Bekzat Almakhan loses unanimous decision to Jan Matsumoto at UFC Baku

Bekzat Almakhan's struggles inside the UFC continued on June 27 at UFC Baku, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Jean Matsumoto, falling to a 1-3 record in the promotion despite managing to score knockdowns during the fight.

Almakhan, the 28-year-old Kazakhstani known as "The Turan Warrior," carries a 12-4 overall record into the aftermath of this defeat. Training out of Triumph Fights, the orthodox striker has faced persistent issues translating his tools into consistent output at the UFC level, and Saturday's performance underscored those concerns. He landed only two kicks across the entire bout, and problems with distance management and defensive awareness allowed Matsumoto to dictate the terms of the contest. His output numbers tell a clear story — Almakhan averages just 1.61 significant strikes per minute with a 34 percent accuracy rate, among the thinner marks in his division.

Matsumoto, meanwhile, put together another commanding performance to improve his overall record to 18-2. The 26-year-old Brazilian, who trains out of Inside MMA, is one of the more active strikers in his weight class, averaging 5.37 significant strikes per minute at 39 percent accuracy. He also adds a consistent grappling threat, averaging three takedowns per fifteen minutes along with submission attempts, giving opponents multiple problems to solve at once. His combination of volume striking and wrestling versatility proved too much for Almakhan to handle over the course of three rounds.

Why it matters

• Almakhan's 1-3 UFC record raises serious questions about his long-term place on the roster
• Matsumoto's win, backed by elite striking volume and a grappling dimension, cements him as a rising name in his division
• The style mismatch was stark — Matsumoto's high output exposed Almakhan's limited offensive activity and defensive vulnerabilities throughout the fight