Lone'er Kavanagh Stuns Ramazan Temirov With First-Round TKO at UFC 333

Lone'er Kavanagh had to walk through danger to get his hand raised at UFC 333. Once he found the opening, the finish came fast.

The sixth-ranked flyweight stopped Ramazan Temirov with punches at 4:28 of the first round Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The UFC listed the result as a TKO, giving Kavanagh a sharp rebound from his July submission loss to Brandon Royval.

Temirov started with bad intentions. He fired hard kicks and wide power shots, forcing Kavanagh to stay alert while he worked behind straighter punches and movement. Temirov landed a right hand late in the round, but the exchange turned on him almost immediately.

The uppercut changed everything

Kavanagh slipped a left uppercut through the middle and froze Temirov. He followed with a quick combination that sent the Uzbek contender toward the fence. Temirov tried to regain his feet, but another burst brought referee Mike Beltran in to stop it.

It was a clean example of composure beating raw aggression. Temirov carried real knockout power and entered the night on a 12-fight winning streak, including three UFC victories. Kavanagh did not try to match every swing. He stayed close enough to counter, kept his eyes on the target and made the first clear opening count.

The official UFC results page confirmed the finish as a TKO by strikes. MMA Fighting and MMA Junkie also recorded the stoppage at 4:28 of Round 1.

Kavanagh wants the belt

Kavanagh was direct about what he wants next. "Obviously, I'm here for that belt," he said in his post-fight interview, as quoted by CBS Sports. "Respectfully, anyone can get it. I'm here for that belt."

The 27-year-old London fighter is now 11-2. His recent run has been chaotic but difficult to ignore: a decision win over former champion Brandon Moreno, a Fight of the Night loss to Royval, and now a first-round stoppage of a ranked opponent.

That does not guarantee an immediate title shot, especially with the top of the division still crowded. It does put Kavanagh back in the conversation, and this win showed a useful correction after the Royval loss. He kept his hands home during the dangerous exchanges, found the shorter route with the uppercut and left Temirov no time to recover.