Fighting for the first time since suffering a fourth-round TKO at the hands Derrick Lewis last December, Shamil Abdurakhimov left no room for error at UFC Shanghai.
The Russian heavyweight swarmed Chase Sherman in their preliminary bout at the Mercedez Benz Arena in Shanghai, China, on Saturday, rocking him with a hard right that left “The Vanilla Gorilla” turned around in the center of the Octagon. Abdurakhimov followed up with two more sharp punches that forced the stoppage just 84 seconds into Round 1.
It was the first knockout win for Abdurakhimov in the UFC and one that is sure to keep him on the fringes of the contenders’ circle.
Watch the fast finish above.