Mohammad Nasrat Haqparast (born August 22, 1995) is an Afghan mixed martial artist (MMA) who currently competes in the Lightweight division in the UFC.
Background
Haqparast was born in Germany to Afghan parents from Kandahar who came as refugees from Afghanistan. He attended kickboxing classes as his parents believed he was overweight at fourteen years old. Instead, Haqparast joined an MMA class and decided to be an MMA fighter after witnessing a sparring session in the room next to the kickboxing class.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Haqparast started his professional MMA career since 2012 and amassed a record of 8-1 before signed by UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Haqparast made his UFC debut on October 21, 2017 against Marcin Held, replacing injured Teemu Packalen at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Till. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Haqparast was scheduled to face Alex Reyes on March 17, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov. However, on March 8, it was reported that Alex Reyes pulled out of the fight due to injury and he was replaced by Nad Narimani. The bout was scrapped on the day of the event as Haqparast was deemed unfit to fight by the medical team due to an infectious eye condition.
His next fight came on July 22, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 134 against Marc Diakiese. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Haqparast faced Thibault Gouti on October 27, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 138. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Haqparast was expected to face John Makdessi on March 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 148. However, on March 13, 2019, it was reported that Haqparast was pulled from the bout due to injury.
Haqparast faced on August 3, 2019 Joaquim Silva on UFC on ESPN 5. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award.
Haqparast faced Drew Dober on January 18, 2020 at UFC 246. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
Haqparast faced Alexander Muñoz on August 8, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 174. He won the fight via unanimous decsion.
Haqparast was scheduled to face Arman Tsarukyan on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257. However, on the day of the weigh-ins, Haqparast pulled out of the fight citing illness.
Haqparast was scheduled to face Don Madge, replacing injured Guram Kutateladze, on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187. However, Madge withdrew from the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by UFC newcomer Rafa García. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Thibault Gouti
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Joaquim Silva
Personal life
Haqparast was a mechanical engineering student at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.
When Haqparast made his UFC debut he was dubbed by several media members as a ‘mini’ Kelvin Gastelum due to their close physical resemblance. This has resulted in many media outlets comparing their fighting styles often.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | hide | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 matches | 13 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 13–3 | Rafa García | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad | March 13, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–3 | Alexander Muñoz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik | August 8, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 11–3 | Drew Dober | KO (punches) | UFC 246 | January 18, 2020 | 1 | 1:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | Joaquim Silva | KO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler | August 3, 2019 | 2 | 0:36 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 10–2 | Thibault Gouti | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith | October 27, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 9–2 | Marc Diakiese | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith | July 22, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Marcin Held | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Till | October 21, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Gdańsk, Poland | |
| Win | 8–1 | Ruslan Kalyniuk | TKO (punches) | Superior FC 17 | May 20, 2017 | 3 | 1:44 | Dueren, Germany | |
| Win | 7–1 | Patrik Berisha | TKO (punches) | We Love MMA 24 | October 15, 2016 | 2 | 0:18 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | 6–1 | Lampros Pistikos | TKO (punches) | Ravage Series 2 | February 20, 2016 | 1 | 3:36 | Hamburg, Germany | Return to Lightweight. |
| Win | 5–1 | Fabrice Kindombe | KO (punch) | We Love MMA 16 | October 10, 2015 | 1 | 0:53 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | 4–1 | Patrick Schwellnus | TKO (punches) | We Love MMA 13 | March 14, 2015 | 1 | 2:57 | Hannover, Germany | |
| Win | 3–1 | Tolga Ozgun | TKO (punches) | We Love MMA 9 | September 27, 2014 | 1 | 2:20 | Hamburg, Germany | Welterweight debut. |
| Win | 2–1 | Jiri Flajsar | TKO (punches) | Anatolia Fighting Championship | February 23, 2014 | 1 | 0:38 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | 1–1 | Iles Ganijev | TKO (punches) | SFC 13 | June 1, 2013 | 1 | 0:00 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Adrian Ruf | Submission (triangle choke) | We Love MMA 4 | December 15, 2012 | 1 | 3:30 | Berlin, Germany | Lightweight debut. |