Azamat Bekoev
King Pin
Russia
Suffers first UFC defeat
Bekoev lost to Yousri Belgaroui via TKO (punches) at 0:55 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Vancouver.
ANALYSIS
This was a complete clash in styles, and Bekoev most certainly didn't get the better of it as a -310 favorite. Giving up five inches in reach to his opponent, Bekoev had no shot here if he didn't get his wrestling game going. He ended up landing 4-of-8 takedown attempts but generated just 3:18 worth of control time and did next to nothing with his positional advantage. That allowed the much larger Belgaroui to work behind his jab and connect with more power shots as the fight progressed. It's an extremely disappointing result for a guy that earned back-to-back first-round stoppage wins in his first two UFC appearances.
This was a complete clash in styles, and Bekoev most certainly didn't get the better of it as a -310 favorite. Giving up five inches in reach to his opponent, Bekoev had no shot here if he didn't get his wrestling game going. He ended up landing 4-of-8 takedown attempts but generated just 3:18 worth of control time and did next to nothing with his positional advantage. That allowed the much larger Belgaroui to work behind his jab and connect with more power shots as the fight progressed. It's an extremely disappointing result for a guy that earned back-to-back first-round stoppage wins in his first two UFC appearances.
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More Fantasy News
Belgaroui fight re-scheduled
Bekoev is scheduled to compete against Yousri Belgaroui in a middleweight fight at UFC Vancouver on Oct. 18, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Bekoev and Belgaroui were scheduled to fight at UFC Vegas 108 on Saturday, but the latter withdrew from the event. They have re-scheduled for a future date, more than two months down the line.
Bekoev and Belgaroui were scheduled to fight at UFC Vegas 108 on Saturday, but the latter withdrew from the event. They have re-scheduled for a future date, more than two months down the line.
Opponent backs out
Bekoev will no longer take on Yousri Belgaroui in a middleweight matchup at UFC Vegas 108 on August 2, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Bekoev's opponent Belgaroui needed to pull out of the fight due to an issue with his work visa. The fight has been called off, and it's unclear if the UFC will search for a replacement opponent.
Bekoev's opponent Belgaroui needed to pull out of the fight due to an issue with his work visa. The fight has been called off, and it's unclear if the UFC will search for a replacement opponent.
Late-notice opponent swap
Bekoev will take on Yousri Belgaroui in a middleweight matchup at UFC Vegas 108 on August 2, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Bekoev was original set for a matchup against Torez Finney, but the latter withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. He now faces Belgaroui on short notice in his third fight of 2025, where he'll also be looking to earn his third first-round stoppage victory in as many tries. We last saw Belgaroui on the Contender Series, where he picked up a finish but wasn't awarded a contract, presumably due to multiple eye pokes. Bekoev will give up height and reach advantages to Belgaroui, but he has more experience despite being younger and should enter as the betting favorite.
Bekoev was original set for a matchup against Torez Finney, but the latter withdrew due to undisclosed reasons. He now faces Belgaroui on short notice in his third fight of 2025, where he'll also be looking to earn his third first-round stoppage victory in as many tries. We last saw Belgaroui on the Contender Series, where he picked up a finish but wasn't awarded a contract, presumably due to multiple eye pokes. Bekoev will give up height and reach advantages to Belgaroui, but he has more experience despite being younger and should enter as the betting favorite.
Books third fight of 2025
Bekoev will take on Torrez Finney in a middleweight matchup at UFC Vegas 108 on August 2, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Bekoev joined the UFC in early-2025 and already has two victories under his belt, most recently defeating Ryan Loder in May and earning a post-fight bonus for his first-round finish in the process. He now takes on an undefeated fighter in Finney, who has three Contender Series wins under his belt, in addition to a split-decision win over Robert Valentin in his official UFC debut in April. Bekoev gets by on volume striking, landing an outstanding 7.59 significant strikes per minute in his first two bouts, though it's admittedly a sample size just south of six minutes. Finney, meanwhile, gets by on his wrestling, accumulating a total of 26 takedowns between his debut and DWCS appearances.
Bekoev joined the UFC in early-2025 and already has two victories under his belt, most recently defeating Ryan Loder in May and earning a post-fight bonus for his first-round finish in the process. He now takes on an undefeated fighter in Finney, who has three Contender Series wins under his belt, in addition to a split-decision win over Robert Valentin in his official UFC debut in April. Bekoev gets by on volume striking, landing an outstanding 7.59 significant strikes per minute in his first two bouts, though it's admittedly a sample size just south of six minutes. Finney, meanwhile, gets by on his wrestling, accumulating a total of 26 takedowns between his debut and DWCS appearances.
Another instant victory
Bekoev defeated Ryan Loder via TKO (punches) at 2:44 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
ANALYSIS
Bekoev made his late-notice UFC debut in January and knocked out Zachary Reese in a shade over three minutes. He beat that performance by a handful of seconds this evening. Bekoev blitzed Loder immediately, flooring him twice with a pair of massive right hands, the second of which led to the stoppage and a $50,000 Performance of the Night post-fight bonus. We have zero idea if Bekoev's cardio and secondary skills will hold up at this level, but he's not going to have to worry about it if he keeps finishing guys in short order. For what it's worth, Bekoev had some uneven performances on the regional scene prior to his UFC arrival.
Bekoev made his late-notice UFC debut in January and knocked out Zachary Reese in a shade over three minutes. He beat that performance by a handful of seconds this evening. Bekoev blitzed Loder immediately, flooring him twice with a pair of massive right hands, the second of which led to the stoppage and a $50,000 Performance of the Night post-fight bonus. We have zero idea if Bekoev's cardio and secondary skills will hold up at this level, but he's not going to have to worry about it if he keeps finishing guys in short order. For what it's worth, Bekoev had some uneven performances on the regional scene prior to his UFC arrival.