Video: Hulking Olympian Ayaal Lazarev wins debut in seconds – with Raul Rosas Jr. in corner
A hulking Kyrgyzstani Olympian has officially arrived in the world of MMA.
Ayaal Lazarev, a heavyweight wrestler who competed in three Olympic Games, made his debut at a recent event in Northern California, and it only lasted 13 seconds.
Lazarev (1-0) dispatched of opponent Mike Morales (7-12-1) in short order as the headliner of a Hard Fought Championship event May 3 in Blue Lake, Calif.
In his corner was rising UFC star Raul Rosas Jr. and his sister Kenia Rosas Martinez. It's unclear how long Lazarev, 39, has worked with the family, but he cornered Rosas Jr. in the UFC in March.
While he's new to MMA competition, Lazarev has a decorated wrestling career. He appeared in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympic Games. While he came up short in multiple Olympic bronze medal matches, Lazarev has medaled in international competition around the world – including in the Asian Championships, Asian Games, and Individual World Cup.
While it's unclear what his aspirations are, Lazarev ran through his first MMA test with ease. Check out full video of the fight above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: Hulking Olympian Ayaal Lazarev wins debut in 13 seconds
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33 minutes ago
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If you're a Canadian visiting Oz, use a VPN to watch VNL 2025 free on CBC Sports from abroad. 2025 Volleyball Nations League Weekly Schedule (Women's Bracket) All times in ET Advertisement Wednesday June 4 Netherlands vs Japan (12pm) USA vs Italy (2pm) Dominican Republic vs Serbia (4pm) Czechia vs Brazil (4.30pm) Bulgaria vs Canada (10.30pm) South Korea vs Germany (11pm) Thursday June 5 Belgium vs Thailand (6am) China vs Poland (10.30am) Bulgaria vs Dominican Republic (7pm) Germany vs Italy (7.30pm) Canada vs Netherlands (10.30pm) USA vs Brazil (11pm) Friday June 6 France vs Belgium (6pm) Türkiye vs Thailand (10.30pm) Dominican Republic (7pm) South Korea vs Italy (7.30pm) Serbia vs Japan (10.30pm) Czechia vs USA (11pm) Saturday June 7 Türkiye vs Poland (6am) China vs France (10.30am) Germany vs Brazil (15.30pm) Canada vs Japan (7pm) Korea vs Czechia (7pm) Bulgaria vs Serbia (10.30pm) Sunday June 8 Belgium vs Poland (2:30am) France vs Thailand (6am) China vs Türkiye (10.30am) Brazil vs Italy (12pm) Dominican Republic vs Japan (2pm) Czechia vs Germany (3.30pm) Bulgaria vs Netherlands (5.30pm) Korea vs USA (7pm) Canada vs Serbia (9pm) We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
