UFC Fight Night 209 Prelims: ‘Abus’ Magomedov Destroys Dustin Stoltzfus in France

WHAT A DEBUT FOR ABUS MAGOMEDOV 👏 #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/5rV1V8Ds3W

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 3, 2022

Abusupiyan Magomedov took the scorched-earth approach.

The 32-year-old Russian wowed the crowd in his long-awaited Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as he obliterated Dustin Stoltzfus with a front kick to the face and follow-up punches in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 209 prelim on Saturday at Accor Arena in France. A short-notice replacement for Makhmud Muradov, Stoltzfus (14-5, 1-4 UFC) bowed out 19 seconds into Round 1.

Magomedov (25-4-1, 1-0 UFC) forced the Dana White’s Contender Series alum to retreat after eating the front kick, backed it up with a right uppercut and leveled him with hooks from both hands before he pounded away with punches for a spectacular stoppage. It was the sixth sub-minute finish of the former two-division Superior Fighting Championship titleholder’s career.

Haqparast Outduels Ex-Teammate Makdessi

Tristar Gym standout Nasrat Haqparast closed the book on the first two-fight losing streak of his career with a unanimous decision over onetime stablemate John Makdessi in a three-round lightweight confrontation. Haqparast (14-5, 6-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the judges.

Makdessi (18-8, 11-8 UFC) leaned on intense pressure and an active kicking game but failed to corral his more elusive counterpart. Haqparast decked the Canadian with a counter left hook in the second round, started stringing together combinations and appeared to be equally effective in targeting the body and head. He mixed in two takedowns late in Round 3 to add some insurance.

The 37-year-old Makdessi has lost two of his last three fights.

Related » UFC Paris Round-by-Round Scoring

Ziam Sinks Unbeaten Figlak

Sanford MMA’s Fares Ziam bounced back from his Feb. 26 loss to Terrance McKinney with a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Michael Figlak in a three-round lightweight tilt: All three members of the judiciary sided with Ziam (13-4, 3-2 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Figlak (8-1, 0-1 UFC) was aggressive at the outset, perhaps to a fault, but found himself outmatched in virtually every phase. Ziam drew blood with some ground-and-pound in the first round, staggered the Trojan Free Fighters standout with an exquisite close-quarters spinning elbow in the second and fought through some brief adversity in the third. There, Figlak scrambled to the back at one point and climbed to full mount, only to surrender position moments later.

Ziam, 25, has rattled off three victories across his past four appearances.

St. Denis Wrecks Replacement Miranda

Venum Training Camp rep Benoit St. Denis struck down Gabriel Miranda with punches in the second round of their action-packed lightweight encounter. A short-notice fill-in for Christos Giagos, Miranda (16-6, 0-1 UFC) checked out 16 seconds into Round 2.

St. Denis (10-1, 2-1 UFC) was relentless in his pursuit. The Frenchman fed off the energy of the hometown crowd, set the tone with an early body kick, walked through the shots with which the Brazilian tried to answer and wore him down with an accumulation of punishment. He knocked down Miranda twice inside of five minutes, had him teetering on the brink at the end of the first round and picked up where he left off as soon as the middle stanza was underway. St. Denis floored the MMA Masters standout with a clean right hook, trailed him to the canvas and finished it with follow-up punches.

The setback was Miranda’s first in nearly four years.

Quinonez Zaps Reeling Taha

Entram Gym prospect Christian Quinonez buried former Fair Fighting Championship titleholder Khalid Taha with punches in the first round of their bantamweight clash. Winless since April 13, 2019, Taha (13-5, 1-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 3:15 into Round 1.

A late-notice substitution for Taylor Lapilus, Quinonez (18-3, 1-0 UFC) made the most of his opportunity. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate kept Taha at bay with a consistent jab, dodged the return fire and handled his business inside the Octagon. Quinonez dropped the German with a right hook over the top, drove him to his back and sealed the deal with a quick burst of hammer-to-nail punches.

The 26-year-old Quinonez will carry a five-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Eggar Choke Submits Perez

Buddy Gym export Stephanie Egger rebounded from an Aug. 6 submission defeat to Mayra Bueno Silva, as she put away promotional newcomer Ailin Perez with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their women’s featherweight pairing. A short-notice replacement for Zarah Fairn dos Santos, Egger (8-3, 3-2 UFC) brought it to a close 4:54 into Round 2.

Perez (7-2, 0-1 UFC) did not factor into the equation much. Egger executed multiple throws and trip takedowns, dominated the grappling exchanges and effectively shut down the former Samurai Fight House champion on the mat. Late in the second round, the Swiss judoka advanced to Perez’s back, distracted her with ground-and-pound and cinched the fight-ending choke.

Egger, 34, has won three of her past four bouts.