"Eye poke" - an expert claimed there was a rule violation during Asu Almbayev's fight against Manel Kape.

Five-time MMA, jiu-jitsu, and karate world champion Aidar Makmetov commented on the defeat of Kazakh fighter Asu Almatbaev in the main event of UFC Fight Night 253, as reported by Caravan.kz.

Weeks before Almatbaev's fight with Cape, Makmetov told "Karavan" that Cape fights in a particularly aggressive style while standing, and for Asu to secure a victory, he needed to devise a proper game plan. Following the match, Aidar Makmetov remarked in his Telegram channel that Asu "could not find an antidote against the fierce attacks from Manel, who constantly moved forward and fought first."

“Almatbaev was unable to take the Portuguese fighter to the ground. He skillfully blocked all attempts,” Makmetov wrote.

However, there is another crucial factor that hindered Almatbaev's chances of winning, which relates to the rules of UFC fights. During the bout, Cape managed to poke Almatbaev in the eye, which ultimately led to Asu being declared the loser. A similar situation recently occurred with legendary UFC fighter Henry Cejudo, who lost to Chinese fighter Song Yadong due to eye pokes during a stoppage in their fight last week.

“Eye pokes are the biggest threat to the development of this sport (UFC — Ed.), without bias,” Cejudo, who is also an Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling, stated at the time.

Makmetov suggests that UFC management seriously consider making changes to the rules to prevent such incidents that hinder fighters from fully showcasing their skills.

“In my opinion, UFC should implement a rule that any eye poke with an opponent's fingers will result in a -1 point penalty for the round and a 10% deduction from their purse in favor of the opponent. I assure you, the number of eye pokes will significantly decrease,” noted Aidar Makmetov.

Whether the head of UFC will heed the opinions of specialists remains unknown. Meanwhile, Manel Cape continues to be a nemesis for Kazakh fighters — prior to Asu Almatbaev, the Portuguese fighter defeated Zhalgass Zhumagulov in the UFC.