Former kickboxer Yousri Belgaroui made his promotional debut at UFC Vancouver, taking on Azamat Bekoev in a middleweight bout.
Belgaroui might be best remembered as an opponent of Alex Pereira, though the two have since trained together.
Round one opened with a sharp jab from Belgaroui, immediately setting the tone. Bekoev stayed right on it, pressuring early and forcing exchanges. Belgaroui mixed the jab with heavy kicks to the lead leg, doing well to manage distance, but Bekoev knew he couldn’t give him space. He pushed forward aggressively, ate a few clean shots, and managed to tie Belgaroui up against the fence. Bekoev isolated a leg and scored a takedown, but Belgaroui quickly scrambled back to his feet. Still trapped along the cage, Belgaroui had to defend as Bekoev stayed tight and looked for another takedown. Belgaroui’s defense held strong, and he created space to separate.
Bekoev began bleeding from the elbows Belgaroui landed to the side of his head, and as Bekoev shot in again, Belgaroui timed a clean knee up the middle. Even so, Bekoev managed to press him back to the cage, though Belgaroui circled out soon after. At range, Belgaroui picked Bekoev apart with his jab, long punches, and knees. Bekoev did secure a late takedown, but he absorbed a lot of damage throughout the round while landing little of his own.
In round two, Bekoev looked more composed, no longer trying to simply bully his way inside. He stuck to the jab and targeted the legs with kicks, showing more patience—but his overhands remained wild. One would land, but the next would miss badly, leaving him open to Belgaroui’s sharper counters. When Bekoev shot on a single leg, Belgaroui used strong leverage to stay upright and punished him with vicious elbows to the side of the head. Bekoev clung to the leg, but Belgaroui kept moving and eventually broke free, returning to his feet in the closing seconds. Both men landed hard shots to end the round, visibly fatigued.
The final round saw a completely exhausted Bekoev. Belgaroui took over, snapping the jab, piling on volume, and walking him down. Bekoev was retreating under relentless pressure as Belgaroui landed at will. With Bekoev no longer defending himself intelligently, the referee stepped in to wave it off.
Yousri Belgaroui def. Azamat Bekoev by TKO (punches), round 3 0:55
