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Natan Levy

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Natan Levy
Levy in 2018
Born (1991-09-30) September 30, 1991 (age 33)
Paris, France
Native nameנתן לוי
NicknameLethal
ResidenceLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
NationalityFrench, Israeli
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight157 lb (71 kg; 11 st 3 lb)
DivisionFeatherweight (2018–2020)
Lightweight (2021–present)
Reach72 in (183 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
TeamSyndicate MMA[1]
Xtreme Couture[2]
Rank3rd dan black belt in Uechi-Ryū Karate
Black belt in Kyokushin Karate
Black belt in Kung Fu
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active2018–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total10
Wins8
By submission3
By decision5
Losses2
By submission1
By decision1
Amateur record
Total4
Wins4
By submission3
By decision1
Other information
SpouseDana Yudelevich Levy
Websitelevymma.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: 3 December 2022

Natan Levy (born September 30, 1991) is an Israeli professional mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Early life

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Levy was born on (1991-09-30)30 September 1991 in Paris, France to a traditional Jewish family.[1][2][3][4] He moved to Israel as a toddler and grew up in Herzliya.[4] Levy began practicing martial arts as a teenager, training three hours a day by 15 years old, and earned his black belt in Kung Fu at the age of 17.[4] One year later, he traveled to Okinawa, Japan to receive his black belt in Karate.[5]

Prior to his professional MMA career, Levy worked as a martial arts instructor and ran a Karate dojo in Tel Aviv, Israel.[4][5] After being awarded his 3rd degree black belt in Uechi-Ryū Karate,[6] he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States at the age of 22 in order to train in mixed martial arts and pursue a professional career.[7] Over the first few years, he was forced to travel between training in Las Vegas and work in Israel to make money.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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At the age of 24, Levy made his mixed martial arts debut as an amateur in a fight against Isaac Caranza, on 25 June 2016, for the Tuff-N-Uff promotion in Las Vegas. He won via guillotine choke submission in the first minute of the first round.[1] One month later, he defeated Josh Brady in the first round via rear naked choke submission after 50 seconds.[8]

He subsequently beat Daniel Hudson via unanimous decision on 3 December, and Geoffrey Mellor via guillotine choke submission on 17 June 2017, bringing his mixed martial arts amateur record to 4–0.[8]

Legacy Fighting Alliance

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Levy made his professional debut in the Legacy Fighting Alliance in 2018 and ran off five consecutive wins. For his first fight in the American promotion company, he defeated Marcus Sims at LFA 36, on 23 March 2018, via armbar submission in the first round.[9] His next bout in the LFA was against Cameron Underhill at LFA 45. Levy beat Underhill via guillotine choke submission in only 29 seconds of the first round.[9] He then won via unanimous decision against Henry Barahona at LFA 58 on 25 January 2019, and Nicholas Badis at LFA 69 on 7 June.[9] One year later, in August 2020, he defeated Ben Lugo at LFA 88 via majority decision for his last fight in the LFA.[10]

After his win over Lugo, Levy earned a spot on Dana White's Contender Series 35 where he took on Shaheen Santana in a 160-pound catchweight bout. He beat Santana via arm triangle choke submission in the third round.[11]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Following his victory over Santana, Levy signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[12] Initially fighting in the featherweight division, he moved up a weight class and began his UFC journey in the lightweight division. He made his debut for the organization in a fight against Rafa García at UFC Fight Night 198 on 20 November 2021 but lost the bout via unanimous decision.[13]

After his loss to García, Levy rebounded with a win over Mike Breeden at UFC Vegas 53 via unanimous decision on 30 April 2022.[14] He then faced Genaro Valdéz on 3 December 2022, at UFC on ESPN 42 and defeated him by unanimous decision after three rounds.[15]

He was scheduled to face Pete Rodriguez on 29 April 2023 at UFC Vegas 72, and then on 13 May at UFC on ABC 4 but his opponent withdrew twice.[8]

Levy was scheduled to face Alex Reyes on September 16, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227.[16] However, he withdrew from the fight after failing to pass pre-fight medical tests, and he was replaced by Charlie Campbell.[17]

Levy faced Mike Davis on March 16, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 239.[18] At the weigh-in, Levy weighed 156.5 pounds, half a pound over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Levy was fined 20% of his purse which went to his opponent Davis.[19] Levy lost the bout as a result of an arm-triangle submission in the second round.[20]

Ultimate Self-Defense Championship

Natan Levy won the Ultimate Self-Defense Championship Season 2 on October 13, 2024, securing the Ultimate Self-Defense belt. He competed against six participants, but his toughest challenge came from Craig Hunter, who ultimately claimed second place.[21]

