Asu Abaiuly Almabayev (; born January 25, 1994) is a Kazakh professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He currently competes in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). A professional since 2013, Almabayev has also competed in

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with oth ...

, where he is a former Interim M-1 Global Flyweight Champion. As of July 1, 2025, he is #9 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Background

Almabayev was born on January 25, 1994, in the village of Janatalap in the

Sarysu District Sarysu (, ) is a district of Jambyl Region in south-eastern Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Janatas. Sarysu District's population in 2023 was 44,115, up from 41,105 in 2009 but down from 48,594 in 1999. Geogr ...

of the

Jambyl Region Jambyl or Zhambyl Region (; ), formerly known as Dzhambul Region () until 1991, is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is Taraz. The population of the region is 1,209,665; the city is 335,100. The region borders Kyrgyzstan, and is ...

of Kazakhstan. He was raised by his grandparents until he was ten. At the age of five, he began to train wrestling. When he was in the fifth grade, he and his family moved to

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

, where he attended other combat sport classes such as

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. While in Almaty, Almabayev worked at a market, where his parents had a small shop. He worked at the market until he was 23. In BJJ, Almabayev became the champion of Kazakhstan and Asia. However, he eventually chose to compete in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

after watching it on television while studying in college.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Almabayev made his professional MMA debut against Vadim Buseev on June 1, 2013, at Rod Fighting: Shield and Sword 4. He won the bout via unanimous decision. After a three-year layoff, Almabayev returned in 2016 and won three early victories in the Alash Pride FC, Tech-Krep FC and Fight Nights Global promotions. In 2017, he suffered his first defeat at Fight Nights Global 58, losing to current UFC fighter

Tagir Ulanbekov Tagir Radzhabovich Ulanbekov (; born July 8, 1991) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is also the former Fight Nights Global Flyweight Champion. U ...

. Two months later, Almabayev returned to the cage at the Alash Pride FC tournament and suffered a second defeat, losing to Mehman Mamedov. Almabayev won his next thirteen fights in a row in the ACB, Alash Pride,

Fight Nights Global AMC Fight Nights (or Fight Nights Global before 2021) is a Russian mixed martial arts organization that previously hosted K-1 and other martial arts events. It is one of the largest promotion companies in the world and features some of the top-ra ...

, Naiza,

and

Brave Combat Federation BRAVE Combat Federation is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Bahrain. The organization was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. BRAVE Combat Federation features mixed martial artists from more than ...

organizations.

M-1 Global

Almabayev faced

Chris Kelades Chris Kelades (born February 21, 1981), is a Canadian mixed martial artist and former interim M-1 Challenge Flyweight champion. He previously competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor ...

on October 19, 2019, at M-1 Challenge 105 for the Interim M-1 Global Flyweight Championship. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Brave Combat Federation

Almabayev made his Brave Combat Federation debut on August 21, 2021, against Aleksander Doskalchuk at Brave CF 53. He won the bout via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Almabayev faced Imram Magaramov on March 11, 2022, at Brave CF 57. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Almabayev faced Zach Makovsky on July 30, 2022, at Brave CF 60. He won the bout via split decision. Almabayev faced Kenneth Maningat on November 26, 2022, at Brave CF 66. He won via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Almabayev made his UFC debut against

Ode' Osbourne Ode’ Omaani Osbourne (born January 9, 1992) is a Jamaican mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, Osbourne lived primarily wi ...

on August 5, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 50. He won the bout via a rear-naked choke submission in the second round. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award. Almabayev faced C.J. Vergara on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299. At the weigh ins, Vergara weighed in at 127 pounds, one pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit, which led the bout to proceed at catchweight with 30 percent of Vergara's purse going to Almabayev. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Almabayev faced Jose Johnson on June 15, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 58. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Almabayev faced

Matheus Nicolau Matheus Nicolau Pereira (born January 6, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has also competed in the Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF) an ...

on October 19, 2024, at

UFC Fight Night 245 ''UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 245'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 103'' and ''UFC Vegas 99'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 19, 2024, at t ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Almabayev was scheduled to face Steve Erceg on March 1, 2025 at

UFC Fight Night 253 ''UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 253'' and ''UFC Vegas 103'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 111'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 1, 2025, at the ...

. However, Erceg was moved to headline

UFC on ESPN 64 ''UFC on ESPN: Moreno vs. Erceg'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 64'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 29, 2025, at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Background The event ma ...

and was replaced by Allan Nascimento. However, Almabayev's opponent was changed to

Manel Kape Manuel Pedro Gomes (born November 14, 1993), known as Manel Kape, is an Angolan-born Portuguese professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since ...

due to the injury of Kape's original opponent

Brandon Royval Brandon Matthew Royval (born August 16, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2012, Royval has also formerly compet ...

, and the bout headlined

. During the fight, Almabayev tried to protest an eye poke but after the referee did not notice it, this led to the finishing sequence which led Kape to win the bout by technical knockout in the third round. Almabayev was scheduled to face Ramazan Temirov July 26, 2025, at

UFC on ABC 9 ''UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. de Ridder'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 9'') is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on July 26, 2025, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab ...

. However, Temirov pulled out due to failing a drug test in early July and was replaced by Jose Ochoa.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (One time) *

** Interim M-1 Flyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Zach Makovsky Zachary Paul "Zach" Makovsky (born April 19, 1982) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the flyweight division. He has competed in EliteXC, ShoXC, Bellator, Brave Combat Federation, and Ultimate Fighting Championship. He i ...

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Isa Town Isa Town (, ''Madīnat ʿĪsā'') is a middle class town located in Bahrain, in the north central part of the country. Etymology The name ''Isa'' refers to Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, a former ruler of Bahrain, from 1961 to 1999. History Isa To ...

, Bahrain , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Imram Magaramov , Decision (unanimous) , Brave CF 57 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Nur-Sultan Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

, Kazakhstan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Pierre Ludet , Submission (guillotine choke) , M-1 Challenge 101 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:45 ,

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Atyrau Atyrau (, ; , ; ), known until 1991 as Guryev (), is a city in Kazakhstan and the capital of Atyrau Region. Atyrau is a transcontinental city, at the mouth of the Ural River on the Caspian Sea, between Europe and Asia, west of Almaty and east o ...

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Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

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Tolstoy-Yurt Tolstoy-Yurt (; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a ''village#Russia, selo'') and the administrative center of Groznensky District of the Chechnya, Chechen Republic, Russia. Population: The town is named after the ...

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Kaskelen Kaskelen (, ''Qaskeleñ'') is a town and seat of Karasay District in Almaty Region of south-eastern Kazakhstan.National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. GeoNames GeoNames (or GeoNames.org) is a user-editable geographical database available a ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Almabayev, Asu 1994 births Kazakhstani male mixed martial artists Living people Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Kazakhstani male karateka Kazakhstani practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Jambyl Region