Turkey’s Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev targets UFC title within two years
DWCS 79 winner Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters after being awarded a UFC contract for his 30-second TKO victory
LAS VEGAS – Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev turned heads in more ways than one at Dana White’s Contender Series 79, and left the UFC CEO stunned.
Yakhyaev (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) starched Alik Lorenz in just 30 seconds with a vicious barrage of punches. The undefeated 24-year-old earned a UFC contract with his performance, and will be heading to the big show very soon.
Yakhyaev intends to climb the light heavwyeight ladder very quickly, and sees himself capturing gold in what would be a more impressive timeline than his half-minute knockout on DWCS.
“We’ll see, but I hope about two years,” Yakhyaev told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter during a post-fight news conference.
Should his fight results continue in a similar fashion, it’s perhaps not such a wild idea. Yakhyaev has finished five of his seven pro bouts in the first round. The result against Lorenz was his fastest yet, and it came in his biggest moment thus far.
“I expected this bout to be exactly the way it went,” Yakhyaev said. “I was working hard on it, and I got exactly what I expected.”
