Julius Walker’s night at UFC Baku ended in stunningly quick fashion, as he was knocked out in eight seconds by Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev on the prelims.
The bout took place on June 27, 2026, at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, where Yakhyaev dropped Walker with the first punch he threw and finished the fight with ground-and-pound before the referee stepped in.
Before the fight, Walker had outlined his dream scenario in an interview with YouTuber Carlo Perruzza, saying, "Dude, in a perfect world, I knock him out with the first punch" and "I throw a jab, and it just decapitates him." Afterward, he reflected on the brutal turnaround, stating, "Obviously, I am extremely disappointed with getting KO’d in 8 seconds. After the fight I couldn’t stop thinking about how much went into me going out there and getting dropped with the first punch. My family went 2 months without me, my sponsors invested heavily in me, my team and my coaches spent hours preparing me and traveling to be here. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that it was all for an 8-second fight."
Despite the result, Walker said, "UFC Baku was an incredible experience despite it ending with one of the worst possible results" and emphasized his growth, adding, "I know I am twice the fighter I was 2 months ago" and "I am far from done."
With the loss, Walker’s professional record moves to 7-3, marking the first two-fight skid of his career and a 1-3 run in the UFC.
