Steven Nguyen made history Saturday – at the expense of Mohammad Yahya’s face.
On the UFC on ABC 9 prelims, Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) dropped Yahya (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) a record-breaking six times. The fight was stopped between Round 2 and Round 3 due to Yahya’s grotesquely swollen eye. The fight took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Yahya hung tough throughout the beatdown, but the human body (or in this case, face) can only take so much. The swelling escalated around the final knockdown, which took place in Round 2. When his face was shown on the big screen between rounds, his distorted face got an audible reaction from the crowd.
Nguyen picks up his first UFC victory in what was his first fight since his debut in March 2024. The Fortis MMA product moves to 4-1 in his most recent five.
Yahya could be on the chopping block after coming up empty-handed three times in as many UFC fights.
