Asu Almabayev
Zulfikar
Kazakhstan
Gets finish against top-10 opponent
Almabayev defeated Alex Perez via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:22 of Round 3 at UFC Qatar on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
With the scorecards likely tied 1-1 entering the final frame, Almabayev opened with a spinning wheel kick that stunned Perez and paved the way to the finish. With Perez clearly compromised, Almabayev jumped for a standing guillotine, and it was so tight that Perez had to tap out standing up. It was an impressive effort from a slight betting favorite, who has now won back-to-back fights and six of seven UFC bouts overall. Almabayev is closing in on title-implicating fights against top-5 opponents.
With the scorecards likely tied 1-1 entering the final frame, Almabayev opened with a spinning wheel kick that stunned Perez and paved the way to the finish. With Perez clearly compromised, Almabayev jumped for a standing guillotine, and it was so tight that Perez had to tap out standing up. It was an impressive effort from a slight betting favorite, who has now won back-to-back fights and six of seven UFC bouts overall. Almabayev is closing in on title-implicating fights against top-5 opponents.
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Next fight scheduled
Almabayev is scheduled to compete against Alex Perez in a flyweight fight at UFC Qatar on Nov. 22, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Almabayev is 1-1 in 2025, with his year starting off badly after Manel Kape knocked him out at UFC Vegas 103. The former bounced back by leaning on his wrestling to defeat Jose Ochoa. Almabayev will look to go 2-1 in 2025 by defeating Perez, a dangerous threat if healthy.
Almabayev is 1-1 in 2025, with his year starting off badly after Manel Kape knocked him out at UFC Vegas 103. The former bounced back by leaning on his wrestling to defeat Jose Ochoa. Almabayev will look to go 2-1 in 2025 by defeating Perez, a dangerous threat if healthy.
Leans on wrestling in victory
Almabayev defeated Jose Ochoa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
Almabayev is a one-dimensional wrestler. It can look quite ugly when his takedown attempts aren't landing, but when they are, like they were this evening, he's a threat in there. Almabayev fired off a whopping 16 tries, connecting on seven of them. Those seven shots turned into 9:26 worth of control time, all but assuring Ochoa had zero chance of winning a fight which went to the scorecards. Almabayev improves to 5-1 in the UFC, with the lone setback coming against a guy in Manel Kape that is likely to be fighting for the UFC Flyweight Championship in short order.
Almabayev is a one-dimensional wrestler. It can look quite ugly when his takedown attempts aren't landing, but when they are, like they were this evening, he's a threat in there. Almabayev fired off a whopping 16 tries, connecting on seven of them. Those seven shots turned into 9:26 worth of control time, all but assuring Ochoa had zero chance of winning a fight which went to the scorecards. Almabayev improves to 5-1 in the UFC, with the lone setback coming against a guy in Manel Kape that is likely to be fighting for the UFC Flyweight Championship in short order.
New opponent scheduled
Almabayev is scheduled to compete against Jose Ochoa in a flyweight fight at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Almabayev and Ramazan Temirov were scheduled to fight at UFC Abu Dhabi. Temirov, without a disclosed problem, has withdrawn from their fight, so Almabayev has Ochoa next instead. Ochoa is coming off a strong knockout win over Cody Durden.
Almabayev and Ramazan Temirov were scheduled to fight at UFC Abu Dhabi. Temirov, without a disclosed problem, has withdrawn from their fight, so Almabayev has Ochoa next instead. Ochoa is coming off a strong knockout win over Cody Durden.
Taking on Temirov in July
Almabayev will face Ramazan Temirov at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Almabayev will head into the fight looking to bounce back after a TKO defeat at the hands of Manel Kape in his most recent bout. The 5-foot-4 fighter from Kazakhstan will look to use a slight reach advantage to take down the younger Temirov. With an impressive 18-2 combined professional record in submission and decision finishes, Almabayev will likely be looking to take his time and use the ground game to his advantage, particularly when his opponent's perfect 11-0 record in KO/TKO finishes is taken into account.
Almabayev will head into the fight looking to bounce back after a TKO defeat at the hands of Manel Kape in his most recent bout. The 5-foot-4 fighter from Kazakhstan will look to use a slight reach advantage to take down the younger Temirov. With an impressive 18-2 combined professional record in submission and decision finishes, Almabayev will likely be looking to take his time and use the ground game to his advantage, particularly when his opponent's perfect 11-0 record in KO/TKO finishes is taken into account.
Tough break in main-event loss
Almabayev lost to Manel Kape via TKO (punches) at 2:16 of Round 3 at UFC Vegas 103 on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Almabayev may have deserved a better fate here despite entering the determining Round 3 likely down 2-0 on the scorecards. He was competitive in those frames and even won the significant striking battle in Round 2, though Kape's blows were likely more consequential. In any case, Round 3 is where the controversy started. Kape grazed the eyes of Almabayev not once, but twice, in a move with extended fingers that some could interpret as intentional. That led to a sequence of unanswered strikes from Kape and Almabayev retreating across the cage to escape. Referee Mike Beltran then called the fight off as Almabayev proceeded to shoot a double-leg takedown, so he clearly wasn't finished. It's a tough break for Almabayev, as the 31-year-old takes his first loss with the UFC. The days of him affecting the 125-pound title picture may not be entirely over, however.
Almabayev may have deserved a better fate here despite entering the determining Round 3 likely down 2-0 on the scorecards. He was competitive in those frames and even won the significant striking battle in Round 2, though Kape's blows were likely more consequential. In any case, Round 3 is where the controversy started. Kape grazed the eyes of Almabayev not once, but twice, in a move with extended fingers that some could interpret as intentional. That led to a sequence of unanswered strikes from Kape and Almabayev retreating across the cage to escape. Referee Mike Beltran then called the fight off as Almabayev proceeded to shoot a double-leg takedown, so he clearly wasn't finished. It's a tough break for Almabayev, as the 31-year-old takes his first loss with the UFC. The days of him affecting the 125-pound title picture may not be entirely over, however.