Muhammad Mokaev delivered a spectacular performance on his UFC debut as he stunned, then finished Cody Durden in less than a minute at UFC London.
Former two-time IMMAF world champion Mokaev was roared to the octagon by a packed crowd, who arrived early to catch the recently-confirmed British citizen make his octagon bow.
Those fans didn’t have to wait long, as Mokaev timed his moment, then exploded into life with a spectacular flying knee that connected flush on the advancing Durden’s chin.
Mokaev moved in for the finish and snatched a guillotine choke, but Durden countered with a powerful slam in a bid to loosen “The Punisher’s” grip.
However, Mokaev wouldn’t be denied, and he maintained his grip, then applied more pressure to force the tap and send the London crowd into raptures.
It took just 58 seconds for Mokaev to deliver the statement he had hoped for, and he used his post-fight interview to remind Dana White of the promise he made to him four years ago as he told the UFC president that he would be in the UFC four years later.
He backed up that promise, and delivered a stand-out performance to get the night off to a flying start as he extended his unbeaten professional record to 7-0 (1 NC). Meanwhile, Durden falls to 12-4-1.
UFC London: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Tom Aspinall def. Alexander Volkov via submission (straight armbar) – Round 1, 3:44
- Arnold Allen def. Dan Hooker via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:33
- Paddy Pimblett def. Kazula Vargas via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:49
- Gunnar Nelson def. Takashi Sato via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina via knockout (spinning back elbow) – Round 3, 1:52
- Ilia Topuria def. Jai Herbert via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:07
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Makwan Amirkhani def. Mike Grundy via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 0:57
- Sergei Pavlovich def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:03
- Paul Craig def. Nikita Krylov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:57
- Jack Shore def. Timur Valiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
- Elise Reed def. Cory McKenna via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Cody Durden via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:58
