Asu Almabayev added another highlight to his growing UFC résumé Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan, finishing Charles “Inner G” Johnson with one of the rarest submissions in mixed martial arts: the Suloev stretch. He performed it to close out a dominant three-round performance at flyweight.
Johnson, ranked 14th in the division, came into the bout with a notable win over current flyweight champion Josh Van on his record, but faced a steep challenge in the ninth-ranked Almabayev, who entered the contest at 6-1 inside the UFC.
The American tried to establish his range early, throwing leg kicks and flashing stance switches, but the Kazakhstani was sharp in response, answering with inside leg kicks and dangerous overhand rights that kept Johnson from ever finding a comfortable rhythm.
The grappling exchanges told much of the story. Almabayev secured a takedown in the opening round and worked from half guard before Johnson recovered to full guard and got a butterfly hook in. Despite his efforts, Johnson could not create enough space to scramble free, and Almabayev stayed patient on top, briefly threatening with a guillotine before the round wound down.
The second round brought more of the same. Johnson slipped off a kick around the 90-second mark and nearly surrendered dominant position before recovering. A low blow from a spinning back kick forced a brief stoppage. But once action resumed, Almabayev was right back in control, scoring another takedown and transitioning to Johnson’s back from side control. Johnson survived the round, but the picture was not encouraging.
Johnson came close to changing the script. After Almabayev caught a knee and took him down early in the third, Johnson locked up a triangle that had the crowd on edge.
Almabayev worked through it, took the back, and from there, in a sequence that seemed almost too precise to be improvised, secured the Suloev stretch. The a shoulder-and-spine control technique is so rarely seen at the elite level that many fans needed a moment to process what they were watching.
Johnson was in obvious distress and tapped at 3:33 of the third round.
Official Result: Asu Almabayev defeated Charles Johnson by submission (Suloev stretch), Round 3, 3:33.