Personal life

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In addition to his native French and Hebrew, he is fluent in English.[7]

He is good friends with fellow professional mixed martial artists Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis.[22]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
10 matches 8 wins 2 losses
By submission 3 1
By decision 5 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 8–2 Mike Davis Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura March 16, 2024 2 1:43 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (156.5 lb) bout; Levy missed weight.
Win 8–1 Genaro Valdéz Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland December 3, 2022 3 5:00 Orlando, Florida, United States
Win 7–1 Mike Breeden Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera April 30, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 6–1 Rafa García Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate November 20, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Lightweight debut.
Win 6–0 Shaheen Santana Submission (arm-triangle choke) Dana White's Contender Series 35 November 10, 2020 3 0:55 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win 5–0 Ben Lugo Decision (majority) LFA 88 August 21, 2020 3 5:00 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Win 4–0 Nicholas Badis Decision (unanimous) LFA 69 June 7, 2019 3 5:00 Cabazon, California, United States
Win 3–0 Henry Barahona Decision (unanimous) LFA 58 January 25, 2019 3 5:00 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Win 2–0 Cameron Underhill Submission (guillotine choke) LFA 45 July 20, 2018 1 0:29 Cabazon, California, United States
Win 1–0 Marcus Sims Submission (armbar) LFA 36 March 23, 2018 1 1:25 Cabazon, California, United States Featherweight debut.

[1][8]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 4–0 Geoffrey Mellor Submission (guillotine choke) Tuff-N-Uff - Pack The Mack June 17, 2017 3 0:41 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3–0 Daniel Hudson Decision (unanimous) Heartland FC: Genesis December 3, 2016 3 3:00 Marion, Illinois, United States
Win 2–0 Josh Brady Submission (rear-naked choke) Real MMA 11 July 29, 2016 1 0:50 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 1–0 Isaac Caranza Submission (guillotine choke) Tuff-N-Uff - Pack The Mack June 25, 2016 1 0:56 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

[1][8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Professional MMA record for Natan Levy from Sherdog
  2. ^ a b "Natan Levy Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  3. ^ Elfassy, Jérémie (5 December 2022). ""Viens me voir si tu as un problème", lance Natan Levy, champion israélien de MMA, à Kanye West". I24NEWS (in French). Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bleier, Elie (4 January 2021). "Israeli mixed martial arts fighter Natan Levy defied odds to enter the UFC. Now he wants to break stereotypes". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Natan's story". LevyMMA. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Breaking Boundaries Episode 2 with Natan Levy". Barbell Apparel. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b Sherdog (17 November 2021). Natan Levy: Arriving at MMA's Promised Land (Interview). Retrieved 9 June 2023 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ a b c d e Natan Levy at Tapology.com
  9. ^ a b c Painter, Myles (4 July 2020). "Across the Pond Profile: Legacy Fighting Alliance fighter Natan Levy". MMA UK. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  10. ^ Heck, Mike (9 November 2020). "With Landon Quinones out, Shaheen Santana now meets Natan Levy at DWCS Season 4: Week 9". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  11. ^ Marrocco, Steven (10 November 2020). "DWCS Season 4: Week 9 results: Three win contracts with Natan Levy earning high praise". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  12. ^ Hammond, Mick (26 November 2020). "Natan Levy on earning UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series: 'This is just the beginning'". MMAWeekly. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  13. ^ Bitter, Shawn (20 November 2021). "UFC Vegas 43: Rafa Garcia Tops Natan Levy, Earns First UFC Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  14. ^ "UFC Vegas 53 Results: Font vs. Vera". MMA Fighting. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  15. ^ "UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Holland Results". UFC. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  16. ^ News Desk, ITN (2023-08-10). "Natan Levy vs Alex Reyes Reported for Noche UFC on Sept 16". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  17. ^ Raghuwanshi, Vipin (2023-09-08). "Noche UFC: Natan Levy Out, Charlie Campbell Debuts vs Alex Reyes". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  18. ^ Martin, Damon (2024-01-23). "Ovince Saint Preux vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu among new additions to UFC Fight Night card on March 16". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  19. ^ Staff (2024-03-15). "UFC Fight Night 239 weigh-in results: Three misses on prelims in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  20. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-03-16). "UFC Vegas 88: Returning Mike Davis Shows Slick BJJ, Submits Natan Levy". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  21. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytbmsHpN3A&t=920s
  22. ^ Sean Strickland (30 May 2023). The Man Dance with Sean Strickland and Chris "The Actionman" Curtis | Episode 1 (Podcast). Retrieved 9 June 2023 – via YouTube.
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