TLDR
- Ilimbek Akylbek and Mehemmedeli Osmanli face off in the TUF 34 bantamweight finale Saturday at UFC Vegas 121
- Akylbek says sparring conflict during the season was not personal and wants to keep the fight strictly about competition
- Osmanli enters with a 12-1 record and 10-fight winning streak, having submitted both opponents in the TUF tournament
- Akylbek brings a 10-3 record after bouncing back from two consecutive losses with a submission win over Mo Miller
- Osmanli is the betting favorite at -285 while Akylbek is the underdog at +230
Sources: cagesidepress.com | clutchpoints.com
Ilimbek Akylbek and Mehemmedeli Osmanli will settle their differences inside the cage Saturday night at UFC Vegas 121, but Akylbek says he’s not looking to make their TUF 34 finale fight personal. The two bantamweights had some friction during the season, but Akylbek wants to keep things strictly business.
“Yeah there was a little bit of a conflict at the end of the season, but it was during the sparring,” Akylbek told Cageside Press on Wednesday. “There’s nothing personal to me.”
Akylbek explained that tension happens naturally in competitive training environments. He views whatever happened between them as part of normal sparring dynamics rather than something worth carrying a grudge over.
“I want to call it just specifically sports, sometimes things like that happen in sports, in training, in sparring,” he said. “My job is to come out there in the octagon and make sure I answer all the questions and take the victory.”
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Different Paths to the Finals
Osmanli enters the fight with an impressive 12-1 record and has been dominant throughout the TUF 34 tournament. The Azerbaijani fighter submitted Christian Strong and choked out Artem Belakh to reach the finals, showing the same finishing ability that has given him 10 stoppages in 12 career wins.
He’s currently riding a 10-fight winning streak dating back to 2022. His most recent victory outside the show came in November 2025 when he locked up a second-round guillotine choke against Bakhtovar Yunusov.
Akylbek brings a 10-3 record into Saturday’s finale. The Kyrgyz fighter most recently submitted Mo Miller with a fourth-round rear-naked choke in December 2025.
That win snapped a two-fight losing streak that included consecutive TKO losses to Dzhokhar Eskiev and Khalim Nazruloev on ONE Championship’s Friday Fights. Six of his ten career victories have come by submission.
Akylbek Not Intimidated by Opponent’s Style
Some observers have pointed to Osmanli’s physical advantages as potential problems for Akylbek. Osmanli is tall for the bantamweight division, fights as a southpaw, and presents an awkward style.
But Akylbek doesn’t see Osmanli as uniquely dangerous compared to his previous opponents. “I wouldn’t say that he’s the toughest opponent that I’ve had,” Akylbek said.
“I think maybe people are singling him out because he’s tall, he’s a lefty, maybe that’s why. He’s kind of a little awkward. In that way, potentially,” he explained.
Akylbek emphasized that he prepares thoroughly for every fight regardless of the opponent. “I think that every opponent is tough, every fight is important, I prepared for all of them,” he said.
The bantamweight finale is part of UFC Vegas 121, which features Raul Rosas Jr. versus Renan Barcelos in the main event. Akylbek said he feels comfortable with the pressure of fighting on such a big stage.
“This is not the first time I’m on such a big stage with such a big fight,” he told reporters. “Everything’s alright.”
Osmanli enters as the betting favorite at -285 according to DraftKings, while Akylbek is the underdog at +230. The over/under is set at 1.5 rounds, with the under at +135 and the over at -175.
The TUF 34 bantamweight finale between Mehemmedeli Osmanli and Ilimbek Akylbek takes place Saturday night at UFC Vegas 121.
