Muhammad Naimov took his octagon debut on just days’ notice at UFC on ESPN 45 and was pegged by oddsmakers as the biggest underdog on the card against Jamie Mullarkey.
Naimov (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) had other plans, however, as in the second round of Saturday’s lightweight bout at the UFC Apex, he caught Mullarkey (16-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) with a brilliant counter right hand that led to the TKO.
Mullarkey controlled the opening round of the matchup and took momentum into the second frame. Naimov didn’t get discouraged, though, and waited for his moment to connect with a fight-changing shot that ended the bout at the 2:59 mark of Round 2.
