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Russian knockout artist Shamil Gaziev scored a walk-off KO in the featured prelim at UFC Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Things got off to a fairly fast start with Petersen mixing up his strikes and targeting the lead leg of Gaziev. Keeping his hands dangerously low, Gaziev looked to pressure Petersen early and look for the one-hitter quitter. He nearly found it with a knee up the middle early, but Petersen absorbed much of it with his chest and quickly changed levels, working Gaziev down to the mat. Unfortunately for Petersen, he couldn’t keep Gaziev on the canvas for long.
With the fight back on the feet, Gaziev continued to put Petersen on his back foot and unleashed a right down the middle that caught Petersen square on the jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas. Knowing his opponent was clearly done, Gaziev walked away as referee Jason Herzog called for the stoppage.
Official Result: Shamil Gaziev def. Thomas Petersen via KO (right hand) at 3:12 of Round 1.
check out highlights from Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen at UFC Saudi Arabia:
ONE PUNCH KO FROM SHAMIL GAZIEV
#UFCSaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/mzOVj1emIW
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 1, 2025
ONE PUNCH KNOCKOUT
@GazievMMA ends it EARLY at #UFCSaudiArabia! [ @RiyadhSeason | #RiyadhSeason ] pic.twitter.com/L6GjZTrAE5
— UFC (@ufc) February 1, 2025
