Bekzat Almakhan delivered his first UFC win earlier tonight (Sat., May 10, 2025) at UFC 315 LIVE on ESPN+ PPV from inside Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, becoming the first person to finish Brad Katona with a vicious uppercut knockout just 64 seconds into the first round.
Fans who are familiar with Almakhan were excited for his second Octagon appearance. The talented bantamweight prospect made his official UFC debut on short notice against standout contender Umar Nurmagomedov back in March 2024. While Almakhan was taken down and controlled for the majority of the fight he did score a knockdown on Nurmagomedov. Almakhan lost, but fans saw his potential.
On Saturday, Almakhan left nothing to the imagination. The Kazakhstan fighter needed just one minute to land a beautiful uppercut inside that sent Katona crashing backwards onto the canvas. Katona has been hurt before, but he had never been finished by strikes or a submission in his entire career. That’s why Almakhan’s eventual TKO stoppage was even more impressive.
Check out the video highlights below:
Almakhan, 27, is now 9-1 in his last 10 pro fights with eight total finishes. Saturday’s performance is more indictive of what Almakhan can do as a member of the UFC bantamweight division — especially when he has a full camp — so fight fans should be pretty excited for the rising prospect’s future.
For complete UFC 315 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.