Abdulrakhman Yakhyaev
Hunter
Turkey
Finds KO with first punch
Yaykhyaev defeated Julius Walker via KO (punch) at 0:08 of Round at UFC Baku on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
This fight was over before it even started, as Yaykhyaev found a home for his very first right hook, and Walker crumbled immediately. He added a few follow-up shots before referee Jim Perdios could rush in to call things off. It's one of the 10 fastest finishes in UFC history and would deservingly go on to earn Yaykhyaev a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus. The 25-year-old Yaykhyaev is undefeated in a light heavyweight division that badly needs depth, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the UFC push the exciting prospect quickly.
This fight was over before it even started, as Yaykhyaev found a home for his very first right hook, and Walker crumbled immediately. He added a few follow-up shots before referee Jim Perdios could rush in to call things off. It's one of the 10 fastest finishes in UFC history and would deservingly go on to earn Yaykhyaev a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus. The 25-year-old Yaykhyaev is undefeated in a light heavyweight division that badly needs depth, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the UFC push the exciting prospect quickly.
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Next fight scheduled
Yakhyaev is scheduled to fight fellow light heavyweight Julius Walker at UFC Baku on June 27, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
By defeating Walker, Yakhyaev would begin his UFC career with a 3-0 record. The latter submitted Raffael Cerqueira and Brendson Ribeiro via rear-naked choke to earn his two wins.
By defeating Walker, Yakhyaev would begin his UFC career with a 3-0 record. The latter submitted Raffael Cerqueira and Brendson Ribeiro via rear-naked choke to earn his two wins.
Rolls as biggest favorite on card
Yakhyaev defeated Brendson Ribeiro via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:52 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
As high as a -2000 favorite in some spots, Yakhyaev was not only expected to win this fight, but to do so quickly and in dominant fashion. It played out exactly like that. He landed two takedowns in the brief bout, eventually controlling his overmatched opponent on the mat before choking him out. The sample size is very small, and all his fights have come against lower-level competition, but Yakhyaev looks like a massive problem moving forward. The 25-year-old is legitimately one of the top overall prospects in the entire sport.
As high as a -2000 favorite in some spots, Yakhyaev was not only expected to win this fight, but to do so quickly and in dominant fashion. It played out exactly like that. He landed two takedowns in the brief bout, eventually controlling his overmatched opponent on the mat before choking him out. The sample size is very small, and all his fights have come against lower-level competition, but Yakhyaev looks like a massive problem moving forward. The 25-year-old is legitimately one of the top overall prospects in the entire sport.
Booked in Vegas
Yakhyaev will face Brendson Ribeiro in a light heavyweight matchup at UFC Vegas 115 on April 4, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Yakhyaev got his shot last August on Contender Series and quickly turned around to pick up a first-round submission win over Rafael Cerqueira less than three months later in his UFC debut. He now draws Ribeiro, who has lost back-to-back fights to drop his UFC record to 2-4. In addition to the experience edge, Ribeiro will also hold slight height and reach advantages, though it's hard to argue with the momentum the undefeated Yakhyaev has built.
Yakhyaev got his shot last August on Contender Series and quickly turned around to pick up a first-round submission win over Rafael Cerqueira less than three months later in his UFC debut. He now draws Ribeiro, who has lost back-to-back fights to drop his UFC record to 2-4. In addition to the experience edge, Ribeiro will also hold slight height and reach advantages, though it's hard to argue with the momentum the undefeated Yakhyaev has built.
Comes through as massive favorite
Yakhyaev defeated Raffael Cerqueira via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:33 of Round 1 at UFC Qatar on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
It's rare to see betting favorites far north of (-1000) at this level, but that was the case here, and Yakhyaev looked the part. While the end result will go in the books as a submission win, it was Yakhyaev's striking that set the stage for the finish. He opened things up with a spinning wheel kick that got through his opponent's guard and proceeded to walk him down. A head kick sent Cerqueira to the canvas, and when his ground-and-pound didn't finish the job, Yakhyaev transitioned to his opponent's back and did just that. Considering he didn't absorb a single significant strike in this one, he should be poised for a quick turnaround.
It's rare to see betting favorites far north of (-1000) at this level, but that was the case here, and Yakhyaev looked the part. While the end result will go in the books as a submission win, it was Yakhyaev's striking that set the stage for the finish. He opened things up with a spinning wheel kick that got through his opponent's guard and proceeded to walk him down. A head kick sent Cerqueira to the canvas, and when his ground-and-pound didn't finish the job, Yakhyaev transitioned to his opponent's back and did just that. Considering he didn't absorb a single significant strike in this one, he should be poised for a quick turnaround.
Debut scheduled quickly
Yakhyaev will take on Raffael Cerqueira in a light heavyweight matchup at UFC Qatar on Nov. 23, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Yakhyaev stormed onto the scene with a 30-second knockout on Dana White's Contender Series back on Aug. 26, and UFC brass will waste no time scheduling the Chechnyan fighter for a match nearby in Qatar. He likely enters as the favorite, too, given that Cerqueira is 0-3 in the UFC, with two of those losses being first-round finishes. On paper, Yakhyaev will give up an inch in height, but has a two-inch reach advantage.
Yakhyaev stormed onto the scene with a 30-second knockout on Dana White's Contender Series back on Aug. 26, and UFC brass will waste no time scheduling the Chechnyan fighter for a match nearby in Qatar. He likely enters as the favorite, too, given that Cerqueira is 0-3 in the UFC, with two of those losses being first-round finishes. On paper, Yakhyaev will give up an inch in height, but has a two-inch reach advantage.