Nasrat Haqparast
Afghanistan
Taking on Padilla
Haqparast will face Chris Padilla in a lightweight bout at UFC Sacramento on Aug. 22, per Marcel Dorff of Heavy on Sports.
ANALYSIS
Haqparast was in the midst of a five-bout winning streak in the UFC, before he lost his last time in the Octagon at the hands of Quillan Salkilld, or more accurately, the feet -- Haqparast was finished by KO (head kick). Now, he'll look to bounce back against a fighter in fighter in Padilla who is undefeated in the UFC but is coming off a draw.
Haqparast was in the midst of a five-bout winning streak in the UFC, before he lost his last time in the Octagon at the hands of Quillan Salkilld, or more accurately, the feet -- Haqparast was finished by KO (head kick). Now, he'll look to bounce back against a fighter in fighter in Padilla who is undefeated in the UFC but is coming off a draw.
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Brutally finished in Abu Dhabi
Haqparast lost to Quillan Salkilld via KO (head kick) at 2:30 of Round 1 at UFC 321 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
Well, that's one way to see your five-fight winning streak come to an end. To be fair, Haqparast's last two victories had come via split decision, so he hadn't been lighting the world on fire of late. Here, in a pick 'em fight against Salkilld, Nasrat ate a head kick which knocked him out cold before he hit the mat. He remained unconscious for several minutes before waking up. This result, and how it came to be, is a massive setback for Haqparast moving forward.
Well, that's one way to see your five-fight winning streak come to an end. To be fair, Haqparast's last two victories had come via split decision, so he hadn't been lighting the world on fire of late. Here, in a pick 'em fight against Salkilld, Nasrat ate a head kick which knocked him out cold before he hit the mat. He remained unconscious for several minutes before waking up. This result, and how it came to be, is a massive setback for Haqparast moving forward.
Salkilld up next
Haqparast will fight Quillan Salkilld at UFC 321 on Oct. 25, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Haqparast has now won five consecutive UFC fights after his victory over Esteban Ribovics, and he'll now aim to keep the ball rolling against Salkilld, who will have a three-inch reach advantage but is significantly less experienced.
Haqparast has now won five consecutive UFC fights after his victory over Esteban Ribovics, and he'll now aim to keep the ball rolling against Salkilld, who will have a three-inch reach advantage but is significantly less experienced.
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.
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.