Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ABC 9
Last event: 2-3
UFC main cards, 2025: 70-53-1
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+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Abu Dhabi: Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa prediction, pick, time
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New York Times
13 minutes ago
- New York Times
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41 minutes ago
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USA Today
42 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9 post-event facts: A new single-fight knockdown record
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Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:32:59. Reinier de Ridder def. Robert Whittaker De Ridder's four-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Dricus Du Plessis (nine), Caio Borralho (seven) and Anthony Hernandez (seven). Whittaker is on his first losing skid since February 2014. Whittaker fell to 14-5 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014. Whittaker has suffered three of his seven UFC losses by decision. Petr Yan def. Marcus McGhee Petr Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) has earned eight of his 11 UFC victories by decision. Marcus McGhee (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career. Shara Magomedov def. Marc-Andre Barriault Shara Magomedov (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned three of his four UFC victories by decision. Marc-Andre Barriault (17-10 MMA, 6-9 UFC) has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision. Asu Almabayev def. Jose Ochoa Abu Almabayev (22-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned four of his five UFC victories by decision. Jose Ochoa (8-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision. Bogdan Guskov def. Nikita Krylov Bogdan Guskov's (18-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is the third-longest active streak in the division behind Carlos Ulberg (eight) and Azamat Murzakanov (five). Guskov has earned all 18 of his career victories by stoppage. Guskov's four-fight UFC stoppage streak is tied for second-longest among active fighters in the company behind Jean Silva (five). Nikita Krylov (29-11 MMA, 11-9 UFC) fell to 4-6 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2018. Krylov has suffered nine of his 11 career losses by stoppage. Bryce Mitchell def. Said Nurmagomedov Bryce Mitchell (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) was successful in his UFC bantamweight debut. Mitchell has earned seven of his nine UFC victories by decision. 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Mohammad Yahya Nguyen (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned eight of his 10 career victories by stoppage. Nguyen's six knockdowns landed marked the single-fight record for a UFC bout. Nguyen's five knockdowns landed in Round 1 marked the single-round record for a UFC bout. Nguyen became the second fighter in UFC history to land four or more knockdowns in a single round. Josh Emmett also accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 118. Mohammad Yahya's (12-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn't earned a victory since February 2023. Yahya has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage. Martin Buday def. Marcus Buchecha Martin Buday's (16-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Tom Aspinall for the second-longes active streak in the division behind Waldo Cortes-Acosta (five). Buday has earned six of his seven UFC victories by decision. Marcus Buchecha (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision. UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript. Check out all the best stats from UFC on ABC 9, which … UFC on ABC 9 post-event facts: UFC Abu Dhabi post-facts:
