Nikita Krylov returned to the UFC’s light heavyweight win column earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) at UFC 324 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, after ending Modestas Bukauskas via third-round TKO with just three seconds left in the fight.
There were a lot of questions surrounding Krylov coming into the new year and this weekend’s UFC 324 card. The veteran contender was coming off back-to-back knockout losses in 2025 after returning from a two-year hiatus before that. Fans didn’t know if Krylov would ever return to his 2022-2023 form when he beat Alexander Gustafsson, Volkan Oezdemir, and Ryan Spann, but Saturday was a solid test.
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Krylov, who was the more experienced and longer fighter, put forth a perfect game plan from the opening bell. He was able to control the distance, dictate the pace of the fight, and pitched a great defensive effort. Bukauskas’s knockout power certainly kept him dangerous, but Krylov was on point the whole way through.
In the end, he was able to hurt Bukauskas and temporarily slump him with a ground-and-pound punch with seconds left on the clock in Round 3. That was all the referee needed to see in order to step in for the stoppage. Check out the finish below and let us know who Krylov should fight next in the UFC’s light heavyweight division:
For complete UFC 324 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
