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Who is Asu Almabayev?

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 8:02 AM ET

The UFC’s flyweight division has been crying out for new top contenders and ‘Zulfikar’ is preparing to answer those prayers.

125-pound champion Alexandre Pantoja has been left thinking outside the box when looking at who could challenge him for the flyweight title in the near future.

The Brazilian has already beaten the likes of Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval and Manel Kape, hence why he has recently faced newer arrivals into the division like Kai Asakura and Steve Erceg.

Outside of Pantoja’s former opponents, one rising contender who could potentially secure a title shot with a big win this Saturday night is Asu Almabayev.

After stepping in to face Kape in Royval’s place at UFC Vegas 103, he now has a huge opportunity on his hands to prove that he’s another new and viable challenge for the champion.

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Asu Almabayev has earned his first main event spotlight on March 1

Asu Almabayev made his pro debut in June of 2013 before taking an immediate three-year break from competition.

After returning in 2016, it wasn’t long after that he suffered back-to-back defeats, one of which came against fellow UFC flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov, which are the only losses on his pro record to date.

As a part of the rising MMA talent pool coming out of Kazakhstan, Almabayev then started to find his groove with an impressive run in M-1 Global, eventually leading him to BRAVE CF where his continued winning streak earned him a shot in the UFC.

Arriving in the Octagon with 13 wins in a row, the 31-year-old has since extended that run to 17 by producing one submission and three decision victories inside the Octagon by utilizing his grappling-focused approach.

Beating Ode Osbourne, CJ Vergara and Jose Johnson set him up for a big fight with Matheus Nicolau last time out which he won and climbed 7 spots in the UFC rankings as a result.

After moving down one place to #8, Almabayev was booked to face two different opponents on March 1 in Las Vegas until he was given the opportunity to step into the main event following an injury to Brandon Royval.

Asu Almabayev could earn a title shot by beating Manel Kape

Asu Almabayev has already made a point of calling for a flyweight title shot before he had even secured a spot in the flyweight top 10.

With a win over the #6-ranked Manel Kape this weekend, he could find himself in a great spot to earn the Alexandre Pantoja fight unless it goes the way of Kai Kara-France.

Kara-France has been beaten by Pantoja in the past but it was during The Ultimate Fighter back in 2016 and is therefore classed as an exhibition.

Almabayev might be lacking a real statement performance but with his grappling style being an interesting problem for Pantoja to try and solve, he might be the right contender in the right place at the right time.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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