Ramazan Temirov Blitzes Steve Erceg, Calls for Flyweight Title Shot

Ramazan Temirov didn't ease back into things. In the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday, the 29-year-old flyweight hurt one-time title challenger Steve Erceg repeatedly before flattening him with a brutal finish at 4:21 of round one. That's now three straight wins inside the octagon and his second first-round stoppage.

The result carries extra weight given the layoff. Temirov was sidelined for a year following a positive drug test, so this was a return fight against a legitimate name in the 125-pound division. He looked like he'd never left, moving his overall record to 19-3 with 11 of those wins by knockout.

Erceg's Slide Continues

For Erceg, this stings. He challenged for the flyweight belt not long ago, and getting starched in a single round doesn't do much for his standing near the top of the division. Temirov, by contrast, showed the kind of concussive power early — dropping Erceg multiple times — that tends to get a fighter noticed fast.

Predictably, Temirov grabbed the mic and called for a title shot. It's the right instinct and the wrong math. Three UFC wins is a strong start, but he's still unranked, and the flyweight queue in front of him is long. He'll need at least one or two more scalps against ranked opposition before that conversation is serious.

The rest of the card had its moments. Muhammad Saidov handled veteran Dustin Jacoby to bank his first UFC win, while Sam Patterson bounced back with a knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio. Not a bad night for the finishers.

The buzz online skewed toward the flyweight, though, and it's easy to see why. A returning fighter with knockout power in a division that's always hunting for fresh contenders is exactly the type the matchmakers love to feed a real test. Temirov all but dared them to do it.