As an athlete, he played for Galatasaray Youth Team, the Armed Forces Sports Club, Village Services, TMO, and Petrol Ofisi teams. Üstündağ worked as a coach for Şekerbank and Emlak Bankası Sports Clubs as well as national teams. He also served as a manager at Emlak Bankası and Petrol Ofisi.

In his managerial roles, he held positions such as board membership and team captaincy at Petrol Ofisi Sports Club, vice presidency at Malatya Sports Club, general secretary and CEO at Türk Telekom Sports Club, board membership at the Turkish Football Federation, and vice presidency responsible for leagues at the Turkish Volleyball Federation.

Mehmet Akif Üstündağ, who has contributed to volleyball as an athlete, coach, and manager, has been serving as the President of the Turkish Volleyball Federation since 2016.