Alp Arslan Begenjov’s scheduled meeting with Kyle Dake at RAF Abu Dhabi has evidence beyond the difference in their name recognition. Two continental tournaments from 2026 show what the Turkmen wrestler has already accomplished, and where the opposition has tested him.

RAF currently lists Dake–Begenjov as a cruiserweight championship match on its November 14 card at Etihad Arena. The following results come from UWW competition earlier this year; they provide background for that booking.

A senior medal with a demanding semifinal

At April’s Senior Asian Championships in Bishkek, Begenjov earned bronze at 86 kg. UWW’s final book records successive 10–0 victories over Byambadorj Bat Erdene and Bakhodur Kodirov, followed by an 11–0 semifinal defeat against Kamran Ghasempour.

Begenjov returned for the bronze match and defeated Yudai Takahashi by fall, with the score at 10–5 when it ended. Reporting that finish as a decision would lose a meaningful part of the result: the bout ended through a fall rather than completion of the clock.

That tournament offers a more complete introduction than the medal alone. It includes two shutout wins, a decisive loss and a medal-winning finish against another senior opponent.

Three wins without conceding at U23 level

In May, Begenjov won the U23 Asian 86 kg title in Da Nang. His three victories were 6–0, 11–0 and 10–0, with Abylaikhan Uzembayev his opponent in the final. The technical-point total was 27 scored and none conceded.

That is a strong tournament result within an age-group field. Keeping the April senior campaign alongside it helps readers assess the achievement without treating the two competition levels as interchangeable.

Dake supplies another benchmark

Dake’s own 2026 results include winning the U.S. Final X selection series at 86 kg against Zahid Valencia. After losing the opener 3–2, he won 4–1 and 4–0 to take the best-of-three series.

Those results make the Abu Dhabi pairing more informative than a familiar champion facing an unfamiliar name. Begenjov has documented senior success and age-group dominance; Dake has won a demanding senior selection series this year. Whether Begenjov can reproduce his scoring against Dake is the competitive question their scheduled meeting can answer.

The 86 kg labels above belong to those UWW and U.S. events. RAF’s current card uses its own cruiserweight designation; no numeric RAF weight limit is inferred here.