Zhalgas Zhumagulov

Zhalgas Zhumagulov (born August 29, 1988), is a Kazakh mixed martial artist who previously competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Early career
Zhumagulov hails from Kazakhstan and sported a 13-3 MMA record before entering the UFC, with notable wins including Tagir Ulanbekov, Tyson Nam at Fight Nights Global 86, Shaj Hague, Artur Bagautinov, and others.

He won the Fight Nights Global Flyweight Championship defeating fellow future UFC fighter Tagir Ulanbekov at Fight Nights Global 88. His last bout before signing with the UFC was in October 2019, where he edged former UFC flyweight title challenger Ali Bagautinov via split decision in the Fight Nights Global 95 main event.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Zhumagulov made his promotional debut against Raulian Paiva on July 11, 2020, at UFC 251. At the weigh ins, Paiva weighed in at 129 pounds, 3 pounds over the flyweight non-title limit. He was fined 20% of his purse, which went to Zhumagulov. The bout proceeded at catchweight. He lost the fight via controversial unanimous decision. 16 out of 20 media outlets scored the bout as a win for Zhumagulov.

Zhumagulov was scheduled to face Amir Albazi at UFC on ESPN: Smith vs. Clark, but Zhumagulov pulled out due to visa issues and the bout was rescheduled for UFC 257 on January 24, 2021. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Zhumagulov faced Jerome Rivera on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264. He won the fight via a guillotine choke in round one.

Zhumagulov faced Manel Kape on December 4, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Zhumagulov faced Jeff Molina on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik. He lost the bout via controversial split decision. 12 out of 13 media scores gave it to Zhumagulov.

Zhumagulov faced former LFA flyweight champion Charles Johnson at UFC Fight Night 215. He lost the fight via split decision. 12 out of 13 media outlets scored the fight in favor of Zhumagulov.

Zhumagulov was scheduled to face Nate Maness on May 6, 2023 at UFC 288, but Nate Maness pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by UFC newcomer Rafael Estevam, who was originally scheduled to face Carlos Candelario on April 22, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 222. In turn, the bout was scratched the day before the event due to Estevam having weight management issues.

Zhumagulov was scheduled to face Felipe Bunes on June 17, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 47. However due to medical issues, Bunes pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Joshua Van. He lost the bout via split decision.

On July 13, 2023, it was announced that Zhumagulov had completed his contract and was not renewed.

Post-UFC career
Zhumagulov was originally scheduled to fight at Kazakhstan's Naiza FC 55 fight card on December 2, 2023 against Iago Ribeiro. The event was postponed to December 6, 2023 and Zhumagulov faced Masato Nakamura instead. Zhumagulov snapped his four-fight losing streak by winning the bout by TKO due to punches after ground-and-pound.

Zhumagulov faced Cleveland McLean at Kazakhstan's Naiza FC 57 fight card on February 24, 2024 and won by unanimous decision.

Personal life
Zhumagulov has two wives and six children.

Mixed martial arts

 * Fight Nights Global
 * Fight Nights Global Flyweight Championship (One time)
 * One successful defense
 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Tied (Jesse Ronson & Dennis Bermudez) for most consecutive split decision losses in UFC history (3)