Tahir Abdullayev could not have asked for a better UFC debut. Fighting in front of his home fans in Azerbaijan, the rising lightweight earned his first Octagon victory before celebrating it the way he knows best.
The 29-year-old stopped fellow UFC newcomer Jefferson Nascimento in the third round at UFC Baku, giving the local crowd plenty to cheer about.
Home crowd fuels Abdullayev’s performance
After the victory, Abdullayev said in his post-fight interview that he looked forward to enjoying the moment with friends and embracing a familiar post-fight tradition.
“I’m Azerbaijani,”
“We’re going to go out with my friends, and we’re going to drink some real good tea and eat some stuff – maybe some real, traditional Azerbaijani chicken.”
Inside the cage, Abdullayev believed he had opportunities to end the fight earlier. Still, he remained patient before finally putting Nascimento away with strikes in the third round.
“I felt great,”
“I could’ve finished earlier, but he just kept running away from me.”
“I was focused completely 100 percent.”
The win improved Abdullayev’s professional record to 22-3 while handing Nascimento the first loss of his career.
Ready for whoever comes next
Competing in front of a packed arena made the victory even more memorable for the Azerbaijani fighter, who fed off the energy throughout the night.
“… I cannot tell you how incredible it is to fight here at home in Azerbaijan. I love that there are lots of people that are all cheering. I love the energy from them. It makes me fight even harder.”
Although Abdullayev does not yet know who the UFC will match him up with next, he made it clear that he welcomes any opponent willing to stand and trade.
“I never give up. I will fight until the very end. Give me somebody who will engage with me, who will fight with me, and I will show you what I can do.”