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BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 27: Julius Walker has his hands wrapped prior to his fight during the UFC Fight Night event at National Gymnastics Arena on June 27, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
D’oh!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Julius Walker got sparked in just eight seconds by Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev on the UFC Baku prelims yesterday (Sat., June 27, 2026) inside National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan (watch highlights).
The finish was the seventh-fastest overall in UFC history and the second-fastest knockout in Light Heavyweight history.
Brutal.
But what makes the loss even more painful is what Walker said four days before the fight.
During an interview with YouTuber Carlo Perruzza, Walker was asked what the perfect outcome would be for UFC Baku.
“Dude, in a perfect world, I knock him out with the first punch,” Walker said. “I throw a jab, and it just decapitates him.”
Well, that aged horribly.
In a complete twist of irony, Walker was knocked out by the first punch Yakhyaev threw in the fight. Technically, the first punch flash-knocked him out, and then Yakhyaev followed up with a few more ground-and-pound shots before the referee jumped in.
Walker reflected on the loss a few hours after UFC Baku wrapped, admitting the result was tough to process.
“UFC Baku was an incredible experience despite it ending with one of the worst possible results,” Walker wrote. “Obviously, I am extremely disappointed with getting KO’d in 8 seconds. After the fight I couldn’t stop thinking about how much went into me going out there and getting dropped with the first punch. My family went 2 months without me, my sponsors invested heavily in me, my team and my coaches spent hours preparing me and traveling to be here. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that it was all for an 8-second fight.
“But in reality, that’s not the case,” Walker continued. “I grew as a fighter and as a man more in this camp than any one I’ve had before. Although I didn’t get to show them, I know I am twice the fighter I was 2 months ago. I’ve preached about being process-oriented over results oriented, and now I have no choice but to take my own advice. This sport can be cruel, but I won’t let this result take away from the fact that I know I have improved, and I have so much to build on. I am far from done, turning 27 in a few weeks, a little over 3 years into my pro MMA career, and I started this sport from 0, a little under 7 years ago. I’ll be back to work as soon as possible, but first I will take some much needed time with my family.”
Walker (7-3) is now riding the first two-fight losing streak of his career and falls to 1-3 inside the Octagon.
For more UFC Baku results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
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