LAS VEGAS — Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev continued his destructive run with a brutal first-round TKO victory over Nikita Krylov at UFC 333 on Saturday, stopping the veteran at 2:38 of the opening round after surviving early wrestling pressure to turn the bout violently in his favour.
Krylov came out intent on handing Yakhyaev a reality check, attacking the legs while mixing in right hooks upstairs before firing a left hand and shooting for a takedown. He drove Yakhyaev against the fence and worked in the clinch, determined to get the fight to the canvas, while Yakhyaev answered with knees to the body and legs and short shots to the head and body to maintain his balance as Krylov hunted a trip.
The momentum shifted sharply when Yakhyaev reversed position and put Krylov on the canvas before immediately snatching a tight guillotine choke, cranking hard as Krylov fought desperately to find an angle to relieve the pressure. Krylov’s patience paid off when Yakhyaev abandoned the submission and transitioned to back control, but the reprieve was brief.
Yakhyaev landed a knee to the head that sent Krylov face-first into the canvas, then unloaded a barrage of clean, unanswered punches on a defenceless opponent until the referee intervened to halt the contest. Official Result: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Nikita Krylov via R1 TKO, 2:38.
Another opponent, another finish for Yakhyaev, who once again showed he is not arriving to collect paychecks but to collect victims, while Krylov was left to rue a strong wrestling start that unravelled the moment Yakhyaev seized control on the mat.