Akbar Abdullaev Delivers Viral Starching of Ednilson Santos

Akbar Abdullaev (14-0 MMA, 1-0 DWCS) found himself out of a roster spot in ONE Championship in the spring, despite sporting an undefeated record of 5-0 in the Singapore-based combat sports organization. Roster cuts in the company's MMA division necessitated the move.

It had been more than a year since Abdullaev last fought in ONE. On Sept. 5, 2025, he versed Ibragim Dauev (12-2 MMA,) taking him to the third round of action before he finished him with ground and pound shots. 

In the aftermath of Abdullaev's dismissal from ONE Championship, he was booked to appear on DWCS 92, but his opponent changed one week out from the contest. Initially, Abdullaev was to have fought Anthony Figueroa on the Sept. 15 event until those plans fell through for reasons unknown. Ednilson Santos (14-8-1 MMA, 0-1 DWCS) served as Figueroa's replacement.

Akbar Abdullaev Wastes Little Time, Floors Ednilson Santos

A short time removed from the command to fight from referee Jason Herzog, Akbar Abdullaev moved in on Ednilson Santos and placed a nasty overhand right punch to drop him. 

"It didn't take long for Abdullaev to say 'I am here and I am here to stay!'", exclaimed Brendan Fitzgerald, who was working DWCS 92 as the blow-by-blow commentator for Paramount Plus. Analyst Laura Sanko was equally impressed with Akbar Abdullaev in the aftermath of his win Tuesday night.

"Did I mention face-melting power?", she said. "I was just getting to that, didn't have time to say it!"

At 19 seconds, Akbar Abdullaev's stoppage win over Ednilson Santos was the quickest victory he's recorded in professional MMA. Prior to DWCS 92 Tuesday night, his fastest stoppage win was recorded in 42 seconds during a July 2023 contest against Aaron Canarte in ONE on Prime Video 12 on Amazon Prime.

Akbar Abdullaev Goes from Military Service to UFC

Although Akbar Abdullaev is known as a luminary in combat sports, prior to him stepping in the ring, he engaged in a different kind of combat, serving his home country of Krgyzstan in the military. Now, five days away from his 29th birthday, Akbar Abdullaev finds himself having achieved a significant career milestone.

With Abdullaev's fight being third on the bout order for the Tuesday night show, his wait to find out whether or not he'd become the newest member of the UFC's active roster was longer than some of the fighters sitting backstage. Following the conclusion of the main event on Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White was interviewed by Laura Sanko for the official announcement of the evening's contract winners.

"Akbar, I mean, I don't even know what to say to you," White began. "That punch sounded like a baseball bat!"

Dana White Awards Akbar Abdullaev UFC Deal 

From there, Dana White made it official.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and I'm going to call you possibly the greatest talent that's ever been on this show in 10 years. I think that you are going to be a huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport. I can't wait to see you fight again. Welcome to the UFC."