Mehemmedali Osmanli has reportedly secured his first appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship despite suffering a defeat in the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter.” According to Nolan King, Osmanli is scheduled to square off against Pavel Andrusca in a bantamweight bout set for Dec. 5 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as reported by sports.yahoo.com.
Fighter Backgrounds and Upcoming Bout
Osmanli holds an 11-2 professional record and reached the bantamweight finals of “TUF 34” this past September, where he faced Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu. That championship match ended in a disqualification defeat for Osmanli after he landed an illegal knee to the head of a grounded Uulu. The conclusion sparked controversy because Uulu appeared to be actively defending himself before going limp immediately after the referee stepped in to halt the action. Prior to the setback on the reality series, Osmanli enjoyed a nine-fight winning streak, with nine of his career victories coming via a finish.
His opponent, Andrusca, enters the matchup sporting an undefeated 9-0 record. Andrusca earned a unanimous decision victory over Nathaniel Wood during his short-notice promotional debut in September. Although the Moldovan fighter competed at featherweight in that initial Octagon appearance, he will return to the bantamweight division for his second promotional bout. Across his professional career, Andrusca has secured seven finishes in his nine victories.
