What is Askar Askarov's nickname?
Askar Askarov's nickname is 'Bullet'. The Russian mixed martial artist competes in the UFC's flyweight division. Askarov has an MMA record of 14-1-1 and his UFC record is 3-1-1.
Askarov last fought Kai Kara-France at UFC on ESPN 33. Kara-France handed 'Bullet' his first career loss via unanimous decision.
Askar Askarov entered the UFC with an unblemished 11-0 record. He debuted against interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and fought the Mexican fighter to a draw. 'Bullet' then went on a three-fight win streak before losing to Kara-France.
Askarov has only fought top-tier fighters in the UFC. After his first fight, he beat Tim Elliot, No.2-ranked flyweight Alexandre Pantoja and former contender Joseph Benavidez.
Watch highlights of Askar Askarov below (courtesy MMA CREW YouTube):
Askar Askarov is currently ranked No.4 in the UFC's flyweight division. He stands 5'6" (167 cm) tall and has a reach of 67 inches. He last weighed in at 126 pounds for his fight against Kara-France.
Askarov finished all 11 of his fights before joining the UFC. He has seven wins via submission and four via knockout. All his bouts in the UFC have gone to the judges' scorecards.
Askarov has missed weight twice in his career. The first time was against Benavidez, where he weighed in at 127 pounds. The bout was changed to a catchweight contest.
He missed weight the second time against Brandon Royval at UFC Fight Night 212. This time, however, the bout was scrapped from the card entirely.
Askar Askarov: Short of hearing but sharp as a bullet
Askar Askarov was born deaf but his hearing gradually improved over time. He can only hear 20% of what most people can hear. This means that Askarov struggles to hear his corner during fights.
Generally, being able to hear instructions from one's corner is crucial to winning a fight. A corner is like a fighter's third eye in a fight. However, being at a hearing disadvantage hasn't stopped Askarov from amassing a record of 14-1-1. The Russian says that not being able to hear the background noise fully helps him focus on his opponent in the cage.
Askarov is one of two fighters who have fought in the UFC with a hearing impairment. The other fighter is Matt Hamill, who competed in the UFC from 2006 to 2013. Hamill has a 13-8 MMA record.
Watch a profile on Matt Hamill below: