Akbar Abdullaev secures UFC contract with 19-second knockout

Undefeated Kyrgyz lightweight Akbar Abdullaev secured a UFC contract following a 19-second knockout victory on Tuesday's Dana White's Contender Series at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Abdullaev defeated Ednilson Santos, a training partner of Alex Pereira, with a single overhand right after landing two body shots.

With this win, Abdullaev improves his professional record to 14-0, with 13 of those victories coming by way of knockout. During a post-fight interview, Abdullaev attributed his power to his training roots in Thai boxing and expressed that his goal was to finish the fight with a single punch. Following the performance, Dana White reportedly praised Abdullaev as one of the greatest talents to emerge from the Contender Series.