Akbar Abdullaev stood over his rival after a 19-second KO on Dana White's Contender Series

Frightening talent Akbar Abdullaev earned a UFC contract in the most emphatic way possible.

Abudallev, a frightening 14-0 unbeaten prospect, made his appearance in Dana White's Contender Series looking to earn a UFC deal.

Akbar Abullaev during his Dana White Contender Series fight
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Abdullaev cemented his status as one of MMA's most exciting talents with a thunderous victoryCredit: Getty
Dana White talking to Laura Sanko at Contender Series
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White was full of praise for Abdullaev after handing him a UFC dealCredit: Getty

He was up against Brazilian Ednilson Barros Santos, with the pair duelling for the chance to join an already stacked UFC lightweight division.

And Abdullaev, a powerful striker with a formidable 93% stoppage ratio, delivered on the big stage and left a lasting impression.

Abdullaev flattens Santos in 19 seconds

Abdullaev came flying out of the traps and immediately started striking to the body with real venom.

And as soon as he switched up to the head, it was a thunderous right hand which put away Santos before he even had time to download any data.

The hellacious shot crashed into the target and Santos was sent flattened face down on the canvas.

Immediately the referee stepped in and prevented the contest from continuing with Santos clearly out cold from the blow.

It was a highlight-reel finish and exactly what the unbeaten talent needed to catch the eye of UFC president White.

Abdullaev immediately secured himself a spot on the roster moving forward.

And now there will be great anticipation as to what level he can climb to at 155lbs, a stacked division featuring the likes of Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett.

Dana White's reaction to Abdullaev KO

White was sat cageside and was glowing with excitement having watched 'Bakal' light up the show.

Abdullaev immediately will be a market opportunity for White to produce a new star in the already enthralling division.

And he went as far as suggesting that the 28-year-old was the best he's ever seen enter the Contender Series.

“I don’t even know what to say,” White said while beaming.

"That punch sounded like a baseball bat.

"I’m going to go out on a limb here and call you possibly the greatest talent that’s ever been on the show in ten years.

"I think that you’re going to be a huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport.


talkSPORT.com has collectively voted on the best fighters to form a regularly updated UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings system for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Our P4P list will be updated regularly based on performances in the Octagon — with wins, records, title wins and defences, calibre of opponents, methods of victory and much more all determining who makes it.

UFC champions Islam Makhachev, Tom Aspinall and Sean Strickland feature - but big stars such as Alex Pereira and Arman Tsarukyan miss out.

"I can’t wait to see you fight again, welcome to the UFC.”

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