Yousri Belgaroui made a memorable Octagon debut earlier tonight (Sat., Oct. 18, 2025) at UFC Vancouver LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, as the former GLORY standout and current training partner of UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, turned in an upset TKO (punches) over former LFA middleweight champion, Azamat Bekoev.
Despite not fighting since winning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series back in Sept. 2024, UFC matchmakers didn’t take it easy on Belgaroui. Bekoev has looked unstoppable in his first two Octagon appearances and was a heavy betting favorite entering into Saturday’s contest. Belgaroui ultimately proved the oddsmakers wrong and ended up handing Bekoev his first loss since 2021.
Belgaroui was able to take a page out of Pereira’s book by showing off some solid takedown defense and using his length on the feet to land clean shots. Bekoev still found some success with his grappling, but it was merely to control the fight. Belgaroui was the one doing the most damage and even cut Bekoev early with elbows while defending along the fence.
Things only got worse for Bekoev as his shot selection was limited. Outside of landing a powerful right hand in the second round, the former LFA champion looked outmatched. Belgaroui was able to eventually pick him apart and land punches at will in Round 3. The referee watched closely and finally stepped in after Bekoev ate about 10 unanswered power punches (although, he never actually went down).
Check the video highlights below and let us know your thoughts on Belgaroui’s UFC debut!
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