Ikram Aliskerov proved why he was the biggest betting favorite of the night when he ran through Warlley Alves.
On the main card of UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Aliskerov (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) unleashed a barrage on Alves (14-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) in their middleweight bout, setting up the finish with a beautiful flying knee. Aliskerov’s TKO finish came at the 2:07 mark of Round 1.
ALISKEROV WAS RELENTLESS 😨 #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/wzLpng5L44
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 21, 2023
Aliskerov attacked Alves’ body early by throwing teeps, but Alves fired back with hard leg kicks. Aliskerov staggered Alves with a jab and started mounting forward pressure. He landed a head kick, followed by a flying knee which landed perfectly, before he swarmed him with punches to score the finish.
Aliskerov has now won seven straight, with his most recent and only loss coming to undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in 2019. Alves dropped his third straight for the first time in his career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 294 results include:
- Ikram Aliskerov def. Warlley Alves via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:07
- Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:13
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Tim Elliott via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:03
- Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry declared no contest (accidental groin strike by Basharat) – Round 2, 0:15
- Trevor Peek def. Mohammad Yahya via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Sedriques Dumas def. Abu Azaitar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mike Breeden def. Anshul Jubli via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 3:00
- Muhammad Naimov def. Nathaniel Wood via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Viktoriia Dudakova def. Jinh Yu Frey via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Shara Magomedov def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.