Tonight’s card didn’t start out the way fans were anticipating. The first three bouts all ended with a decision, with several being entirely uneventful.
To the delight of the Columbus crowd, Aliaskhab Khizriev got the first finish of the night when he submitted his opponent Denis Tiuliulin in the second round of their middleweight clash.
After a slow-paced first round, Khizriev was able to get his opponent to the ground. During a scramble, he quickly secured back control and locked in the rear-naked choke, putting his opponent to sleep.
Put him to sleep. pic.twitter.com/FCONFKKxtd
— MS (@UFC_Obsessed) March 26, 2022
As a celebration of his win, Khizriev jumped on the cage and jokingly “threatened” former Middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
Good as advertised!
Aliaskhab Khizriev starts his Octagon run with a submission win! #UFCColumbus pic.twitter.com/gwGLucKeXU
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) March 26, 2022
One of the most talked-about prospects to make his UFC debut in 2022, Aliaskhab Khizriev is undefeated in his MMA career with 14 fights under his record. He gained a lot of notoriety after knocking out former UFC fighter Rousimar Palhares during Fight Nights Global 85.
During the post-fight interview, Khizriev joked that he was “overweight” as a middleweight, and asked UFC president Dana White to switch to welterweight.