The top Kazakh fighter in the flyweight division UFC Asu Alma baev (21-2) will face Brazilian fighter Allan Nascimento (20-6) in his next bout. A correspondent from Vesti.kz reports on Asu's new opponent.
Initially, at the tournament scheduled for March 2 in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), Alma baev was set to meet former title challenger - Australian Steve Erceg (12-3). However, just over a month before the event, matchmakers changed their plans.
They decided to give Erceg a truly significant fight - in the main event of the March tournament in Mexico City (Mexico) against former champion Brandon Moreno (22-8-2). Now, Alma baev will fight 33-year-old Nascimento, who is not ranked in the top 15.
Asu Alma baev has a new opponent for his UFC fight: date and location revealed
Path from Muay Thai to MMA, setback at DWCS, and entry into UFC
Nascimento began his journey in martial arts at the age of 15 when he decided to practice Muay Thai. He immediately joined the gym of the renowned coach Diego Lima . Throughout his career, Allan has worked closely with him. Initially, the future UFC fighter had doubts about how his parents would react to his desire to compete, but after an open dialogue, they expressed their full support.
Nascimento's first attempt to enter the UFC occurred in the summer of 2018. The Brazilian got a chance to fight in the Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) against his compatriot Raulian Paiva . The fighters spent all 15 minutes in the cage, but Paiva won by split decision (the same Paiva who later fought against Kazakhs Zhalgas Zhumagulov , Sergey Morozov , and Ruslan Sariyev ).
Nascimento's eventual entry into the UFC came in the fall of 2021. He faced Russian fighter Tagir Ulanbekov but lost by decision, again by split. However, he then managed to go on a winning streak: in 2022, he won by unanimous decision against Jake Hadley , and in 2023, he submitted Carlos Hernandez in the very first round.
Close friendship with a star and assistance in the fight against Rakhmonov
While training under his first coach Lima, Nascimento became a close friend of another student of this mentor - Charles Oliveira . Together with the star and former UFC champion, they have traveled a long road. They can often be seen in each other's corners, always together. It seems that there is no one in Allan's social media who appears in photos with him more frequently than Charles.
Another well-known fighter with whom Allan has a good relationship is welterweight from Ireland Ian Garry . The fighter who gave a tough fight in his career to Shavkat Rakhmonov also trained under coach Lima for his recent bouts. Oliveira and Nascimento were by his side.
It turns out we are in for a second consecutive showdown between the teams of Chute Boxe and DAR Pro Team . This time, instead of Garry and Rakhmonov, the main actors will be Nascimento and Alma baev.
26 months of "silence" and numerous fight cancellations
The fight against Asu will be Nascimento's first in the last 26 months! He hasn't fought in over two years, since January 2023, when he quickly finished Hernandez. After that, he had three more fights scheduled, but none of them took place, with Nascimento being the reason for each cancellation.
In June 2023, Allan was supposed to meet Tim Elliot , but the Brazilian withdrew from the fight a month and a half before the scheduled date. In December of the same year, he had a fight planned against Chinese representative Su Mudaerji , but Nascimento got injured the week of the tournament. Finally, in August 2024, he was set to fight his compatriot Jafel Filho , but fell ill the week of the event.
Nascimento has frequently faced fight cancellations. In just over three years in the UFC, there have been five such incidents, though in the first two cases it was due to the opponents. Since 2018, he has had 10 canceled fights - sometimes due to injuries, sometimes due to opponents, and there were instances when entire tournaments were canceled.
Throughout his career, Allan has fought 26 bouts, and 18 of his matches have been canceled. We hope that during his preparation for Asu, he encounters no issues.
Submission master and absence of early defeats
Despite coming to the sport through striking (Muay Thai), Nascimento stands out in the cage for his high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has finished 80 percent of his winning fights early - with 14 successful submissions and two knockouts.
However, when fights go to decision, it has mostly led to issues for Allan - four wins against six losses. On the bright side, he can boast that no one has been able to finish him in over 13 years of professional competition.
He is very dangerous and diverse on the ground. He has finished his opponents with seven different techniques. The most popular is the rear-naked choke (5), followed by the elbow lock (2), triangle choke (2), heel hook (2), Brabo choke (1), knee bar (1), and hand triangle (1).
Asu also enjoys submitting opponents - he has nine wins by submission. However, he lacks the same variety, although he has successfully executed various techniques, starting from rear-naked chokes and guillotines to elbow locks and the "Peruvian necktie."
It seems that going to the ground with Nascimento is very dangerous. But Asu is also a professional in this field. Therefore, their clash will be very interesting and intense.
He is preparing for a "war" and is serious about it
Nascimento's motivation is, of course, Alma baev's position in the rankings. He currently holds the eighth spot among contenders, while Allan is not even in the top 15. This means that Aсу risks more in this fight, while Nascimento has significant motivation - an immediate leap into the top 10 rankings.
The announcement of the high-profile fight was commented on by the Brazilian:
"The time has come! On March 2, I will return to the octagon for a new war. Ready, focused, and striving for a new victory. Who's with me?".
This only adds to the excitement for the upcoming showdown!
Of course, there is a certain feeling of injustice regarding how Asu has been treated. Just think about it: he is in eighth place, while his original opponent, Erceg, is in ninth. Yet UFC bosses decided it was better to "pull" Steve for the main event in Mexico against local star Moreno rather than Asu. Although the Australian is on a two-fight losing streak, while the Kazakh is on a 17-fight winning streak. It seems that Alma baev deserved the chance to share the cage with a star like Moreno much more.
However, Asu does not have a habit of complaining about circumstances. He is ready for any