Askar Saypulayevich Askarov (Russian: Аскар Сайпулаевич Аскаров;[1] born October 9, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Flyweight division of Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Askarov previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), where he is a former ACB Flyweight Champion. Askarov is also a 2017 Summer Deaflympics 61 kg freestyle wrestling gold medalist. He is ranked #8 in the ACA flyweight rankings.[4]
Askar Askarov | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Askar Saypulayevich Askarov[1] October 9, 1992 Kamysh-Kutan, Akhvakhsky District, Dagestan, Russia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Native name | Аскар Аскаров | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other names | Bullet | ||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Division | Flyweight | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reach | 67 in (170 cm)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Style | Freestyle wrestling, Sambo | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fighting out of | Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Russia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Team | Fighting Eagles | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | International Master of Sports of Russia in Freestyle Wrestling Master of Sports of Russia in Combat Sambo | ||||||||||||||||||||
Years active | 2013–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By knockout | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By submission | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By decision | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
By decision | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Draws | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal life
editAskarov was born to an Akhvakh family on 9 October 1992, in the village of Kamysh-Kutan in the Akhvakhsky District of Dagestan, an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation.[1]
Askarov was born deaf, and though his hearing has improved, he can only hear approximately 20% of the sounds most people can, meaning he cannot hear instructions from his team during a fight.[5] Askarov has represented Russia as part of the national deaf wrestling team, including at the Summer Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey in 2017, where he won a gold medal.[6]
Mixed martial arts career
editEarly career
editAskarov made his professional MMA debut in Russia in July 2013, against a fellow debutante in Shamil Amirov. He won the fight by a rear naked choke in the second round. In his second fight, he fought another debuting fighter, Kvanzhakov Kantemir, and won by a first round TKO. Askarov extended his winning streak to four, with stoppage wins against Elvin Abbasov and Vakha Kadyrov.[7]
Absolute Championship Berkut
editFollowing these two victories, Askarov signed with the Russian based promotion Absolute Championship Berkut. In his first fight with ACB, Askarov defeated Vyacheslav Gagiev by a second round TKO.[8] During ACB 22, Askarov fought[9] and submitted the undefeated Kirill Medvedovski.[10] He was then scheduled to fight Marcin Lasota during ACB 29.[11] Askarov won the fight by a second round TKO.[12] In his fourth with the organization, Askarov was scheduled to fight Ruslan Abiltarov during ACB 38.[13] He won the fight by rear naked choke, and was awarded a $5,000 bonus for the submission of the night.
These victories earned Askar the chance to fight José Maria Tomé for the vacant ACB Flyweight Championship.[14] He beat José Maria Tomé by submission in the fifth round to become the first ACB flyweight champion.[15] Askarov additionally earned a $5,000 bonus for the "Fight of the Night".[16]
Askarov was scheduled to have his first title defense during ACB 58, when he was fought Anthony Leone.[17] Askarov won the fight mid-way through the third round, by a body triangle neck crank.[18]
Askarov was scheduled to defend his title for the second time against Rasul Albaskhanov, during ACB 86.[19] He defeated Albaskhanov by a second round guillotine choke.[20]
Following his signature with the UFC, Askarov vacated the ACB Flyweight title.[21]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
editAskarov made his UFC debut against Brandon Moreno on the main card of UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens. Though Moreno was competing in front of his home fans in Mexico, they fought to a split draw after three rounds.[22] 12 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Moreno.[23]
For his second fight in the Octagon, Askarov was booked to face former UFC flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott at on January 18, 2020, at UFC 246.[24] Askarov won the bout via unanimous decision.[25]
In his third fight for the promotion, Askarov faced Alexandre Pantoja at UFC Fight Night 172 on July 19, 2020.[26] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[27]
Askarov faced Joseph Benavidez on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259.[28] At the weigh-ins, Askar weighed in at 127 pounds, one pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at a catchweight and he was fined 20 percent of his individual purse, which went to Benavidez.[29] Askarov won the fight via unanimous decision.[30]
