Mohammad Nasrat Haqparast (born August 22, 1995) is an Afghan

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 ...

who currently competes in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

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).

Background

Haqparast was born in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

parents from

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

who came as refugees from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. He attended

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

classes as his parents believed he was overweight at fourteen years old. Subsequently, Haqparast joined an MMA class and decided to be an MMA fighter after witnessing a sparring session in the room next to the kickboxing class.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Haqparast started his professional MMA career in 2012 and amassed a record of 8–1 before being signed by UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Haqparast made his UFC debut on October 21, 2017, against

Marcin Held Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #5 in the Konfrontacj ...

, replacing injured

Teemu Packalén Teemu Packalén (born May 22, 1987) is a retired Finnish mixed martial artist. He was the Amateur Champion of Finland and the Finnish Open Championship winner in 2010. Packalén competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Haqparast was scheduled to face Alex Reyes on March 17, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov. However, on March 8, it was reported that Alex Reyes pulled out of the fight due to injury and he was replaced by Nad Narimani. The bout was scrapped on the day of the event as Haqparast was deemed unfit to fight by the medical team due to an infectious eye condition. His next fight came on July 22, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 134 ''UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 134'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 22, 2018, at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Background The event was ...

against

Marc Diakiese Marc Diakiese (born 16 March 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist who is signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) as a lightweight. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Caged Steel and BAMMA. ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Haqparast faced

Thibault Gouti Thibault Gouti (born February 27, 1987) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2011, he has also competed in the UFC and for Bellator MMA Mixed martial arts career Early career Gouti has a ...

on October 27, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 138 ''UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 138'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on October 27, 2018 at Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. B ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Haqparast was expected to face

John Makdessi John Makdessi (born May 3, 1985) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division and competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Makdessi was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on May 3, ...

on March 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 148. However, on March 13, 2019, it was reported that Haqparast was pulled from the bout due to injury. Haqparast faced on August 3, 2019 Joaquim Silva on

UFC on ESPN 5 ''UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 3, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background T ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award. Haqparast faced

Drew Dober Andrew Martin Dober (born October 19, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2009, he has also formerly competed for ...

on January 18, 2020, at

UFC 246 ''UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 18, 2020, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Haqparast faced Alexander Muñoz on August 8, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 174. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Haqparast was scheduled to face

Arman Tsarukyan Arman Nairovich Tsarukyan (; born October 11, 1996) is an Armenian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of April 16, 2024, he is #1 in the UFC lightw ...

on January 24, 2021 at

UFC 257 ''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background Starting with ...

. However, on the day of the weigh-ins, Haqparast pulled out of the fight, citing illness. Haqparast was scheduled to face Don Madge, replacing injured Guram Kutateladze, on March 13, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 187 ''UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 187'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 45'' and ''UFC Vegas 21'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 13, 2021 at the UF ...

. However, Madge withdrew from the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by UFC newcomer Rafa García. Haqparast won the fight via unanimous decision. Haqparast faced

Dan Hooker Daniel Preston Hooker (born 13 February 1990) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Hooker was the King in the Ring ...

on September 25, 2021, at

UFC 266 ''UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 25, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Haqparast faced

Bobby Green King Green (born Bobby Ray Green; September 9, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2008, Green is the former ...

on February 12, 2022, at

UFC 271 ''UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2022 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Middleweight Champio ...

. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Haqparast faced

on September 3, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 209. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Haqparast was scheduled to face

Jamie Mullarkey Jamie Mullarkey (born 17 August 1994) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Mullarkey grew up in Central Coast area, attending Erina High School. He ...

February 12, 2023, at

UFC 284 ''UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2023, at Perth Arena, RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Background The event marked the promotion's ...

. However, Haqparast withdrew due to undisclosed reason and was replaced by promotional newcomer Francisco Prado. Haqparast was scheduled to face Sam Patterson on September 2, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 226. However, Patterson pulled out due to health issues, and he was replaced by Landon Quinones, with the pair meeting the following week at UFC 293. Haqparast won the fight by unanimous decision. Haqparast faced

on December 9, 2023 at

UFC Fight Night 233 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This fight earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Haqparast faced

Jared Gordon Jared Gordon (born September 6, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the lightweight champion of Duelo de Gigantes in Mexico and featherweight champion for Cage Fury Fighting Championships in the United States. He competes in the li ...

on June 22, 2024, at UFC on ABC 6. He won the fight by a close split decision. In his next fight, he faced Esteban Ribovics on March 1, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 253. He won the fight by split decision. This fight earned him another '' Fight of the Night'' award.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (Two times) ** Performance of the Night (Two times)

Personal life

Haqparast was a mechanical engineering student at

Hamburg University of Applied Sciences The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (German: Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg) is a higher education and applied research institution located in Hamburg, Germany. Formerly known as ''Fachhochschule Hamburg,'' the ''Hamburg ...

. When Haqparast made his UFC debut, he was dubbed by several media members as a “mini” version of middleweight fighter

Kelvin Gastelum Kelvin Gastelum (born October 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gastelum earned a contract with the UFC after winning '' The ...

due to their close physical resemblance. This has resulted in many media outlets comparing their fighting styles often. Haqparast's mother died in September 2021, which was weeks prior to his fight at UFC 266. Haqparast previously fought under the

flag in the UFC, but revealed on his social networks that he was no longer allowed to do so. At UFC Fight Night 209, Haqparast announced that he will represent

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

from September 3, 2022, onwards, due to training and living there.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Esteban Ribovics , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, Saudi Arabia , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Landon Quiñones , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 293 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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, Decision (unanimous) ,

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Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Rafa García , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Alexander Muñoz , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Joaquim Silva , KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:36 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Ruslan Kalyniuk , TKO (punches) , Superior FC 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:44 , Dueren, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Patrik Berisha , TKO (punches) , We Love MMA 24 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:18 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Lampros Pistikos , TKO (punches) , Ravage Series 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Fabrice Kindombe , KO (punch) , We Love MMA 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Patrick Schwellnus , TKO (punches) , We Love MMA 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Tolga Ozgun , TKO (punches) , We Love MMA 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Jiri Flajsar , TKO (punches) , Anatolia FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Iles Ganijev , TKO (punches) , Superior FC 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Adrian Ruf , Submission (triangle choke) , We Love MMA 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 ,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haqparast, Nasrat Living people 1995 births Lightweight mixed martial artists German male mixed martial artists Martial artists from Hamburg Hamburg University of Applied Sciences alumni German people of Afghan descent Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century German sportsmen