‘Flyweight Mike Tyson’ bags $100,000 with violent first-round KO at UFC Abu Dhabi

Jul 27, 2026 - 10:30

Ramazan Temirov scored his 12th consecutive professional MMA win with a blistering knockout at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The Uzbekistani flyweight stopped former UFC title contender Steve Erceg in the co-main event of the Fight Night card, headlined by Magomed Ankalaev’s light heavyweight win over Bogdan Guskov.

Australia's Steve Erceg and Uzbekistan's Ramazan Temirov compete in their men's flyweight fight at the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25, 2026 — Temirov went after Erceg from the very first exchange until the Australian was knocked out on the canvas

Ramazan Temirov throws a punch against Steve Erceg in their flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena July 24, 2026 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi — Two successive right hands from Temirov with 39 seconds left in the first round of the fight turned Erceg’s lights out

Terrific Temirov

Temirov floored the Aussie early with a wild spinning back kick and was relentless from there on in.

Even with his height disadvantage, Temirov was head hunting and dropped Erceg twice further in quick succession with just over one minute to go in round one.

With time ticking fast, Erceg was on the retreat and backed up against the cage after an array of blows.

He soon found himself face-planted on the canvas following one final huge right from Temirov that knocked him out cold.

The victory marked Temirov’s third in the UFC, where he is undefeated, and he also earned a juicy $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.

He boasts a 20-3 record, having signed from Japan’s top MMA promotion Rizin in 2024.

Eight of his 12 straight victories in the sport have also come by first-round stoppage, prompting the ‘flyweight Mike Tyson‘ nickname to emerge among fans due to his destructive stoppages.

However, Temirov’s stoppage hasn’t come without controversy.

The 29-year-old was making his return to Dana White‘s promotion after a year-long suspension from the sport following a positive drug test.

He tested positive in October 2025 for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned substance used to treat heart failure and other cardiac conditions.

Uzbekistan's Ramazan Temirov reacts after winning his men's flyweight fight against Australia's Steve Erceg in the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25, 2026 — Temirov called for a UFC flyweight title shot after his win – but he will still need at least one more win to cement his status

And several MMA fans were uncomfortable that Temirov was thrust straight into a co-main event slot after his ban from the sport.

Now, Temirov may well just be one or two fights away from getting his first UFC title shot.

‘Temurlan’ called for a shot at Joshua Van’s throne after his win, but there are other names, such as Alexandre Pantoja and Manel Kape, currently ahead of him in the pecking order.

Erceg, meanwhile, who will likely fall out of the UFC flyweight rankings this week to make way for Temirov, made sure to tell his fans he was doing well.

Erceg’s statement

“I just wanted to check in and let you know that I’m okay,” Erceg said in a statement on social media.

“I had a great camp. Felt fantastic. But unfortunately things don’t always go your way.

Russia's Magomed Ankalaev reacts after winning his men's light heavyweight fight against Uzbekistan's Bogdan Guskov in the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25, 2026 — Former UFC light heavyweight champion Ankalaev got back to winning ways in the main event of the Abu Dhabi show

Sam Patterson throws a punch against Santiago Ponzinibbio in their welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena July 24, 2026 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi — As did British welterweight Sam Patterson, who scored his fifth stoppage win in his last six fights

“I’ll be back.”

Elsewhere at UFC Abu Dhabi, British welterweight Sam Patterson returned to winning ways after a poor outing against Michael ‘Venom’ Page in London in March.

Patterson knocked out Santiago Ponzinibbio in two rounds — his fifth stoppage victory in his last six appearances.

Meanwhile, fan-favourite Magomed Zaynukov was victorious on his promotional debut, having emerged through White’s Contender Series last October.

UFC Meta Rankings

The UFC ranking system is ever-evolving and is now more different than ever.

Right up until the summer of 2026, the UFC used its official rankings based on media votes.

However, as of June 22, 2026, the UFC began transitioning away from the traditional media panel to new AI-based rankings in partnership with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.

The new rankings will be automatically calculated and updated every Monday following official events.

And talkSPORT.com have made it easy for MMA fans to stay up to date with the new system through a full and regularly updated UFC Meta Rankings list, including stars from the heavyweight and lightweight divisions.