#4: Yryskeldi Duysheev
Age: 24
Representing: Kyrgyzstan
Record: 13-0
Duysheev is a compact and tightly-wound wrestler who runs his opponents over on the way to 11 finishes. Anyone facing him has to know takedowns are coming early but he’s so quick on the feet and does a great job with powerful hooks or overhands to present a threat while closing space. If forced to strike for longer, Duysheev has powerful kicks, especially to the legs. He’s flashed technical feints and combos but prefers to throw bombs. His defense is strong and you’ll rarely see him take unnecessary damage.
Top control is where Duysheev shines with destructive GnP from aggressive posture, which lets him further improve his positions. While he rarely gets the KO, his output breaks down his opponents and creates opportunities for submissions. Most are RNCs, but he can end things from everywhere. Beautiful transitions to a twister and north-south choke early in his regional career are must-watch highlights to understand Yryskeldi’s BJJ threat.
Duysheev’s resume is a mixed bag with some record padding against beginners but also plenty of prospects. That includes 8-1 and 7-0 fighters in ONE, whom he smashed in his first taste of international MMA. He’s since signed with Korean promotion Road FC and moved up to featherweight for a title shot early this month. That came against Shin Haraguchi (11-2), who’s been close to the UFC several times. Yryskeldi’s grappling dominance was even more impressive since it came against a heavier opponent who’s also an excellent wrestler. He flowed through scrambles and did a great job blending wrestling pressure and limb rides with BJJ-based back takes and strikes. His output was high, though the power of the GnP dropped off a bit in R3 once it was clear he was ahead.
It was a strong decision win over his best opponent yet and reaffirmed that Duysheev is ready for the next level. His experience is incredible for someone his age, and if he keeps developing the striking he could be a long-time UFC staple. While this fight was at 145, bantamweight is his natural division long-term.