Amir Albazi already has a pair of submissions inside the octagon but now he’s added his first knockout.
The Iraq native displayed improved striking throughout his fight with Alessandro Costa but it was a huge uppercut in the third round that helped him secure the finish at UFC Vegas 66. As he stepped into an exchange with his opponent, Albazi timed his punch and Costa’s head twisted around like a bottle cap as he fell to the ground with the fight ending a moment later.
The official end time came at 2:13 in the third round.
“This is what I expected,” Albazi said. I want to show off all of my talents. It’s not obvious to everyone. The power is obvious. Although I am here to challenge the greatest men out there, no one is interested in me.
“Now all I’m waiting for is that $50K bonus. That bonus is needed to buy a car .”
There was much respect between the flyweights, with Albazi trying to establish his jab from outside and Costa coming back at him with blistering speed. Albazi eventually turned to his grappling to slow things down, although Costa showed solid takedown defense to keep the fight standing.
Albazi continued to use his jab in order to keep Costa on his heels. Then he launched a perfect timed right-hand that buckled Costa’s knees, and placed him on the ground. From there, Albazi looked to dominate with top control while peppering away with punches and elbows.
Albazi finally stood out of guard and began to rain down shots on Costa. Costa was mostly stuck to his back, with little resistance.
During the third round, Albazi returned to his grappling. Costa managed to get up this time and was free to stand. Costa was quickly knocked out by Albazi’s combination punches, which culminated in an uppercut.
Now 4-0 in the UFC with three finishes along the way, Albazi appears to be a serious threat to the top contenders in the flyweight division and he’s obviously hoping a higher ranked opponent will be awaiting him when he returns in 2023.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/17/23514700/ufc-vegas-66-video-amir-albazi-crumbles-alessandro-costa-huge-uppercut-score-third-round-knockout?rand=96749
