Abdulrakhman Yakhyaev
Hunter
Turkey
Debut scheduled quickly
Yakhyaev will take on Raffael Cerqueira in a light heavyweight matchup at UFC Qatar on Nov. 23, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Yakhyaev stormed onto the scene with a 30-second knockout on Dana White's Contender Series back on Aug. 26, and UFC brass will waste no time scheduling the Chechnyan fighter for a match nearby in Qatar. He likely enters as the favorite, too, given that Cerqueira is 0-3 in the UFC, with two of those losses being first-round finishes. On paper, Yakhyaev will give up an inch in height, but has a two-inch reach advantage.
Yakhyaev stormed onto the scene with a 30-second knockout on Dana White's Contender Series back on Aug. 26, and UFC brass will waste no time scheduling the Chechnyan fighter for a match nearby in Qatar. He likely enters as the favorite, too, given that Cerqueira is 0-3 in the UFC, with two of those losses being first-round finishes. On paper, Yakhyaev will give up an inch in height, but has a two-inch reach advantage.
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30-second finish earns contract
Yakhyaev defeated Alik Lorenz via TKO (punches) at 0:30 of Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. After the show, he was one of fight fighters to be awarded an official UFC contract.
ANALYSIS
Yakhyaev looked every bit the part of a (-1200) betting favorite in this one, as he opened with an overhand right that knocked his opponent back. He proceeded to follow him to the cage, and it wasn't long before Lorenz was crumbling to his knees and referee Mark Smith was jumping in. Yakhyaev only absorbed one significant strike in this one, so the possibility for a quick turnaround is in play. At just 24 years old, Yakyaev is the latest in a long line of Chechnyan-born fighters to join the UFC roster.
Yakhyaev looked every bit the part of a (-1200) betting favorite in this one, as he opened with an overhand right that knocked his opponent back. He proceeded to follow him to the cage, and it wasn't long before Lorenz was crumbling to his knees and referee Mark Smith was jumping in. Yakhyaev only absorbed one significant strike in this one, so the possibility for a quick turnaround is in play. At just 24 years old, Yakyaev is the latest in a long line of Chechnyan-born fighters to join the UFC roster.