Azamat Murzakanov stayed undefeated at UFC 321 with a signature win over Aleksandar Rakic.
Murzakanov (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) needed less than a round to catch Rakic (14-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) with a short right hand that led to the knockdown. He pounced, then a few shots later the referee pulled him off for a first-round TKO in the light heavyweight bout at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):
After the fight, Murzakanov boldly sent a message to the 205-pound division currently run by Alex Pereira and said he’s coming for gold.
“You all doubted me, I told you not to doubt me,” Murzakanov said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I planned to finish him and yes, I’m happy that I did that. I’m very thankful to everybody here. … I’m going to be fighting for the title. I want to fight for the No. 1 contender.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 321 results:
- Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:11
- Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 2:30
- Ikram Aliskerov def. JunYong Park via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ludovit Klein def. Mateusz Rebecki via majority decision (29-27, 28-27, 28-28)
- Valter Walker def. Louie Sutherland via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:24
- Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Delgado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Chris Barnett via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)
- Mitch Raposo def. Azat Maksum via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
- Mizuki Inoue def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