Askarov was scheduled to face Alex Perez on July 31, 2021, on UFC on ESPN 28.[31] However, Askarov pulled out of the fight in early July citing injury. In turn, Perez was removed from the card entirely and rescheduled to face Matt Schnell four weeks later on August 28, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 192.[32]
Askarov faced Kai Kara-France on March 26, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33.[33] He lost the first bout of his professional career via unanimous decision.[34]
The bout between Askarov and Perez was rescheduled and they are expected to meet on July 16, 2022, at UFC on ABC 3.[35] Askarov pulled out once again in early June due to undisclosed reasons and Perez was rescheduled against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277.[36]
Askarov was scheduled to face Brandon Royval on October 15, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212.[37] However the bout was cancelled the day before the event due to weight management issues.[38]
At the end of October, Askarov requested and was granted a release to deal with his health issues.[39]
Absolute Championship Akhmat
editOn January 28, 2023, it was announced that Askarov has signed a deal with Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA).[40]
Askarov was scheduled to face Azamat Kerefov on July 21, 2023, at ACA 160 as part of the 2023 ACA Flyweight Grand Prix, however the bout was scrapped after Askarov had to pull out due to medical issues.[41]
Askarov faced Alan Gomes on November 24, 2023, at ACA 166.[42] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[43]
Championships and accomplishments
editMixed martial arts
edit- Absolute Championship Berkut
- ACB Flyweight Championship (One time, first)[15][18][20]
- Two successful title defenses
- ACB Flyweight Championship (One time, first)[15][18][20]
Freestyle wrestling
edit- 2017 Summer Deaflympics
- Gold medal – 61 kg[6]
- 2018 Deaf Wrestling World Championships
- Bronze medal – 61 kg[44]
Mixed martial arts record
edit17 matches | 15 wins | 1 loss |
By knockout | 4 | 0 |
By submission | 7 | 0 |
By decision | 4 | 1 |
Draws | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 15–1–1 | Alan Gomes | Decision (unanimous) | ACA 166: Magomedov vs. Dolgov | November 24, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | St. Petersburg, Russia | |
Loss | 14–1–1 | Kai Kara-France | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus | March 26, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | |
Win | 14–0–1 | Joseph Benavidez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 259 | March 6, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (127 lb) bout; Askarov missed weight. |
Win | 13–0–1 | Alexandre Pantoja | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 | July 19, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
Win | 12–0–1 | Tim Elliott | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 246 | January 18, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Draw | 11–0–1 | Brandon Moreno | Draw (split) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens | September 21, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
Win | 11–0 | Rasul Albaskhanov | Technical submission (guillotine choke) | ACB 86 | May 5, 2018 | 2 | 1:59 | Moscow, Russia | Defended the ACB Flyweight Championship. |
Win | 10–0 | Anthony Leone | Submission (twister) | ACB 58 | April 22, 2017 | 3 | 2:41 | Khasavyurt, Russia | Defended the ACB Flyweight Championship. |
Win | 9–0 | José Maria Tomé | Submission (anaconda choke) | ACB 48 | October 22, 2016 | 5 | 1:57 | Moscow, Russia | Won the ACB Flyweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
Win | 8–0 | Ruslan Abiltarov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ACB 38 | May 20, 2016 | 2 | 1:37 | Rostov-on-Don, Russia | Submission of the Night. |
Win | 7–0 | Marcin Lasota | TKO (punches) | ACB 29 | February 6, 2016 | 2 | 3:35 | Warsaw, Poland | |
Win | 6–0 | Kirill Medvedovsky | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ACB 22 | September 12, 2015 | 3 | 3:56 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
Win | 5–0 | Vyacheslav Gagiev | TKO (punches) | ACB 17 | May 12, 2015 | 2 | 1:56 | Grozny, Russia | |
Win | 4–0 | Vakha Kadyrov | TKO (punches) | Khasavyurt Fight: Dagestan MMA Open Cup 2014 | June 21, 2014 | 1 | 3:15 | Dagestan, Russia | |
Win | 3–0 | Elvin Abbasov | Submission (armbar) | GEFC: Lights of Baku 2 | February 15, 2014 | 2 | 3:45 | Baku, Azerbaijan | |
Win | 2–0 | Kvanzhakov Kantemir | TKO (punches) | Sparta Martial Arts Club: Team Sosnovy Bor vs. Team Leningrad Oblast | December 8, 2013 | 1 | 2:14 | Leningrad, Russia | |
Win | 1–0 | Shamil Amirov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Liga Kavkaz: Grand Umakhan Battle | July 7, 2013 | 2 | 2:05 | Khunzakh, Russia | Flyweight debut. |
See also
editReferences
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- ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
