Yakhyaev wipes out Walker in eight seconds to record second-fastest finish in UFC light heavyweight history

Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev delivered the most emphatic statement of his young UFC career on Saturday, stopping Julius Walker with a brutal overhand right and follow-up punches just eight seconds into Round 1 at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. The finish, recorded at UFC Fight Night 280, stands as the second-fastest in the history of the 205-pound division.

Yakhyaev (10-0, 3-0 UFC) caught Walker on the counter, dropped him with a single devastating shot and swarmed with punches before the referee intervened with an almost dismissive swiftness. Walker (7-3, 1-3 UFC) had no opportunity to establish himself. The Turkish light heavyweight has now finished all three of his UFC opponents and shows no sign of slowing down.

In the co-featured prelim, Nursulton Ruziboev put Andrey Pulyaev to sleep with a rear-naked choke at 3:58 of the first round in their middleweight bout. Ruziboev (37-9-2, 5-1 UFC) dragged Pulyaev to the canvas, took his back and combined ground-and-pound with submission attempts until he secured the choke and waited for Pulyaev to go limp. It was the American Top Team fighter’s third consecutive victory. Pulyaev (10-4, 1-3 UFC) has now lost twice in a row.

Former Hex Fight Series champion Kaan Ofli also impressed, submitting Javier Reyes with a mounted arm-triangle choke at 4:16 of the second round in their featherweight contest. Ofli (14-4-1, 3-2 UFC) overcame a seven-inch reach disadvantage by landing sharp counters and leg kicks before decking Reyes with a one-two, swarming with punches and hammerfists, and locking in the choke from full mount. It was the seventh first-round finish of Ofli’s career, though the stoppage came in the second.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 winner Daniil Donchenko extended his winning streak to seven with a second-round head kick and follow-up punches finish over late-notice replacement Theodor Berggren at 1:35 of Round 2 in their welterweight matchup. Donchenko (14-2, 3-0 UFC) had spent the opening round targeting Berggren’s body and legs before the head kick brought the contest to a close. The 24-year-old Tiger Muay Thai product has finished five of his last seven opponents.