Asu Almabayev taps Charles Johnson with rare Suloev stretch at UFC Baku

Asu Almabayev pulled off one of the rarest submissions in UFC history at Saturday's card in Baku, tapping Charles Johnson with a Suloev stretch at 3:33 of the third round.

It was only the fourth time a UFC fight has ended with the leg-trap finish, per MMA Fighting. The previous three came from Kenny Robertson in 2013, Aljamain Sterling in 2018, and Zabit Magomedsharipov on that same 2018 card.

Almabayev dominated all three rounds before the finish

The Kazakh flyweight controlled the fight from the opening bell, mixing his striking with grappling pressure across the first two rounds. Johnson, who has proven to be one of the toughest 125-pounders to finish, had little answer for the pace. In the third, Almabayev secured a leg and worked his way into position, MMA Mania reported, eventually stretching Johnson's limb across his own shoulder until the tap came.

Almabayev improved to 7-1 inside the Octagon with his third straight win. His lone UFC loss came against Manel Kape in the main event of UFC Vegas 105 last March. He tapped out Alex Perez in November at UFC Qatar. Johnson, the last man to beat current flyweight champion Joshua Van, has now alternated wins and losses over his past six outings.

Almabayev's next booking has not been announced.

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — UFC Baku video: Asu Almabayev submits Charles Johnson with horrifying Suloev stretch | MMA Fighting
• mmamania.com — UFC Baku Highlights! Asu Almabayev Pulls Off Super Rare Suloev Stretch | MMA Mania