UFC Baku prelims: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev stops Julius Walker in eight seconds, Nursulton Ruziboev chokes Andrey Pulyaev

UFC Fight Night 280 prelims in Baku, Azerbaijan, delivered a pair of early departures, led by Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev’s near-instant demolition of Julius Walker. The light-heavyweight contest ended eight seconds into Round 1, with Yakhyaev firing an overhand right on the counter before immediately rushing forward with follow-up punches to secure the stoppage. Walker never appeared to find the range or rhythm he needed, as the fight’s closing sequence arrived before a typical opening minute could fully play out.

The result kept Yakhyaev’s professional record perfect and also maintained his spotless run inside the UFC. According to the event write-up, he entered the matchup 10-0 overall and 3-0 in UFC action, while Walker came in 7-3 with a 1-3 mark in the promotion. The stoppage was described as the second-fastest finish in UFC light-heavyweight history, underlining how quickly Yakhyaev’s timing and finishing ability translated into a high-level spotlight.

The featured prelim also included a submission that ended even earlier in terms of “minutes of dominance.” In the middleweight matchup, American Top Team’s Nursulton Ruziboev forced Andrey Pulyaev to tap out with a rear-naked choke in the first round. The account states the loss occurred 3:58 into Round 1, with Pulyaev going to sleep after being trapped, a sequence that reinforced Ruziboev’s emphasis on control once he secures top position or an entangling grip.

Ruziboev’s win affected both fighters’ UFC trajectories. Pulyaev entered at 10-4 overall and 1-3 in the UFC, and the report notes it was his second defeat in as many appearances, suggesting the stretch has not gone his way at the sport’s highest level. For Ruziboev, the finish served as a reminder that his path forward may rely less on prolonged grinding and more on getting to submission positions quickly and cleanly.

Yakhyaev’s eight-second win also immediately sharpened the “next opponent” conversation that tends to follow ultrafast finishes in the UFC. For fighters ranked or viewed as contenders, an outcome like this can compress timelines, because it indicates a style that can disrupt even seasoned game plans in the smallest windows of opportunity. While the prelim stage does not guarantee the next booking, the performance read in Baku suggests the UFC will at least be considering matchups that test whether his speed and counterpunching can travel upward against higher-end strikers.

For fans tracking the light-heavyweight division, the Baku prelims offered a simple takeaway: when Yakhyaev’s counter timing clicks, the fight can end before the opponent has time to settle. When Ruziboev locks in his grappling sequence, the fight can be decided before it becomes a three-round problem. The immediate question now becomes how the UFC steers both fighters from “fast finish” momentum into competition that measures them in a deeper, more durable way. What happens in their next assignments will likely determine whether this weekend’s highlight finishes become the foundation for longer title-relevant runs or remain standout moments in their early UFC chapter.