Magomedov lands rare Scottish twister on UFC debut to finish Baghdasaryan in round one

Murtazali Magomedov made an immediate statement on his UFC debut, submitting Melsik Baghdasaryan with a rare Scottish twister at 1:17 of the first round at UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday. The finish is believed to be the first time the variation of the submission has been landed inside the UFC.

The sequence began with a striking exchange that allowed Magomedov to secure a takedown and work toward taking his opponent’s back. As he attempted to lock in a body triangle, he spotted a different opening — latching onto Baghdasaryan’s arm and head simultaneously before leaning back to cinch the submission. Baghdasaryan tapped furiously moments later.

“This is exactly what I hoped for and it happened the way I wanted,” Magomedov said after the fight. “This guy is a very good opponent for me. I want to fight, I am ready always. I don’t want to talk too much but the featherweight division is almost dying. Let’s bring it back and make it great again.”

Magomedov revealed post-fight that a teammate had introduced him to the move and that he had been drilling it specifically in the lead-up to the bout. The submission will draw inevitable comparisons to ex-UFC fighter Stevie Ray, who popularised the same variation during his time in the PFL — most notably when he used it to submit former UFC champion Anthony Pettis.

The win pushes Magomedov’s professional record to a perfect 11-0, and his combination of grappling creativity and finishing instinct marks him out as a genuine prospect in a featherweight division he is already calling on the UFC to reinvigorate.