Ares FC 23: Begaj vs Yakiyaev result

Ares FC is quickly becoming a legitimate contender for one of the top regional promotions across Europe and returns to the title race on Thursday afternoon.

Paulan Begay of France will face unbeaten Abdulrahkman Yakiyaev of Turkey for the vacant light heavyweight championship at the top of the six-bout card.

Combat sports fans can watch Ares FC 23: Begai vs. Yakhyaev live stream on UFC Fight Pass starting at 2pm ET/11am PT.

Vacant Light Heavyweight Championship — Begay vs. Yakiyaev

One theme of the card could be the representation of Chechen fighters who have emigrated to other countries across Europe as training bases. Yakiyaev is 4-0. A 4-0 fighter is usually inexperienced at that point in his career (for the most part), but the Turkish native took a “zero” from 7-0 Nikolai Kovalenko at a regional tournament in Turkey. Kovalenko is a fighter known for his judo, and Yakiyaev neutralized him in the third round, winning by decision.

Only time will tell if he can beat local favorite Begaj. “Le Chat” is 5-2 but has won his last two bouts, which will make for an interesting style puzzle for the Turk to solve. At 6'5″, he's similar in size to fighters like Alexander Gustafsson and trains at the MMA Factory under the tutelage of Fernan Lopez. The gym is stocked with talented strikers at heavier weight classes, including heavyweight Cyril Gane and middleweight Nassouddin Imavov.

Still, Yakiaev is only 23 years old and it's been nearly 18 months since his last fight, so he'll almost certainly be looking his best in the cage on Thursday.

Remaining cards

Originally scheduled for eight bouts, Ares FC 23 has lost two bouts in the lead up to the show: Sierra Dinwoodie vs. Daniel Kudu and Bour Godogo vs. Mohamed Souda. Bosnian heavyweight boxer Benjamin Sehić, who fought for Ares FC in May, will face a new opponent in experienced Georgian boxer Gennadi Giorgioliani, who will be making his promotional debut.

The co-main event will feature Wales' Bobby Paret taking on Russia's Soslan Gagloev. Like Yakiaev, Gagloev is 4-0 and has plenty of room to grow in the sport, while Paret is a veteran of European MMA, having previously competed for Cage Warriors and Bellator.

Be sure to check back with MMA Sucka for the latest results and updates from LFA 187.