Port Coquitlam, B.C.'s Ali Wasuk (4-2) takes on unbeaten Oguzhan Yalcin (2-0) in the bantamweight co-feature of BFL 73 this Thursday at the Harbour Convention Centre in Vancouver, B.C. Fans can catch the action streaming live via UFC Fight Pass.
Wasuk, a dual amateur BFL champion who has built his entire pro career within the western Canadian circuit, gets another shot after a layoff stretching back to December 2021, when he fell short in his attempt to claim the BFL bantamweight belt from current titleholder Serhiy Sidey.
"I honestly felt there were more internal struggles than external ones going on in that bout—I'm not taking anything away from Sidey," Wasuk told MMA Empire.
"He came prepared with an excellent strategy, but I misjudged both my striking and his grappling. I assumed I'd be able to drag him to the mat, but he executed his game plan flawlessly and defended takedowns beautifully. His mentality was like he'd rather perish than get taken down. Then in the second round, I launched a kick, lost my footing, and slammed the back of my head into the canvas. Between rounds, I caught sight of the ring card girl holding up the round four card, turned to my corner and said, 'We're already in round four?' I genuinely believed we were just beginning round two. That's one of the strangest experiences I've had inside the cage—nothing like it has ever happened to me. So when he landed that body strike in round four, I was pressed against the fence, watching the crowd, completely disoriented. I was trying to piece together what had transpired over those rounds, wondering whether I was winning or losing on the judges' scorecards. I stared at two spectators in the back row, completely checked out mentally, and that's when he connected. But I took plenty of lessons from that bout—it genuinely sharpened me as a fighter."
Though the head trauma certainly played a role in how the fight unfolded, Wasuk explained that he shifted his attention toward fixing the tactical mistakes he made against Sidey as he geared up for his comeback bout with Yalcin.
"I intend to make adjustments during the fight," Wasuk shared.
"Against Sidey, I became so fixated on wrestling that I lost sight of the fact that this is MMA. We spent so much time drilling takedown setups that I should have adapted when the plan fell apart. For this matchup, I want to stay present and keep a few surprises in reserve, so if needed I can finish him using an entirely different approach."
Looking toward his career trajectory, Wasuk says his ambitions boil down to something straightforward yet ambitious.
He aims to earn a contract with a prominent organization such as the UFC, Bellator, or One Championship, while serving as inspiration for fighters and individuals navigating similar paths or earlier chapters of their journeys.
"Competing against the world's best is my driving goal. For me, this is all about pure competition—I don't hold grudges against opponents. I don't speak negatively about anyone. My words simply reflect how I feel. It's about testing myself against the absolute best and figuring out how my skills stack up against the top tier in this sport. On top of that, stepping into a cage in front of 20,000 fans would be incredible," he said.
"At the end of the day, I want to be a positive influence for the next generation—an immigrant like me who came to Canada and succeeded, showing them it's possible."
Whenever he enters the cage, Wasuk carries with him a lifetime connection to karate, shaped by family traditions.
"My uncle ran a karate school back in Afghanistan, and with all the conflict happening, he relocated to Russia before my mother did," Wasuk recounted, noting that his father died in the Afghan war before he was born.
"I was born in Russia, and when my uncle moved there, he continued training heavily—he coached me, my cousin, and my brother. He didn't open a school (in Russia), but growing up surrounded by that karate culture meant we spent our childhoods sparring and kicking inside the house constantly, so I just absorbed it. Even before I began formal training, when we were really little, my brother and I loved wrestling each other. Neither of us knew jiu-jitsu, but we'd experiment with different submissions, rear-naked chokes—it just felt instinctive."
Keep up with Wasuk online: INSTAGRAM
