Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev’s lightning-fast stoppage of Julius Walker has been named MMA Junkie’s June 2026 Knockout of the Month.
MMA Junkie highlighted five nominees for the award, but it was Yakhyaev’s eight-second knockout that stood out, coming as the second-fastest finish in UFC light heavyweight history and the seventh fastest overall in UFC history.
Yakhyaev, who improved to 10-0 in MMA and 3-0 in the UFC with the win, made his intentions clear afterward. “I come here to make records,” he said. “This is not the fastest, but the second. We will see in the next fight. More and more I will try. The plan was to fight smart, but when I see the moment I take it. UFC now has to give me the top. I am ready.”
The June field also featured Diego Lopes’ knockout of Steve Garcia after a back-and-forth fight, Sean O'Malley’s knockout of Aiemann Zahabi on the White House lawn after rocking him with punches, and Jake Woodley’s four-second overhand-right knockout of David Wright, among other standouts from a busy month of UFC action.
