Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lucas Almeida: Height, reach, weight and UFC record comparison

At UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev later this year, Zubaira Tukhugov will take on Lucas Almeida. The Russian beat Ricardo Ramos at UFC 267 in his previous outing. Tukhugov will have to deal with a slight height disadvantage, with 'Warrior' being 7cm shorter than his 180cm tall opponent Almeida. The Russian will battle an identical disadvantage in terms of reach as well.

Tukhugov last weighed in at 0.5lbs heavier than his future opponent, coming in at 146lbs on the scale ahead of his bout against Ricardo Ramos at UFC 267. Tukhugov has previously struggled with weight cuts, coming in 4lbs over the limit against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 253 in 2020.

However, Zubaira Tukhugov has a huge advantage when it comes to UFC experience. The Russian made his organizational debut back in 2014, when beating Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Fight Night 36. Since joining the UFC, 'Warrior' has managed to amass an organizational record of five wins, two losses and just one draw.

Lucas Almeida made his UFC debut against Mike Trizano in his most recent outing, which ended in a victory for the Brazilian. Almeida finished the bout in the third and final round, making a solid statement on his debut bout in the organization. The 31-year-old had previously fought in Dana White's Contender Series, but lost to Daniel Zellhuber, his first defeat as a professional MMA fighter.

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Who was the first fighter to beat Zubaira Tukhugov in professional MMA?

Before entering the UFC, Zubaira Tukhugov had already lost three times as a professional MMA fighter. The Russian lost in three different organizations, but still managed to eventually break into the UFC. Tukhugov's first defeat came against Murad Machaev at Fight Nights Global 1 in 2010, with 'Warrior' being submitted in the very first round.

2010 wasn't a great year for the Russian as just six months later, Zubaira Tukhugov would once again taste defeat. This time, 'Warrior' competed under the ProFC banner and lost to Anton Telepnev via split decision. The 31-year-old's last defeat before joining the UFC came in 2012 against Akhmed Aliev in S-70.

Watch the Russian's only professional draw here:

The defeat against Akhmed Aliev must have flicked a switch in Zubaira Tukhugov. The Russian went on to win his next nine bouts, including two bouts in the UFC.

Tukhugov has only lost twice since joining the organization in 2014, with Renato Moicano and Hakeem Dawodu both getting the better of the Russian. Lerone Murphy also managed to hold 'Warrior' to a draw when fighting at UFC 242, which is the only draw of Tukhugov's professional career.