Nasrat Haqparast
Afghanistan
Squeaks by with decision
Haqparast defeated Esteban Ribovics via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC Vegas 103 on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Each round was incredibly close, but the consensus seemed to be that Haqparast won the opening frame,. A slight edge in striking in Round 1, along with a takedown, proved to be just enough to give Haqparast the nod in the eye of the judges, though the significant striking battle on the whole ended up 147-to-135 in favor of Ribovics. When it was all said and done, both men would walk away with $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses. Haqparast extends his winning streak to five and should see a ranked lightweight opponent his next time out.
Each round was incredibly close, but the consensus seemed to be that Haqparast won the opening frame,. A slight edge in striking in Round 1, along with a takedown, proved to be just enough to give Haqparast the nod in the eye of the judges, though the significant striking battle on the whole ended up 147-to-135 in favor of Ribovics. When it was all said and done, both men would walk away with $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses. Haqparast extends his winning streak to five and should see a ranked lightweight opponent his next time out.
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Draws Ribovics in March
Haqparast will take on Esteban Ribovics in a lightweight matchup at UFC Vegas 103 on March 1, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
The two fighters are in a very similar spot heading into 2025. Both are coming off a split-decision victory in which a lot of damage was taken, and each are riding winning streaks of three or more (four in Haqparast's case). A position in the 155-pound rankings will likely be on the line, and an action-packed striking matchup should be expected, especially given Haqparast lands 6.15 significant strikes per minute, while Ribovics lands 7.53. Both men stand at 5-10, but Haqparast will hold a three-inch reach advantage, which could be an asset in the stand-up game given neither man offers much in terms of offensive wrestling.
The two fighters are in a very similar spot heading into 2025. Both are coming off a split-decision victory in which a lot of damage was taken, and each are riding winning streaks of three or more (four in Haqparast's case). A position in the 155-pound rankings will likely be on the line, and an action-packed striking matchup should be expected, especially given Haqparast lands 6.15 significant strikes per minute, while Ribovics lands 7.53. Both men stand at 5-10, but Haqparast will hold a three-inch reach advantage, which could be an asset in the stand-up game given neither man offers much in terms of offensive wrestling.
Runs winning streak to four
Haqparast defeated Jared Gordon via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
ANALYSIS
It was an entirely underwhelming performance from Haqparast as a -230 favorite, and he was quite lucky two of the three judges felt he deserved to win. Nasrat is a much more technical and talented fighter than Gordon, but the latter did a much better job of turning this into his type of fight. That being a grinding brawl in which Haqparast's space was limited. It all came down to Round 3, at which time both men were swinging wild bombs. It's rarely pretty with Nasrat, but it's difficult to argue with the results of late. The 28-year-old has won four in a row dating back to September 2022.
It was an entirely underwhelming performance from Haqparast as a -230 favorite, and he was quite lucky two of the three judges felt he deserved to win. Nasrat is a much more technical and talented fighter than Gordon, but the latter did a much better job of turning this into his type of fight. That being a grinding brawl in which Haqparast's space was limited. It all came down to Round 3, at which time both men were swinging wild bombs. It's rarely pretty with Nasrat, but it's difficult to argue with the results of late. The 28-year-old has won four in a row dating back to September 2022.
Runs winning streak to three
Haqparast defeated Jamie Mullarkey via TKO (punches) at 1:44 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Long on potential and short on actual production, it was nice to see Haqparast come through in an emphatic way. He was underwhelming in a unanimous decision win as a -500 favorite over Landon Quinones in early-September, but there were no such issues here at -200. Nasrat unloaded a sweeping left hook that melted Mullarkey on the spot and would eventually lead to a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He fired off countless, vicious follow-up strikes before referee Keith Peterson had seen enough. The main issue over the course of Haqparast's UFC run has been his inability to defeat better competition. Yes, he's won three straight, but victories over Mullarkey, Quinones and John Makdessi are a far cry from hanging with the top lightweights on the UFC roster. That's his next challenge.
Long on potential and short on actual production, it was nice to see Haqparast come through in an emphatic way. He was underwhelming in a unanimous decision win as a -500 favorite over Landon Quinones in early-September, but there were no such issues here at -200. Nasrat unloaded a sweeping left hook that melted Mullarkey on the spot and would eventually lead to a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He fired off countless, vicious follow-up strikes before referee Keith Peterson had seen enough. The main issue over the course of Haqparast's UFC run has been his inability to defeat better competition. Yes, he's won three straight, but victories over Mullarkey, Quinones and John Makdessi are a far cry from hanging with the top lightweights on the UFC roster. That's his next challenge.
Mullarkey fight scheduled
Haqparast will compete against Jamie Mullarkey in a lightweight fight at UFC Shanghai on Dec. 9, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Haqparast will try to end his 2023 on a high note. Haqparast began 2023 dealing with withdrawals, but his second half has showed promise with a win over Landon Quinones to back the upswing up.
Haqparast will try to end his 2023 on a high note. Haqparast began 2023 dealing with withdrawals, but his second half has showed promise with a win over Landon Quinones to back the upswing up.
Takes decision at UFC 293
Haqparast defeated Landon Quinones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC 293 on Saturday in Sydney, Australia.
ANALYSIS
Quinones made him work for it, but this was a strong showing from Haqparast as a -500 favorite -- second-largest on the entire card. His exceptional conditioning and constant movement was on display the duration of the fight. Nasrat also fought intelligently. His lead leg was compromised due to several well placed low kicks from Quinones, but Haqparast still found a way to alter his attacks to consistently damage his opposition. The 28-year-old has now won back-to-back bouts in the heels of a brief two-fight losing streak.
Quinones made him work for it, but this was a strong showing from Haqparast as a -500 favorite -- second-largest on the entire card. His exceptional conditioning and constant movement was on display the duration of the fight. Nasrat also fought intelligently. His lead leg was compromised due to several well placed low kicks from Quinones, but Haqparast still found a way to alter his attacks to consistently damage his opposition. The 28-year-old has now won back-to-back bouts in the heels of a brief two-fight losing streak.