34-fight MMA veteran knocked stiff by must-see head kick knockout

Ortsa Gudaev handed Rafael Dias his first stoppage-loss since 2018 when the pair met in a featherweight bout at Core FC 2 in Turkiye.

Much of the attention of the MMA world is currently centered on the final UFC card of the year, which is set to go down tomorrow night at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV and will see top flyweights Manel Kape and Brandon Royval square off in the promotion’s final fight of 2025.

Saturday will also feature action from the PFL and top European regional promotions Ares FC and The Way of Warrior FC to go along with a number of other shows, but the week’s best highlight may have come courtesy of Gudaev’s win at Core FC 2.

Ortsa Gudaev Walks Off After Brutal KO In Turkiye

Taking place at Wolkswagen Arena in Stambul, Turkiye, on Thursday, Core FC 2 also saw Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner and former UFC lightweight James Llontop compete in his sixth fight since leaving the UFC (and sixth fight this year) when he took on Evgeny Morozov.

Featherweights Gudaev and Dias met farther down on the card, and Gudaev entered the night looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss he suffered against the undefeated Gazhimured Aliev at ACA 193 in October.

Dias was coming off a first-round knockout of the formerly undefeated Maxin Fukhs at Russia’s RCC 23 in September, but late in the first round the Brazilian veteran found himself on the wrong end of an absolutely incredible head kick that knocked him stiff as he fell to the canvas.

Gudaev appeared to realize that the fight was over as soon as the head kick connected with Dias, allowing him to casually stroll away for one of the most cold-blooded and casual walk-off knockouts you’ll ever see.

The 27-year-old improves to 13-4 in his professional MMA career, and every single one of his wins has come by way of stoppage. Dias, who made his debut in 2011, falls to 22-11-1, and the result marks the first time he’s been knocked out since meeting current top-ranked (and still undefeated) UFC featherweight contender Movsar Evloev in an M-1 Challenge title bout in 2018.

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