Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 preview
Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered the first loss of his UFC career in his previous outing in March, where he was finished in the third round by Manel Kape. That result snapped a 17-fight winning streak. Prior to that setback, Almabayev won his first four UFC bouts, including a debut submission of Ode Osbourne. … Ochoa (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) enters on the heels of a second-round stoppage of Cody Durden in June. That fight marked a successful rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Lone’er Kavanagh, which was the only loss of his pro career.
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 expert pick, prediction
Serving as a solid offering at flyweight is an impromptu fight between Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa.
Almabayev was initially scheduled to meet an orthodox fighter in Ramazan Temirov, but will now face a southpaw in Ochoa.
Although Almabayev is technically 2-0 opposite UFC-level southpaws, those stats can be deceptive when you dive into them (especially his controversial split-decision win over Zach Makovsky). It’s also worth noting that Almbayev looked lost when facing Manel Kape – who primarily fought the Kazak from southpaw.
Ochoa is obviously not the same fighter as Kape, but the Peruvian has an excellent striking arsenal and is still showing fight-to-fight improvements in the rest of his game given his young age.
For that reason, I’ll take a flier on Ochoa to further expose Almabayev’s one-note game by producing a finish in Round 2.
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 odds
Despite the oddsmakers opening the Kazakh fighter as a wide favorite, public money has been coming in on the Peruvian, listing Almabayev -117 and Ochoa -103 via FanDuel.
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa UFC on ABC 9 start time, how to watch
Almabayev and Ochoa are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 12:40 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ABC and streams on ESPN+.
