The UFC may have a new flyweight star on its hands after Saturday.
Asu Almabaev (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) wasn’t exactly overlooked ahead of his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, Tenn. He was a 2-1 betting favorite against Ode Osbourne (12-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in their curtain jerker at Bridgestone Arena.
But the 29-year-old from Kazakhstan, who has promised to be a UFC champion by 2025, looked smooth and relaxed when he took Osbourne down in the second round, took his back, and squeezed his way to a rear-naked choke tap at the 3:11 mark of the frame.
The win was Almabaev’s 14th straight and second straight by rear-naked choke after his Brave CF final fight in November 2022.
Check out Almabaev’s finish of Osbourne below.
What a debut for Almabayev 😳
Locks up the submission in round 2! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/PiKe7ngKTp
— UFC (@ufc) August 5, 2023
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.
