Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev

Yakhyaev needed only eight seconds to flatten Julius Walker in Baku, which is the most violent possible extension of a record that was already packed with instant finishes. It pushed him to 10-0 and made the undefeated prospect story impossible to separate from the speed with which he starts fights.

Key moments

• The knockout landed eight seconds into the opening round.
• Yakhyaev moved to 10-0 by recording the quickest win of his UFC run so far.
• The finish came in his third UFC appearance after two first-round wins before it.
• It preserved the pattern of early damage that has defined almost his entire record.

Yakhyaev's second UFC win came by first-round rear-naked choke over Brendson Ribeiro, which mattered because it proved the Contender Series pace still held up against another large, dangerous finisher. He did not need a full fight to separate himself there either; under three minutes was enough.

Key moments

• The submission came at 2:52 of round one.
• Yakhyaev opened his UFC career 2-0 with back-to-back first-round finishes.
• The Ribeiro win followed the 33-second choke of Cerqueira from the prior November.
• It also kept his unbeaten record entirely intact entering the Walker matchup.

Yakhyaev's UFC debut lasted just 33 seconds before he took Cerqueira's back and closed the fight with a rear-naked choke. For an unbeaten newcomer, that kind of debut matters because it immediately removes the question of whether his regional urgency can transfer to the Octagon.

Key moments

• The finish came only 33 seconds into the first round.
• Yakhyaev won his UFC debut by the same rear-naked choke he later used on Ribeiro.
• It was the first of three straight wins he would score inside one round across UFC and DWCS competition.
• The result moved him to 8-0 before the 2026 follow-up appearances.

Yakhyaev barely needed half a minute on Contender Series, stopping Lorenz with a body knee and follow-up punches to secure the UFC contract. It is one of the cleanest evidence points for how quickly he can weaponize his size and aggression against opponents who are not ready for the opening burst.

Key moments

• The fight ended at the 30-second mark of round one.
• Yakhyaev earned the contract by finishing with a body knee and punches rather than by decision.
• It came between the Ares title-defense run and his 33-second UFC debut choke.
• The result made the UFC signing an easy call instead of a close evaluation.

Yakhyaev defended his Ares FC light heavyweight title by choking out Jacky Jeanne in the first round, reinforcing that the belt run was not built on slow point-fighting. Even as champion, the same pattern held: once he got on top of an exchange, the finish followed quickly.

Key moments

• The title defense ended at 2:23 of the opening round.
• Yakhyaev kept the Ares FC belt with another rear-naked choke finish.
• It was his fifth straight stoppage win at the time.
• The result helped set up the Contender Series call the following year.

Yakhyaev claimed the vacant Ares FC light heavyweight title by catching Paulin Begai in a first-round guillotine at Ares 23. Headlining in Aubervilliers with Marc Goddard officiating, he needed only 1:32 to turn a championship fight into another fast finish and announce himself as a serious regional prospect.

Key moments

• The bout headlined Ares FC 23 for the promotion's vacant light heavyweight championship
• Yakhyaev wrapped up the guillotine only 1:32 into round one
• The quick submission earned both the title and a Submission of the Night bonus

The Kovalenko fight is the outlier on Yakhyaev's record: a full five-round unanimous decision instead of another quick finish. In Bursa he handled championship distance to win the vacant Khan Fight light heavyweight belt, proving he could bank rounds and keep structure across twenty-five minutes when the stoppage did not come.

Key moments

• The co-main event was contested for the vacant Khan Fight light heavyweight title
• Yakhyaev went all five rounds and took a unanimous decision, his only win on the scorecards
• The performance showed he could carry his game through championship distance before later returning to first-round finishes

Yakhyaev barely gave Mouhamadou Lamine time to settle, scoring a ground-and-pound stoppage 24 seconds into round one at Khan Fight 1. The burst in Bursa extended his unbeaten start to 3-0 and set up the title shot he would cash in three months later.

Key moments

• The finish came only 24 seconds into the opening round on the Khan Fight 1 card in Bursa
• Yakhyaev swarmed with ground-and-pound rather than letting the newcomer recover
• The instant stoppage kept his record perfect and accelerated him toward the promotion's vacant title bout

Yakhyaev's second professional win required more work than his debut, but he still found a clean finish by submitting Nazhmudin Yusupov with a triangle choke in the second round. The ACA Young Eagles fight was booked at a 220-pound catchweight and showed an early glimpse of the submission threat that later became a defining part of his record.

Key moments

• The bout was contested at a 220-pound catchweight on the ACA Young Eagles 27 main card
• Yakhyaev carried the fight into round two before trapping Yusupov in a triangle choke
• The tap at 3:05 of the second round moved him to 2-0 as a pro

Yakhyaev opened his professional career with a first-round ground-and-pound stoppage of Elbek Ravshanov at ACA Young Eagles 22. Fighting in Tolstoy-Yurt, he controlled the early exchanges and finished exactly at the three-minute mark to start his unbeaten run with an emphatic result.

Key moments

• The pro debut came on the ACA Young Eagles 22 main card in Tolstoy-Yurt, Chechnya
• Yakhyaev finished with ground-and-pound at exactly 3:00 of round one
• The debut stoppage launched the unbeaten streak that later carried him through Ares, Contender Series, and into the UFC