Ikram Aliskerov picked up his second first-round finish in as many UFC bouts when he brutally stopped Warlley Alves at UFC 294.
The 30-year-old joined the UFC off of Dana White’s Contender Series last year when he submitted Mario Sousa in just over two minutes. A promotional debut against Phil Hawes earlier this year saw the Russian announce himself to UFC fans with a nasty knockout that established him as a rising force in the middleweight division.
Aliskerov was booked for a massive step up in competition against former title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 291 before both men were rebooked for different matchups at UFC 294.
The 30-year-old missed out on a chance to break into the Top 15 against Nassourdine Imavov, but he did add another finish to his highlight reel against replacement opponent Warlley Alves.
After staggering the Brazilian with a sharp jab, Aliskerov calmly pressed forward to get his opponent to the fence. A head kick was followed by an incredible switch knee, and the 30-year-old proceeded to tee off with punches until Alves finally dropped to the canvas.
The prelims for UFC 294 only featured one finish, but the event’s main card got off to a quick start when Said Nurmagomedov submitted Muin Gafurov in just over a minute before Aliskerov followed that with his brutal TKO against Alves.
Aliskerov is now on a seven-fight win streak dating back to 2019 and has finished all but one of his opponents during that stretch. The only loss of his career came via knockout against Khamzat Chimaev, who features in the co-main event of UFC 294 against former welterweight king Kamaru Usman.
LIVE: UFC 294 Free Live Stream Results & Highlights - Volkanovski vs Makhachev, Chimaev vs Usman
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