The UFC 308 card faced a brief hurdle as Nursulton Ruziboev was forced to withdraw from his bout against Rinat Fakhretdinov for undisclosed reasons. However, UFC newcomer Carlos Leal stepped in on a week’s notice to be a part of the October 26 pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi. But despite the advantage of having a fighter that’s coming in less prepared for the fight, Fakhretdinov will still have to be cautious when it comes to facing someone like Leal.

The Brazilian is a PFL veteran with a pro-MMA record of 21-5-0. And when it comes to facing veterans, Rinat Fakhretdinov has a history of bottling it. The most famous example would be what took place back when he faced UFC Veteran Craig Jones at Karate Combat 45 in Dubai. So what happened when the two went one-on-one?

Craig Jones submitted Rinat Fakhretdinov

The highly anticipated matchup between the two took place back on April 20, 2024. Fakhretdinov, who has a UFC record of 4-1, tested his grappling skills against renowned submission grappler and UFC veteran Craig Jones. And Jones surely did not waste much time in letting the world know why he has earned himself multiple ADCC silver medals.

Fakhretdinov tried to take control of the fight by taking Jones to the ground. And it surely looked like the Russian would be able to counter the elite grappling skills of Jones through his own ground game. However, Jones managed to reverse the position and took control of the fight instead. He earlier caught Fakhretdinov in a submission hold that he managed to escape from. However, all it took Jones was just 11 minutes and twenty-three seconds into the fight to trap the Russian in a second submission lock, this time a triangle choke to make him tap out.

Other losses in Rinat Fakhretdinov’s combat career

This loss to Jones wasn’t the first time that the Russian got a taste of defeat. With a pro-MMA record of 23-2-1, he has already received two losses in his professional career. His first loss came in his very first pro MMA fight in the Ukraine Regional, as his opponent Aigun Akhmedov grabbed the win on June 5th, 2013. As for his second MMA loss, it came in the Altay League on June 1, 2014. Fakhretdinov took a loss against Kazakhstan’s Igor Svirid to grab his second pro-MMA loss.

Interestingly, this wasn’t the Russian’s first loss against Svirid. Fakhretdinov also lost against him once during his amateur fighting days. Back on February 23, 2013, Igor Svirid and Rinat Fakhretdinov faced for the first time at MPF: Moscow Open 2013. And just like the match at the Altay League, it ended with a unanimous decision win for the Kazakh. Fakhretdinov’s second amateur fight loss came against Nikita Sharshavin at the Russian Cup 2018.

Well, it is through defeats that one learns from his mistakes. And with these experiences came the learning that helped Rinat Fakhretdinov make it to the UFC. Now with a new opponent in sight, the Russian would be looking to grab a win at UFC 308. However, only time will tell whether he is able to pull it off against the Brazilian. What do you think? Can Fakhretdinov win the fight? Let us know in the comments.