- ^ "Rankings | UFC". www.aca-mma.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ Lagdon, Scott (September 21, 2019). "UFC Mexico's Askar Askarov sets eyes on flyweight top ten". Bloody Elbow. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "MMA/Единоборства. Слабослышащий чемпион ACB Аскаров взял золото на Сурдлимпиаде". news.sportbox.ru. July 26, 2017. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "Askar Askarov". tapology.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ "ACB 17 - Grand Prix Berkut 2015 Stage 4". aca-mma.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ "Дураев, тезка героя "Властелина колец" и другие звезды ММА на турнире АСВ 22!". news.sportbox.ru. 4 September 2015. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "ACB 22 - St. Petersburg". aca-mma.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ "Out of Obscurity: Legacy FC 51, ACB 29 and WSOF GC 2". combatpress.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Askar Askarov: The grappling sensation of the flyweight division". thescrap.co. 13 April 2020. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Out of Obscurity: ACB 38, Venator FC 3 and Akhmat Fight Show 22". combatpress.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "'ACB 48: REVENGE' Free Livestream". mmanews24.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Бокс/MMA. Аскаров - новый чемпион ACB, Абдулвахабов сохранил пояс". news.sportbox.ru. October 23, 2016. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "ACB 48: Revenge". tapology.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
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- ^ a b "Askar Askarov scores vicious body triangle neck crank against Anthony Leone at ACB 58". MMA Fury. 2017-04-22. Archived from the original on 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ "В "Олимпийском" пройдет самый массовый турнир в истории российских ММА". news.sportbox.ru. 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Carroll, Peter (2018-05-05). "ACB 86 results: Yusup Raisov unifies 145 titles with first-round finish of Marat Balaev". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ "Welcome to the UFC: Askar Askarov". cagesidepress.com. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens". Ultimate Fighting Championship. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
- ^ MMA Decisions (2019-09-21). "MMA Decisions - Brandon Moreno drew with Askar Askarov". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (November 30, 2019). "Tim Elliott vs. Askar Askarov set for UFC 246". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "Askar Askarov gets first UFC win and already sets sights on flyweight title shot". January 21, 2020. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ DNA, MMA (23 May 2020). "Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 voor vacante titel + Pantoja vs. Askarov, waarschijnlijk "Fight Island"". Archived from the original on 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ^ Fuentes, Jon (2020-07-18). "UFC Fight Island 2 Results: Askar Askarov Gets Decision Win Over Alexandre Pantoja". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2020-07-19. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ Farah Hannoun (2020-12-01). "Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov booked for UFC 259 on March 6". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- ^ Staff (2021-03-05). "UFC 259: Three title fights, 15 bouts overall official – with one miss". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-03-06). "UFC 259 Results: Askar Askarov Earns Decision Over Veteran Joseph Benavidez". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2021-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
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- ^ Dorff, Marcel (2021-07-08). "Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell wederom geboekt, ditmaal voor UFC evenement op 28 augustus". MMA DNA. Archived from the original on 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ Dorff, Marcel (2021-12-25). "Onofficiele "title eliminator" tussen Askar Askarov en Kai Kara-France tijdens UFC Columbus". MMA DNA. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-03-26). "UFC Columbus: Kai Kara-France Upsets Askar Askarov in Thriller". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
- ^ "Askar Askarov Vs. Alex Perez Set For July 16 UFC Fight Night". MMA News. 2022-04-13. Archived from the original on 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ Farah Hannoun (2022-06-09). "Alexandre Pantoja vs. Alex Perez in the works for UFC 277 on July 30". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
- ^ Jay Anderson (2022-08-03). "UFC: Brandon Royval vs. Askar Askarov set for October 15". cagesidepress.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
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- ^ Локтионов, Никита (2023-10-26). "Бывший боец UFC Аскар Аскаров подерется на турнире ACA 166". Fight.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- ^ "Аскаров победил Гомеша на ACA 166 в Санкт-Петербурге". mma.metaratings.ru (in Russian). November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Чемпион ACB взял бронзу на ЧМ по вольной борьбе среди глухих". 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Askar". Sherdog. Archived from the original on 2021-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-07.