Jakub Wiklacz taps Muin Gafurov with 1 second left at UFC Vegas 113

Jakub Wiklacz pulled off one of the wildest last-second finishes of the year and walked away with a chunk of his opponent’s paycheck for good measure. Jakub Wiklacz (18-3-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) scored a stunning, buzzer-beating guillotine choke submission of Muin Gafurov (20-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in their catchweight bout on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 266 at the UFC Apex.

With seconds remaining and the fight seemingly headed to the judges, Gafurov shot for a takedown that proved disastrous. Wiklacz latched onto a guillotine from the top position and squeezed until the final horn.

The ending was chaotic. Although Gafurov appeared to give referee Chris Tognoni a thumbs-up while trapped in the choke. Replays showed his left hand beginning to tap just before the horn. Followed by a more definitive tap with his right hand immediately after. Gafurov believed he’d survived, but Wiklacz felt the tap and felt Tognoni pull him away.

After a lengthy replay review conducted alongside the Nevada Athletic Commission. Tognoni delivered the verdict: Gafurov had indeed submitted at 4:59 of Round 3, giving Wiklacz an improbable, Hail Mary victory.

Interestingly, scorecards released by the UFC later showed Round 3 scores from the judges suggesting they had been instructed to submit scores in case the bout was ruled to have gone the distance. Had it done so, Wiklacz was on track for a unanimous decision anyway.