Ottman Azaitar

Ottman Azaitar was born on February 20, 1990, in Cologne, Germany, to a Moroccan family. He spent his early years in the Dellbrück district of Cologne before relocating to Weiden. Azaitar received his education at the King Fahd Academy in Bonn until the age of 15, an institution where instruction was exclusively in Arabic. Despite initial language challenges upon transferring to Hildegard of Bingen Gymnasium in Cologne, he successfully navigated his studies, graduating in 2012 with a strong academic record. Following his high school graduation, Azaitar pursued higher education, undertaking studies in business administration.

Azaitar’s involvement in sports began at the age of six, where he initially trained in jiu-jitsu until he was ten. He subsequently transitioned to boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing, disciplines in which he achieved notable success throughout his amateur career. This included securing the Muay Thai state championship for North Rhine-Westphalia in 2011 and becoming the German national Muay Thai champion in 2012. His proficiency in Muay Thai also led to his inclusion in the German national team, representing his country at the world championship in Saint Petersburg from May 19–28, 2012. These early experiences in combat sports provided a foundation for his later career in mixed martial arts.

Azaitar began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2014. He competed in regional German promotions before joining Brave Combat Federation. A significant achievement in his early professional career came at Brave CF 9 on November 17, 2017, in Bahrain, where he secured the Brave Combat Federation Lightweight Championship by defeating Alejandro Martinez via TKO in the third round. He later signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in late 2018, marking his entry into one of the sport’s premier organizations. His UFC debut occurred on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242, where he achieved a first-round knockout victory over Teemu Packalén, earning him a Performance of the Night award. Throughout his career, Azaitar has been recognized for his striking power, with a notable record of 10 wins by knockout and 10 first-round finishes.