Tag: Asu Almabayev

Manel Kape Gets New Opponent For UFC Fight Night Main Event After Brandon Royval’s Withdrawal

Manel Kape finds himself facing a new challenger for his UFC Fight Night main event after his originally scheduled bout fell through. Kape was originally slated to clash with former UFC flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval in the headlining bout of a Fight Night card on March 1 at the Apex in Las Vegas. However, […]

Manel Kape finds himself facing a new challenger for his UFC Fight Night main event after his originally scheduled bout fell through.

Kape was originally slated to clash with former UFC flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval in the headlining bout of a Fight Night card on March 1 at the Apex in Las Vegas. However, “Starboy” suddenly found himself without an opponent on Wednesday after Royval withdrew due to an undisclosed injury.

According to a recent report from Sportilinet, Kape is now set to battle Asu Almabayev on March 1. The update was also confirmed by MMA journalist Marcel Dorff on X.

Almabayev had been lined up to face Allan Nascimento on the same card but stepped up on short notice for the main event opportunity. Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether Nascimento will stay on the lineup.

“Starboy” is fresh off a third-round knockout win over Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa this past December. His momentum, however, was briefly derailed last July at UFC 304 when Muhammad Mokaev snapped his four-fight winning streak. Kape currently boasts a 6-3 record in the UFC, with five of those victories coming by way of knockout.

On the other hand, “Zulfikar” last entered the Octagon at a Fight Night event in October, where he earned a unanimous decision win over Matheus Nicolau. Since making his UFC debut in August 2023, he has remained undefeated across four appearances.

Report: Ex-Title Challenger Steve Erceg Booked For UFC Return, Faces Prospect On 17-Fight Winning Streak

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg will seemingly need to stall the surge of a highly touted up-and-comer if he’s to return to winning ways this year. While Erceg’s (12-3) year started out well with a brutal knockout win over Matt Schnell to remain undefeated in the UFC and further climb the ladder, he […]

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg will seemingly need to stall the surge of a highly touted up-and-comer if he’s to return to winning ways this year.

While Erceg’s (12-3) year started out well with a brutal knockout win over Matt Schnell to remain undefeated in the UFC and further climb the ladder, he finished 2024 on a losing skid.

After a narrow defeat to Alexandre Pantoja in his surprise May title shot at UFC 301, “AstroBoy” failed to rebound three months later on home soil, with Kai Kara-France instead finding a quick finish to put his name back into the championship conversation.

With back-to-back losses on his record, Erceg will be fighting slightly further down pecking order next time out. And the man looking to extend his woes in the cage at the UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on March 1 will reportedly be Asu Almabayev (21-2).

The news was first reported by @darteam.kazakhstan on Instagram before being corroborated by known Australian MMA insider Benny P.

Almabayev has established himself as one to watch at 125 pounds since joining the UFC from Brave CF in 2023. The Kazakh fighter has reeled off four wins in the Octagon, most recently outpointing Matheus Nicolau to ascend to #8 in the rankings and extend his winning streak to 17.

With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night on March 1 are as follows:

  • Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape (flyweight main event)
  • Steve Erceg vs. Asu Almabayev (flyweight)
  • William Gomis vs. Lucas Almeida (featherweight)
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics (lightweight)
  • Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson (welterweight)
  • Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez (middleweight)
  • Montana De La Rosa vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)
  • Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva (featherweight)