Tahir Abdullayev made a victorious UFC debut on home soil, stopping Jefferson Nascimento by third-round TKO at UFC Baku.
The bout, held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan on Sat., June 27, 2026, saw Abdullayev finish the fight with punches from top position in the final round. The referee stepped in after sustained ground-and-pound, a stoppage that Nascimento protested.
Both Abdullayev and Nascimento were making their first walks to the Octagon. Nascimento, a previously undefeated Brazilian prospect, stepped up in weight and accepted the matchup on short notice.
Abdullayev, fighting out of Azerbaijan and entering as the betting favorite, secured top control in the third round and poured on strikes until the referee waved it off, sealing a late TKO in his UFC debut.
