Vinny Magalhaes fell short of winning the PFL light heavyweight tournament finals last season, but Rashid Yusupov made sure he wouldn’t even get that far.
Less than three minutes into their quarter-final matchup on Thursday at PFL 9 in Las Vegas, Yusupov crushed Magalhaes with an uppercut and a straight left that put the world jiu-jitsu champion face down on the canvas.
From the outset, it was clear that Magalhaes was having trouble closing the distance to implement his masterful grappling game and Yusupov was patient in picking him apart on the feet. When Magalhaes left an opening, Yusupov struck with the fight-ending combination that put him one step closer to the $1 million tournament finals that will take place on New Year’s Eve.
Yusupov faces Jordan Johnson in the semifinals later tonight.
Watch Yusupov’s powerful knockout above.
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