Harrison and Ray Cooper III have achieved the feat—when he toes the line against Shane Mitchell in the PFL 6 co-feature on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Sy enters the cage on the strength of a five-fight winning streak. He last competed at PFL 3, where he put away former two-division Brave Combat Federation titleholder Jarrah Al-Silawi with a knee to the body and follow-up punches in the second round of their April 14 encounter.

As Sy approaches his forthcoming confrontation with Mitchell at 170 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. A late start did nothing to stunt his growth.

Sy made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 26 when he took a unanimous decision from Robert Bryczek at a regional show in Sweden on Oct. 19, 2013. Bryczek remains active to this day, having compiled a 16-5 record while competing in various European organizations.

2. Matchmakers did him no favors.

“The Swedish Denzel Washington” drew what turned out to be an overly difficult assignment in his second assignment as a pro. Sy met Oskar Piechota, a future Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, at an International Ring Fight Arena event in April 2014. Piechota disposed of him with a second-round triangle choke. It remains the only submission defeat on Sy’s resume.

3. He involves the judges more often than not.

Sy has gone the distance 12 times in 23 career appearances. He owns a 7-3-2 record in those bouts, including PFL draws with the aforementioned Cooper and Bruno Santos.

4. Challenges abound at his home away from home.

The Stockholm native once operated out of Sweden’s Pancrase Gym, where he once trained alongside undefeated UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev. Sy has since dropped anchor at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, where he sharpens his skills under a number of world-class coaches, from Eric Nicksick and Eddie Barraco to Dennis Davis and Jake Shields.

5. He thrives as an elder statesman.

At 36 years, six months and 27 days, Sy ranks as the oldest competitor in the Professional Fighters League welterweight field.