UFC’s Fastest-Rising Fighter Should Be One Win Away From A Title Shot

The newest UFC rankings were released on October 22, and no fighter has climbed more spots than Kazakhstan’s Asu Almabayev.

The 30-year-old flyweight contender defeated Mateus Nicolau via unanimous decision on Saturday at UFC Vegas 99 to jump from No. 14 to No. 7 in the UFC’s flyweight rankings.

Almabayev may have shocked some when he asked for a title shot after his win over Nicolau, but it wasn’t a senseless callout.

The reigning UFC flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, has all but cleaned out his division. Pantoja has fought and defeated several of the contenders in his division multiple times.

That’s partially why Pantoja is set to defend his title against Japanese star Kai Asakura in the latter’s promotional debut at UFC 310 on December 7. Pantoja’s last defense came against Steve Erceg in May, and the challenger was ranked No. 9 then.

With that precedence set, Almabayev seems justified in asking for a title shot. If he doesn’t get the next crack at the winner of Pantoja-Asakura, he could be one win away from challenging for the title. Almabayev should get a matchup with someone in the Top 5 in his next fight.

No. 3 Amir Albazi is returning from a neck injury and is slated to take on former champion and No. 2 contender Brandon Moreno on November 2 in Edmonton. Albazi is one of the few top-rated flyweights who hasn’t had his shot at Pantoja or the title.

If he beats Moreno, he’d seemingly be the no-brainer next challenger for the title. Where would that leave Almabayev?

He could challenge the current No. 1 contender, Brandon Royval. Because Royval has already had two opportunities to beat Pantoja and come up short both times, he’ll have to string together three or four wins in a row before he gets a third chance.

Royval won an epic battle over Tatsuro Taira at UFC Vegas 98, which denied the 25-year-old budding star from Japan a title shot. Could he potentially do the same to Almabayev? That fight could be another excellent matchup in the suddenly exciting flyweight division.

Other UFC News – UFC 308 Full Card

The UFC heads to Abu Dhabi this weekend for UFC 308. The main event has as much hype as any fight the promotion could make.

Ilia Topuria will defend his featherweight title against Max Holloway in a clash between one of the greatest 145-pound champions ever and a man on a fast track to similar status and perhaps even greater plans.

Here is a look at the entire card.

Main Card – 2 PM ET