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Undefeated UFC Finishing Machine Books Next Fight Just Days After Latest Win

"The Hunter" will make his second appearance of the year at UFC Baku.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

Less than a week removed from his latest win, one of the UFC’s most dangerous finishers already has his next fight booked.

Although it did take a major hit when the co-main event between reigning UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira was moved to UFC 328, most fans MMA fans are eagerly looking ahead to this weekend’s UFC 327 card after last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night was a fairly lackluster event on paper.

UFC Vegas 115 did feature a number of impressive finishes, including the first-round submission that Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev secured against Brendson Ribeiro to add to his undefeated record.

Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev Books Next UFC Fight Just Days After Win

First reported by Marcel Dorff, Yakhyaev only waited a few days before booking his next fight and will face Julius Walker at this year’s edition of UFC Baku on June 27.

Now boasting a perfect 9-0 record following his win over Ribeiro, Yakhyaev has finished all but one of the opponents he’s faced in professional MMA. The 25-year-old took a unanimous decision over the previously-undefeated Nikolay Kovalenko in 2023 to improve to 4-0, and after winning and defending the ARES FC light heavyweight belt he earned a UFC contract with a 30-second knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series last August.

“The Hunter” only needed 33 seconds to submit Raffael Cerqueira in his promotional debut in November, and he closed as the biggest favorite at UFC Vegas 115 before he also submitted Ribeiro in just under three minutes last Saturday.

Julius Walker Accepts Dangerous Matchup For UFC Baku

Standing across from Yakhyaev on June 27 will be three-fight UFC veteran Walker, who may be in serious danger of exiting the promotion if he fails to get his hand raised in Baku.

Walker joined the UFC in 2025 as an unbeaten prospect with a 100% finishing rate, but the 26-year-old went the distance for the first time and dropped a split decision when he took on Alonzo Menifield in his Octagon debut. A unanimous decision over the aforementioned Cerqueira stands as his lone UFC victory, as Walker was knocked out in the second round of a February matchup with Dustin Jacoby.

Alonzo Menifield (red gloves) fights Julius Walker (blue gloves) in the light heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Clim
Alonzo Menifield (red gloves) fights Julius Walker (blue gloves) in the light heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

With well over two months to go until the event, the second edition of UFC Baku is currently shaping up like this.

UFC Baku Fight Card

Brunno Ferreira vs. Ikram Aliskerov

Michel Pereira vs. Shara Magomedov

Asu Almabayev vs. Charles Johnson

Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Juluis Walker

Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Andrey Pulyaev

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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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