Promotion newcomer Ikram Aliskerov took on experienced Brazilian Warlley Alves in the second fight on UFC 294’s main card.
Aliskerov came into the bout off the back of a highlight-reel first-round KO over Phil Hawes back in May. The Russian’s professional record stood at 14-1, having had two successive fights cancelled against Paulo Costa and Nassourdine Imavov.
Alves, on the other hand, was on a poor recent run of form. The 32-year-old had fought just twice in almost three years, losing both of these bouts to Jeremiah Wells and Nicolas Dalby via TKO and decision respectively.
Aliskerov entered the event as a clear -600 favourite. The 30-year-old was looking for another victory which would send him spiralling into the middleweight rankings.
Ikram Aliskerov Makes Middleweight Statement
Following a quick ending to the previous fight between Said Nurmagomedov and Muin Gafurov, few expected an equally-dominant performance.
Aliskerov and Alves came out the blocks with patience. It looked to be an incredibly calculated matchup between the pairing throughout the first 90 seconds. The Russian, however, had other plans. He landed a stiff jab clean to the chin of his opponent, sending Alves toppling onto his backside before managing to stand back up.
Aliskerov continued to advance, and utilised his remarkable striking to land a flash left head kick around his counterpart’s guard. Alves’ head slightly fell, allowing the 30-year-old to follow up with a perfectly-executed flying knee clean to the head.
The Brazilian backed up to the fence with his hands desparately up. From here, Aliskerov slammed his opponent with a combination of straights and uppercuts. It was clear there was no way back for Alves, who once again disipated to the canvas, which caused referee Lukasz Bosacki to call an end to the contest.
Official result: Ikram Aliskerov defeats Warlley Alves via TKO (knees and punches): R1 (2:07)
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
