Ikram Aliskerov made quite a statement with his devastating first-round knockout over Warlley Alves at UFC 294.
A dynamic striker with power in every limb, Aliskerov actually set up the finish with a lead jab that dropped Alves to the ground momentarily. As soon as the Brazilian got back to his feet, Aliskerov was all over him as he unloaded a barrage of shots including a perfectly timed flying knee that blasted Alves on the chin.
From there, Aliskerov just unloaded with punches in succession until Alves crumbled to the mat with the referee swooping in to stop the fight at just 2:07 in the opening round.
“I always aim to finish quick,” Aliskerov said following his win. “I’m waiting for the next opponent to be in the top 10.”
When the fight started, Alves showed no fear stepping into the pocket as he welcomed the chance to exchange with Aliskerov on the feet. That game plan changed rather quickly once Aliskerov popped him a couple of times including the jab that sent the Brazilian stumbling to the canvas.
Once Alves got backed against the cage, Aliskerov unleashed with relentless aggression including the jumping switch knee that set up the finish with punches.
Aliskerov is now 2-0 in the UFC with a pair of jaw-dropping knockouts and he’s definitely a middleweight worth watching in the future. His only career loss came to Khamzat Chimaev back in 2019 and given their shared trajectories, these two might meet again near the top of the rankings in the UFC.
