You Need To Know About Akbar Abdullaev

All it took was one punch in 19 seconds to become the UFC’s hottest new acquisition.

Akbar Abdullaev did not waste a moment of his opportunity on Tuesday night’s Contender Series, where he wiped out Ednilson Santos with a butcherous overhand right that caused the Brazilian to tumble towards the mat face first and out cold while doing so.

The 14-0 (13 KOs) smasher resorted to his signature pressing style. He was ultra aggressive from the jump - the same tool that allowed him to steamroll each competitor he’s faced before. He stalks you down, makes you uncomfortable as he begins to have his way with you. That’s just what he does and it’s unstoppable.

Yet, one full year and nine days removed from his last outing in ONE Championship - a third-round TKO win versus Ibragim Duaev - Abdullaev wasn’t interested in gaining minutes in the cage. He’s a man who revolves around creating an instant impact.

Having worked for ONE during his come-up in the Asian promotion, I saw first-hand just how brutally diabolical and undeniable he could be. He smashed gritty Korean Oh Ho Taek in his promotional debut in 44 seconds. He then breezed past former unbeaten prospect Aaron Canarte similarly in 41 seconds.

And as the competition got sterner in Halil Amir, who was another name on the rise, Akbar refused to take a step back. He dazzled with spinning kicks and unorthodox forward movement. Once more, he delivered another finish over the Turkish tussler before moving on to the division’s king in Tang Kai.

Across four and a half rounds in 2025, Abdullaev took the Chinese warrior to bits to become the uncrowned champion (he missed weight and failed ONE’s hydration protocol). He went on to embarrass Tang with his wrestling. He pressured him throughout every round and systematically broke the will of a champion who’d seemingly looked unbreakable. That’s just the kind of fighter Abdullaev is. He’s special.

Chained up in the basement of ONE’s tower is not where the Kyrgyz standout belongs. He belongs in there, forcing fighters to question their whole prerogative.

In all honesty, Abdullaev shouldn’t have even had to go through the DWCS. If it’s not clear to anybody by now, he’s on a different level. He’s undoubtedly one of the best fighters in the world and if I had my way, he’d have a ranked number next to his name this Monday.

His mantra of a bull in a china shop meshed with his incredible pacing, elite striking and strong wrestling acumen puts him in a league of his own. Dana wasn’t wrong to call him a generational talent after his performance. This lad would stroll through many of lightweight’s best and destroy reigning champ Justin Gaethje twice before breakfast.

With a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it showing like Tuesday night’s, I hope it isn’t long before we see Abdullaev back in the Octagon. Simply put, the lad is different gravy, he doesn’t f**k about, and it’s going to make the sport and the lightweight division that much more exciting having him around.