Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev - News & Rumors - UFC | FOX Sports

Fourth straight stoppage win Yakhyaev defeated Nikita Krylov via TKO (strikes) at 2:38 of Round 1 at UFC 333 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

Impact It's been clear from Day 1 that Yakhyaev is the real deal and this was the latest example. Krylov represented a significant step up in competition for the 25-year-old and Yakhyaev still rolled. He was able to score a trip takedown which opened up the opportunity for Yakhyaev to land a knee to the face along the fence which essentially finished Krylov on the spot. Now 4-0 with the UFC, with all four wins (two knockouts, two submissions) coming via first-round stoppage, it's going to be exceedingly difficult for the company to not push Yakhyaev to the moon immediately, especially in a division as thin as light heavyweight.

18 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Scheduled versus Krylov Yakhyaev will face Nikita Krylov in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 333 on Oct. 24, Marcel Dorff of Heavy On Sports reports.

Impact Yakhyaev is coming off one of the quickest wins of the year when he defeated Julius Walker via KO just eight seconds into the first round at UFC Baku on June 29 this year. Yakhyaev remains undefeated in a division that needs depth, but on the surface, he should be considered the odds-on favorite in this fight.

AUGUST 16 • ROTOWIRE

Finds KO with first punch Yaykhyaev defeated Julius Walker via KO (punch) at 0:08 of Round at UFC Baku on Saturday.

Impact This fight was over before it even started, as Yaykhyaev found a home for his very first right hook, and Walker crumbled immediately. He added a few follow-up shots before referee Jim Perdios could rush in to call things off. It's one of the 10 fastest finishes in UFC history and would deservingly go on to earn Yaykhyaev a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus. The 25-year-old Yaykhyaev is undefeated in a light heavyweight division that badly needs depth, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the UFC push the exciting prospect quickly.

JUNE 29 • ROTOWIRE

Next fight scheduled Yakhyaev is scheduled to fight fellow light heavyweight Julius Walker at UFC Baku on June 27, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact By defeating Walker, Yakhyaev would begin his UFC career with a 3-0 record. The latter submitted Raffael Cerqueira and Brendson Ribeiro via rear-naked choke to earn his two wins.

APRIL 8 • ROTOWIRE

Rolls as biggest favorite on card Yakhyaev defeated Brendson Ribeiro via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:52 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Impact As high as a -2000 favorite in some spots, Yakhyaev was not only expected to win this fight, but to do so quickly and in dominant fashion. It played out exactly like that. He landed two takedowns in the brief bout, eventually controlling his overmatched opponent on the mat before choking him out. The sample size is very small and all his fights have come against lower-level competition, but Yakhyaev looks like a massive problem moving forward. The 25-year-old is legitimately one of the top overall prospects in the entire sport.

APRIL 5 • ROTOWIRE