Tahir Abdullayev made his UFC debut a memorable one, stopping Jefferson Nascimento by strikes in Round 3 to secure his first promotional victory on home soil in Azerbaijan.
Both Abdullayev and Nascimento were making their first walks to the UFC cage, but it was the 29-year-old Azerbaijani who pulled away late to improve his professional record to 22-3 MMA and 1-0 UFC. Nascimento falls to 13-1 MMA and 0-1 UFC.
"I felt great," Abdullayev said after the bout. "I could've finished earlier, but he just kept running away from me. ... I was focused completely 100 percent. He basically kept on playing with me until the third round. Then in the third round, I was finally able to catch him."
The home crowd clearly played a role in Abdullayev’s performance. "... It was crazy energy, and I cannot tell you how incredible it is to fight here at home in Azerbaijan. I love that there are lots of people that are all cheering. I love the energy from them. It makes me fight even harder."
Abdullayev summed up his mindset simply: "I know for sure that I'm a gladiator," he said. "I never give up. I will fight until the very end. Give me somebody who will engage with me, who will fight with me, and I will show you what I can do."
As for what’s next, Abdullayev stated he is unsure of his next UFC assignment, but he does have one immediate plan: "We're going to go out with my friends, and we're going to drink some real good tea and eat some stuff – maybe some real, traditional Azerbaijani chicken."
