Overview
- Yakhyaev submitted Ribeiro by rear-naked choke at 2:52 of Round 1 on Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, with the bout streaming on Paramount+.
- Sportsbooks had installed Yakhyaev as one of the card’s biggest favorites, including -2000 at FanDuel and -1800 at DraftKings, and MMA Junkie staff picked him 10-0.
- The rising light heavyweight moved to 9-0 after needing a combined 63 seconds for his first two UFC wins and then closing this one on the ground with heavy top pressure and a quick choke.
- Ribeiro entered on consecutive first-round TKO losses and said he needed a win, landed an early high kick, then was taken down and finished as Yakhyaev’s grappling took over.
- The dominant result strengthens Yakhyaev’s case for a bigger test next in a light heavyweight field looking for new contenders, adding to hype built on his fast starts and combat sambo pedigree.