Faglier survives three first-round knockdowns to stop Mahjoub in UFC Edmonton comeback

Joel Faglier absorbed multiple knockdowns in the opening round and still walked out of Rogers Place in Edmonton with a second-round knockout victory over Javad Mahjoub, completing one of the wilder heavyweight debuts in recent UFC memory.

Mahjoub, fighting in front of a home crowd in his adopted country of Canada, dominated the first five minutes. The hulking heavyweight hurt Faglier early and put him on the canvas more than once, appearing well on his way to a statement finish. But the round-ending horn arrived before he could seal it — and it proved to be the turning point of the entire fight.

When the two men returned to the centre of the octagon for round two, the physical toll on Mahjoub was already visible. He had his hands on his knees between rounds, visibly spent, while Faglier composed himself in the corner and came out with renewed purpose. Once Faglier began targeting the body, the outcome was no longer in doubt.

The finish came via a sharp right hand that sent Mahjoub to the canvas, with Faglier following up with ground-and-pound until referee Marc Goddard stepped in to wave it off.

The victory pushes Faglier’s professional record to a perfect 7-0, while Mahjoub, also making his UFC debut, falls to 5-1. Both men were newcomers to the promotion, but it was Faglier’s resilience under pressure — and Mahjoub’s inability to close out a dominant opening round — that defined the contest.

The bout served as a reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in heavyweight MMA, where a fighter can appear finished one moment and be delivering the knockout the next.