Asa Almabaev and Jose Johnson at the weigh-in for UFC Las Vegas 93. Credit: Youtube/UFC
Promising prospect As Almabaev extended his unbeaten streak at UFC Las Vegas 93 against division newcomer Jose Johnson.
A native of Kazakhstan, Almabaev was undefeated 13 times coming into the UFC, with a record of 2-0 with two submissions before facing Johnson. Jose had dropped down from bantamweight to flyweight, but had never fought at that weight class and there were doubts about his availability. But at 6-foot-0, he broke the 126-pound limit and the fight was on.
The much smaller Almabaev started the bout by backing away and circling. Johnson withstood the wrestling threats but looked for ways to move forward with kicks. When he landed a teep to the stomach 90 seconds into the round, Assou grabbed the leg, pulled him into a body lock, and wrenched Jose to the ground. Almabaev landed in half guard, but Johnson regained full guard. Almabaev didn’t land any big blows, but he did consistent damage with short shots and gained the advantage. Johnson got to his feet, but Almabaev lunged into a back body lock and took his back. He nearly got the neck as well, but Jose barely escaped a rear-naked choke and survived until the end of the round.
Almabaev landed a surprise spinning kick that connected with Johnson’s jaw early in the second round. Johnson then landed a kick, but Johnson got on top in high mount, allowing Almabaev to wrestle and finish on top. However, Johnson successfully applied a triangle choke at the end of the scramble, forcing Almabaev to defend for the next minute. As he broke free, he quickly got on Johnson’s back and began his attack. Johnson turned and forced Almabaev into mount, where Jose was able to regain the butterfly and then full guard. However, he never fully escaped, and in the final 30 seconds of the round, he was taken on his back again, allowing Almabaev to do damage and attempt a choke.
Johnson’s cardio level was boring to watch going into the final round, given his background in the upper division. Almabaev started the bout with spinning kicks and shots to the body, which he was partially successful in. Johnson got to his feet, but Almabaev applied a rear body lock. Johnson, however, turned the tide by pushing Almabaev down and taking the mount, then getting a back take. He attacked for the submission he needed to win the bout, but Almabaev scrambled and turned, eventually getting back on top. The Kazakhstani had dominant wrestling, landing a steady stream of ground strikes, and finally got back on his back with a minute left in the round. But Johnson fought hard to avoid punches and defended his neck until the horn, despite being close to several choke attempts from Almabaev.
The decision was clearly expected, with As Almabaev winning all three rounds. “Zulfiqar” declared himself one of the top five flyweights in the world, making a bold statement by naming Kai Kara-France.
Official result: As Almabaev defeats Jose Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
