Prelim Results | UFC Baku

“The Lion” set records for the most takedowns in a round (9) and the second-most in a welterweight fight in his debut, constantly grounding Nolan and never allowing him to build any offensive momentum of his own. Though he looked absolutely spent midway through the second, Hasanov was able to find timely level changes and get Nolan to the canvas, grinding away and avoiding any late-fight banana skins along the way.

Debuting at home is a difficult task, and Hasanov navigated it with grit and tenacity. As he gains more experience, the 6-0 welterweight could morph into an intriguing addition to the always competitive division.

“The Hunter” put Julius Walker on the deck with the first punch he threw, connecting with a sharp right hand over the shoulder that sent the American crashing to the canvas. From there, Yakhyaev chased him to the ground and unloaded, recording the second fastest finish in UFC light heavyweight history. 

Now 3-0 in the UFC and 10-0 overall, Yakhyaev has shown that he’s an ascending force to be reckoned with in the 205-pound weight class and should garner a considerable step up in competition next time out. Just 25 years old, the future is exceedingly bright for the Dana White’s Contender Series Season 9 graduate.

Fighting for the first time in well over a year following knee surgery, Ruziboev used a caught kick to dump Pulyaev to the canvas and never allowed him back to his feet from there. He slowly transitioned to the back, patiently chipped away with short shots, and when Pulyaev worked to defend, he laced up the choke, squeezing until his Russian foe drifted off to sleep.

Ruziboev is now 5-0 at middleweight in the UFC with four finishes and positioning himself for a step up in competition in the near future. This was the 50th fight of his career and 37th win, making him one of the most experience and dangerous all-around talents in the division.

Though Reyes was the bigger man in stature, Ofli was the sharper of the two from the outset, landing sharp hands in tight as the Colombian DWCS grad came forward. Late in the round, Ofli dropped Reyes with a right hand and swarmed, initially landing a torrent of punches before clamping onto an arm-triangle choke and securing the finish.

That’s now three straight wins for the Australian featherweight, who fell to Mairon Santos in the TUF 32 finale and then dropped his official promotional debut to Muhammad Naimov. It’s been a brilliant rebound for the 33-year-old, who continues to show his complete skill set more and more each time out.

The TUF 33 welterweight winner was his aggressive self in the opening stanza, looking to land with force every time he threw, while Berggren stood in with him, showing he belongs at this level. Early in the second, Donchenko went high with a kick, landing through the guard with enough force to drop Berggren, chasing him down and pounding out the finish.

This was another strong showing for the talented 24-year-old, who posted a hard-fought win over Alex Morono earlier this year and followed it up by collecting another finish here. The Ukrainian prospect continues to show that he’s a thrilling, all-action addition to the welterweight ranks, and called for an opportunity to compete in Paris later this year.

Almakhan landed the cleaner, more effective shots in the opening round, dropping Matsumoto with a swift one-two off a naked low kick, only for the Brazilian to steady himself and closed the round with a forceful takedown and quick elbows. The Kazakh fighter continued to snipe with strikes in the second, but Matsumoto was able to start ratcheting up the pressure and the pace in the back half of the frame before the duo spent the final five minutes trading shots and working to find an edge that would secure them a victory.

The judges were tasked with determining the victor and when the scorecards were totaled, it was Matsumoto who came out ahead, earning the unanimous decision win. Now 4-2 in the UFC with heaps of experience, the Dana White’s Contender Series grad remains one to watch in the 135-pound ranks.

Nascimento used his footwork and movement to stay on the outside and pick at Abdullayev over the first 10 minutes, frustrating the hometown fighter, whose best shot was a smashing elbow after the horn at the end of the second. In the third, Abdullayev was able to force Nascimento to the canvas and work from top position, chipping away until late in the final stanza when he started to land heavier shots, bringing about a quick stoppage from referee Jim Perdios.

What’s tough about the stoppage is that Abdullayev was starting to land and Nascimento was starting to feel it, and if the referee had allowed it to go on a little longer, maybe we get a cleaner finish. As it stands, Abdullayev comes away with a stoppage win in his UFC debut and starts the night on a positive note for the hometown athletes set to compete inside the Octagon.