Sadibou Sy finally reached the pinnacle last year, professionally speaking, but his ultimate goal remains in his sights.

The 2022 Professional Fighters League welterweight champion (13-6-2, 1 NC; 7-4-2, 1 NC PFL) had his most successful season since signing with the PFL in 2018 as he defeated four opponents in a row in the span of six months, including former Bellator MMA champion Rory MacDonald, to capture the title and $1 million prize. Now, Sy will attempt to replicate that success in the 2023 PFL Regular Season, starting this week against former Brave Combat Federation standout Jarrah Al-Silawi. Ahead of his season debut, Sy told Sherdog his biggest motivation isn’t external, but the constant pursuit of the best version of himself, and he believes he has yet to reach his full potential.

“I didn't start fighting because of the money, fame, or whatever. For me, it was just to be able to push myself and see how far I could take it. I believe that you still haven't seen the best of me, and I'm working every day to be able to make myself proud. My goal has always been, if I make myself proud, the rest of the world are gonna be amazed. I'm not thinking about money, I'm just thinking, ‘OK, I need to prepare the best that I can and I'm gonna be better tomorrow than I was today.’ That's my goal. Everything else around it is gonna sort itself out.”

(00:00) Intro

(00:52) Back in the States

(01:51) His journey to Senegal

(03:05) His fondest memory from last year

(04:18) Being with PFL since Day 1

(05:40) His thoughts on Al-Silawi

(06:56) Training in Las Vegas

(08:01) His four-bout winning streak

(09:06) Coming from a kickboxing background

(10:35) Differences between training in Sweden and the U.S.

(11:54) His motivation for the 2023 season

(13:06) Outro