1 week Ago By Jamie Theodosi, Bloody Elbow
Ikram Aliskerov captured the attention of Khabib Nurmagomedov with his performance at UFC Kansas City on Saturday night. The UFC returned to Kansas City for the first time in two years this Saturday at UFC Kansas City was headlined by a welterweight clash between Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates . Opening up the main card was a big fight in the middleweight division between Ikram Aliskerov and Andre Muniz , as the Russian contender looked to return to the win column.
Last time out, Aliskerov took on Robert Whittaker in a late notice main event, subsequently suffering a brutal first-round KO loss , looking to put that behind him. Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Ikram Aliskerov’s KO win The 32-year-old Russian looked to be on a clear path towards the 185lb title before running into Whittaker last time out, stinting his pursuit to the top. Despite that, Aliskerov bounced back with a huge win on Saturday night once again showcasing exactly why he is a darkhorse in the middleweight division.
With just over 20 seconds left of the first round, the Russian backed Muniz up against the cage, leaving him nowhere to run before landing a big left hook on his chin. Although the Brazilian didn’t immediately sink to the ground, the delayed reaction hit and Muniz was on his back, looking to evade the following big ground-and-pound shots. Despite that, the 32-year-old continued reigning down ground-and-pound and the referee stepped in and called a stop to the action with just over nine seconds left of the round.
Reacting to Aliskerov’s third first-round win under the UFC banner, former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov reacted: “Welcome back.” He's back with a vengeance @Ikram_Aliskerov adds another first round finish to the resume at #UFCKansasCity ! pic.twitter.
com/C24mNJVhLt What’s next for Ikram Aliskerov following UFC Kansas City win? With his win, Aliskerov will once again be hoping to earn a fight against a top 15 ranked opponent, which he likely deserves. Someone else who competed on the UFC Kansas City card, picking up a win, was Abus Magomedov , who dominated Michel Pereira , who was subsequently booed out of the arena . Magomedov will now likely take the Brazilian’s spot in the top 15, potentially becoming an opponent for Aliskerov next time out.
Failing that, UFC fan-favorite Paulo Costa continues to look for a comeback opponent, having not fought since June 2024. This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission..
