Almabayev ground out a victory over Johnson, controlling him on the mat before finishing with a Suloev stretch submission late in the third round. The bout featured creative ground work from both fighters throughout.
Asu "Zulfikar" Almabayev secured a third-round submission victory over Jose "Zhakwarius" Johnson on June 27, 2026, finishing the bout with a Suloev stretch late in the final frame after dominating large portions of the contest on the mat.
Almabayev, a 32-year-old flyweight from Kazakhstan fighting out of DAR Pro Team, enters the win carrying a 24-3-0 record and currently sits at number eight in the flyweight divisional rankings. His grappling-heavy approach was on full display, and his verified stats back up that identity — he averages 4.46 takedowns per 15 minutes and attempts 1.5 submissions in the same span, among the more active ground threats in his division. His striking accuracy sits at 50 percent, with 2.31 significant strikes landed per minute.
Johnson, a 31-year-old American representing Twin Wolves MMA, came in at 16-10-0 and showed his own creative ground work throughout the contest. The six-foot Orthodox fighter carries a 71-inch reach and posts a striking accuracy of 57 percent, landing 2.27 significant strikes per minute. He adds 0.69 takedowns per 15 minutes and averages 0.7 submission attempts in that same window, meaning the grappling exchanges were not entirely one-sided despite the result.
Why it matters
- Almabayev's win reinforces his standing as a legitimate top-ten flyweight threat, with his submission game proving sharp at the highest level.
- A Suloev stretch finish is a relatively rare submission in MMA, underlining the technical creativity that defined the bout from both men.
- For Johnson, the loss extends his record to 16-10-0 and may complicate a path toward the division's upper tier in the near term.
