Tahir Abdullayev stops Nascimento with third-round TKO at UFC Baku

Tahir Abdullayev stopped Jefferson Nascimento with a third-round TKO on Saturday at UFC Baku, giving the home crowd at National Gymnastics Arena a finish after two quiet rounds.

Abdullayev, fighting out of Azerbaijan, was favored despite questions about his gas tank and his tendency to overextend in exchanges, according to MMA Mania. Nascimento came in on short notice and moved up a weight class, but the previously undefeated Brazilian was expected to test the hometown fighter through three rounds.

Abdullayev surges late after slow start

The first two rounds passed without much action. Offense was sparse and neither man created sustained danger. That changed in the final frame when Abdullayev opened up with heavy combinations on the feet, forcing Nascimento into a brawl. Nascimento fired back, but Abdullayev mixed in several takedowns to secure top position and began landing damaging ground strikes that appeared to hurt the Brazilian.

The referee waved off the bout as Abdullayev continued to land punches from above. Nascimento protested the stoppage immediately after it was called.

UFC Baku marked the promotional debut for both lightweights. Abdullayev moves to 1-0 in the octagon while Nascimento drops his first professional loss.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Good morning! Hometown favorite Tahir Abdullayev sparks UFC Baku with wild comeback TKO | Highlights