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Dana White Left Stunned as Undefeated Phenom Scores 19-Second KO in UFC Audition

How quickly will this undefeated fighter rise to UFC title contention?
Drew Beaupre|
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series saw one of this season’s biggest names show exactly why he’s one of the most highly-touted fighters outside of the UFC.

Now in its tenth season after first kicking off in 2017, this year’s edition of DWCS has already seen UFC CEO Dana White hand out more than 20 contracts through the first five weeks.

Two of those fighters have also already debuted in the UFC, as Week 1 contract winners Bilal Hasan and Anthony Wint each scored stoppages in their respective first UFC bouts and extended their unbeaten records in the process.

Week 6 of DWCS Featured Four Different Undefeated Prospects

Week 6 of DWCS also featured four different undefeated fighters, three of which competed in the first three bouts of the night.

Tyshawn Williams improved to 9-0 when he took a unanimous decision over Antônio Monteiro before Luis Hernandez moved to 8-0 by submitting Hugo Guillon, which helped set the stage for a highly-anticipated lightweight matchup between Akbar Abdullaev and Ednilson Santos.

Boasting a 13-0 record coming into DWCS, Abdullaev was originally slated to face Anthony Figueroa before the latter fighter withdrew from the matchup and was replaced by Ednilson Santos.

Akbar Abdullaev Stuns Dana White With Brutal 19-Second KO

“Bakal” was a massive favorite to get his hand raised, but even fans expecting him to win in the first round might not have been able to predict just how quickly and violently he’d book his ticket to the UFC.

Just 19 seconds into the fight, Abdullaev ducked into a thunderous overhand right that knocked Santos stiff and sent the Brazilian slowly falling face-first to the canvas.

The stunning win was easily the fastest of Abdullaev’s career, although his professional record does boast three other victories that all came in less than a minute.

"Bakal" Went 5-0 vs. Top Competition in ONE Championship

After an 8-0 run that only saw him go past the first round once in his first two years as a professional fighter, Abdullaev joined ONE Championship in 2023 and won his promotional debut in just 44 seconds.

The 28-year-old ended up going 5-0 overall during his ONE Championship career, which saw him extend his 100% finishing rate against two different undefeated fighters as well as current ONE Championship titleholder Kai Tang.

More than a few fans felt that Abullaev should have just been signed outright instead of having to go through DWCS, and now it will be interesting to see how the UFC chooses to match the lightweight standout up once he formally joins the promotion.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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