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UFC Finishing Machine Floors Opponent with First Punch for 8-Second KO at UFC Baku

"The Hunter" is due for a step up in competition after three UFC fights.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

One of the UFC’s fastest-rising stars scored his most jaw-dropping finish yet during the prelims for UFC Baku.

Following last Saturday’s return to Las Vegas, the UFC made its second trip to Baku, Azerbaijan this weekend with a UFC Fight Night event headlined by top-ranked lightweight contenders Rafael Fiziev and Manuel Torres.

The prelims for UFC Baku were largely highlighted by the promotional debuts of four different fighters, but that portion of the card also featured the return of undefeated finishing machine Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev to take on Julius Walker.

 Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev Runs Through Julius Walker at UFC Baku

A contract winner on last year’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series, Yakhyaev made an immediate impression in his UFC debut in November when he submitted Raffael Cerqueira in just 33 seconds.

“The Hunter” returned last April and also submitted Brendson Ribeiro in the opening round to give him five-straight first round finishes and an impressive eight stoppages out of his nine career wins. That finishing pedigree helped make Yakhyaev a significant favorite against Walker, who came into UFC Baku after being knocked out by Dustin Jacoby in his third UFC outing last February.

Even those expecting another quick win from Yakhyaev could never have predicted how quickly things would end in Baku, as the 25-year-old dropped Walker with the first punch he threw and dove in to land some brutal follow-up shots on the ground before the referee jumped in to end things.

The result was officially announced as an eight-second knockout, although Yakhyaev may not even have needed to jump in and land any ground strikes given the way Walker hit the canvas. The win was easily the fastest of Yakhyaev’s career (although he does boast three other finishes in under a minute), and is now tied for the second fastest knockout in UFC light heavyweight history.

Speaking to Michael Bisping after the fight, Yakhyaev indicated that he fully intends to try and outdo himself by securing a record-setting finish at some point in the future.

The eight-second finish was the third knockout on the UFC Baku prelims, which opened with Tahir Adullayev’s third-round TKO of the formerly-undefeated Jefferson Nascimento. Following Jean Matsumoto’s decision-win over Bekzat Almakhan, Daniil Donchenko stopped Theodor Berggren with strikes to kick off what became a four-fight run of finishes capped off by Yakhyaev’s third UFC victory.

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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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