Myktybek Orolbai Looking to Crack Top 15 with win at UFC 330

Myktybek Orolbai returns for the second time in 2026 and will be looking to extend his winning run to four straight. He will clash with Jeremiah Wells on the prelims of UFC 330, which is headlined by Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry, who will compete for the welterweight title. The co-main event sees Mackenzie Dern look to make her first defence of her 115lbs title when she faces Canadian finisher Gillian Robertson.

Myktybek Orolbai - The Next Welterweight Prospect?

UFC Tenure

Myktybek Orolbai debuted in the UFC in 2023 as an LFA prospect with an 11-1-1 record. He was matched with Uros Medic and defeated the Serbian via neck crank in the second round. That win in particular has aged extremely well, with Medic now on a tear.

He would drop down to lightweight in what proved to be a difficult cut for the Kyrgyzstan native, however, he would get the victory over 15 minutes. 

He would feature in a 160lbs catchweight bout, decided on at the weigh-ins of UFC 308 and clash with Mateusz Rebecki. The Polish fighter would get the better of Orolbai, handing him his first UFC loss. It’s worth noting that this came via split decision.

Orolbai would again have struggles making weight as he would face Tofiq Musayev at a catchweight of 165lbs, despite the fight being scheduled for a lightweight bout. It was revealed that this was due to him being unable to make 155lbs. It wouldn’t affect his performance, however, as he dominated the fight and locked up a kimura in under a round.

His official return to welterweight would take place in Qatar and he would welcome ‘The Joker’, Jack Hermansson, to the division in brutal fashion. A lethal single blow is all it took to separate Hermansson from consciousness and end things in just under three minutes. A 170lbs Orolbai looked dangerous.

 Most recently, he dominated Chris Curtis to a unanimous decision win, landing no fewer than 19 takedowns out of 24 attempts. He showed off his grappling game and Curtis’ lack of it. It wasn’t particularly entertaining as he only landed 20 significant strikes across 15 minutes, but there’s no denying that it was effective.

UFC 330 - Welterweights on Show

All eyes will be on Philadelphia this weekend for UFC 330. Aside from Myktybek Orolbai looking to crack the top 15, we will see the return of the pound-for-pound #1 fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, as he clashes with Ian Machado Garry. This reignites the Russian and Irish rivalry which began with Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, but we don’t expect as bitter an ending to this one.

Veteran of 46 fights, Neil Magny returns for the first time in 2026 to meet Ramiz Brahimaj, with both men looking to put recent losses behind them and get back in the win column.

 An eye-catching bout has been made at short notice as Joel Alvarez fills in for the injured Geoff Neal to face Chidi Njokuani in a bout that is arguably more interesting than the original match-up.