MMA fighter Jenel Lausa. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—A new opponent has stepped up to face the returning Jenel Lausa after Rahmatullah Yousufzai of Afghanistan withdrew from the three-round flyweight bout in BRACE CF: 47 Asian Domination Thursday at Arad Fort in Bahrain.
Stepping in the contest is Ryskulbek Ibraimov who was originally set to face Kazakhstan’s Asu Almabaev on the same card.
Lausa (7-5) has been out of mixed martial arts since losing to Yuta Sasaki in UFC Fight Night 132 in 2018.
His new opponent is regarded as one of the top flyweights who hailed from Kyrgyzstan with Ibraimov holding a solid 18-8 record with six of those wins coming off submissions and three via knockout.
Although Lausa stepped away from MMA, he used that time to turn his focus on boxing wherein he holds a 10-0-1 professional record.
Lausa had four boxing matches during his MMA sabbatical going 3-0-1 in that span with the last two bouts ending in knockout.