Not long after he moved to 3-0 in the UFC, Asu Almabayev says he’s got his next assignment.
Almabayev (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) on Monday posted on social media to say he’s fighting Matheus Nicolau (19-4-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) this fall. Although UFC officials haven’t formally announced the flyweight fight, Almabayev posted that it’s set for Oct. 19 at an event expected to be a Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Almabayev, from Kazakhstan, in June won for the 16th straight time when he outworked Jose Johnson in Las Vegas. He was more than a 5-1 favorite in the fight. That win came on the heels of a decision over CJ Vergara in March in another fight in which he was heavily favored.
Those odds surged in the wake of his UFC debut in August 2023, a second-round submission of Ode Osbourne. The former Brave CF standout now will fight for the third time in 2024 in a flyweight division that is hurting for new contenders for Alexandre Pantoja’s title.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 27: (L-R) Matheus Nicolau of Brazil punches Alex Perez in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Brazil’s Nicolau could have been one of those contenders not long ago when he was on a six-fight winning streak, including his first four in the UFC. But in his two most recent fights, he’s been knocked out by recent title challengers Brandon Royval and Alex Perez for the first skid of his career.
After his win over Johnson in June, which included a highlight-reel head kick that landed, but didn’t take Johnson out, Almabayev called out Kai Kara-France, but that matchup will have to wait. Kara-France meets recent title challenger Steve Erceg in three weeks in Perth, Australia, at UFC 305.
